The Watchlist: what to stream this week

Despite very much having second-tier status in the DC Comics superhero pantheon behind the likes of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, this eight-episode series might the best thing to come out of James Gunn's fledgling big and small screen DC Universe to date.

As Ryan Reynolds discovered in his sub-par 2011 screen version, the idea of an intergalactic cop with an alien ring of power that can produce physical manifestations of whatever he can imagine (a giant fist was a comic book staple), can come across as a little silly.

But Kyle Chandler's disenchanted, cynical version of the same character, Hal Jordan, uses the ring and its powers sparingly as the noirish story focuses more on a local murder mystery that has galactic implications.

There's also some top-notch buddy cop energy as Hal trains up rookie Lantern John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), the ex-Army sniper with a complicated past who's supposed to be his back-up - but may have ulterior motives.

You might come for the interplanetary superhero action, but you'll stay for the gritty detective drama told across multiple timelines.

JAMES WIGNEY

Between all the over-hyped reboots, big-budget sequels, and B-team spin-offs, I've been suffering from a serious case of superhero fatigue. To my complete surprise, however, DC's latest offering has turned me into a newly minted Green Lantern fan. That's saying something, considering Green Lantern - along with Aquaman and Marvel's Vision - has always struck me as a pretty lame excuse for a hero with his green eyemask and magical jewellery. What makes this show a winner (aside from Kyle Chandler's hilarious performance as a jaded veteran who shuns spandex because it makes bathroom breaks a nightmare) is that it draws more inspiration from Slow Horses and True Detective than its comic book origins. Spaceships and aliens aside, the plot follows two galactic sheriffs - the dishevelled, world-weary Hal Jordan (Chandler) and his eager-to-impress trainee, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) - as they investigate a mass murder in rural Nebraska. Throw in Kelly McDonald as the local lawwoman with a troublesome family and you have the makings of a great mystery.

SIOBHAN DUCK

PLATING LOCALLY

SBS ON DEMAND

Last seen on our screens in scrubs in The Hospital: In the Deep End, former MasterChef judge Matt Preston finds himself in more familiar territory with this very snackable series. It follows the renowned foodie through Australia and New Zealand as he meets the producers behind regional ingredients, explores their histories and traditions and cooks up a storm with the fabulous food he finds along the way. In this week's episode, the nattily-dressed Preston visits South Australia's Barossa Valley, meeting some world-beating cheesemakers and munching his way through the stalls at the Adelaide Cheese Fest, before sampling the fruits of some of the oldest vines in the world still producing, thanks to the foresight of the Silesian immigrants who settled the region nearly two centuries ago.

YOU'RE KILLING ME

STAN

Fans of cosy crime mysteries from Murder She Wrote to Death In Paradise will most enjoy this middling series that stars Brooke Shields as Allie Chandler, a veteran author of best-selling whodunits who lives in the picturesque seaside town of Founder's Cove. With book sales starting to flatline, Allie is in need of new challenge and when a friend is murdered at a local writers' convention, she reluctantly teams up with Gen Z podcaster Andi Walker (Amalia Williamson) to find the culprit and turbocharge both of their careers. Despite their initial mistrust, their complementary skills make them a formidable team and while the intergenerational clashes are milked for gentle laughs, you've seen this all before.

TAKE 5 WITH ZAN ROWE

THURSDAY, 8.30PM, SBS

Music journalist and podcaster extraordinaire Zan Rowe is back with a fifth season of her illuminating, Logie-nominated series that invites luminaries to choose their favourite five songs tied to a personal theme. This season's crop features global superstar Shania Twain, former NZ prime minister Jacinda Ardern, Talking Heads great David Byrne, Savage Garden's Darren Hayes, country singer Lainey Wilson, ARIA-winning rapper Genesis Owusu and beloved singing sisters Vika and Linda Bull. But first up it's the powerful and passionate Midnight Oil front man, former politician and the man who inspired a generation of Australian men's dance moves, Peter Garrett, who shares insights on life, love and service through his selection of songs that changed him.

ARSENAL V COVENTRY

SATURDAY, 4AM, STAN

There's always an added surge of excitement for the beginning of the new Premier League season in a World Cup year to see if those who shone on the football's biggest stage can repeat their heroics in the world's toughest league. Proceedings kick off with the defending champions Arsenal - featuring three of the Spaniards who lifted the trophy last month - hosting the newly promoted Coventry City. Then at 8.30pm on Saturday, Aussie teenager Lucas Herrington will be aiming to justify his record Australian transfer fee believed to be $33 million when Hull City is welcomed to the top flight with a home match against the mighty Manchester United.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II: HER STORY, OUR CENTURY

SATURDAY, 7.30PM, SBS

Whether you're a diehard monarchist or a staunch republican, this fascinating documentary will leave you in no doubt about what an extraordinary woman Queen Elizabeth II was. The calibre of the guests alone - including former US president Barack Obama, the late, great environmentalist David Attenborough, singer Tom Jones and actor Dame Helen Mirren (who won an Oscar for playing her) - is testament to the regard in which she was held around the world and from all walks of life. Through archival footage and interviews, it spotlights her front row seat to history from the controversial abdication of her uncle, to her glittering coronation and seeing her nation through crises including World War II and the Covid pandemic, right up to the global outpouring of grief at her death in 2022.

GOGGLEBOX

SUNDAY, 7PM, CHANNEL 10

The timeslot might be different, but hot takes on the week's television will be the same as the award-winning show about people watching shows returns for its 24th season. All your favourite couch critics - Adam and Symon; the Daltons; Matty, Sarah Marie, Jad and the boys; Lee and Keith; Tim and Leanne; Anastasia and Faye; the Delpechitras; Kevin, Bob and Jared; Milo and Nic; and Mia, Bree and Lainey - are back to bring you up to speed on the big water cooler moments and will take one for the team by watching all that trashy TV so you don't have to.

TRAVIS BARKER: LOUDER THAN FEAR

DISNEY+

He may now be just as well known for being Kourtney Kardashian's other half as he is for being the drummer for Blink-182, but a who's who of his fellow travellers including Metallica's Lars Ulrich, Stewart Copeland from The Police and the late Taylor Hawkins pay tribute to Travis Barker's skills as a skinsman in this emotional and inspirational documentary.

Filmed over nine years, it shows how Barker channelled the anger from losing his supportive mother at a young age into the dedication and discipline that eventually caught the attention of the band that made him famous.

Barker doesn't shy away from the hard partying ways that almost saw him lose the lot, or the scars he still bears from his near-fatal 2008 plane crash in an intimate celebration of passion, talent and resilience.

#TRENDING

STEEL MAGNOLIAS

TUBI

"Laughter through tears is my favourite emotion." That iconic line echoes throughout this 1989 classic as Truvy (Dolly Parton), M'Lynn (Sally Field), Shelby (Julia Roberts), Clairee (Olympia Dukakis), Annelle (Daryl Hannah), and Ouiser (Shirley MacLaine) trade sharp gossip and tender support through life's biggest milestones. With a new stage adaptation starring Lisa McCune reminding audiences just how delightful these feisty Southern women are, there's no better time to revisit the original film - where the only things bigger than the hair and shoulder pads are the personalities. It remains a fearlessly fabulous must-watch for your next rainy afternoon.

Originally published as Reviews: Travis Barker opens up in raw documentary as Lanterns debuts on HBO

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