Welcome to Drama vs. Reality, a new four-part series brought to you by Complex and ITV, where Zeze Millz and Harry Pinero go head-to-head dropping their favourite selections of shows on ITV Hub. Here, UK culture journalist Chanté Joseph gives us a sneak preview of Episode 3, whilst offering up a couple of choice ITV Hub recommendations of her own.
Love Island—or, as I like to call it, Hot People Christmas—is what reality TV is all about: the perfect blend of great looks, love, mayhem and drama. Zeze’s pick, Love Island: Australia (Series 3), is a totally different experience to our homegrown version; there are no British sensibilities or inhibitions here. There are loud personalities, and the Australian sun makes the Spanish sun look like rain—the glow in this show is incomparable. Suppose you want to have the perfect Covid-safe escape in the sunshine? In that case, Love Island: Australia will undoubtedly give it to you. Given the challenging state of the UK right now, I think we could all do with some sunshine and this show turns up the heat in more ways than one.
Nobody does an investigative crime drama quite like ITV, and they’ve made another great hit in Harry’s pick, The Long Call. In this series—based on the Ann Cleeves novel—Detective Inspector Matthew Venn (played by Ben Aldridge) returns to his eerily religious hometown in Devon to bury his father. Matthew’s hesitation in returning home is understandable: his homosexuality makes it difficult for him to exist as his true self. He’s also estranged from his mother, which makes things difficult. But, encouraged by his partner, he puts his feelings aside and shows up for the funeral. However, what should be a period of reflecting and grieving quickly turns into work as Matthew begins investigating a local murder. The show’s pacing is perfect, and the ending will leave you satisfied. Tackling many issues and featuring deeply complex characters, it’s far from the usual cop drama.
Let’s stick to the theme of love for our second reality pick this week, Ready To Mingle. This reality game show is—dare I say it—giving Love Island a run for its money when it comes to thedrama: 12 guys are given the opportunity to impress one single woman—but, of course, there’s always a plot twist: only half of the men are single and the rest are taken. Before you react with shock, the men have all got permission from their partners to compete for prize money. All contestants stay in a beautiful cottage in scenic Devon for three weeks where they go on individual dates and have various group activities. In the end, whoever is picked will win a £50,000 cash prize and, hopefully, eternal love. A must-watch.
Back to the drama, Stephen is compelling viewing. This is not only a well-produced show but an essential piece of British history brought to our screens. The series tells the widely publicised story of Stephen Lawrence, the murdered Black British teenager, his family’s tireless pursuit for justice and the eventual conviction of the killers in 2012. Directed by Alrick Riley, this bleak yet uplifting drama shows the difficulties of getting justice for a young Black boy from London when dealing with an institutionally racist police force. So many of the issues that Doreen and Neville come up against still create problems to this very day. Stephen is a bittersweet watch as we’re reminded that despite the murder taking place in 1993, we haven’t moved on entirely as a nation.
