What to Watch: Laid, Douglas Is Cancelled, The Hundred With Andy Lee, Virgin River and Daddy Issues

Laid

Thursday, streaming on Binge

There’s a real sense of pride when one of our homegrown TV concepts gets remade for an international audience. Sadly this happens seldom and often the remakes are ham-fisted, fail to land with their international audiences and fade into obscurity — we’re looking at YOU American Kath And Kim!

But we have high hopes for this US remake of the locally crafted and critically acclaimed Laid, a comedy first brought to Aussie screens back in 2011, which saw Alison Bell star as Roo, a woman whose exes start dying inexplicably and in strange circumstances, one by one.

The original series, written by Marieke Hardy and Kirsty Fisher, was an under-the-radar hit, but was never renewed past its second season — a shame, as it was cleverly written and boasted some great performances.

The American version has Everything Everywhere All At Once star Stephanie Hsu as Ruby, who is forced to revisit her “sex timeline” after her own exes wind up dead. Girls’ Zosia Mamet also stars, with Nahnatchka Khan and Sally Bradford McKenna serving as writers and executive producers.

“It’s the opposite of Roo’s lovers — it’s the show concept that won’t die,” creator Marieke Hardy recently told Inside Film.

“There have been a few ‘goes around’ iterations in the States, which has always been keen on it since it came out in Australia.

“We’re really excited it’s found a home and a really strong creative team and, obviously, we’re so excited about Stephanie.”

This one is getting lots of buzz — mark your diaries.

Douglas Is Cancelled

Sunday, 8pm, ABC

This black comedy stars Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville as a beloved TV presenter who gets “cancelled” after a joke he makes at a wedding goes viral. Things spiral after his much younger TV co-star Madeline (Karen Gillan) adds fuel to the fire by retweeting his faux pas. Did she do it on purpose to bring about his undoing? This rapid-fire comedy has an insanely good cast and will keep you guessing right till the end. Don’t miss it.

The Hundred With Andy Lee Christmas Special

Tuesday, 7.30pm, Nine

Andy Lee is on a mission to find out what Australians think about “the most wonderful time of the year” — and nothing is off limits. Which common Christmas gift is disappointing nearly half of us? Is Mariah’s classic track really the greatest of all time? And which is better: pudding or pavlova? All these important questions will be answered by 100 normal people, plus Sophie Monk, Mike Goldstein and Lloyd Langford. One for fans.

Virgin River

Thursday, streaming on Netflix

If you’re into this cosy Netflix drama starring New Zealand’s Martin Henderson (remember him?), then you’ll be eagerly awaiting the show’s sixth instalment, which is set against the backdrop of Mel and Jack’s romantic spring wedding. This season revolves around that, but will also uncover secrets from Mel’s father’s past, “which will transport us to the magic and mystique of Virgin River in the 1970s”.

Daddy Issues

Thursday, streaming on SBS On Demand

If you’re looking for a fun half-hour watch, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better series to binge in the lead-up to Christmas than this sweetly absurd comedy, starring Sex Education’s Aimee Lou Wood as a pregnant hairdresser and The Walking Dead’s David Morrissey as her hapless dad. This has loads of genuinely laugh-out-loud moments, and the pair’s odd-couple dynamic is a delight. Seek it out.