What to watch this weekend: Beauty and the Bester is a wild Netflix docuseries, and Call My Agent goes to Berlin | Canada Voices

Beauty and the Bester, Netflix

The current Trainwreck series aside, Netflix knows what its audience wants from an engaging docuseries: a juicy plot, compelling characters and twists you don’t see coming. Beauty and the Bester is poised to check all of those boxes as it digs into the story of convicted killer and rapist Thabo Bester and his alleged accomplice, celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana. Over three parts, we learn about the prisoner’s high-profile jailbreak and Magudumana’s public fall from grace while examining the psychology behind the relationship. Director Anthony Molyneaux uses a variety of voices, including news clips, experts and those involved in the case to extract the story piece-by-piece, highlighting one of the most famous and complex true-crime stories to come out of South Africa. It’s no wonder the couple tried to halt the docuseries from streaming, particularly ahead of their coming November trial for the prison escape.

A History of the World in Six Glasses, STACKTV

Beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea and soda. These are the six beverages that shaped the world, according to Canadian Dan Aykroyd, and he’s digging deeper with this Fox Nation series, now available on Flavour Network and STACKTV. Jumping from Ghostbusters and The Blues Brothers to bartender isn’t shocking, given Aykroyd’s history as the co-founder of Crystal Head Vodka. But, the real reason to catch this sipping study is the comedians Aykroyd surrounds himself with. It’s an actors’ reunion as his thirsty friends, Jim Belushi, Kevin Nealon, George Wendt and Jon Lovitz cozy up to the bar across from him. The six-parter is based on the book by Tom Standage, whose appearances add weight to the overall history and teach viewers a thing or two about where their favourite beverages originate. While the series could use a bit more of that history, it’s also just fun to watch classics like Aykroyd and Belushi banter over a cold one and recall the good old days.

Call My Agent! – Berlin, Disney+

Call My Agent! ran from 2015 to 2020 and earned accolades for its depiction of a group of agents managing high-profile clients at a fictional talent agency. The format was so successful that it inspired several iterations worldwide, including Call My Agent: Bollywood on Netflix and Ten Percent on Prime Video. This weekend, Disney+ is getting into the format with Call My Agent! – Berlin. The first six episodes begin streaming this weekend, with new episodes the following week. An original German remake, the series shares a similar premise and characters with the original, but with local twists, plenty of self-deprecation and situational laughs that make it worth checking out. The all-star cast is equally noteworthy, with appearances from actors such as Emilia Schüle, Nilam Farooq and Moritz Bleibtreu.

Dish It Out, Prime Video

There’s something wholesome about an instructional cooking show that understands trendy cottage cheese protein bakes and cauliflower everything, but doesn’t solely live in that arena. Enter Tilly Ramsay’s Dish It Out, a 32-episode feast for those of us who want to learn new and classic recipes without rewatching the same reel 15 times. Ramsay (yes, daughter of Gordon Ramsay) doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but she’s just as likely to have her famous chef dad demonstrate a croque monsieur as she is to whip up the latest viral Mason jar soup. Ramsay is a likeable and eager host who’s comfortable in front of the camera, and that makes her watchable whether she’s executing the steps to a recipe or chatting with some of her celebrity guest stars. More importantly, the food she cooks is accessible and looks delicious, which is precisely what most of us are looking for in a series like this.

Such Brave Girls, Crave

Comedy can be healing, and BAFTA winner Kat Sadler isn’t against mining her own trauma for laughs over two seasons (so far) of this British import. Such Brave Girls is an unexpected but brilliant look at family, mental health and coping mechanisms, as told through the eyes of fictional and real-life sisters Josie (Sadler) and Billie (Lizzie Davidson). The first six-episode season introduces the sisters and their mother, Deb (Louise Brealey), as they try to crawl out of debt and find a new man to take care of them. Season 2, which made its debut earlier this summer, continues that thread while adding even more dysfunction to the maladjusted trio. If you’re looking for a boundary-pushing series with blunt and sometimes crass humour, characters that aren’t afraid to be extra, and one-liners that will probably worm their way into your brain and nestle there for the next few weeks, binge both seasons on Crave this weekend.