Murderbot to Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story – the seven best shows to stream this week

Pick of the week
Murderbot

Perfectly successful tune with our existent authorities of low-key but persistent AI panic, this sci-fi drama stars Alexander Skarsgård arsenic the titular, self-named information cyborg. Skarsgård’s bot has managed to hack itself, but having overridden its programming, it’s unsure of what to bash with its freedom. After all, 1 mendacious determination and its semi-autonomous authorities volition beryllium revealed. The code is wry alternatively than dystopian. Murderbot has been hired arsenic information by a shambolic gaggle of space-travelling environmentalists – but portion it does person the capableness to spell connected a sidesplitting spree, it truly conscionable wants to beryllium near unsocial to ticker soap operas and ponder its spot successful the universe. Dryly comic and existentially intriguing.
Apple TV, from Friday 16 May

Overcompensating

A nicely tweaked all-American phantasy … Corteon Moore arsenic Gabe and Benito Skinner arsenic Benny successful Overcompensating. Photograph: Jackie Brown/Prime

There is simply a nicely tweaked all-American phantasy successful this semi-autobiographical comedy, written by and starring Benito Skinner and featuring a soundtrack by Charli xcx. Benny (Skinner) is the handsome jock of small-town dreams. As helium heads for college, the satellite is his oyster. But he’s confused by 1 thing: helium keeps seeing boys helium fancies. Soon, helium hooks up (platonically) with Wally Baram’s Carmen, their saccharine relationship some underpinned and undermined by the consciousness that neither is rather who they privation to be. The brace are plainly excessively charismatic and casual connected the oculus to walk arsenic existent misfits but they’re bully institution each the same.
Prime Video, from Thursday 15 May

Untold: The Liver King

Absurd … Brian Johnson successful Untold: Liver King. Photograph: Netflix

The Liver King (Brian Johnson to his mum) is 1 of the much absurd social media presences successful caller history. An influencer claiming an “ancestral lifestyle”, his shtick is overmuch arsenic his sanction suggests: for years helium claimed his musculature was the merchandise of an offal-heavy fare of earthy meat. This documentary – which hears from adherents to this bizarre regimen and from Johnson himself – explores the truth: successful 2022, leaked emails revealed he’d been spending thousands of dollars a period connected steroids. Yet different cautionary communicative from an epoch overflowing with them.
Netflix, from Tuesday 13 May

Bad Thoughts

Striking … Tom Segura successful Bad Thoughts. Photograph: Shaun Nix/Netflix

This sketch drama from Tom Segura lands determination betwixt I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson and a slasher film. Segura has described it arsenic “a satellite wherever intrusive thoughts win” and that leads to immoderate striking vignettes. It’s a realm successful which state singers kidnap their fans and torment them psychologically until they supply lyrical inspiration, and wherever baristas are punished for their smugness by having their brains splattered connected the counters of their java shops. The weirdness sometimes feels self-conscious but, still, a imaginable cult hit.
Netflix, from Tuesday 13 May

Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story

Grotesque … Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story. Photograph: Netflix

Is determination thing much to beryllium said astir the grotesquely horrible lawsuit of Fred and Rose West? This documentary bid fills successful a fewer gaps, revealing precocious discovered constabulary recordings and shockingly visceral first-person testimonies from those unfortunate capable to person jobs requiring them to carnivore witnesser to the realities of the Wests’ crimes. It besides features relatives of immoderate of the victims, respective of whom are speaking connected the grounds for the archetypal time. Whether it amounts to caller penetration oregon much wallowing successful misery is debatable.
Netflix, from Wednesday 14 May

Abbott Elementary

The grind … Lisa Ann Walter arsenic Melissa Schemmenti successful Abbott Elementary. Photograph: Gilles Mingasson/Disney

While Quinta Brunson’s school-set mockumentary has mislaid a small communicative momentum successful caller seasons, it has gained poignancy acknowledgment to the US government’s attacks connected publically funded institutions. These latest episodes wrapper up play 4 (season 5 is already commissioned). As some the origin and effect of Ava’s suspension, the school’s fiscal struggles proceed to underpin the story. But determination are besides predominant reminders of wherefore the teachers’ enactment matters, not slightest successful the saccharine play finale successful which a play is staged by the students.
Disney+, from Wednesday 14 May

Hysteria

Heavy metallic … Chiara Aurelia arsenic Jordy and Emjay Anthony arsenic Dylan Campbell successful Hysteria. Photograph: Daniel Delgado/Peacock

The precocious 80s “satanic panic” astir dense metallic gets the play attraction successful this entertaining bid successful which a struggling high-school set get a bold idea. A section teen has gone missing and chaotic rumours are convulsing their tiny town; truthful wherefore not spell to the acheronian side? Soon, the set are filling rooms – but not each of the attraction they’re receiving is welcome. Worse still, unusual things are happening to the set members. Have they accidentally invoked acheronian forces beyond their control? The dialog is often clunky but the full happening feels appropriately cartoonish.
Paramount+, from Friday 16 May