Demascus review: Martin Lawrence comedy series premiere
After months of speculation, the new Martin Lawrence comedy series Demascus has just been released — and the first review is in.
STREAMING, TUBI
Demascus
On a quest of self-discovery, Demascus (Okieriete Onaodowan) is urged by his therapist (played by The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air's Janet Hubert) to try an experimental treatment that allows him to visit alternative realities.
Each version – where the same friends and relatives (including Martin Lawrence as an aged uncle) keep popping up but reshaped by their new context – sees Demascus gain new insights into himself and his fear of commitment as he navigates one awkward situation after another.
There has been a lot of buzz around this comedy in the US media as it was uncertain fans would be able to see it until it was snapped up by free streaming service Tubi.
The first review of new Tubi series Demascus has landed. Picture: Tubi
STREAMING, FOXTEL AND BINGE
If You Liked: Shōgun
Try: Chief Of War
STREAMING, APPLE TV+
Visually spectacular, this epic historical drama (created by and starring Jason Momoa) recreates the bloody battles over the unification and colonisation of Hawaii.
Momoa plays warrior Ka'iana who, having forged a simpler life on one of Hawaii's smaller islands, is talked into returning to battle by King Kahekili (Temuera Morrison).
Told in traditional language, the series is a deep dive into a lesser-known chapter of history. Momoa is believable as a wave-riding hero who can lead an army to victory without any armour, let alone trousers.
Jason Momoa stars in Chief of War for Apple TV+. Picture: Getty Images
If You Liked: Sandition
Try: Miss Austen
9PM, SUNDAY, ABC TV AND STREAMING, ABC iVIEW
If you have a passion for Regency romance then you're in for a treat with this new drama starring Keeley Hawes (pictured). Based on Gill Hornby's book, this delightful series casts the other Miss Austen – author Jane's sister, Cassandra – as the heroine.
Austenites will already be familiar with Cassandra's diabolical act of literary vandalism (destroying almost all of her sister's correspondence to protect the family's privacy).
This series imagines her motivations, offering glimpses into the inspirations for Jane's most famous stories.
The Couple Next Door
STREAMING, BINGE
In the aftermath of the last murderous neighbourly entanglement, the remaining residents of the tight-knit cul-de-sac are trying to get on with their lives. Here in this fancy Leeds neighbourhood, we find surgeon Charlotte (Annabel Scholey, pictured second from right) and her anaesthetist husband Jacob (Sam Palladio, pictured second from left), who struggle to find time for each other amid the pressures of their careers and caring for her elderly father.
So when disarmingly confident nurse Mia (Aggy K Adams, pictured right) and Charlotte's old flame (Sendhil Ramamurthy, pictured left) begin working at the hospital, the stage is set for another dangerous love quadrangle.
Some of Kylie Minogue's most successful hits were written by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. Picture: Getty Images
Hitmakers
STREAMING, NETFLIX
In the 1980s, the songwriting team of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman famously wrote Kylie Minogue's hit I Should Be So Lucky in 40 minutes, proving that when inspiration strikes, magic can happen fast. In this reality series, aspiring hitmakers are thrown together and given a few short hours to write the next big pop song for musicians such as John Legend (pictured left) and Lisa of Blackpink (and The White Lotus).
You may not know their names, but you will already know some of their lyrics, as the cohort has penned hits for the likes of Beyoncé, Justin Bieber and boy band BTS.
Creativity flourishes and rivalries flare in the pressure-cooker environment.
Lisa from Blackpink at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards. Picture: AFP
Dancing With The Stars
7.30PM, MONDAY, SEVEN
The glittering stage is set as six celebrities – comedian Felicity Ward, journalist Michael Usher, footy player Trent Cotchin, actor Kyle Schilling, TV host Shaun Micallef (pictured with Ash-Leigh Hunter) and radio personality Brittany Hockley – and their partners hit the floor in the final.
While Ward makes no secret of her desire to win and newlywed Hockley dances in tribute to her husband, it's clear everyone is keen to put their best foot forward.
The Decline Of Western Civilization Part Ii: The Metal Years
STREAMING, TUBI
In Black Sabbath's farewell concert last month, held just weeks before the July 22 death of frontman Ozzy Osbourne (pictured with his family), the singer reunited with his bandmates to feel the love of fans and fellow musicians such as Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Guns N' Roses vocalist Axl Rose.
In this 1988 doco, Osbourne joins another legendary line-up to reflect on his headline-grabbing career.
The late Ozzy Osbourne, pictured in 1997. Picture: AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, file
In Case You Missed It …
The Kennedys
If the Kennedy clan is basically America's answer to royalty, then this 2011 series is its
equivalent to The Crown.
With a star-studded cast that includes Tom Wilkinson as domineering patriarch Joe, Greg Kinnear as JFK and Katie Holmes (pictured) as Jackie, the four-part miniseries takes real people and events and serves them up as a salacious soap opera.
The series attracted some fierce criticism from the family's inner circle, who feared it wasn't an accurate portrayal of the Kennedy legacy.
Certainly this is not a historically accurate account of JFK's time in the White House. But it doesn't claim to be.
And, if you enjoy a good biopic (as I do) then this one will be your next guilty pleasure – if only to watchHolmes's wardrobe and breathless impersonation of the fashionable First Lady.
Katie Holmes stars in The Kennedys. Picture: Getty Images
One Show. Two Views
The Twelve: Cape Rock Killer
Siobhan Duck
Whether it's an old-school classic like Perry Mason (and its grittier reboot starring Matthew
Rhys), a series playing the legal system for laughs like Ally McBeal, or TV justice served with a sidebar of politics such as The Good Wife, I love courtroom dramas. Certainly, this series starring Sam Neill as wily defence barrister Brett Colby is the best Aussie take on the genre since Janet King.
In this new season, Colby is called upon to defend an old friend accused of killing a woman who was digging into a cold case murder.
Complicating matters further for Colby is the fact he's squaring off against his former protégée, Gabe Nicholls (Danielle Cormack) in court.
Against the backdrop of the whodunnit are the equally intriguing machinations of the sequestered jury. As the case unfolds, viewers will also learn about the private lives and prejudices of these 12 strangers sitting in judgement – and you will start to judge them as well.
Sam Neill and Danielle Cormack in a scene from The Twelve. Picture: Daniel Asher Smith
James Wigney
As the guilty verdict from one of the most fascinating murder trials in living memory still rings in our ears, it's a tough ask for any homegrown courtroom drama to top a woman killing her lunch guests with death cap mushrooms.
Indeed, with the proliferation of top-notch true crime documentaries and podcasts, I'm finding it harder to look past the factual in favour of the fictional, no matter how well made.
That said, while the format is starting to show a few familiar signs in its third season, The Twelve is still solid, thanks to its one constant: Sam Neill as the cunning and calm Brett Colby.
Smartly, he's now a reluctant defence barrister, concerned about being compromised thanks to his connection with the accused.
And if the time shifts between the current crime and a historical double murder, secret lives of jury members and many twists get too much, just crack a bottle of Neill's Otago pinot noir and enjoy the stunning Margaret River scenery.
Read the full reviews inside today's issue of The Watchlist, in The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (Victoria), The Sunday Mail (Queensland) and Sunday Mail (SA).
For more from Stellar and The Watchlist, click here.
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‘Get real, mate': Aussie comedian shuts down plane request
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9 hours ago
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Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen are ‘never getting together' in Platonic as one of the funniest TV series returns to screens
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Having worked together for more than a decade, Byrne and Rogen have a real-life connection that easily translates on to the screen even when they are frequently screaming at each other and finding new ways to screw up each other's lives. In a step up from the first season, as Will's wedding approaches and Sylvia prepares to return to work, side characters such as Sylvia's lawyer husband Charlie and bestie Katie also get their chance to shine, making for one of the funniest shows around. JAMES WIGNEY Billy Crystal's character in When Harry Met Sally was wrong. Men and women can be friends. That's certainly clear in this quirky comedy about best mates, Sylvia and Will (Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen). Unlike Harry and Sally (Crystal and Meg Ryan) who's friendship slowly and hilariously evolved into romance in the 1989 comedy classic, there's never the slightest suggestion of attraction between Sylvia and Will. And that's reinforced by having real life buddies, Byrne and Rogen at the helm. Certainly, Platonic feels tailor made for the frequent collaborators. As mum-of-three Sylvia, Byrne gets to once again show her skill at playing uptight women who are secretly champing at the bit to let loose. While Rogen leans into his long and storeyed history of playing likeable slackers, as craft beer connoisseur, Will. Having renewed their friendship in season one, this follow-up sees the pair's friendship tested by Will's new romance. While Sylvia's marriage is strained by her new career as a party planner and her usually dependable husband's midlife crisis. SIOBHAN DUCK DEMASCUS TUBI Some of the strangely familiar tech in this near-future-set, six-part sci-fi comedy will leave viewers wondering whether its unconventional therapy techniques are really that far away in this ever-changing AI driven world. At the encouragement of his outspoken therapist (played by Janet Hubert from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air), Okieriete Onaodowan's weed loving, slightly lost title character signs up for the experimental Digital Immersive Reality Therapy (DIRT), by which he can visit alternative versions of himself 'but only as a voyeur'. As he digs deeper in search of answers about his true self, the acquired memories he gains begin to blur the lines of reality and his subconscious as he plays out scenarios of possible lives. BACK ROADS THURSDAY, 8PM, ABC With Heather Ewart calling time after a decade in job, Gold Logie nominee Lisa Millar proves to be a more than capable replacement on the travel show that spotlights the country's hidden gems and the fascinating people who live there. Millar's first stop is the legendary Snowy River, beginning in the High Country where she confronts her fear of horses head on with the help of a woman who trains and rehomes Brumbies. In between gamely shooting rapids and bush-bashing in blowout prone buggy, she also meets a 98-year-old Italian expert who explains the multicultural marvel that was the Snowy Hydro Scheme and meets the Indigenous women with a profound connection to the river, just before it meets the sea. SOUTH PARK THURSDAY, PARAMOUNT+ The first episode in the long-running animated comedy's 27th season was billed as its most savage ever and it certainly didn't disappoint on that front. How you feel about the episode – featuring appearances by Satan AND Jesus – will probably correspond to the regard you have for the current American president, who bore the brunt of the show's fury. But Trey Parker and Matt Stone have always been equal opportunity offenders and also had their sights set on woke culture, religion, the media and even AI. After nearly 30 years of lewd, crude satire and mayhem with Cartman, Kyle, Kenny and Stan, audiences should know what they are in store for with whatever they come up with for this week. You have been warned. CHIEF OF WAR NEW EPISODES FRIDAYS, APPLE TV+ Man mountain Jason Momoa's stunning historical drama passion project has been billed as Shogun for Hawaiian culture – and it's not a bad comparison, given the scale, use of local language and political machinations punctuated by bouts of brutal and bloody violence. The former Aquaman, who also created and co-wrote the series based on actual historical events, plays Ka'iana, a warrior chief embroiled in the ongoing battle between the four major kingdoms of Hawaii. When he's summoned from his peaceful self-imposed exile by his warmongering uncle (a terrifying Temuera Morrison) for his formidable fighting skills, he begins to question the old ways and chain of command, and has his life turned upside down by an encounter with European sailors. THE VOICE SUNDAY, 7PM, CHANNEL 7 There's been a major shake-up for the 14th season of the long-running reality singing show, with ARIA-winning Aussie Kate Miller-Heidke the only returning coach. Joining her in the spinning chairs are Grammy winning rocker Richard Marx, former Boyzone singer Ronan Keating (last seen on the show in 2016 and a veteran of the UK and German versions) and Sporty Spice herself, Mel C. The season gets off to a flyer, with promising artists from all walks of life (Kiwi Cassie is an early standout) causing the coaches to get even more competitive then the contestants. No one is talking a back step, with Marx in particular willing to pull out every trick in the book – and his seriously impressive contacts list – to land the top talent. EYES OF WAKANDA DISNEY+ With the news that Black Panther 3 is on the way with original director Ryan Coogler in charge comes this fun detour into one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's more interesting corners – the mysterious and secluded fictional African country of Wakanda. The four-part animated series, which spans centuries of Wakandan history, is mainly concerned with the Hatut Zaraza, who are basically black ops agents tasked with tracking down stolen items made of Vibranium, the substance that powers the country's advanced technology. In doing so they interact with historical eras and mythical figures from Achilles and ancient Crete to Middle Ages China, with beautifully rendered fight scenes and recreations of ancient civilisations. INXS: LIVE AT WEMBLEY SUNDAY, 8.50PM, CHANNEL 7 Seeing Never Tear Us Apart top Triple J's Hottest 100 Australian Songs last month was a reminder of just how good the band was at the peak of its powers. So too is this behind-the-scenes look at their legendary 1991 gig at London's Wembley Stadium, with late, great frontman Michael Hutchence prowling the stage belting out hit after hit and connecting with the ecstatic audience in a way that belied the vastness of the venue. With narration by Michael Usher, band members Kirk Pengilly and Jon Farriss break down the unforgettable sold-out gig (the guest list alone was more than 2000 people) song by song and reveal insights into how a pub band from Down Under made it one of the world's biggest stages. TRENDING: GWYNETH PALTROW Streaming, Tubi After weeks being drip fed salacious titbits about Gwyneth Paltrow's famed romances with Ben Affleck and Brad Pitt, Amy O'Dell's explosive book Gwyneth: The Biography finally hits shelves this week. But there are other ways to dig into the Oscar winner's past that don't involve a trip to the bookstore, including revisiting this 2008 film co-starring Joaquin Phoenix. As you would expect for any project with Phoenix as leading man, this is no predictable Hollywood rom com. It sees a suicidal middle-aged New Yorker torn between the nice girl picked out for him by his parents and his self-destructive neighbour (Paltrow). While Paltrow is more focused on her Goop empire than acting these days, this film is a reminder of what a magnetic presence she is on screen.
