Henry Cavill has departed and Liam Hemsworth arrived in the title role of Netflix’s fantasy hit, but this prequel offers a more alluring addition to the swords and sorcery realm: Michelle Yeoh. Fresh from Everything Everywhere All at Once, the global star returns to her martial arts roots. The show knows what it has, with the first fight sequence featuring Yeoh using slow-motion so you can appreciate her grace.

Wearing elven ears, like the majority of these characters, Yeoh is part of a “magnificent seven” of rootless warriors on a mediaeval revenge mission in this prequel set 1200 years prior to The Witcher. Making such an explicit reference is one of many shortcuts this limited series embraces: it’s also got a cheery, homicidal dwarf, bad CGI monsters, the swearing of blood oaths, and murderous usurpers.

The cast play it admirably straight, but the show itself is a modestly enjoyable grab-bag of fluid action sequences, Middle Earth memories, and goofy gambits. Yeoh leads the way with a welcome gravitas, and six episodes of this origin tale is a thankfully succinct length. In this instance the best parts really are greater than the sum.

Little America (series 2)
Apple TV+

Keep an eye out for the second season of this terrific anthology series about the vast possibilities of the immigrant experience in the United States, whether as newcomers to a sometimes incomprehensible land or as the offspring of pioneers trying to accommodate family and culture. Just over a half hour in length, these new episodes have a modest but enduring insight and empathy – start with Tinge Krishnan’s The 9th Caller, an alternately bittersweet and blithe struggle for recognition in a Sri Lankan clan.

Three Pines
Amazon

The erstwhile Alfred Molina, a gifted supporting actor with a vast resume, sets a worthy tone in this Canadian detective series. Three Pines interweaves contemporary issues across an entire season with a case-of-the-week format that has his Chief Inspector Armand Gamache bailing up suspects and delivering deductions. Whether grilling crims or pondering Canada’s colonial ills, Molina’s dedicated police detective has a compelling emotional presence. The show can be grimly serious and somewhat eccentric in the same episodes, but Molina navigates the tonal breadth with ease.

Love Lizzo
Binge

The artist-driven music documentary has become a common if sometimes sanitised format in recent years, as superstars bridge the gap between social media and their inner sanctum with curated confessions and behind-the-scenes footage. As subjects go, the American rapper, singer, and flutist Lizzo offers genuine potential, providing a welcome ascendancy and a compelling persona. Director Doug Pray (Hype) makes some inroads into the authorised biography genre, engaging the pop star in thoughtful conversation that searches for the intersection of her music and beliefs, that is matched to force of nature concert footage.

Gudetama

Netflix

A mixture of delightful digital animation and live action mishaps, the micro-episodes in this sweetly droll existential comedy are the streaming debut of Gudetama, a lackadaisical egg yolk who has become a hugely popular character in Japan. Press ganged into an unlikely quest for a maternal figure by the freshly hatched and determined chick Shakipiyo, the duo travel from sushi train to politician’s office. The plotting, including a television director trying to snare the explorers, is somewhat forced, but the central conceit of a slacker and an over-achiever at odds is timeless.

Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.