📺 The Regime, Extraordinary S2, Dance Life, & Death and Other Details revisited

plus 3 new movies, 3 new TV shows, 1 returning series

Happy Thursday! It’s been a good week here at Double Take: Jenni narrowly avoided jury duty this morning and Jess was mere feet away from Lindsay Lohan. If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, there are quite a few movies premiering. We’ve listed the direct-to-streaming movies below, but the full list including theatrical releases will be in our March Preview newsletter for premium subscribers tomorrow (please excuse our delay — we had a mailing glitch last week!).

In today’s edition:
Weekly Watchlist
Death and Other Details
Dance Life
The Regime
Extraordinary (Season 2)

— Jenni Cullen and Jess Spoll

First time reading? Subscribe to receive Double Take weekly.

---

We keep an eye on all of the new streaming content that is set to premiere. Here’s a list of new shows and movies to stream this week.

• The Gentlemen (Season 1) — Guy Ritchie originally conceived his 2019 movie of the same name as a TV show, and how he gets his wish with this Netflix series starring Theo James.
  Watch on Netflix: March 7 (all 8 episodes)

• Ricky Stanicky (Movie) — Zac Efron and John Cena star in this comedy about three friends who invent a fictional scapegoat to get them out of their misdeeds.
  Watch on Prime: March 7

• Damsel (Movie) — Millie Bobby Brown stars alongside Robin Wright and Angela Bassett in this dark fantasy film about a young woman who finds herself trapped in a survival situation after marrying her so-called Prince Charming.
  Watch on Netflix: March 8

• Little Wing (Movie) — A 13-year-old girl, reeling from her parents’ divorce and the pending loss of her home, is drawn into the world of pigeon racing. Kelly Reilly and Brian Cox star.
  Watch on Paramount+: March 13

• Apples Never Fall (Limited Series) — Annette Bening, Jake Lacy, and Alison Brie star in this family mystery-drama based on the bestselling book from the author of Big Little Lies.
  Watch on Peacock: March 14 (all 7 episodes)

• Girls5Eva (Season 3) — This musical comedy starring Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps, and Renée Elise Goldsberry about a resurrected girl-group returns for a 3rd season on Netflix after being dropped by Peacock.
  Watch on Netflix: March 14 (all 6 episodes)

• The Girls on the Bus (Season 1) — Carla Gugino and Melissa Benoist star in this political drama following four female journalists who report on the campaigns for several presidential candidates.
  Watch on Max: March 14 (2 of 10 episodes, then weekly)

  ---

We reviewed a show in its early days on air. Now that we’ve watched more of it, would we change our initial rating?

Death and Other Details

Photo: Hulu

Keywords: murder mystery, drama, locked room
Watch if you like: Knives Out, Death on the Nile, Only Murders in the Building
Jenni’s Original Rating: B-
Jess’s Updated Rating: D+

Jenni did the smart thing and dropped this show when it started to drag after 3-4 episodes. Well, I watched until the end, and I can confidently tell you not to follow in my footsteps.

Death and Other Details is a locked room murder mystery set in the midst of a VIP vacation on a luxury ocean liner. One of the passengers is gruesomely killed, Mandy Patinkin tries to find the culprit, and everyone is a little shady. It sounds like a winning formula! Probably because it takes a few pages from proven successes that came before: the maritime backdrop of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile, the dishonest wealthy suspects of Knives Out (add in the vacation aspect and you get The White Lotus), the septuagenarian detective à la Only Murders in the Building. Despite all of those promising influences, it adds up to a bland concoction of mediocrity.

The series fails on three fronts. First, the increasingly complex plot machinations take precedence over character development. We’re introduced to a whole host of passengers, none of whom evolve beyond their broad strokes. Second, there’s not nearly enough meat to this story to justify ten episodes. This is textbook “should have been a movie” fare. And worst of all, the twists are repetitive and downright ridiculous. Had the show committed to a comedic or campy tone, perhaps it could’ve been redeemed. But, despite the jaunty theme music and colorful end credits, Death and Other Details remains decidedly self-serious. Even Mandy Patinkin can’t save this one.

— Jess

Length: 60-min runtime, 1 season / 10 episodes
Watch on: Hulu

---

Where we give our takes on reality TV and give unscripted shows a time to shine.

Dance Life

Photo: Prime Video

Keywords: docuseries, dance, Australian
Watch if you like: Dance Moms, Cheer, Last Chance U
Reality Genre: competitive subculture

Calling all lovers of Dance Moms and the 2020 Netflix hit, Cheer. If competitive subcultures are your jam, you should absolutely check out this new Australian docuseries following the top students at a premiere dance academy all hoping for their big break.

I’ve been so starved for a reality show of this ilk that I binged all five available episodes in one sitting last week. It’s got everything you could want: competition, drama, compelling backstories, and a whole lot of heart. And despite the cutthroat nature of the performance industry, this series is predominantly feel-good in nature. The toll that the professional dance world takes on both the body and spirit is showcased extremely well, but there is no back-stabbing or petty meanness among the teens at Brent Street Academy (at least on screen). They are all fiercely hard working and will take opportunities that come, but also respect and support their peers in stride.

Of course I have my favorites — Emily and Max O.!!! — but I’m still rooting for them all. Start Dance Life for the sensational choreography and nail-biting drama and stay to see real talent rewarded.

— Jenni

Length: 40-min runtime, 1 season / 5 episodes
Watch on: Prime Video

---

Our thoughts on brand new streaming content, and where you can watch.

The Regime

Photo: HBO

Keywords: dark comedy, satire, limited series, politics
Watch if you like: Succession, House of Cards, Veep