Julia Garner in the true-crime drama series Inventing Anna, streaming on Netflix.
Julia Garner in the true-crime drama series Inventing Anna, streaming on Netflix.
Inventing Anna (Netflix) In 2013 a mysterious German heiress named Anna Delvey hit New York's party scene, rocketing onto the A-List and into the highest social circles. With a $60million fortune behind her, money appeared to be no object, which made the exotic and glamorous socialite a favourite of the gossip pagesand social media. The only problem was that none of her story was actually true. Something her wealthy pals and the city's institutions wouldn't find out until she'd fleeced them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Ozark's Julia Garner takes the lead in this absolutely bonkers tale that's even more unbelievable because it's all true. Streaming from Friday.
Bel-Air (TVNZ OnDemand) The trend for dark and gritty reboots gets taken to its ultimate conclusion with Bel-Air, a dramatic spin on the Will Smith starring 90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Jabari Banks as Will, Jordan L. Jones as Jazz in the Fresh Prince reboot Bel-Air, screening weekly on TVNZ OnDemand.
While both shows tell the story of how the real Smith's life got flipped turned upside down when he moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles as a wayward teenager that's where the similarities end. Don't expect any goofy one-liners, comedic dance crazes or banging theme tunes here. Instead, it's singing a more realistic tune, showing the challenges faced as the character Smith attempts to adjust to his second chance at life behind the gated mansions of Bel-Air while struggling to leave his former life and identity back on the streets of West Philly. Streaming weekly from Monday.
The Girl Before (Neon) Before watching this four-part thriller it's worth remembering how brutal and demoralising hunting for a new flat can be. That could be why Jane, a woman haunted by the trauma of her past, endures a rigorous selection process and agrees to an overly draconian set of house rules in order to secure the lease on a stylish house.
Scene from new thriller The Girl Before, streaming on Neon.
However, the house is home to the dark secrets of its minimalist architect who may also be building a fatal connection between Jane and the previous, recently deceased, girl who lived there before. The series has been praised for its artful take on thriller conventions with one critic calling it, "admirably sinister". Streaming from Sunday.
The Chelsea Detective (Acorn TV) It may be one of London's richest borough's but rest assured, there'll be no shortage of grizzly murder and grim death for the no-nonsense, down-to-earth Detective Inspector Max Arnold to get to the bottom of in this brand new crime drama.
Sonita Henry and Adrian Scarborough in The Chelsea Detective, streaming on Acorn TV.
Trudging around the dark underbelly of the leafy London suburb he and his partner DC Priya Shamsie will need to crack plenty of baffling cases, like the death of a social media influencer, and a murder on a crowded train platform. Gavin & Stacey star Adrian Scarborough swaps the comedy for a magnifying glass in this new procedural that's bound to keep you guessing. New episodes every Monday.
