What to watch this weekend: Scott Ellis shares his TV recommendations

Looking for something to watch this weekend? TV reviewer Scott Ellis has got you covered!

Here are Scott’s recommendations this week:

First up, Succession is back for season three on Foxtel On Demand from Monday and it’s every bit as funny/dramatic as last year. This is a story that’s set around a family owned media empire in America where the father rules with an iron fist while his children are jockeying for position – yes that should sound familiar, the show’s creator admits he started the project as a series about the Murdoch’s before it transformed. Last year finished with son Kendall breaking away from the family at a bombshell press conference where he said his dad was behind a string of scandals that had rocked the company and he should take over. This year we deal with the blowout of that – and it’s all out war.

One of the biggest series streaming right now, Ted Lasso, has just come to it’s season two end on Apple+ with some BIG surprises. This series has always been about the way Ted, the folksy American transplanted into the world of British football, has managed to lift those around him. But what if some of those weren’t quite as happy with him as he thought? It all leads to an explosive finale that truly sets the stage for season 3… which has thankfully been confirmed!

Also on Apple+ is Acapulco, a new series that starts out in modern Malibu but jumps back in time to Mexico in the 1980s when every celebrity was heading to Acapulco to stay at a huge pink resort where anything was possible. Maximo (who we meet as a multi-millionaire in the present) tells us his life story, how he was hired as a teenager to work there and how it changed his life. It’s fun, nostalgic and a nice rags to riches story with some very funny moments along the way. The first two episodes are up now, more to come.

If zombies are your thing, Fear The Walking Dead is back from Monday with season seven, picking up from the nuclear (literally) ending of season six the survivors now have to face a planet that is just as deadly as the “walkers” they’ve been trying to avoid. Setting off the bombs was supposed to destroy the bad guys and give humanity a second chance, but will it?

While we’re on horror, as Halloween approaches, it’s time to discover Shudder, the new horror-only streaming service available for about $7 per month (and upwards) from www.shudder.com. A lot of old favourites are there like Willard (remember that rat??) and Slumber Party Massacre (a classic!) plus some newcomers including my new favourite horror film Dead and Beautiful about a group of rich entitled thrill seekers who find they’ve made a terrible mistake… imagine Crazy Rich Asians but with vampires. Check out their seven day free trial.

And speaking of new streaming services, big news this week is the arrival of a whole new platform, Flash. This is sort of like (and from the people behind) Kayo and Binge, but for news instead of sport. For $8 a month you can get (so far) news from Al Jazeera, BBC World News, Bloomberg TV, CNN International, FOX News Channel, France24 and Sky News Australia with more promised soon. Interesting times!

Another one to look out for this week is Needle In A Timestack, a film coming out on Stan next Wednesday about a man who travels back in time to try to save his relationship with his wife – or perhaps not if an old girlfriend proves too tempting. The fascinating part here is it’s being released on Stan the same day it hits US theatres. This is another step along the path to online-first releases for all movies and could lead to cinemas being like the DVD store. We’ll all sit there and say “remember when we went to the movies?”. But is that what people want? I love going to the movies!