66 of The Best Netflix Series To Binge Watch Right Now

11/3/2020 66 of the best Netflix series to binge watch right now | WIRED UK
Netflix
66 of the best Netflix series to binge watch right now

Struggling with what to watch on Netflix tonight? Look no further than the WIRED guide to the
best Netflix TV shows in 2020. Updated weekly
By WIRED
23 Oct 2020
Netflix has something for everyone, but there's plenty of rubbish padding its
catalogue of classic TV shows everyone has heard about. Our guide to the best TV on
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/best-shows-netflix 1/71
Netflix UK is updated weekly to help you avoid the mediocre ones and find the best
things to watch. We try and pick out the less obvious gems, too, so we're confident
you'll find a must-watch show you don't already know about.
That said, if nothing captures your imagination, try our picks of the best
documentaries on Netflix and the best films on Netflix UK for more options. Want to
watch some US Netflix? Try our guide to the best VPN services for watching Netflix.
And if you've already completed Netflix and are in need of a new challenge, try our
guides to the best films on Disney+ and the best Disney+ shows.
The Haunting of Hill House
Credit Steve Dietl/Netflix
Loosely-based on the gothic horror novel of the same name by Shirley Jackson, The
Haunting of Hill House is horror at its finest - gripping, stunning and most of all,
terrifying. The Crain family move into Hill House in the summer of 1992 to renovate
and eventually flip it, but when they’re forced to stay longer, paranormal activity
drives one family member over the edge, leaving the rest to flee. Twenty-six years
later and disaster strikes again, forcing the remaining family members to meet and
confront the haunting memories ruining their lives. Hill House never holds back on
the jump scares, making its tension-building simply unbearable (in the best way).
And despite the obviously supernatural elements in its plot, the horror grounds
itself in the stories of the lasting Crain family members.
Challenger: The final flight
Credit Nasa / Netflix
In 1986 the space shuttle Challenger suffered total disaster, breaking up 73 seconds
after launch and killing all seven crew members on board. The tragedy reshaped the
space programme. In this four-part documentary, the crew’s surviving family paint a
picture of the astronauts which was one of the most diverse crews ever created and
included school teacher Christa McAuliff who was picked to be the first private
citizen in space. The series retells the disaster and dives into the mechanical failures
and decision making process, speaking to former Nasa engineers and officials who
worked on the mission and had raised safety concerns before the launch.
Chewing Gum
Credit Channel 4
Chewing Gum is gloriously rude, funny and awkward. Created by and starting
Michaela Coel, the creative force behind I May Destroy You, the comedy series
follows Tracey, a young, black, Londoner who is intent on escaping her Christian
upbringing and losing her virginity. What results is a hilarious but always cringe-
inducing zip through the uncertainty of young adulthood.
Orphan Black
Credit Netflix
Looking for hidden gem on Netflix? Look no further than Orphan Black. The sci-fi
drama grew in prominence after an Emmy win for leading actress Tatiana Maslany
in 2016 but never quite cracked the mainstream fanbase like Black Mirror and
Doctor Who did. After witnessing the suicide of a woman who looks just like her,
outsider and orphan Sarah Manning (Maslany) assumes her identity. But she soon
uncovers a conspiracy that will haunt her past and define her future. It’s difficult to
explain Maslany’s powerful performance(s) without spoiling the plot altogether, but
it’s one of the most unique and impressive turns in science fiction TV. Though
sometimes a little out there with plot devices and characters, especially in the later
seasons, Orphan Black is a great watch for any sci-fi fan craving excellent female-led
drama and comedy.
Chef's Table
Credit Netflix
Don't watch this when you're hungry. Each episode of this mouth watering series
goes into the kitchen of one of the world's top chef's and looks beyond their
creations. With restaurants still open in limited ways because of the pandemic,
Chef's Table is the perfect way to get inspired and passionate about food. What’s
more, there are six seasons to get your teeth stuck into. The most recent of these
involves Sean Brock, who is dedicated to reviving lost flavours and Tuscan butcher
Dario Cecchini who is trying to change how the world things about meat. If you
really want to get your mouth watering, the entire of season four is dedicated to
pastry.
High Score
Credit Netflix
Gaming has grown to be a huge industry with leading titles costing tens of millions
to develop and produce, but it started with humble origins. This mini-series charts
the backstories of some of the most beloved gaming giants. Episodes cover the
history of violence in video games, looking at the creation of Street Fighter and
Mortal Combat, how Sega flourished with the help of Sonic and the rise of Nintendo,
which started out as a Japanese playing card company. Expect all your favourite
gaming characters but with the added bonus of the human stories that led to their
existence.
Selling Sunset
Credit Netflix
Selling Sunset feels like it comes straight from another planet, let alone another era.
The reality TV show follows the improbably glamorous employees of real-world LA
estate agent firm The Oppenheim Group as they attempt to flog multimillion dollar
homes to one-percenters. In the world of Selling Sunset, clients whine about not
having space to store their 12 cars while the agents spin the most minor barbs into
season-long feuds. One incident – where one agent scoffed at the provenance of
another's engagement ring – was enough to provide two full seasons of drama. But
in Selling Sunset, where everyone is awful and capitalism is the only guiding star,
normal rules do not apply. You will hate it, and you will love it.
Prison Break
Credit Fox-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock
Some writers perfect the cli anger – the team behind Prison Break were some of
the best at it. Each episode leaves you on the edge of your seat wanting more. While
Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) purposefully lands himself in prison to free his
brother Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell), it is just the beginning of something
much bigger. And darker. Through 90 episodes across five seasons – although the
best series are at the beginning – the brothers are involved in prison riots,
breakouts, plotting, and tense exchanges with fellow inmates. Thankfully due to all
the seasons streaming, there’s only a few seconds to the next episode.
Last Chance U
Credit Netflix
Last Chance U is one the most successful documentary series on Netflix and Part 5 is
the best season yet. The series, which follows the travails of junior college student
athletes aiming to break into big time college football and ultimately the NFL,
benefits from shifting its focus from oddball rural towns with outsized ambitions
and imported talent, to the inner city Laney College in Oakland, California. Laney
isn’t rich. It doesn’t import players to improve its team. It doesn’t house and feed its
players. It’s a genuine part of the community and the players come from that
community. The result is a series that shines a light on the growing dislocation and
inequality in inner city America as the overflow from neighbouring San Francisco
gentrifies the formerly blue collar Oakland. And, unlike previous seasons, Laney’s
head coach isn’t an unbearable ass. It goes to some dark places, but is all the better
for it.
Dracula
Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat are at it again with Dracula, a modern adaptation of
the classic novel that draws some inspiration from their previous work on the hugely
popular Sherlock. Thankfully, Dracula has more in common with Sherlock's earlier
seasons than the clumsy later ones, delivering a delightfully macabre take on the
classic tale. Danish actor Claes Bang delivers a career defining performance as the
eponymous vampire, who revels in sparring with an unconventional nun (Dolly
Wells) who is determined to learn his secrets and end his centuries-long trail of
terror. The three-part mini series will have you enthralled from its opening moments
and keep you guessing throughout.
Warrior Nun
Credit Netflix
Based on a comic book character, Warrior Nun follows teenage orphan Ava Silva
(Alba Baptista) as she gains miraculous new powers and becomes, well, a warrior
nun. A mix of fight scenes, teen drama and increasingly farfetched plots involving
angels, demons and an ominous tech company, it’s something like a modern Buffy
the Vampire Slayer by way of Riverdale, with a dash of Dan Brown. A guilty pleasure
for everyone, in other words – if you can get past Ava’s annoying voiceover.
Dear White People
Credit Adam Rose/Netflix/Courtesy
It's based on a film of the same name, but Dear White People is a Netflix-original
American comedy that's worth your time. The series follows a group of students of
colour who attend a mostly-white Ivy League college. It shows their struggles
against racism and discrimination and covers the same ground as the film. However,
each episodes tells the story of one different character and lets you dive deeper into
their lives and individual personalities. There's also some laughs along the way.
Derry Girls
Credit Channel 4
Set in the city of Derry, Northern Ireland, Derry Girls follows Catholic secondary
school student Erin Quinn and her small group of oddball, kooky and, frankly, sweary
friends as they navigate teenage life during the Troubles of the 1990s. In between the
political turbulence of the period, Quinn and her friends (Claire, the sensible one,
Orla, the o eat one, Michelle, the wild child and James, the English one) juggle love
lives, school exams and family life in, let’s just say, very creative ways. Creator Lisa
McGee, from Derry herself, brings forth the quirks, conversations and traditions of
Irish families in this period in a very deliberate way, and it makes for an incredibly
authentic and hilarious watch. Only series 1 of this award-winning comedy is
currently available on Netflix UK but even if you can’t binge it, every episode is such
a gem in its own right that it takes minutes to fall head over heels for the Derry girls.
Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker
Credit Netflix
This mini-series chronicles how Madam C.J. Walker went from being a widowed
laundress to creating her own line of haircare products, becoming America’s first
female self-made millionaire. Based on the book On Her Own Ground from A'Lelia
Bundles, Walker’s great-great-granddaughter, the series provides a window into the
life of African-American women in the early 1900s. Academy Award-winning Octavia
Spencer, who stars as the title heroine, fights to overcome post-slavery racial biases
and find her place in a man’s world of capitalism.
Umbrella Academy
Credit Netflix
Based on the series of graphic novels by My Chemical Romance lead singer Gerard
Way, Umbrella Academy is a fun, original comedy drama. When 43 children are born
at random to women around the world who previously showed no signs of
pregnancy, billionaire Reginald Hargreeves goes on a mission to adopt seven of them
and create a team of child superheroes. We rejoin the group, known as the Umbrella
Academy, years later when they’re reunited by their father’s death. Having distanced
over the years, the team now must band together to solve the suspicious death of
daddy Hargreeves. The plot may sound wild and a little untangeable but the
characters really ground this series. Ellen Page, Robert Sheehan and, oddly enough,
singer Mary J. Blige, give really standout performances as the loner of the team, a
haunted addict and a hit woman. Plus, a long-anticipated second season recently
debuted on Netflix so there’s plenty to binge on.
Giri/Haji
Credit BBC
At first Giri/Haji feels like an exotic twist on well-worn crime drama tropes, but it
evolves into something smarter, funnier and more entertaining than that. When a
Japanese banker is murdered in London, it ignites a war among Tokyo’s Yakuza
gangs and detective Kenzo Mori is dispatched to London to find the suspect, his
brother, and bring him back to Japan to avert chaos. He soon becomes acquainted
with a local detective played by Kelly Macdonald, and Rodney, a wayward half-
Japanese, half-British rent boy who he enlists to help him navigate his unfamiliar
surroundings. Will Sharpe steals the show as Rodney, whose complex journey
intersects with that of Kenzo’s rebellious daughter Taki, portrayed brilliantly by Aoi
Okuyama in her first ever TV role. Every character has a purpose in the story as the
show effortlessly slips between genres, defying expectations at every turn. Its
taught eight episodes make it a perfect weekend binge.
The Last Dance
Credit Netflix / Andrew D. Bernstein
The Last Dance is simultaneously a ten-part documentary about the greatest

basketball team of all time and also a show that really isn't about basketball at all. It
follows the Chicago Bulls' record-breaking NBA championship run, with behind-the-
scenes access to documentary footage shot throughout the 1997-98 season, but is
really about what it takes to be successful. Underlying the entire show is what
motivated Michael Jordan to become, arguably, the greatest of all time – and
continue performing at that level. Top tip: don't get him mad.
Money Heist
Credit Netflix
When a team of nine criminals launch an audacious heist at Spain’s Royal Mint, they
are convinced that their meticulous plan has every eventuality covered. But things
start to unravel when the enigmatic mastermind behind the heist starts getting
close to the police detective in charge of securing the safe release of the 67 hostages.
Although the twisting plot stretches the limits of credulity at points, Money Heist is
a deliciously frenetic and tension-filled series that makes surprisingly sympathetic

figures out of its devilish main characters.
Unorthodox
Credit Netflix
This miniseries follows Esty, a 19-year-old woman who flees her ultra-orthodox
upbringing in Williamsburg’s Hasidic Jewish community and ends up in Berlin,
where she soon discovers quite how different life can be. But as she tries to find new
friends and make a fresh start in the city, her husband Yanky and his shady cousin
Moishe are in pursuit, determined to bring her back. The plot is dramatic and
compelling, with flashbacks to Esty’s experiences around her arranged marriage
providing an interesting insight into orthodox life and her struggles to play the role
expected of her. The clash of cultures is sometimes played up to the point of
silliness, but the strength of Shira Haas’ performance in the leading role will keep
you glued to the screen. We just wish there were more than four episodes.
Spinning Out
Credit Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix
In an Ice Princess-meets-Skins series, a figure skater tries to get back into

competition after a fall that left her with a head injury. Although the world of ice
skating may look perfect and pristine, underneath there is a dark tension with
mothers sniping abuse from the sidelines and young skaters risking permanent
injury by continuing to skate on damaged hips. Kaya Scodelario stars as Kat who has
to learn how to skate with a partner if she wants to get back on the ice, and January
Jones plays her bipolar mother. There's even a cheeky cameo from Queer Eye's
Jonathan Van Ness.
Peaky Blinders
Credit BBC
The Shelbys have come a long way since they debuted in the BBC series back in 2013.
At the end of April the fifth series dropped onto Netflix for the first time. It now
means the streaming service has every episode created. Season five sees Tommy
Shelby's gang have considerable power and reach within the UK establishment. That
doesn't mean life has got any easier for the Brummie mobsters. The power of their
enemies has also grown and there's a very real risk the family's days are numbered.
The Midnight Gospel
Credit Netflix
The Midnight Gospel is one of the most bonkers adult animated TV shows you will
ever see. The show follows main character Clancy, an animated giant pink human
wearing nothing but a towel to cover his modesty and a Gandalf hat as he dives into
a vaginal-shaped multidimensional simulator every episode. In the simulations, he
interviews people on topics ranging from spirituality, the theory that we’re all living
in a computer simulator, drug use and death positivity. This is all back dropped by
absurdist visuals that totally mess with your senses. Your eyes won’t know where to
look as your ears drink in the character’s profound commentaries on life and death.
Community
A strange specimen of a sitcom, this Dan Harmon show set in a community college is
the most meta TV comedy since Moonlighting. With a late-00s cast including Donald
Glover, Alison Brie and Gillian Jacobs, plus scene-stealers like Ken Jeong,
Community rummages around in pop culture references, clever callbacks and
comments on its own existence but never forgets to pop up with a spot of character
development or a heartfelt moment. All six seasons are on Netflix.
Schitt’s Creek
Credit Steve Wilkie/CBC/ITV/Kobal/Shutterstock
When the super-wealthy Rose family are defrauded by their business manager and
lose all their money, they’re forced to move to Schitt’s Creek, a backwater town they
once purchased as a joke and which is now their only remaining asset. They go from
living in a mansion to sharing two rooms in a rundown motel – and the sitcom
derives its charm from them slowly adjusting to their new surroundings over the
course of the seasons (of which there are five on Netflix). There are some brilliant
performances, particularly from creator Dan Levy and his on and off-screen father
Eugene (who you’ll recognise as the dad from American Pie). It’s slow-paced and
sweet, much like life in a small town.
Ozark
Credit Netflix
Jason Bateman had got us used to goofy manners in the role of the tragically
romantic Michael Bluth in Arrested Development; but in Ozark , he reveals a whole
new side of his actor’s palette. He impersonates a much more serious financial
advisor, Marty Byrde, who finds himself relocating his entire family from a Chicago
suburb to the Ozark mountains in Missouri. The reason? He has got himself involved
with some dodgy money-laundering scheme for Mexican cartels that he is having
difficulty disentangling himself from. The atmosphere, heavy with suspense, guilt
and trouble-making drug lords, is reminiscent of Breaking Bad. It's one of Netflix's
most popular shows and is now into its third season.
Tiger King
Credit Netflix
Eric Goode was filming a documentary about the reptile trade when he met a guy
with a snow leopard in the back of his van. He spent the next five years and in around
the big cat community in the United States, where there are more tigers in captivity
than exist in the wild. This seven-part true crime series explores a feud between two
of them – a gun-toting, mullet-wearing, country-singing zoo owner from Oklahoma
called Joe Exotic, and animal rights activist Carole Baskin, who has some secrets of
her own. Honestly one of the craziest things you will ever watch.
RuPaul's Drag Race
Credit BBC
Stuck at home and struggling with what to watch during the Coronavirus pandemic?
Search no more, because Netflix has the entire 11 seasons of legendary drag show Ru
Paul's Drag Race at your fingertips and a bonus new season to boot. With a format
similar to America's Next Top Model, watch drag queens make their own outfits,
perform acting, dance and singing challenges and fight off in lipsynch extravaganza
battles to avoid being eliminated and claim the crown. Fans will recommend starting
on season two, when the lighting and the show's format is better. This is the best
light-hearted relief, with a smattering of celebrities (including Janet Jackson, Lizzo,
Miley Cyrus and Shania Twain!). May the best woman win!
Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes
Credit Netflix
If you are looking for genuine terror, let it come in the form of a documentary series
about the life of the man whose psychopathic cruelty traumatised America in the
1970s: namely, Ted Bundy. Based on his interviews with Stephen Michaud, which
were held and recorded in jail while he was on death row, and in which the reporter
asked him to respond to his questions in the third person to – curiously – increase
the authenticity of his answers, the show recounts Bundy’s confession to the murder
of 30 women. And to the barbaric violence with which he carried them out. It was a
subject of morbid fascination for the public at the time, and it remains so almost 40
years later. Do not watch alone.
Love is Blind
Credit Netflix
Take some single girls and single boys, stick a wall between them and make them
talk to each other. What do you get? Pure chaos. These hopeful romantics are ready
to couple up without ever seeing each other, and even though several of them say ‘I
love you’ after three days, unsurprisingly many of the relationships don’t last long in
the outside world. The most bizarre part of this reality show is that in order to see
each other in the flesh, the couple must get engaged and plan a wedding in a matter
of weeks. But not all of them will make it down the aisle.
Next in Fashion
Credit Netflix
Next in Fashion is a perfect binge for Project Runway fans, offering Netflix’s take on
the tried-and-tested fashion competition format. Eighteen designers draw, cut and
sew for the chance to win a cash prize and the opportunity to sell their line on Net-a-
Porter, designing looks from red carpet dresses to sportswear under unrealistic time
conditions (but minus the surprise ‘twists’ that made Project Runway so mean).
Hosts Alexa Chung and Tan France keep the mood light, but the real draw is the
sheer talent of the designers, most of whom are already very accomplished and
manage to magic up some truly impressive catwalk showstoppers.
Pose
Credit Macall Polay/FX/Kobal/Shutterstock
It's 1980s New York, the height of the AIDS epidemic. Madonna's Vogue is playing
everywhere, and the underground ballroom scene – haven to mostly black and
Latino trans and gay people – is a dizzying, glitzy whirlwind of joy and judgement.
Blanca (MJ Rodriguez) decides to take control of her life after receiving an HIV
positive diagnosis, and takes in a ragtag bunch of misfits that call her "mother".
Among them is Damon, a talented 17-year old with dreams of becoming a dancer and
Angel, a young trans woman who would love to be a model (but works as a
prostitute). Worlds collide when Damon gets into the prestigious New School for
Dance and Angel falls in love with young executive Stan Bowes (Evan Peters) – who
happens to work for Donald Trump.
The world of Pose, inspired by the legendary 80s documentary Paris is Burning, hits
a sweet spot: it tackles profoundly difficult issues like discrimination, sexism and
poverty, between joyous dance and drag competitions. The series has no weak link.
Billy Porter as ballroom MC Pray Tell, and Dominique Jackson as Elektra are truly
magnetic, and ground what could have become too much of a tear-jerker with the
perfect sprinkling of world-weary cynicism. If you missed it on BBC2, the perfect
time to binge-watch it on Netflix is right now.
Sex Education
Credit Netflix
The second season of this raunchy teen show is the biggest highlight on Netflix in
2020 so far. Although it has a distinctly American glow, with jocks, Acapella groups
and mean girls, Sex Education is set in the UK and filmed in Wales. Asa Butterfield
stars as an awkward teenager who starts giving sex counselling for money, and
Gillian Anderson plays his mother in her typical graceful style. While the titular
topic is used as a source of comedy, Sex Education also explores issues related to
intimacy and identity issues in a smart way that will dredge up your emotions.
The Witcher
Credit Netflix/Katalin Vermes
Netflix Original The Witcher is, by objective critical standards, not particularly good.
But as binge-worthy escapist enjoyment, it’s an absolute triumph. Based on a Polish
fantasy literature franchise that gained global popularity following its successful
video game adaptation, the series follows Geralt of Rivia (played by Henry Cavill),
whose occupation as a mutant ‘witcher’ sees him slaying monsters for money. Our
beefy, gravel-voiced hero finds himself caught up in a bigger plot, however, as his
destiny becomes entwined with an orphaned princess on the run and a powerful
sorceress testing the limits of her abilities.
With its restrained dialogue, monster violence and discombobulated timeline, the
series sometimes feels more like a mashup of video game cutscenes than a cohesive
dramatic narrative – but it works. The Witcher’s real success is in seeming to
recognise that viewers don’t necessarily want their ridiculous fantasy shows to be
too high-brow or pretentious, and are mainly here to see some cool magic effects and
sexy Geralt in the bath (surprising exactly no one, there is plenty of gratuitous
female nudity too).
Happy!
Nick Sax is a detective turned hitman who revels in his completely dysfunctional life.
Then, after suffering a heart attack during a hit, he wakes up to find he is now
accompanied by Happy, a small blue flying unicorn. He’s the imaginary friend of his
kidnapped daughter Hailey, and believes that Nick is the hero that will come to her
rescue.
What follows are a large amount of serious violence and disturbing scenes, which
will likely be off-putting to some viewers. That said, the story, adapted from a short
comic series with the same name, is an amusingly twisted version of serious crime
dramas, with a dark sense of humour that stands up even when you’ve wiped all the
blood away.
Some of the jokes are based on the obvious contrast between Nick’s indifference to
the horrors of the criminal world and Happy’s childish naivety, but that dynamic
changes through the eight episodes of the series, before viewers can get tired of it.
Living With Yourself
Credit Eric Liebowitz/Netflix
What’s the only thing better than Paul Rudd? Two Paul Rudds. The actor gets cloned
in this quirky comedy when his character, Miles, decides to go for a spa treatment
that will help him be a better person. With one radiant new Miles, and one cranky,
tired Miles, navigating life becomes harder as they have to learn to put up with each
other. Aisling Bea plays his wife Kate, who isn’t aware that she has two husbands
under the same roof and just wants back the man she married.
Atypical
Credit Beth Dubber/Netflix
Part drama, part comedy, Atypical follows the experiences of autistic teenager Sam
Gardner. As he comes of age he seeks independence by finding love and graduating
high school. In the newly-released third series, Sam goes to college to face the
challenges of higher education and making new friends. You’ll get to know his family
as his parents are going through relationship problems after his mother Elsa has an
affair, and his sister Casey is struggling with her feelings for her best friend Izzie.
Despite the range of emotions Atypical will send you through, there isn't one
character you won’t love (or at least learn to) in this heartwarming show.
Star Trek: The Next Generation

Credit CBS / Paramount
Is The Next Generation the best Star Trek series? We're not getting into that debate,
but you can decide for yourself by watching all seven series on Netflix. That said,
brilliant though it is, you really shouldn't watch all seven seasons. The first is pretty
turgid and the second is only marginally better, but TNG really hits its stride in
season three and never looks back. Handily, the nature of Star Trek means you can
safely miss dozens of episodes and miss nothing important, so a little strategic
watching is in order. Wired.com's binge-watching guide will navigate you safely
around the land mines, so you can enjoy the absolute sci-fi gems hidden within.
Sense8
Credit Netflix
From the Academy Award-winning directors and writers of The Matrix comes this
mind-blowing globe-trotting sci-fi romp. Sense8 sees eight individuals around the
world suddenly become telekinetically linked, and unexpectedly able to feel each
other’s deepest emotions like love, pain and fear. The show’s not your run-of-the-
mill sci-fi flick, instead it’s more of a character study looking at how people connect
through empathy. It’s a beautiful, bonkers creation, filmed in over nine cities, with
two splendid seasons and one hard fought-for finale. And while it’s now finished, it’s
still well worth your undivided attention, if not for that psychic orgy. Yes, you read
that right.
Unbelievable
Credit Netflix
When Marie Adler (Kaitlyn Dever) reports that she has been raped, she finds herself
thrown into a deeply flawed system that will go on to tear her already traumatic life
apart at the seams. Based on a true story, Unbelievable follows the aftermath of
Adler's rape and the two female detectives who years later team up to uncover a
series of disturbingly similar crimes. The unvarnished horror of Adler's ordeal
makes this an understandably difficult watch at times but the excellent lead
performances and focus on the voices of victims – so often missing in shows that
portray violence against women – add up to a nuanced and unmissable exploration
of the lasting impacts of sexual violence.
The Spy
Credit Axel Decis
Inspired by the real-life story of Israel’s most famous spy, Sacha Baron Cohen
successfully goes undercover in Syria in the 1960s. It’s a dramatic turn for an actor
who forged his career as a satirical comedian in characters such as Borat and Ali G.
In this six-part miniseries, the main character Eli Cohen spends years devoted to his
Arab persona, eventually becoming close enough to the high-ranked politicians and
military leaders who would later take over the country and ascending to power
himself.
Mindhunter
Credit Netflix
Now into its second season, David Fincher's Mindhunter is very 'Fincher' and that's a
good thing. The director behind Seven and Zodiac is a producer and directs
numerous episodes of the series, which tells the origin story of the FBI's Behavioural
Science Unit and its study of serial killers. The second season has fewer of the tense
interviews with killers that made season one famous, instead focusing on a
prolonged investigation into the serial murders of young African Americans in
Atlanta, the first test of the unit's theories. The second season isn't quite as tight as
the first, but it's still a hugely compelling watch with top-notch production values.
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The Thick of It
Credit BBC
Woke millennial websites? Anti-knife campaigns in chicken shops? Watching inept

MPs and civil servants fluff it all up might be the last thing you want to see right now
but Armando Iannucci's excruciatingly funny Westminster sitcom (which ran
sporadically from 2005 to 2012) might actually be cathartic. Peter Capaldi's

petrifying puppetmaster Malcolm Tucker gets all the best lines (insults) but the
bumbling awkwardness from everyone else is just as exquisite. Classic Brexit bunker
TV.
Dark
Credit Netflix
If you like your TV moody and brooding, sci-fi series Dark is for you. The first
German-language Netflix Original series (don’t worry, there’s an option for English
dubbing), Dark opens with a secret liaison, a missing teenager and a spooky-looking
cave – which rather sets the vibe for the rest of the show. What initially appears to
be a straightforward mystery investigation soon turns into an ambitious time travel
plot with bucketloads of atmosphere. The title is appropriate.
Neon Genesis Evangelion

Credit Netflix
Neon Genesis Evangelion has something of a legendary status in anime circles, and
deservedly so. The series, created by Hideaki Anno, follows Shinji, a 14-year-old who
is called upon to commandeer a giant robot Evangelion in order to defend the city of
Tokyo-3 from attacks by assorted monsters called Angels. Shinji reluctantly takes up
the task, albeit less out of heroism than a desperate need to please his absent father,
who happens to lead the Evangelion program. Despite the giant mecha battles, the
series’ real triumph is in its tendency to the introspective; the plot focuses as much
on the characters’ inner lives as it does on the battle for Tokyo-3, dealing with
trauma, depression and the complexity of human relationships.
Stranger Things
Credit Netflix
Netflix's nostalgic sci-fi series is back for its third season. The show picks things up
in 1985 with El, Mike and the gang teetering awkwardly on the precipice that
separates childhood from adolescence. Meanwhile, in Hawkins, things have taken a
sinister turn as the town's residents start to find themselves under the influence of a
strange, supernatural force. Oh, and there's the little matter of the Russian scientists
trying to pry open a hole into the Upside Down. This season more than makes up for
season two's missteps, by centering the action on the endlessly endearing
relationship between the young characters, while destruction looms in the
backward.
When They See Us
The four-part miniseries reenacts the excruciating case of the Central Park Five, a
group of black and Latino teens from Harlem, who were wrongly convicted of the
rape and attempted murder of a white woman in 1989. Filmmaker Ana DuVernay –
with Oprah Winfrey and Robert de Niro among the executive producers – tells a true
story of racial profiling, injustice and media misinformation over a 25-year
timespan, from arrest to vindication.
Tuca and Bertie
Ostensibly set in the same animated universe as Bojack Horseman, that show's art
director Lisa Hanawalt has a new cartoon called Tuca and Bertie. Like Bojack, the
characters are animals with human hands and feet and a propensity to get real about
their feelings in the middle of a scrape. Also like Bojack, the mix of surreal sight gags
and dark set pieces feels chaotic but is in fact expertly calibrated. Tuca and Bertie is
still its own beautiful beast, though. Tiffany Haddish's contagious energy and Ali
Wong's neurotic sniggers help to make sure the two main birds (they're birds) are
fully formed from the first episode. Fans of moody teenage talking plants, bad
medicine math and pastry puns should check this out.
Special
Credit Netflix
In this coming-of-age comedy, protagonist Ryan has all the usual concerns of a
young gay man, plus one more. He’s desperate to impress at his first unpaid
internship, is self-conscious about meeting the men he speaks to on Grindr in real
life – and he also has cerebral palsy. In the first 15-minute episode, O’Connell tries to
gloss over this last fact, but given his new position is at an online magazine
specialising in tell-all personal essays, you can imagine how successful that’s going
to be. The series is based on a memoir by Ryan O’Connell, who also plays the lead,
and is full of scenes that are by turns touching, awkward and frequently hilarious.
One-Punch Man
"I'm just a hero for fun" is Saitama's reason for being, but it's all gone horribly
wrong. In his quest to become the strongest hero he can be, he's made a fatal error:
he's become too strong (and he's lost all his hair). What fun can be had for a hero
who can defeat any enemy, no matter how preposterously strong, with a single lethal
punch? It's from this premise that One-Punch Man turns every trope of superhero
entertainment on its head in a delightfully anarchic series which suffers none of the
po-faced seriousness of many Japanese animations. Whether you're anime veteran
or a total newcomer, it's the kind of show that anyone can enjoy. Take a chance. You
won't regret it.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace

Credit FX
From the same team behind The People v O.J. Simpson comes the true – if slightly
embellished – story of the life of Andrew Cunanan, who, in 1997, shot dead the world-
famous fashion designer Gianni Versace outside his home in Miami Beach, Florida.
This darkly stylish series, which debuted on the BBC in the UK but has now been
picked up by Netflix. The narrative jumps around to build up Cunanan’s character,
revealing an eccentric, enigmatic and ultimately darkly twisted individual who is
superbly played by Darren Criss – best-known as Blaine Anderson in Glee. From start
to finish, this show is compelling, binge-worthy viewing.
Dogs
Dogs are too good for us. There's proof enough in the first very first episode of Dogs,
a tale of a service animal trained to detect seizures in a young girl, giving her back
the freedom to be alone. While the episode about groomers in Japan has its fair
share of adorable, Dogs is much more than a series of cute Instagram-worthy clips.
Instead, these slow, quietly told stories reveal how devotion and love bring out the
best in us humans, be it at the world's largest shelter in Costa Rica, fishing on an
empty Italian lake, or the tense trip a husky takes from Syria to reunite with his
owner, a refugee now living in Berlin. By the time the final episode about adoption
rolls around, you'll want one of your own – but not feel quite worthy.
Russian Doll
Credit Netflix
In Russian Doll, Nadia has two problems. One: she keeps dying. Two: she keeps
coming back (in a Groundhog Day kind of way, not a Walking Dead scenario). The
first episode opens with a birthday party thrown for Nadia, played by the glorious
Natasha Lyonne, who is also a co-creator on the show. That same night, she dies –
and then finds herself back at the party again. The rest of the series follows Nadia as
she continues to party/die/repeat, all the while trying to figure out exactly what was
in that joint she smoked or what else could be causing this weird blip in the fabric of
spacetime. The result is both funny and thought-provoking, without over-egging the
potential for philosophical musing.
The OA
Credit JoJo Whilden / Netflix
This eight episode series is one of the more unusual and original Netflix shows in
recent memory. It opens with Prairie Johnson, played by co-creator Brit Marling,
reappearing having been missing for seven years. She won't explain where she was
or the biggest mystery of all: how she came to regain her sight. What follows is an
absorbing supernatural mystery that stretches credulity at times, but keeps you
hooked all the same. An absorbing second season was released in 2019 to well-
deserved critical acclaim.
The Last Kingdom
Credit Netflix
Based on a series of novels by Bernard Cornwell, The Last Kingdom is set in late 9th-
century England, long before the country was unified. The competing kingdoms have
been invaded and occupied by Vikings, leaving Wessex under the rule of King Alfred
as the last standing against the plundering hoards. It's an entertaining historical
drama centred on Uthred of Bebbanburg, an Anglo-Saxon who is kidnapped as a boy,
raised as a Viking and finds himself playing both sides to try and regain the land and
title stolen from him. It never quite reaches the heights of Vikings, which is available
on Amazon Prime, but it's a more than adequate substitute while you wait for its
final season. There are three seasons on Netflix with a fourth on the way.
Dead Set
Black Mirror's creator, Charlie Brooker

Credit Alex Lake
If you’ve run out of episodes of Black Mirror, it’s well worth diving into the Charlie
Brooker back-catalogue. Dead Set, a five-part mini-series which was originally
broadcast in 2008, isn’t quite as slick and polished as its higher budget successor,
but there are clear signs of what was to come from Brooker in its darkly twisted
premise.
The show, which was uploaded to Netflix for the first time this month, follows the
contestants and producers on a fictional series of Big Brother, who become stranded
on set as a zombie outbreak ravages the world outside. There are appearances from
Riz Ahmed - later of Rogue One and Four Lions - and Warren Brown (Idris Elba’s
detective partner on Luther), as well as a zombified Davina McCall. There’s even a
blink and you’ll miss it zombie cameo from Brooker himself - taking on a rare acting
role in addition to writing and producing.
Star Trek: Discovery
Credit CBS/Netflix
It could have been terrible, but thankfully Star Trek: Discovery is absolutely terrific.
While at times it oscillates awkwardly between big-budget drama and cheap sci-fi
thrills, for the most part this is a thoughtful, visually stunning expansion of Trekkian
lore. Its obsession with winking and nodding to that lore will delight fans of the
show, but at its core Discovery is a brilliant character drama, set against some clever
and mind-bending sci-fi plot twists. It's now back for season two.
BoJack Horseman
Back in the 1990s BoJack Horseman was the star of a hit TV sitcom. A lot has changed
since then. The animated series picks up with BoJack 20 years after his peak as he
sinks deeper into middle age and an endless cycle of substance abuse. In an LA half-
populated by human-animal hybrids, BoJack comes to terms with his existential
dread in this bleak and darkly funny comedy. The first half of season one is a little
heavy on the bleakness and light on laughs, but once it hits its stride this surreal
comedy comes into its own with stellar voice performances from Amy Sedaris, Will
Arnett and Aaron Paul.
The Good Place

After suffering an improbable and humiliating death, Eleanor finds herself in ‘The
Good Place’, a perfect neighbourhood inhabited by the world’s worthiest people. But
there seems to have been some administrative error, as Eleanor is not a good person
by any measure. Desperate to not be sent to ‘The Bad Place’, she tries to correct her
behaviour in the afterlife, with the help of the teachings of her assigned soulmate,
philosophy professor Chidi. There’s a sprinkling of ethical teaching in every episode,
which the stories themselves extend into something more easily understood and
enjoyed by the average viewer.
The Alienist
A serial killer targeting children is on the loose in 1890s New York. The local police
department is playing down any connections between the deaths of the young boys,
who all work in the sex industry. Based on Caleb Carr's novel, the series sees
criminal psychologist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler team up with a New York Times illustrator
called John Moore and Sara Howard, NYPD's first female employee who has
aspirations of becoming a detective. The trio work under the radar with new police
commissioner Theodore Roosevelt in an attempt to track down the deranged serial
killer using psychological analysis – a largely unheard of technique at the time.
Manhunt: Unabomber
Manhunt: Unabomber is a crime drama based on the FBI’s hunt for serial bomber
Ted Kaczynski (played by Paul Bettany), who mailed a string of homemade bombs to
targets including academics, airlines and executives between 1978 and 1995. The
series focuses on FBI profiler James Fitzgerald (Sam Worthington), who attempts to
find linguistic clues in the bomber’s political writings in order to identify him. It’s a
fast-paced, high-stakes investigation, and the show gets under the skin of both
protagonists, who we are led to believe have a lot more in common than they would
perhaps like to admit.
Travellers
Credit Netflix
Travellers is something of a hidden gem, albeit one that's increasingly not hidden as
people realise the genius of this tight, entertaining Canadian sci-fi series. Run by
Brad Wright, one of the co-creators of Stargate SG-1, the show follows a team of
time travellers sent back to "the 21st" to prevent the post-apocalyptic future from
which they came. The twist is how they travel. The Travellers have their
consciousness transferred into the bodies of people shortly before their death,
adopting their identities and living their lives between missions. It's an often
thrilling, sometimes complicated watch that treads the line between serious sci-fi
and accessible entertainment perfectly.
Better Call Saul
Flawed characters make good drama and boy are the characters in Better Call Saul
flawed. A prequel to the legendary Breaking Bad, it's the story of Jimmy McGill (Bob
Odenkirk), the morally flexible dial-a-lawyer better-known as Saul Goodman.
Ostensibly it's about how Jimmy became Saul, but there's more to the show. It also
fills out the story of Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), the ex-cop and bag man,
and the Chicken restaurant drug kingpin Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito). Mostly,
though, it's about Jimmy and his relationship with his brother Chuck McGill, played
brilliantly by Michael McKean. Their inherent differences drive drama across three
seasons, although it can be a little slow to get started.
The End of the F***ing World
"I thought she could be interesting to kill. So I pretended to fall in love with her."
Thus begins the inner monologue of James (Alex Lawther), a dysfunctional 17-year-
old who is convinced he's a sociopath. His target is Alyssa, played by Jessica Barden
(Hanna) the new girl at school with terrible parents and a special talent for annoying
people. They run away together and the corresponding crime spree draws them
closer and has the law following in their wake. This pitch perfect black comedy from
Channel 4 will leave you wanting much more, not least as its eight episodes are just
30 minutes apiece. You'll blast through The End of the F***ing World in a weekend,
perhaps even an evening, and be better for it.
Aggretsuko
It might be designed by the same company that brought you Hello Kitty, but the
Netflix original series Aggretsuko uses its super cute animal wrapping to cover
identifiable stories of working life frustration. Retsuko, a dedicated employee(and
also a red panda) of a company that does not respect her at all, seeks different forms
of escapism through the series, finding new interests and making new relationships
in the hope they will be her path out of her current job. The only one that
consistently keeps her going is her secret passion for death metal karaoke singing.
The style, short episodes and frequent use of exaggerated humour makes this a very
easy show to watch quickly, but there may be moments you will want to pause to
reflect on your own experiences.
American Vandal
Credit Netflix
This “mockumentary” follows student documentarian Peter Maldonado, who

embarks on an investigation into the expulsion of fellow student Dylan Maxwell for
spray-painting dicks on the cars of 27 teachers. American Vandal will draw you in
with its smart satire, which pokes fun at both the recent trend for true-crime
documentaries and the modern stereotypes of American high schools, before
hooking you with the fast-unravelling mystery story. A few episodes in, you’ll
genuinely be on the edge of your seat wondering: Who drew the dicks?
GLOW
If Netflix had released this nostalgic, lycra ridden 80's show a little sooner, we have
no doubts that the term 'Glow Up' would have a very different origin story. It focuses
on a group of 'unconventional women' who are, quite simply, looking for a break.
When these wannabe actresses respond to an ad for talent, they are inducted into
the neon lit, soap-opera splendour of America's most misunderstood sport. Through
nothing but sweat, tears and an iron determination to break a chair over the back of
inequality, they become the Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling. GLOW does what very
few shows do – dedicating itself to a powerful ensemble of actresses and allowing
them space to breathe.
[newsletter type="recommends"]
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Gaming
I used American Truck Simulator to try and predict the US

election
To understand American politics, you need to hit the road. So I became a trucker – a virtual
trucker
By TRISTAN CROSS
1 day ago
Credit SCS Software
I’ve spent the last five days roaming the election trail, in search of answers, in
search of the real America. I’ve put more miles behind me than Donald Trump and
Joe Biden put together. I’ve transcended the pandemic. I’ve done it all from my
bedroom in the basement of a houseshare in London, with only a copy of American
Truck Simulator, a HTC Vive headset and a Ferrari steering wheel. The most
consequential US presidential race in modern history is on the brink. Hop in, we’re
driving a Kenworth T680 directly into its heart.
Right now, American Truck Simulator (ATS) America is limited to eight states:
California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Utah, and Idaho. The
States are further limited by a handful of cities, the cities limited further by a
handful of recognisable landmarks, depots and gas stations. The Truck Simulator
games aren’t about these places, which serve as destinations, though. They’re about
what happens in the spaces in between, the journeys. There is plenty of in-game
America for that
Playing in VR produces all sorts of sensory hallucinations. Chugging down the rocky
red deserts of Arizona, I was momentarily deceived into thinking I should take my
jumper off in my freezing British winter bedroom. If the arid plains of Utah
practically cottoned my throat, then the forest pines of Washington had me gasping
lungfuls of fresh, nutritious air. It’s the cool breeze of Ohio’s saltwater, the smell of
hot rain on tarmac in a city like San Fran, the sweat above your eyes in New Mexico,
the hankering for a Calippo along California’s coastline, the seediness emanating
from Las Vegas. Absolutely none of this was being induced by the game, but it felt
like it was.
Beyond what the regions feel like, the in-game radio affords the opportunity to hear
what they sound like – greatly enhanced by an add-on which pulls in real world
stations, as they broadcast live, some national, some hyper-local, which you can only
access depending on your in-game location.
Credit SCS Software
TruckersMP is an unofficial mod which transforms the game into an online

multiplayer. Truckers from around the world congregate in-game, and convoy
together. Encountering Americans on a digital replica of their home soil is the
closest thing lockdown-bound writers like myself are going to get to conducting vox-
pops to gauge the mood on the ground.
To communicate with the other players of TruckersMP, you need to be within a range
of around 500 metres. This means your ability to maintain conversation is governed
by travelling along the same route as another player, at around the same time, and at
the same speed. The main ATS server is capped at 1,500 players, and though the map
is not 1:1 scale (otherwise it would regularly take entire days to traverse), it’s still
incredibly vast, with deliveries frequently requiring literal real-world hours. This
means sharing a journey for any sustained period is a rare happenstance, unless as
part of a convoy – mostly arranged outside the game, in the attendant Discord
servers and Twitch channels of the community.
Plenty truck alone, mind. You’ll most often chance across them passing you on the
opposite side of the freeway, ships in the night. This is how I encountered my first
fellow traveller. As he drove by, he beeped his horn and got on the radio. "Safe
travels, friend." I was so taken aback by the sheer class of the gesture, I pressed the
wrong button to reply, took my eyes off the road, veered into a barrier and totalled
my truck.
I quickly learned that “safe travels” is a customary exchange in TruckersMP, a motto
almost, which I couldn’t help but find quite moving. You can travel for miles without
encountering another soul en route, experiencing a palpable loneliness which only
makes itself apparent in the fleeting moment you share the same online space as
someone else. Receiving a cheery message of support is like an adrenaline shot.
There’s something thrilling about being the person to initiate a “safe travels!” It
carries a risk of putting yourself out there, only to be crushingly aired, but it’s an
almighty satisfying rush when you receive one back.
Somewhere around Yuma, deep into in-game night, visibility limited to metres in
front of the grill, a pair of headlights broke out of the darkness. I chanced my arm,
sent out my conversational flare. Safe travels! A gruff Southern drawl exhaled: “Oh,
man. I really appreciate that. Safe travels, to you too, man. It’s been a long day…” A
deep, forlorn sigh. “I appreciated that, man.”
Five days solid of imbibing another country’s radio stations does something strange
to your mental furniture. I’ve memorised jingles you wouldn’t believe, heard shock
jocks segue seamlessly from state-of-the-nation rants into plugs for erectile
dysfunction treatment show sponsors. I’ve tapped my feet to sincerely affecting
country songs about daylight savings time. My inner monologue is tuned to
America’s FM frequencies, I hear their callers in my dreams.
Credit SCS Software
After listening to around a hundred hours of phone-ins the week before an election,
the thing that perhaps struck me most was a profound lack of enthusiasm across
both sets of supporters for their preferred candidate. Granted, ‘people calling into
stations that one specific VR-trucking guy in Britain happens to pick up while
passing by the virtual locality’ is neither the most representative or reliable sample
size – but these were evidently people who liked talking politics (or, at least enough
to bother ringing up a radio show to air their views), yet their mood on getting
through was so often one of total weariness at finding themselves doing so.
I observed similar election-lethargy among the people I spoke to in TruckersMP. So
many conversations ended as quickly as they began. To be fair, we were often
hurtling past each other at 70mph, which meant I’d barely managed to blurt “how-
are-you-feeling-about-the-election?” before they’d be out of reach. It’s not the most
efficient way to interview anyone. I was regularly met with understandable silence,
or polite declines. “I don’t really like to talk politics, sorry brother!” “Don’t wanna
get into that, if that’s alright.” “Naw, I’m good, buddy!”
In the TruckersMP Discord, I meet Brian*. He immediately starts regaling me over
voice chat with all sorts of ribald stories about his youth, getting dishonourably
discharged from the military and his penchant for drinking before work. Despite
offering up all manner of intimate stories and opinions unsolicited with disarming
candour and an infectious laugh, when I ask his thoughts on the election, he’s
momentarily tentative. “I don’t wanna offend you, man!” Having canvassed during
multiple UK elections, this seeming reticence to shove your political preference in
someone else’s face was alien to me.
“Almost half of all voting age Americans do not care enough to even cast a vote,
much less force their opinion on others voluntarily,” offers ThatCampinGuy, an ATS
player and Twitch streamer I manage to pin down for a longer conversation. “In my
opinion, the average man or woman is not polarized on every subject as they are
often portrayed.” He might be right.
After days of trying (and failing) to chance across a convoy in the wild, I manage to
join the back of one rolling through Tucson in Arizona. “People don’t know how to
disagree anymore, I’m right down the middle,” says the only guy who can hear me, a
Trump voter in 2016. “Nobody thinks Trump gets it right 100 per cent of the time. I
certainly don’t.” Around Twin Falls, someone tells me they’re voting for Biden, but
they’re worried about his mental faculties. Loitering around Seattle, someone
remarks that they’re not voting Trump because he doesn’t wear a mask, then
someone else suggested they were against Biden because they feared another
lockdown. Before any sort of dialectic could start, they launched into an animated
discussion of their computer specs.
After assuring Brian I wouldn’t be offended, he tells me he doesn’t really like either
candidate, but he’s voting Trump. “Purely because I don’t like socialism.” I ask if he
thinks Biden is a socialist – he doesn’t, but he’s worried the wider party could drift
that way. He laughs. “My opinion counts for a bunch of horseshit in a field!”
He suffers from cluster headaches, and describes their excruciating effects, which
can only really be alleviated with oxygen, which he can’t afford through health
insurance. He seems far less bothered by this than you’d think, dealing with it with
sardonic humour. One episode saw him legally die for 16 minutes, he says. He
describes seeing all his loved ones in this limbo state, and talking things out. When
he came to, he “freaked everyone out”, and something changed within him. “I no
longer think anyone is wrong, or that you can be ‘wrong’. I am trying to stop putting
people down. I’m not perfect, but I’m working on it.”
“I want the world to be a better place for my son,” reflects BlackStang610, another
Twitch streamer. He got into ATS because his father and grandfather were both
truckers. Some of his earliest memories are trucking around the country, an
experience well realised in ATS he assures me. “I believe we need universal
healthcare and education. I feel there needs to be more focus on racial equality,
women's rights, and work needs to be done to stabilise the middle class. The one per
cent need to pay their fair share in taxes and we need to recognize climate change as
a major issue.”
Dread about the upshot of the result is a major theme among the call-ins, and the
people I meet in ATS. Numerous news shows have segments analysing the legal
ramifications of Trump refusing to leave the White House if the outcome of the vote
isn’t decisive, while callers of both candidates endlessly anxiously speculate on the
potential for violent breakouts of civil unrest. “I’m dying for Tuesday to roll by, I can
tell you that. And I’m afraid of the outcome,” a trucker tells me as we cross paths in
Spokane.
“Instead of focusing on how to bring everyone together, both candidates, parties and
the media are doing everything in their power to polarise,” ThatCampinGuy says.
“Right or left, it’s all a bunch of hogwash. The largest portion of people fall in the
middle of the curve, being only swayed to one side or the other by few very specific
ideologies.” ThatCampinGuy hosts a convoy in TruckersMP with his virtual truck
company, which he hosts on Twitch every Thursday. “We do not allow discussions of
religion, politics, and other ‘controversial’ subjects in the stream and to be honest, it
has never been a problem,” he says. “The best part is almost everyone wants to just
chill and truck. We have open convoys every week and tons of people join out of the
blue with no prior expectations other than to have fun. This easy come, easy go
environment has taught me to not to try to control all aspects of the trip, that having
a destination is enough.”
Similarly, BlackStang610 is part of Outlaw Truckers, another virtual truck company
who convoy together in TruckersMP. “It does not matter if you are a Republican or
Democrat, black or white. We welcome anyone who is wanting a drama-free place to
support one another. We focus on building each other up, not tearing each other
down.”
What do the members of their convoys talk about in their convoys? Simply put:
convoying. Nothin’ but. There’s something quite magical watching the various ATS
Twitch streamers. Anticipation builds as truckers make their way to the convoy
starting point and patiently wait until the leader decides their party has swelled
enough – then they set off as a unit, all big beams and joyous whooping. There’s a
skill to the convoy. It’s beholden on the leader to keep the convoy organised so
nobody gets left behind, so everyone’s fuel needs are met and so the pack is evenly
spaced. One mistake can see the entire convoy stacked into a gulch. But when they
get it right, when they manage to coordinate 40 odd real people in a single line
stretching halfway across Idaho, they take off and fly together, undivided, unspoiled
by anything beyond convoying. There's something very affirming about human
beings connecting inside these burgeoning un-worlds right now, when there are so
many things threatening to make the real one smaller.
Credit SCS Software
I have only known the America depicted through film and TV. That’s still true after
my experience of playing a monastic amount of ATS. The game’s lighting has a
distinctly cinematic quality, the world feels close to having been rendered in
kodachrome. The lonesome neon hum of the petrol stations, the tacky burger chains,
the dilapidated signage, and other carefully curated bits of faux-Americana you pass
have the same glorious, ambient melancholy of a William Eggleston photograph. I
know it’s totally bogus, because I know my frames of reference for it are illusory. The
America of ATS – both visually and atmospherically – is exactly how I imagined it
would be.
The people are different, though. I wholly concede that the dangerous fanaticals that
characterise so much of the coverage we receive about America must and absolutely
do exist somewhere, but I found scant evidence of their frantic, frothing fervour in
the places I looked. The American media seems feverishly intent on turning the
country into an absurd spectacle, neatly separating the population into two warring
factions. Its citizens seem very reluctant to sign up for this narrative, however, and
extremely wary of the potential consequences.
I learned a little of what it’s like to be bombarded with American news coverage, and
I discovered that many Americans find engaging with it as bewildering as we do
from afar. Most people neither accept the media’s framings wholesale, nor reject
them entirely out of hand. This feels deeply familiar. After all, even if you’re aware
that your window onto the world is distorted, you know that dispensing with it
necessitates cutting yourself off from it entirely.
I trucked off in search of America, and found a small slice of it in a place where
Americans go to find sanctuary from reality. In this ersatz version of their own
country, united under one big convoy, they go safely on their travels.
More great stories from WIRED

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11/3/2020 66 of the best Netflix series to binge watch right now | WIRED UK

66 of the best Netflix series to binge watch right now

The Haunting of Hill House

Credit Steve Dietl/Netﬂix

Challenger: The final flight

Credit Nasa / Netﬂix

Dear White People

Credit Adam Rose/Netﬂix/Courtesy

Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker

The Last Dance

Credit Netﬂix / Andrew D. Bernstein

The Last Dance is simultaneously a ten-part documentary about the greatest

a deliciously frenetic and tension-ﬁlled series that makes surprisingly sympathetic

Credit Christos Kalohoridis/Netﬂix

In an Ice Princess-meets-Skins series, a ﬁgure skater tries to get back into

The Midnight Gospel

Credit Steve Wilkie/CBC/ITV/Kobal/Shutterstock

RuPaul's Drag Race

Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes

Credit Macall Polay/FX/Kobal/Shutterstock

Credit Netﬂix/Katalin Vermes

Living With Yourself

Credit Eric Liebowitz/Netﬂix

Credit Beth Dubber/Netﬂix

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Credit CBS / Paramount

Credit Axel Decis

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Woke millennial websites? Anti-knife campaigns in chicken shops? Watching inept

sporadically from 2005 to 2012) might actually be cathartic. Peter Capaldi's

Neon Genesis Evangelion

When They See Us

Tuca and Bertie

The Assassination of Gianni Versace

Credit JoJo Whilden / Netﬂix

The Last Kingdom

Black Mirror's creator, Charlie Brooker

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Star Trek: Discovery

The Good Place

Better Call Saul

The End of the F***ing World

This “mockumentary” follows student documentarian Peter Maldonado, who

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The best anime on Netflix right now

Every Studio Ghibli film, ranked from worst to best

I used American Truck Simulator to try and predict the US

Credit SCS Software

Credit SCS Software

TruckersMP is an unoﬃcial mod which transforms the game into an online

Credit SCS Software

Credit SCS Software

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