Some of the best streaming services' most enjoyable shows aren't just great shows; they'll make you glad you bought one of the best TVs too. That's definitely the case with my two current favourites: in addition to being great shows they're great-looking shows too, with cinematography that'll make you love your TV even more.
On the face of it, the shows couldn't be more different. Hacks on Amazon Prime Video is a Las Vegas-set show about an ageing comedian, while Season 3 of Guilt on BBC iPlayer is about two messed-up brothers stumbling into ever more dangerous disasters. But they actually have a lot in common: the writing is top notch, the performances are absolutely superb and whether they're showing the blazing Vegas sun or a dreich, dark Edinburgh evening they look spectacular on a good TV.
Why you should stream Hacks and Guilt this weekend
Let's start with Hacks first. Its two seasons have an incredible 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and that rating is well deserved: it's the tale of how a deeply unlikeable millennial comedy writer (Hannah Einbinder) gets cancelled on the internet and has to take the one job available to her: working with a washed-up Vegas comedian, a career-best role for Jean Smart. Both characters are terrible people, but they're so beautifully written and acted that you'll love the show because of that rather than in spite of it. I don't want to spoil the story; let's just say it's an odd-couple comedy that delivers big laughs, a lot of cringe and some really big emotional moments too.
Guilt is another odd-couple comedy but this time the couple are brothers played by Mark Bonnar and Jamie Sives. Bonnar's Max is a borderline sociopath and his brother Jake is a gentle giant; what starts in S1 with a tragic accident escalates over its three seasons into an ensemble comedy that's dramatic and very, very funny. Bonnar in particular is amazing, moving from smarmy to downright frightening, and the brothers are ably supported by a cast of misfits including star turns by Emun Elliott, Ruth Bradley and Ellie Haddington.
Hacks is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video and Guilt is on BBC iPlayer.
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