Action, quirky comedy, culture clashes, and costume dramas are on the agenda for the month of November. Here’s a look at the new streaming series Jenna Guillaume reckons you should be excited about…
Black Cake
Based on the bestselling novel by Charmaine Wilkerson, Black Cake is framed as the story of two siblings whose mother dies and leaves them with a series of voice recordings revealing the truth of her life—it’s there where the real story lies.
As Eleanor, formerly known as Covey, posthumously unravels her deepest secrets for her children, we’re taken on a journey from Jamaica to the UK, across decades of intense highs and lows—including a significant, mysterious death. Produced by Oprah, the series is beautiful to look at and features impressive performances, particularly from Mia Isaac and Chipo Chung, who play Covey/Eleanor at different points in her life.
Daily Dose of Sunshine
From director Lee Jae-gyu, who previously directed the very different in tone All of Us Are Dead, comes this tender series about a kind and hard-working nurse, Da-eun (played by the always-delightful Park Bo-young), whose sunshiney attitude is put to the test when she’s transferred to a psychiatric department. It looks to be an effective and moving exploration of mental health, ideal for fans of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.
The Buccaneers
Based on an unfinished novel by Edith Wharton, The Buccaneers follows five lively and ambitious American girls in the 1870s who head to England to find themselves some aristocratic husbands. Exploring their culture clash and a complicated love story, the series is an entertaining frolic that’s perfect for filling the Bridgerton-shaped hole in our lives. It stars Kristine Froseth, Alisha Boe, Christina Hendricks, and Matthew Broome.
NCIS: Sydney
The first international spin-off of the hit American franchise sees an NCIS unit team up with the Australian Federal Police to investigate the death of an American seaman in Australian waters. More Americans suffering culture shock, this time in Australia—who can resist? Especially when there are snakes involved—which, naturally, there are. Combine it with a murder mystery or two and you’ve got some entertaining popcorn viewing. Not to mention some spectacular views of Sydney.
The Curse
Created by Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie and starring the pair alongside Emma Stone, The Curse is a bizarre dark comedy that satirises home renovation shows and the couples who appear on them, while exploring marriage and modern life. Fielder and Stone play a newly married couple with their own home improvement show who are trying to conceive a child and become convinced they’re cursed (like, literally cursed). It’ll be dropping weekly so it’s sure to be the next talk of the virtual water cooler.
The Artful Dodger
The Artful Dodger is one of Charles Dickens’ most iconic characters, and this series imagines him as an adult who leaves his pickpocketing life in London behind to become a surgeon in 1850s Australia (quite the trajectory!). His fresh start is turned upside down when his former crime boss Fagin arrives in town. The series is a lot of fun, with high production value and an incredible set of creatives behind it, including directors Jeffrey Walker, Corrie Chen and Gracie Otto and stars Thomas Brodie-Sangster, David Thewlis, Maia Mitchell, Miranda Tapsell, Susie Porter, Damien Garvey, Luke Carroll and Tim Minchin.
Obliterated
Combining The Hangover-style Las Vegas comedy with a slick action thriller plot, Obliterated follows an elite special forces team who are on a celebratory bender after defusing a nuclear bomb when they learn that the bomb was actually fake and they have to find and neutralise the real one—all while high/drunk/generally a mess. It’s ridiculous, silly fun: perfect for unwinding and soothing those end-of-year brain overloads.
