Hot takes: Sacred Games, The Teacher's Pet and Sharp Objects

Sacred Games is available to stream on Netflix. Photo / Netflix

STREAM

Another new series in the crime genre, and the first Netflix original series from India, Sacred Games is the story of Ganesh Gaitonade, an infamous gangster who contacts low-level police officer Sartaj Singh about a threat against Mumbai. Singh joins forces with federal agent Anjali Mathur to solve the puzzling crime. If you're after something light-hearted to watch after a long day at work, this isn't it. It's relatively graphic and violent and at times the storyline is complex and hard to follow. That, however, was exactly why I loved it. It wasn't predictable and provided something out of the ordinary compared to the plethora of other crime thrillers available. Plus the cliff-hanger has been dubbed one of the best in recent history. Available to stream now on Netflix.

LISTEN

Like so many, I'm borderline obsessive about all things true crime. Particularly when it comes to podcasts. For the past week, I've found myself bingeing my way through The Teacher's Pet, a podcast from The Australian. This 10-part series breaks down the unsolved murder of wife and mother Lyn Dawson. On January 1982 Lyn disappeared without a trace, leaving behind two children and her football-star husband Chris Dawson. Just days after her disappearance Chris moved his teenage lover into the house. The podcast revisits the case, talking to friends and family who are certain she was murdered at the hands of her husband. If you loved Serial, Dirty John or the likes then definitely jump on board.

READ

I'm an avid believer in reading the book before seeing the movie (or TV show). I'm also slightly late to the party with Sharp Objects so I'm currently on the warpath to get through the book before watching the series which launched on Neon on July 9. As Gillian Flynn's debut novel, it saw a resurgence after Gone Girl became a huge hit and subsequent Hollywood blockbuster. In a similar vein to Gone Girl, Sharp Objects is a gripping thriller which follows a newspaper journalist who returns to her hometown to report on a series of brutal murders. While there she's forced to confront her own haunting past. An absolute page-turner that I keep finding myself rushing home to read.

Amy Adams stars on the TV-adaptation of Gillian Flynn's novel Sharp Objects. Photo / Supplied

WATCH

Serena Williams' incredible return to tennis and near-win at Wimbledon, just 10 months after giving birth to her daughter, inspired me to go back and watch Being Serena. Detailing how she took on pregnancy and motherhood while training to get back on to the court, the five-part documentary is available on TVNZ OnDemand. The doco gives an inside look at it all, from her C-section to her first tennis practice post-birth and shows the insecurities she faced during this time. Even if you're not a sports fan it's hard to not admire Williams after watching this.

Serena Williams and daughter Alexis in Being Serena. Photo / Supplied