Like she did on the big screen, Nicole Kidman has become a surefire star of the streaming age, writes columnist NICK OVERALL. 

Aussie A-lister Nichole Kidman boasts an impressive resume of prestige drama TV from the last few years – including The Undoing (on Binge) where she starred alongside Hugh Grant, the Emmy-winning hit Big Little Lies (also on Binge) and Amazon Prime’s Nine Perfect Strangers. 

Now it’s Netflix that’s scooped up Kidman’s star power, bringing her on board for a new series called The Perfect Couple.

This moody murder mystery opens with a bougie wedding in Nantucket, one that quickly turns to disaster after a body is discovered on a nearby beach.

Adding to the intrigue is that just about every character in the show is suspicious enough to raise eyebrows.

That includes Kidman, who plays Greer Garrison Winbury, a romance novelist with a string of books that sit at the top of best-seller lists around the world.

The resulting pay cheques allow Greer and her husband Tag (Liev Schreiber) to afford the luxurious accommodation for the murderous matrimonials in question: a mansion complete with ocean views.

That setting serves as a springboard for the show’s social commentary that attempts to take a stab at the extravagance of the ultra-rich.

It tries to be as biting as other series such as The White Lotus, but doesn’t quite hit the same heights.

The Perfect Couple still makes for a unique, glitzy whodunit mystery. 

FOR more than 20 years Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond have managed to keep audiences coming back for more of their high-octane antics.

The trio made Top Gear an international hit for the BBC until a string of controversies saw Clarkson axed from the program, leading his two co-hosts to subsequently resign shortly after.

But in 2016 they found a new home in the world of streaming, launching The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime Video.

This series puts all three of them back on the road together, touring the world in the fastest cars from the most famous manufacturers.

Some of the episodes in The Grand Tour easily rival, if not beat the very best of what Top Gear offered, well and truly leaving BBC’s attempt to revive the show with new hosts in the dust.

But after another 46 episodes over eight years, this series too has come to an end.

This final trip sees Clarkson, Hammond and May head to Zimbabwe and Botswana in three of their dream cars.

Fittingly, this final instalment is called One For The Road.

Emotional in its own stunted and amusing way, this last nostalgic lap sees the former hosts of TopGear cross the finish line on their own terms, their feet firmly on the accelerator.

IT wouldn’t be a new month in 2024 without a new spin-off of some big franchise.

This time it’s the Batman universe that’s getting a new series.

Not Christian Bale or Ben Affleck’s Batman. This one is based on the Robert Pattinson version which came out in 2022.

And which character is getting their own show?

Of the caped crusader’s many colourful villains, it’s The Penguin of all choices.

I shouldn’t be surprised. They’ve already managed to make an entire spin-off show about Batman’s butler. Who’s next?

This Penguin, who also goes by the alias of Oswald Cobblepot, is played by Colin Farrell in this new series on Binge.

It tells the tale of how he goes from petty street criminal to Gotham’s crime overlord.

As an actor Farell is an absolute chameleon, disappearing into this role with his usual dramatic gusto.

It’s this performance that imbues the show with any sort of intrigue, but the series is still unlikely to even register for anyone who isn’t a mega fan of Batman or DC comics.

Like the 2022 Batman film, the series is very well made but as a concept this Penguin barely stays afloat.