As we approach the conclusion of the current television season for Emmy Award consideration -- May 31 is the final day of eligibility -- it's been an incredibly busy week for your friendly neighborhood streaming critic.
No complaints, but there are only 168 hours in a week, and my body insists on sleeping occasionally. Thus, I've only been able to watch and review three new episodic series in their entirety: The Other Bennet Sister (BritBox), M.I.A. (Peacock), and my top pick, The Terror: Devil in Silver (AMC+/Shudder).
In between naps and noshes, I sampled another six shows, watching only the first episode of each. Having that in mind, here is our weekly guide to new and noteworthy indie and international genre fare on various streaming services, beginning with three new shows on Netflix. (And don't forget that the bloody Thai action movie My Dearest Assassin bowed yesterday.)
Legends
All six episodes are now streaming on Netflix.
I loved how the first episode introduces its real-life premise, as a tiny unit of Britain's Customs Service is charged with stopping the import of drugs in the early 1990s. Neil Forsyth, journalist turned author turned TV writer, created the series, which looks to be dynamic. Tom Hughes is terrific as a meek family man turned surprisingly effective undercover cop, while Steve Coogan provides grizzled guidance as his supervising officer.
Lord of the Flies
All four episodes are now streaming on Netflix.
Young boys come of age as brutal savages after their plane crashes on a remote island. The first episode develops entirely as expected, with busy handheld camera work shoving the little tykes into the viewer's face. Not for me, but your mileage may vary.
The Chestnut Man S2: Hide and Seek
All six episodes are now streaming on Netflix.
Immediately establishing a chilling tone, the series returns, reteaming Mark Hess and Naia Thulin from the first season. They are now in different places, physically, emotionally, and otherwise, but join to investigate a serial killer who is inspired by a children's game. This is serious Nordic Noir, so of couse I love it.
Beyond Netflix, three more notable shows debuted this week on other streaming services.
Amadeus
The first episode is now streaming on Starz. Subsequent episodes in the five-episode limited series will debut every Friday.
I saw Peter Shaffer's wonderful play on Broadway in May 1981 -- the original production starred Ian McKellen as Salieri and Tim Curry as Mozart, with Jane Seymour as Constanze -- shortly before it won a Tony Award for Best Play. I also quite enjoyed the film version by Milos Forman in 1984, featuring F. Murray Abraham's magnificent, Academy Award-winning performance as a bitter and jealous Salieri, and Tom Hulce's properly irritating performance as Mozart, with his infamous braying laugh. The film won the Academy Award as Best Picture.
But it's been 40 years! Now Paul Bettany and Will Sharp star as Salieri and Mozart, respectively. Joe Barton wrote the script for the first episode, directed by Julian Farino, which begins with Mozart at 25, arriving in Vienna and making a splash, as court composer Salieri looks on with increasing disbelief. Mozart wins the favor of the Emperor (Rory Kinnear) and the listening public, while also capturing the heart of Constanze (Gabrielle Creevy).
Joe Barton keeps the framework of Peter Shaffer's play, with Salieri in old age, having failed a suicide attempt, and then telling the story of Mozart's last 10 years. Barton makes Mozart both magnetic and dismissive, which attracts Constanze, even as his boorish conduct increasingly repels Salieri, who considers himself a man of God.
The key differences in the first episode revolve around the sexual conduct portrayed -- nothing explicitly bared, it's all disguised under costumes -- and profane languge that I didn't realize was common in Vienna, Austria, in 1981. (?!) The production looks handsome, and I think the weekly release schedule befits the show's intention as a modern adaptation of the venerated play.
Unconditional
The first episode is now streaming on Apple TV. Subsequent episodes will debut every Friday.
Like The Chestnut Man, this show establishes crackling tension from its first frame. A mother and daughter are on their way home to Israel from an extended overseas trip that concluded at Moscow's international airport, where they are both arrested.
The mother is soon released, but the daughter is transferred to a police station and charged with drug trafficking. The mother must desperately seek her daughter's release, despite the frustration of negotiating a foreign legal system that does not play fair.
While the tension is good, the show hints strongly that the daughter may be complicit in her criminal charges, so it doesn't feel as mysterious or intriguing as its premise might suggest. I'll keep an eye on the Israeli thriller because of its strong pedigree, though it's not my top priority.
Citadel S2
All seven episodes are now streaming on Prime Video.
Stanley Tucci narrates the opening recap of events in Season 1, which reminded me that I reviewed it, based on the first three episodes, three years ago.
The first episode of Season 2 does not change my opinion; creator David Weil believes that everyone in the world speaks by inserting an f-word between every other word, and that villains only bellow loudly or whisper quietly, nothing in between. That's how we know they're villains! And Joe Russo directs with his same attention to glossy action as ever. So, help yourself.
Now Streaming celebrates independent and international genre films and television shows that are newly available on legal streaming services.