What to Watch: The Regime, King Con, Mary & George and Supersex

The Regime

Monday, streaming on Binge

Kate Winslet has a knack for picking interesting roles. Her latest sees her stepping in to play autocratic dictator Chancellor Elena Vernham, the agoraphobic, germaphobic leader of a small fictional European country.

Elena is slowly losing her grip on reality — and her country — and over six episodes we see what happens when she befriends an unstable soldier, Herbert Zuback (Matthias Schoenaerts), and is swayed by his charisma into making a series of catastrophic decisions.

This series is created by Will Tracy, who was a writer on Succession — his fingerprints are all over this.

Apparently, he was obsessed with reading about politics and spent stacks of time researching leaders from Syria, Russia and Romania.

It’s fascinating to see it all woven into Winslet’s unlikeable but mesmerising performance, and reflected back through the absurd, but strangely believable, world Tracy has created.

There are some great performances from the supporting cast, which includes Martha Plimpton and Hugh Grant, but it’s Winslet who really shines, and she’s clearly having heaps of fun playing her outrageous character.

There’s only one problem: Elena is perhaps one of TV’s most unlikeable female protagonists.

Many may feel they’re not inclined to want to spend six whole episodes following her journey and that’s fair enough. There’s enough awful stuff happening in the world right now.

Perhaps Winslet’s pitch-perfect performance is a step too far?

For me, though, it was still worth a look, and I’ll be watching to find out what befalls Elena and her tiny fiefdom.

King Con: The Life and Crimes of Hamish McLaren

Sunday, 8pm, Seven

This doco is all about Hamish McLaren, thought to be one of the most successful con men of all time. He had a host of different identities, and over a criminal career spanning 30 years, this Aussie shyster managed to hoodwink friends, family and acquaintances to the tune of millions. Some of his victims speak in depth here, and it’s truly mind-blowing to hear what transpired. Worth a look for true crime fans.

Mary & George

Tuesday, streaming on Binge

Gaping hole in your life after The Great’s untimely demise? Might we suggest filling it with this addictive new drama? It stars Julianne Moore and the always-delightful Nicholas Galitzine (he’s the hottie from Red, White and Royal Blue) as a mother-and-son double-act with their hearts set on reigning supreme in the court of King James I. Couldn’t stop watching this — it’s heaps of fun.

Australia’s Sleep Revolution With Dr Michael Mosley

Wednesday, 7.30pm, SBS

Are you getting enough sleep? Of course you’re not. Which is why you’re going to want to check out this latest three-part series from Dr Michael Mosley, which sees him take part in a world-first Australian sleep treatment program. “Could this world-first treatment program deliver life-changing results for me and millions of other poor sleepers across the nation?” he asks. Honestly, here’s hoping.

Supersex

Wednesday, streaming on Netflix

Make sure the kids are in bed before you take a deep dive into this one: it’s a dramatised retelling of the life of Italian porn star Rocco “The Italian Stallion” Siffredi, charting his life from small-town boy to adult superstar. Starring Alessandro Borghi in the title role, this is shaping up to be Netflix’s raunchiest drama yet. Will it raise the bar in the drama stakes? You tell us!