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 4, whilst offering up a couple of choice ITV Hub recommendations of her own.
“There is only one thing I love more than diamonds, and that’s attention...”
It was at this moment I knew The Real Housewives Of Jersey would be my new addiction. Everything about this reality show, picked by Zeze and now in its second series, is chaotic and lavish—these ladies have too much time and money, and you know what they say? The devil makes work for idle hands, so they’re always up to something. If you’re not familiar with The Real Housewives franchise, the Jersey edition is a fun place to start. The show follows seven of the most prominent and most expensive personalities in Jersey in the Channel Isles. It gives us the inside scoop on their crazy, rich lives—from friendship fallouts and parties to confusing family dynamics, plus there are now two new housewives and a pregnancy in the mix. You won’t want to look away!
Far from the flashy and glitzy lives of Jersey’s drama queens, we’re heading to London for Harry’s nail-biting drama pick Angela Black. We see the picture-perfect life on the surface: a strong family unit, an adoring and hard-working husband, and two charming boys. But, underneath it all, Angela Black’s life is far from fantasy; in fact, it’s a living nightmare that she is desperate to escape. Angela is a victim of domestic abuse by her husband, Olivier. Her situation seems hopeless, and she feels she can never escape, but everything changes when she meets a private investigator called Ed, a man her husband hired to get dirt on her, so he has leverage for his surprise divorce he’s planning. Ed begins to reveal some uncomfortable truths about Angela’s husband, and the situation unravels quickly. This psychological thriller covers the intricacies of abuse so well, and the characters are developed and captivating.
When relationships are healthy and happy, they’re a joy to watch. That is why The Cabins, a light-hearted dating show, is TV that is entertaining and endearing in equal measures. Getting straight to the point, the show skips boring first dates, elongated talking stages, and plonks some serious singles in a cosy cabin to help them find love. Taking cuffing season to the extreme, the singles have only one day to see if they’d like to get to know each other more or end things there. We get to see some really awkward dates, kitchen mayhem and weirdly intrusive activities. The show has seen love flourish and die before it had the chance to begin, but the story is hilarious to follow in each outcome.
My final drama suggestion for you has got to be Butterfly. This heartfelt series is about Max—an 11-year-old child becoming Maxine, a young trans girl. What we see in this series is unlike anything else I’ve seen covered on TV. It’s a beautifully complex show that sees a very ordinary family dealing with their child transitioning. Maxine has tried to hide their feelings, but it’s difficult to pretend to be a version of yourself for other people. Parents Stephen and Vicky are separated and disagree on the handling of Maxine’s identity and public transition. For Vicky, protecting Maxine’s mental health is a top priority, but Stephen doubles down on the idea of teaching them ‘how to be a man’. The parents’ reactions and mistakes teach us how to handle conversations with the trans people we love, with care. Butterfly is educational as much as it is entertaining, and we can all take so much from this story.
