Lucky and The Hawk: the seven best shows to stream this week
Anya Taylor-Joy is looking to break away from her criminal past with one last career-crowning heist, while Will Ferrell stars in a fun new comedy as a washed-up golfer
Pick of the week
Lucky
A suitcase full of money in a swanky Vegas hotel room. It’s a conventional way to start a thriller, but even if Lucky never threatens to shatter any paradigms it fulfils its edgy, twisty brief. Anya Taylor-Joy stars as Lucky, a woman who thinks she’s pulled off a career-crowning heist with lover Cary (Drew Starkey), only to wake the following day with a belting hangover in an empty bed. Worse still, while the cash has gone, its original owners haven’t – and soon she has Annette Bening’s mob boss Priscilla on her tail as well as the Feds. Lucky doesn’t hold much back – the first episode is basically one long chase scene – but as long as you leave plausibility concerns at the door, you’ll have a blast. Apple TV, from Wednesday 15 July
The Hawk
From Ted Lasso to Chad Powers, we’re living in a fertile era for sports comedy dramas. The cheesy earnestness of golf makes it particularly ripe for lampooning and this new Will Ferrellvehicle has fun with its stuffy conventions. Ferrell is Lonnie “the Hawk” Hawkins, a washed-up but braggadocious pro who missed his chance at entering the big league and is just about hanging on to his tour card. When his long-suffering caddy Henry keels over and dies in a bunker, the Hawk hits rock bottom. But with his son making waves in the game, Hawkins can’t let go. Slight but it slips down easily enough. Netflix, from Thursday16 July
Save Me
It isn’t exactly an unfamiliar dramatic scenario: a young person goes back to their remote home town after the death of a parent, only to find a hotbed of secrets, lies and jeopardy overwhelming them. But this thriller, based on Dimitris Simos’s novel, convincingly locates something dark and sinister in the sun-flooded setting of rural Greece. Nikol (Danae Skiadi) is the returning outsider – but soon after she reconnects with her old community, her sister disappears. Fortunately, there’s a detective on hand who shares her suspicions that a serial killer might be at large. Viaplay on Prime Video, out now
The Westies
New York in the early 1980s. It’s a good place for a gritty crime drama and the raw material for this series is promising. The Westies were an infamous Irish gang who, despite being outnumbered 50 to one by the mafia, established themselves in Hell’s Kitchen. JK Simmons stars as their leader, Eamon Sweeney, who, for all his ruthlessness, is struggling to keep a lid on his army’s savagery for long enough to agree a property deal with the Italians. The script is workmanlike but it’s intense, visceral and full of (frequently brutal) action. MGM+ on Prime Video, from Sunday12 July
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RJ Decker
“How is everything at the trailer park? Are you making new friends?” Private investigator RJ Decker (Scott Speedman) is down on his luck and everyone wants to remind him of that. Decker is easy to root for in this enjoyable Florida-set comedy drama – he’s a Hawaiian shirt-wearer in a world of Lycra and, despite jail time, is doing his best to occupy a space between the police department and the criminal underworld. Soon, a bizarre case threatens to drag him into deep water. He has a mysterious benefactor but could she prove to be another problem? Disney+, from Tuesday 14 July
Ride Or Die
Imagine if you found out that your best friend of 20 years was actually a brilliant assassin? You can’t, because it’s the kind of thing that only happens in slightly ridiculous films and TV shows. However, this hokey premise is brought to life in a show that only really works because of the endearing chemistry between leads Hannah Waddingham (Judith, killer for hire) and Octavia Spencer (Debbie, baffled everywoman). As her work for shadowy boss “The Director” (Bill Nighy) comes to light, Judith is forced to choose between his organisation and her pal. Prime Video, from Wednesday15 July
Jesy Nelson: Life Changing
The turbulent life of former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson takes another traumatic turn in this emotional series documenting life after the birth of her twins Ocean Jade and Story Monroe. The girls were diagnosed with the rare condition spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). It’s obviously a devastating development but, in addition to caring for her children (and dealing with a breakup), Nelson has thrown herself into campaigning for universal SMA screening at birth. It’s impossible not to feel both sympathy and great admiration for her response. Prime Video, from Friday13 July
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