Box Set Binge – a smorgasbord of binge-worthy TV and streaming treats

BOILING POINT

Following his 2019 short film of the same name, Philip Barantini’s feature-length one-shot wonder movie featured Stephen Graham as Andy, a head chef and business owner whose restaurant is on the verge of disaster, from a stressed front-of-house team to an under-pressure kitchen led by the tenacious sous-chef, Carly (Vinette Robinson).

Barantini’s fast-paced fly-on-the-wall drama dialled up the heat as you bit your nails to the quick, wondering where the night was heading before leading to tragic results. Now, the TV show continues that story, fleshing out the characters and offering a delicious continuation of Barantini’s delicately crafted tension.

The result is a bold and brilliant cocktail of drama that weaves together the personal journeys of each character into a tapestry of highs, lows, sacrifices and full-on kitchen nightmares.

DAISY JONES AND THE SIX

Based on the bestselling novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Daisy Jones & The Six feels like an extension of Cameron Crowe’s sublime 2000 film Almost Famous. But here, the coming-of-age themes are replaced by a focus on internal band conflicts, romance and politics. Spanning two timelines, interviews about the band’s collapse are woven into a delightful exploration of the 1970s music scene, featuring sublime original tracks.

With more than a nod to Fleetwood Mac, the performances of Daisy (Riley Keough) and Billy (Sam Claflin) recreate a Nicks and Buckingham-inspired conflict, while the ensemble of Billy’s brother Graham (Will Harrison), bassist Eddie Roundtree (Josh Whitehouse), drummer Warren Rojas (Sebastian Chacon), keyboardist Karen Sirko (Suki Waterhouse) and Billy’s long-suffering wife (Camila Morrone) are an absolute delight. This is serial drama at its very best.

CHUCKY

Following his 2019 short film of the same name, Philip Barantini’s feature-length one-shot wonder movie featured Stephen Graham as Andy, a head chef and business owner whose restaurant is on the verge of disaster, from a stressed front-of-house team to an under-pressure kitchen led by the tenacious sous-chef, Carly (Vinette Robinson).

Barantini’s fast-paced fly-on-the-wall drama dialled up the heat as you bit your nails to the quick, wondering where the night was heading before leading to tragic results. Now, the TV show continues that story, fleshing out the characters and offering a delicious continuation of Barantini’s delicately crafted tension.

The result is a bold and brilliant cocktail of drama that weaves together the personal journeys of each character into a tapestry of highs, lows, sacrifices and full-on kitchen nightmares.

IN THE FLESH

Horror has long provided a vital home for Queer storytelling and representation, from Cat People (1942) to The Haunting (1963). As BBC Three began to find its feet, Dominic Mitchell’s 2013 take on a zombie apocalypse would place the relationship between Queer representation and horror centre stage on the small screen.

Mitchell’s underrated series would delve into complex discussions on mental health, sexuality, and community as we followed a young queer Zombie called Kieran through the trials and tribulations of a new undead life and the teenage experiences that came before it. Here, Mitchell would weave the standard zombie story with the experiences of minority communities, maintaining a delightful mix of horror and comedy.

GRANGE HILL

Phil Redmond’s Grange Hill didn’t just reinvent the classic children’s tea-time drama; it joyously tore up the rulebook, delivering fun, gritty, and bold TV drama that understood the kids it was talking to.

Until Grange Hill, comprehensive state schools had been largely absent from TV, with working-class kids rarely seen unless they were committing a crime in a police drama. The school gates of Grange Hill opened in 1978 and remained open for 30 years as each new generation of kids explored hard-hitting themes from abuse to addiction, HIV, and grooming.

However, while Grange Hill dared to tackle big social themes with its young audiences, it never lost sight of the fun, humour, and joy of the playground, too. Watching Grange Hill now is a revelation as you realise just how cutting-edge this kid’s drama was and still is in the landscape of children’s TV.

Delve into the world of Grange Hill with the Sausage on a Fork podcast – Click Here.

THE WONDER YEARS

If you can name a better coming-of-age TV show, I would love to hear it, as The Wonder Years is, in my view, one of the finest coming-of-age TV dramas of the 20th Century.

Over six seasons, each delightful 30-minute episode steals our hearts as it explores the complex dynamics of family life against the backdrop of a rapidly changing America.

Far more than mere nostalgia, Kevin’s journey from boy to man is set within the politics, social, and cultural changes of 1960s and 1970s America, as the American Dream began to face the reality of public protest, political corruption, the fight for freedom, social liberation, and the arrival of greed.

DERRY GIRLS

Lisa McGee’s semi-autobiographical coming-of-age comedy, Derry Girls, sensibly opted to say goodbye in its third series, but we were sad to see it go. Derry Girls was rare in the landscape of modern situational comedy, first for its heart and humour, and second for its exquisite reflection of a specific time and place.

Chronicling the path to peace in Northern Ireland alongside Erin, Orla, Clare, Michelle, and their wee English fella, James, Derry Girls injected the heartbreaking years of Northern Irish violence and segregation with the newly emerging hope of peace. It celebrated the best of Northern Irish culture, humour, and togetherness while never shying away from troubles. In the process, it became a modern TV classic, leaving us begging for more.

SEX EDUCATION

Over four fabulous seasons, Laurie Nunn’s beautifully written show helped shape a brand new landscape in teen drama. Taking inspiration from Skins, Charlie Bartlett, and a range of John Hughes films, Sex Education would combine edgy teen drama with a wealth of comedy and emotion, blowing the doors off the continuing teen drama genre.

Tackling sexual anxieties, first-time sex, masturbation, role play, kink and more, no sexual practice was off limits in this devilishly brilliant slice of TV. However, the real genius lay in Sex Education’s ability to seamlessly integrate its sex talk with a genuine affection for its characters.

From the gentle, frustrated and endearing Otis (Asa Butterfield) to the sharp, loving and proud Eric (Ncuti Gatwa) and the spikey, worldly-wise Maeve (Emma Mackey), Sex Education not only understood the fears, apprehensions and questions many teens watching had; it enabled safe, humorous and tender discussions.

Nunn’s comedy-drama is Fast Times at Ridgemont High for millennials, and while it falters slightly toward the end, it has rightly earned its place in TV history.

QUEER AS FOLK

Some TV shows carry such immense power that people can recall exactly where they were when the first episode landed in our living rooms. I know exactly where I was on the 23rd of February 1999 when Channel Four’s Queer as Folk arrived on our screens.

Russell T Davies would remove a legacy of gay men as non-sexual figures within the opening fifteen minutes and, in the process, shock and delight a whole nation. It was unapologetically provocative, bold, joyous and wicked as it danced down Manchester’s Canal Street and celebrated late 90s hedonism, sex, friendship and queer confidence. 

Queer as Folk would change TV forever and usher in a new era of LGBTQ+ storytelling worldwide. Russell T Davies didn’t just smash the rainbow-coloured glass ceiling; he took a sledgehammer to it!

ORANGES ARE NOT THE ONLY FRUIT

The BBC’s adaptation of Jeanette Winterson’s semi-autobiographical novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, is a milestone in TV history. Like Queer as Folk nine years later, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit would end up at the centre of public outrage and debate for its portrayal of teenage sexuality and the hate-filled acts of a Pentecostal Church toward a young woman, Jess (Charlotte Coleman), due to her emerging sexuality.

Directed by Beeban Kidron, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit won the TV BAFTA for Best Drama Series and Best Actress. But more importantly, it would challenge TV audiences to rethink the role of religion in hate and discrimination through a wickedly sharp screenplay that shone a light on religious conversion therapy.

THE OFFER

Sometimes, the making of a film is just as fascinating as the end result. Over the years, many movie productions have sparked public interest, from Apocalypse Now to The Twilight Zone and The Wizard of Oz. In The Offer, the making of The Godfather takes centre stage, and it’s one hell of a story!

Told from the perspective of producer Albert S. Ruddy (Miles Teller), The Offer aims to provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the making of Francis Ford Coppola’s classic. The Offer is at its most interesting when exploring the studio system’s changing landscape in the early 1970s. Here, the infamous Paramount boss Robert Evans takes centre stage, played brilliantly by Matthew Goode, a man who never followed the rules and saved the crumbling Paramount mountain from sliding into a lake.

HUNTERS

Within the first 10 minutes, David Weil’s audacious series set out its stall as a family barbecue turned to slaughter at a lakeside house in the 1970s.

This Tarrantino-inspired show would mix the horror of historical Nazi atrocities with an action-thriller exploring a series of fictional events following world peace in 1945. As a result, Hunters divided public and critical opinion, with many unsure of what to make of its unique comic-book tone and moments of horrific historical darkness.

It does trip up on its own confidence several times. Still, despite this, it remains one hell of a ride thanks to an absolutely stunning cast led by Logan Lerman and Al Pacino and a fast, energetic direction that keeps you on the edge of your seat.