DOPE THIEF
Apple TV+
Lauded actor Brian Tyree Henry stars and takes on first-time producing duties in this series based on Dennis Tafoya’s novel about two petty crooks. These Philly friends (Wagner Moura plays Henry’s best pal) who pretend to be DEA agents to pull off a small-time drug heist. But that turns out to be the tip of the iceberg and the pair descend into a dangerous game with players they didn’t even know existed. Look for Ving Rhames, Marin Ireland, and Kate Mulgrew to be in on the action, too.
NINE BODIES
IN THE MEXICAN MORGUE
Amazon MGM
So we love Anthony Horowitz, who created TV series like Magpie Murders, Foyle’s War and Alex Rider, which means this dark thriller is bound to be really interesting. Eric McCormack stars in a tale of a plane crash in the Mexican jungle with nine survivors who begin to die mysteriously. As the complex story unfolds, Horowitz again proves just how clever he is at creating stories we cannot stop watching.
LUDWIG
BritBox
There’s nothing like a great BBC crime show, so this big hit mystery-comedy that released in Britain last fall is a welcome addition to any American Anglophile’s watch list. David Mitchell of Peep Show fame stars as an introverted puzzle designer forced to come out of his shell when his twin brother, a Cambridge major crimes DCI cop, goes missing. With clever mysteries to unravel in each episode and the continuing one of where his brother has gone, Ludwig makes for classic British TV viewing.
THE RESIDENCE
Netflix
What better time than to begin a TV comedy-mystery series all about the inner workings of the White House, complete with a murder at a state dinner? Now is definitely the time and with Uzo Aduba leading a cast of funny people like Randall Park, Jason Lee, Bronson Pinchot, and Jane Curtin, this one’s gotta go into your Netflix queue before it even launches.
THE STUDIO
Apple TV+
Seth Rogen’s new show, which he stars, directs, writes, and produces is set at a movie studio with a long legacy in the business (think Paramount, perhaps?) but plenty of very modern problems. He’s enlisted Catherine O’Hara and Katheryn Han, along with Ike Barinholtz as regular cast members, then added cameos with Hollywood’s glitterati. Think Martin Scorsese, Paul Dano and Zac Efron, who all wander through The Studio as this inside-Hollywood comedy unfurls.