March was a bit of a blur, defined less by the outside world and more by the slow, steady rhythm of post-surgery recovery. While my body was busy healing, my screen became a much-needed window into other lives – ranging from the high-stakes chaos of high finance to the sun-drenched absurdity of South Florida.
This past month’s watchlist was the perfect companion, offering a mix of comforting returning favourites and some truly stellar new premieres that made the couch-bound days feel a lot more like an adventure.
Here is a look at what kept me occupied during my recovery.
Below Deck Down Under
Between The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City ladies bringing high-altitude delusions to sea level and Chef Ben treating the galley like a culinary combat zone, the crew’s tangled love lives are somehow still the messiest things on board. It’s a five-star disaster where the only thing more over-the-top than the Housewives’ demands is the sheer audacity of the yachties’ boatmance drama.
Below Deck Down Under Season 4 continues to stream on Hayu.
The Valley: Persian Style
Even without the Shahs of Sunset backstory, it’s clear that these “suburban” lives are fueled by decades of unresolved resentment and enough Persian tea to drown a cul-de-sac.
The first season is a fascinating, chaotic introduction to a group where the Persian tea is always scalding and the only thing more fragile than the marriages is the peace during a desert trip.
Tommy and Reza are a bridge that burned, collapsed, and was then salted for good measure. Fingers crossed for a Season 2 that explores MJ’s divorce from Tommy.
The Valley: Persian Style Season 1 is streaming on Hayu.
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette
The controversial series is a visual feast of ‘90s minimalism, trading deep substance for the high-gloss perfection of Carolyn’s (Sarah Pidgeon) sleep neutrals and John’s (Canadian Paul Anthony Kelly) signature hair.
It’s a nostalgic “time capsule” of Manhattan elite that feels more like an editorial from Vogue (or Details!), punctuated by a killer alt-rock soundtrack – from Mazzy Star to The Stone Roses – that makes the inevitable tragedy look and sound undeniably chic.
Memorable performances from the finale from Constance Zimmer (Ann Marie Messina)and Grace Gummer (Caroline Kennedy). Fans even want a series centred around Alessandro Nivola’s take on Calvin Klein.
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette is streaming on Disney+.
Industry
The fourth season is a brutal high-wire act where Sir Henry Muck’s (Kit Harington) privileged world finally collapses into a drug-fueled, depressive spiral, leaving Yasmin (Marisa Abela) to trade her last shred of morality for the protection of an aristocratic name while Whitney (Max Minghella) and Rishi (Sagar Radia) spiral through their own frantic, high-stakes failures.
While the “Tender” empire implodes, Harper (Myha’la) completes her transition into a corporate phantom, weaponizing a chilling detachment that reveals her true priorities. She proves herself a creature of the trade floor entirely, appearing more fundamentally shattered by the professional loss of Eric (Ken Leung) – her true architect – than by the death of her own mother.
Industry Season 4 is streaming on Crave.
Paradise
Season two is a high-stakes masterclass in atmospheric dread, successfully channeling the “glory days” of early Lost by grounding its survivalist tension in the mind-bending possibilities of quantum physics and time-loop theories. The island transforms into a metaphysical puzzle box, anchored by the magnetic arrival of Thomas Doherty and the masterful, heavy-hitting performances of Julianne Nicholson and Sterling K. Brown, who bring a grounded gravitas to the cosmic chaos.
While Shailene Woodley’s brilliant guest arc is tragically brief, her presence adds a searing emotional weight to the increasingly wild temporal shifts. It is a season that proves the show is at its best when it treats its survivors like pawns in a scientific game of chess, balancing the frantic search for answers with the chilling realization that “the variables” are finally catching up to the constants.
Paradise is streaming on Disney+.
The Madison
Michelle Pfeiffer delivers a hauntingly luminous performance as Stacy Clyburn, capturing the jagged, unvarnished reality of a grieving widow whose world has been upended by sudden tragedy. She anchors the series with a “steely” grace, proving that even in the vast expanse of Montana, the smallest tremors of loss are the hardest to navigate.
Meanwhile, Canadian Patrick J. Adams undergoes a total stylistic pivot from the brilliant, fast-talking confidence of Suits‘ Mike Ross to play Russell McIntosh – a “constitutionally helpless” investment banker who is hilariously out of his element without WiFi and a wine list. It’s a refreshing departure that trades courtroom heroics for the comedic frustration of a big-city “suit” drowning in a sea of rural sensibilities.
The Madison streams on Paramount+ and a second season has already been filmed.
The Pitt
The real-time medical pressure cooker led by Noah Wyle returned for a second season. The Fourth of July shift has been a masterclass in tension as the staff battles burnout and a relentless influx of trauma cases.
The Pitt continues on Crave.
Scrubs
Seeing Zach Braff, Donald Faison, and Sarah Chalke back together at Sacred Heart has been the ultimate “soul food” for recovery; there is something incredibly comforting about the way their chemistry hasn’t aged a day, even as they navigate life as the “old guard” mentors.
Scrubs continues to stream on Crave and Disney+.
RJ Decker
Scott Speedman delivers a masterclass in “shaggy-dog” charisma, trading his signature brooding intensity for a refreshing, comedic turn as a disgraced photographer-turned-PI who is as sharp with a dry one-liner as he is behind a lens.
In a brilliant departure from his usual dramatic fare, Speedman finds the perfect balance between South Florida noir and slapstick absurdity, proving he’s at his best when playing a man whose life is as messy and humid as the Everglades cases he’s trying to solve.
RJ Decker streams on Disney+ and Crave.
DTF St. Louis
Don’t let the title fool you – this isn’t just a raunchy suburban satire, but a surprisingly tender “suburban noir” that trades cheap thrills for a deeply weird, high-stakes study of middle-age malaise and accidental crime.
The HBO series stars Jason Bateman as a twitchy weatherman, David Harbour as a husband and father who wants to do better, and Linda Cardellini as a potentially nuanced “Midwestern femme fatale.”
DTF St. Louis continues on Crave.
Rooster
Co-created by Bill Lawrence (Ted Lasso, Scrubs) and Matt Tarses, this “suburban-academic” comedy follows a messy, middle-aged novelist who becomes a writer-in-residence at a New England college to reconnect with his adult daughter. It’s a classic “fish-out-of-water” setup that trades the soccer pitch for an ivory tower, promising a mix of high-brow wit and the creators’ signature heartfelt optimism.
Steve Carell returns to his comedic roots with a masterclass in “lovable awkwardness,” perfectly balanced by the sharp, grounded energy of Charly Clive and a standout Danielle Deadwyler (who will next star in Ryan Coogler’s reboot of The X-Files). While the slapstick occasionally veers into farce, the series finds its soul in the crackling chemistry between its veteran cast – including a delightfully blowhard John C. McGinley (Dr. Cox on Scrubs) and a smarmy, scene-stealing Phil Dunster (Jamie Tartt on Ted Lasso) – proving that “failing upward” is always more entertaining when the pedigree is this high.
HBO’s Rooster streams on Crave.
The Comeback
The Comeback is a cringe-comedy masterpiece following the perpetually resilient, wonderfully misguided Valerie Cherish (Lisa Kudrow) as she navigates Hollywood’s indignities for a documentary crew. Catching up on the first two seasons this past month was the perfect primer for her long-awaited return.
After a decade away, Valerie is back for a final chapter where she tackles the ultimate industry threat: starring in a sitcom written entirely by Artificial Intelligence. It is fantastic to have Kudrow back on screen, and I can’t wait to see how she navigates this brave new digital world.
HBO’s The Comeback streams on Crave.
Saturday Night Live UK
The first two episodes of Saturday Night Live UK successfully translate the iconic format with a biting British edge, anchored by George Fouracres’ pitch-perfect, “exhausted headmaster” take on Keir Starmer. Jack Shep is an early standout, stealing every sketch with a hilariously surreal and “disturbingly good” Princess Diana that has already gone viral.
Weekend Update has quickly become the show’s sharpest weapon, as Paddy Young and Ania Magliano deliver a modern, acidic chemistry. Their ruthless roasting of Prince Andrew proves that while the studio feels familiar, the humour possesses a darker, quintessentially British sting.
Saturday Night Live UK streams on Crave.
Bait
Riz Ahmed’s Bait is a high-wire meta-satire that uses the ingenious premise of a “James Bond” audition to deconstruct the crushing weight of representation. It transforms a struggling actor’s pursuit of 007 into a hallucinatory, often hilarious “identity circus” where the line between career-making dream and cultural sell-out becomes dangerously blurred.
The series is a sonic and visual marvel, anchored by Shruti Kumar’s atmospheric score and a curated soundtrack that bridges generations – weaving together 1970s Indian film music, vintage Qawwali, and modern UK hits. It is a bold, rhythmic exploration of British-South Asian identity that proves some of the best spy stories happen far away from the MI6 headquarters.
Bait is streaming on Prime Video.
