Tag: UK-Netflix (Page 7)

Hospital Playlist is a heartwarming and engaging South Korean series that follows the lives and friendships of five doctors who work at the same hospital. With its perfect blend of drama, humor, and genuine moments, the show offers an intimate and realistic portrayal of the challenges and joys faced by medical professionals. The characters are beautifully developed, and their personal stories are both relatable and deeply moving. The series strikes a balance between medical cases and the characters' personal lives, creating a captivating narrative that keeps you invested from beginning to end. A must-watch for its heartfelt storytelling and compelling ensemble cast.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Actor: Ahn Eun-jin, Bae Hyeon-seong, Cho Jung-seok, Cho Seung-yeon, Cho Yi-hyun, Choi Young-jun, Choi Young-woo, Dae-Myung Kim, Ha Yoon-kyung, Jeon Mi-do, Joo Bo-bi, Jung Kyung-ho, Jung Moon-sung, Jung-suk Jo, Kim Dae-myeong, Kim Dae-Myeung, Kim Dae-myung, Kim Hae-sook, Kim Hae-suk, Kim Hye-In, Kim Kang-min, Kim Kap-soo, Kim Soo-jin, Kwak Sun-young, Kyung-ho Jung, Lee Chan-hyung, Lee Ji-hoon, Lee Ji-won, Lee Jong-won, Lee Noh-ah, Lee Se-hee, Moon Hee-kyung, Moon Tae-yu, Park Ji Yun, Shin Hyun-bin, Yang Jo-a, Yeon-Seok Yoo, Yoo Yeon-seok, Yoon Hye-ree

Rating: N/A

Netflix is no stranger to adapting novels, nor to period dramas – Cigarette Girl is one of many, but it’s one from Indonesia that stands out due to its unique premise and excellent execution. Based on the novel by Ratih Kumala, the show is a slow-burn, smoldering period romance set amidst Indonesia’s kretek cigarette industry, booming in the 1960s, but it’s framed within the 2000s, where the man’s family uncovers his lost love before he dies. The alternating timelines keep the mystery fresh, as each new revelation uncovers what really happened between the two, as well as what would happen with the fate of their families. This intriguing structure, along with excellent writing, and stunning sets and costumes, make Cigarette Girl a compelling show to watch.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Ario Bayu, Arya Saloka, Dian Sastrowardoyo, Putri Marino, Sha Ine Febriyanti, Tissa Biani Azzahra

Director: Ifa Isfansyah, Kamila Andini

Rating: TV-14

Netflix's resurrection of the hit Danish drama Borgen comes in the form of Borgen: Power & Glory, a miniseries that sees Birgitte Nyborg (played by powerhouse Sidse Babett Knudsen) step down as prime minister and take over the foreign minister position while wrangling over power, principle, and family. In this particular revival, Birgitte butts head with the new prime minister, who is all for drilling oil in the autonomous region of Greenland despite Birgitte’s firm stance against climate change. The event turns into a geopolitical crisis that tests Birgitte’s values.

The series is as whipsmart, relevant, and funny as ever, although if you haven't seen previous seasons of the show yet, don't fret. Borgen: Power & Glory efficiently catches you up on all you need to know in the first few minutes. It’s a standalone, engaging drama that’s a breeze to go through at just eight episodes.

Genre: Drama, War & Politics

Actor: Benedikte Hansen, Birgitte Hjort Sorensen, Emil Poulsen, Freja Riemann, Julie Agnete Vang, Lars Knutzon, Lars Mikkelsen, Lisbeth Wulff, Mikael Birkkjær, Ole Thestrup, Peter Mygind, Pilou Asbæk, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Søren Malling, Søren Spanning, Thomas Levin

Rating: TV-14

Baby Reindeer is a tough watch, starting out with out of kilter comedy that eventually and unrelentingly reveals its darker and darker sides. But not only was this a hard show to watch, this story is genuinely difficult to tell, because of how entangled all the threads of Donny’s trauma gets– it’s not a straightforward story about going through one traumatic incident and then immediately moving to logical forms of healing. It’s about one traumatic incident keeping him stuck and leaving him and his loved ones vulnerable to even more abuse. It’s a terrifying situation. And it’s terribly, terribly honest.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Alexandria Riley, Amanda Root, Danny Kirrane, Hugh Coles, Jessica Gunning, Mark Lewis Jones, Michael Wildman, Nava Mau, Nina Sosanya, Richard Gadd, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Thomas Coombes, Tom Goodman-Hill

Rating: TV-MA

Youth of May is exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a straightforward spring-set coming-of-age drama where young adults chase after their dreams, if they have any, and try to figure out what they want otherwise. Like plenty of other K-dramas, this usually involves a romance. But in between the ordinary romance, life strikes. Students fight for democracy, and at the time, the government cracked down on them brutally, but because the show spent time getting to know Myung-hee and Hui-tae, the consequences of these events make it all the more poignant. Youth of May reminds us of the humanity behind the brave students that fought for South Korea’s democracy, and the lives that have been tragically cut short for it.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Geum Sae-rok, Go Min-si, Lee Do-hyun, Lee Sang-yi, Oh Man-seok

This World Can’t Tear Me Down is a timely release on friendship, punk, and anti-fascism. From the Italian cartoonist Zerocalcare, his second Netflix show shifts his musings over mental health to his experiences with regard to the country's rising neo-Nazism. As xenophobia tears his friend group, it's easy to feel the fear and self-doubt Zero's cartoon counterpart feels. It's easy as well to empathize with Sarah and Cesare, characters failed by the system around them. In many ways, they themselves feel like they haven't met their potential. But the show suggests that perhaps status and achievement aren’t what being successful is all about– it's about holding onto principles. Through punk soundtracks and shifts between stop motion and 90s cartoon style, This World Can't Tear Me Down captures the millennial generation's bewilderment, as well as their hope.

Genre: Animation, Comedy, Drama

Actor: Valerio Mastandrea, Zerocalcare

Rating: 16

It’s amazing how shows fueled only by fast talk can feel as gripping as any thriller out there. The Diplomat is cerebral and heavy on geopolitical jargon, but somehow, it manages to feel genuinely exciting, each new episode impossible to not play next. Thanks is due in large part to Keri Russell who, fresh out of her incredible stint in The Americans, returns here as messy and intense and endearing as ever. 

On the one hand, The Diplomat is about the delicacy of diplomacy, about how every decision made at this level has ripples of consequences throughout the globe. But it’s also, amusingly, a marriage story. Russell plays a woman who has long been defined by her more renowned if a bit egotistical husband, played perfectly by Rufus Sewell. They have a complex relationship that is as much of a career partnership as it is a romantic one, and part of the show’s charm is blending this story arc with the main one. 

Fans of West Wing, Veep, and Homeland will find much to like in this series, not least of all are the informative takes and worthwhile performances. 

Genre: Drama

Actor: Ali Ahn, Ato Essandoh, David Gyasi, Keri Russell, Rory Kinnear, Rufus Sewell

Rating: TV-MA