Scorchin' Summer Streamin' 26 - Goolagong - Miniseries

Goolagong landed right in time for the Australian Open at a quieter time in 2026. Sadly life got in the way, so I only finished the third and final episode last night.

The ABC series is based on the real life story of Aboriginal Australian champion tennis player Evonne Goolagong Cawley, played by Lila McGuire.

Directed by Wayne Blair & produced by Werner Film Productions. This is honestly the most wholesome series of the Scorchin' Summer Streamin' 26 blog series.

Goolagong tells the story of the rise of tennis star Evonne Goolagong Cawley, from her childhood through to becoming a champion at Wimbledon. It shows her drive to succeed and her path to the top of her game, including overcoming a career-threatening injury and beating her tennis rivals in the face of adversity.

Goolagong is based on the inspiring true-life story of world champion tennis player Evonne Goolagong, one of Australia’s most revered sporting heroes. From her Wimbledon debut in 1970, to becoming the first mother to win Wimbledon in the modern era in 1980, Evonne’s story is one of family, love, loss, and an unwavering spirit. 

In the time of burgeoning black rights and women’s lib, Evonne proved to herself, her people, and the world that she was a true champion.

Alongside McGuire, the three part series stars, Felix Mallard, Marton Csokas and Luke Carroll.

Filming for the series took place across several locations in Victoria, including on location at the Kooyong Tennis Club and South Yarra Tennis Club, using a purpose-built Wimbledon Centre Court.

Other locations include Kyneton, Seaford, Seymour, Sunshine, Tallarook, and Woodend. The shoot brought in over 1,200 local jobs and 100 jobs for local crew.

Last November, it was announced at the ABC Upfronts that the series would go to air this year. The ABC is really punching above its weight for local content this year. With Dog Park also being a super sweet series.

I look forward to the ABC announcing its next Sunday series with some crackers promised. Tonight the ABC has acquired Amazon's Top End Bub streaming tonight, along with Kiwi series (with Aussies) Blue Murder Motel.

Well done to the ABC for bringing this beautiful homegrown story to our screens.

Scorchin' Summer Streamin' 26 - The Beauty - Season One

The Beauty is the latest Ryan Murphy series, this time teaming up with Matthew Hodgson.

The science fiction/body horror series is based on the comic book The Beauty, written by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley.

Starring American Horror favourite, Evan Peters, alongside Anthony Ramos, Jeremy Pope, Rebecca Hall, and Ashton Kutcher. Yes Ashton Kutcher is making a comeback!

The series streams on FX/Hulu, Disney+ which commenced in January, concluding yesterday with a double (short) episode finale.

So what's the drum?

A sexually transmitted treatment known as "the Beauty" spreads rapidly, granting users physical attractiveness through aesthetic-based genetic makeup while concealing lethal side effects that begin to overtake their lives. As deaths and public panic escalate, an FBI investigation and competing interests converge on the forces behind the drug and the epidemic it sparks.

Spoilers for episode eleven, read on at your own risk!

Tig and Gunther (without) consent dose Franny with the Beauty in an attempt to please their father, leading her to attempt suicide, though Byron has doctors keep her body stable with the regenerative properties of the Beauty. 

Meanwhile, Bella undergoes the Beauty procedure via sexual intercourse with a man named Conor, who had taken a second dose beforehand to increase the strength. Upon transforming, Bella's mother is horrified to find her with grotesque mutations. 

After Byron learns that the public and government no longer support the Beauty as a result of widely reported side-effects, he decides to halt sales and close down the operation to reinvest in cures and fixes, while providing boosters for free. 

Tig wishes to continue distributing the drug and inherit Byron's wealth, and enlists the help from Diana, Cooper, Jordan, the Assassin and Jeremy to assassinate him. In exchange, Cooper is given an untested drug to reverse the effects of the Beauty, and the others are startled when he emerges after transforming.

It leaves you on an Evan Peters cliffhanger that may or may not get resolved. Unlike All's Fair, there is no news of a second season as yet. However there are some reports of this being a miniseries.

Will we find out Evan Peters fate? Time will tell.

Either way I did enjoy these shorter episodes. It was a wild look at modern societies obsession with beauty. Who better after Nip/Tuck than Ryan Murphy to explore this world.

It's been a real Ryan Murphy season. Love Story is currently streaming on Friday's on Disney+, whilst The Shards is yet to stream.

Enjoy the weekend. It's the first full weekend of Autumn. A new blog series is incoming next month!

NOT another streaming Movie - I Swear

WOW! I Swear is already one of my favourite films of 2026.

The British biographical drama film directed, written, and produced by Kirk Jones. Based on the true life story of John Davidson, a Scottish man with severe Tourette's syndrome, and follows his life, primarily based on the 1989 television documentary John's Not Mad, at a time when his condition was barely identifiable.

Starring Robert Aramayo as Davidson, Maxine Peake, Shirley Henderson, & Peter Mullan. With Scott Ellis Watson makes his acting debut as a young John.

I Swear premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival last September, & was released in the UK last October.

I Swear was acclaimed by critics, who praised the performances of Aramayo and Mullan. The film received five nominations at the 79th British Academy Film Awards, winning two, including Best Actor in a Leading Role for Aramayo. It 100% deserves those awards. This was brilliant!

Diagnosed with Tourette’s at age 15, John Davidson faced and overcame many hardships from adolescence and early adulthood as a result of what was a little known and entirely misunderstood condition in 1980’s Britain. The film is a funny, heartfelt and moving account of John’s experiences. 

I was in love with this warm 2 hour drama.

It was a hard watch at times throughout the school. How things have changed since 1983. Kids can be so cruel.

However with education and awareness, people now know what Tourette’s is. Whilst it can shock people or catch people off guard. This film dealt with the swearing, punching, ticks and spitting. It was heartbreaking at times, but warm AF at times.

I honestly loved this film. Total 4.5 star film. Cannot recommend this enough! Such a change of gears from Scream 7 the other day.

Scorchin' Summer Streamin' 26 - The Copenhagen Test - Season One

The Copenhagen Test is an espionage thriller series follows first-generation Chinese-American intelligence analyst Alexander Hale (Simu Liu) who realises his brain has been hacked, giving the perpetrators access to everything he sees and hears. 

Caught between his shadowy agency and the unknown hackers, he must maintain a performance 24/7 to flush out who’s responsible and prove where his allegiance lies.

The Peacock thriller stars Simu Liu & Melissa Barrera, with Liu & Aussie James Wan also serving as executive producers. 

The series premiered on Peacock late December last year. However in Australia we had to wait to last month for Binge to drop all eight episodes.

In the near future, an intelligence agent's brain is hacked, allowing the hackers access to everything he sees and hears. He must prove his allegiance and uncover the perpetrators.

Simu Liu is hot! James Wan has a great record, with the Saw film series, The Conjuring universe, Aquaman, the short lived I Know What You Did Last Summer TV series and loads more to mention.

So the boys have form. Sadly The Copenhagen Test just felt same-same.

Even Simu Liu taking his shirt off a few times could not save the series. Not sure if it is meant as a miniseries or ongoing show on Peacock. However I'd be surprised if it gets a second run in the shrinking media market. Bye bye HBO Max as it moves into Paramount+. Thank goodness I never subscribed lol

Till next time. 

Scorchin' Summer Streamin' 26 - Industry - Season Four

Industry is the little financial thriller/drama HBO series that was a sleeper series for the Warner Brothers content king. Now the series is a popular hit starring HBO darling, Kit Harington.

Myha'la, Marisa Abela & Ken Leung, continue to star with hunky Handmaid's Tale vet Max Minghella, Kiernan Shipka, Jack Farthing, Toheeb Jimoh, Amy James-Kelly, Claire Forlani, Kal Penn & Charlie Heaton also star in the fourth series.

Industry has been renewed for a fifth and final series. Industry has received critical acclaim throughout its run for its writing, performances, direction, and its accurate portrayal of the banking sector, with high praise for the third and fourth series in particular.

This season continued to turn the volume up the 11. Unlike the first and second seasons, seasons three and four aimed high. Looked to shock. Turned the sex, way up. I for one cannot wait to see where season five takes us. It sure ends leaving you the viewer wanting one more crazy ride.

Spoilers below. BE WARNED!

Bevan defends the government on television after the Tender scandal; Day is arrested while police search Tender’s London headquarters. Yasmin divorces Henry. 

Whitney urges Henry to flee with him to Vilnius, revealing Russia’s involvement in Tender and offering him a forged Lithuanian passport. Henry initially boards the plane but refuses to abandon his identity, harshly rebuking Whitney, and returns home, where police arrest him. 

Harper, Sweetpea, and Kwabena earn £110 million from Tender’s collapse and distribute £2 million each, later exploring a new office. 

Henry accepts a plea deal for breach of fiduciary duty and testifies against Whitney; Otto warns him not to implicate Russia, citing the risk of assassination. 

Yasmin cultivates Reform politician Sebastian Stefanowicz and hosts a fundraiser for him in Paris. Harper confronts Yasmin over the extremist views of the guests and the presence of Hayley and other young escorts brought in to entertain them. Yasmin defends her actions, arguing she is creating opportunity rather than exploitation, and shows Harper the compromising video of Eric. 

A shaken Harper later tells Kwabena she no longer recognises those closest to her. 

Henry serves house arrest at Norton’s estate. Harper is interviewed about the Tender short and ponders her future.

What an ending. This season was a lot. Let's see how this show delivers its epic conclusion.

NOT another streaming Movie - Scream 7

Scream 7 is out now! And racking in the cash in 2026! An eighth film in the Scream film series is apparently in the works with  Kevin Williamson & Neve Campbell.

The slasher/sequel to Scream VI (2023), is the seventh instalment in the Scream film series. It is directed by Kevin Williamson from a screenplay he co-wrote with Guy Busick, from a story by James Vanderbilt and Busick. 

The film stars Neve Campbell, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, David Arquette, Matthew Lillard, Courteney Cox, with Isabel May, Anna Camp, Michelle Randolph, Jimmy Tatro, Mckenna Grace, Asa Germann, Celeste O'Connor, Sam Rechner, Mark Consuelos, Tim Simons, & Animal Control's Joel McHale.

Scream 7 follows a new Ghostface killer who targets Sidney Prescott's daughter.

The latest film has received negative reviews from critics, however box office wise, it's done good. Mason Gooding is also awesome coming into his own in the rebooted franchise. Anna Camp was also a bit of a standout.

Random seeing Riverdale's Mark Consuelos acting as the next Gail Weathers too.

It was good to have Neve Campbell back as Sidney Prescott-Evans.

I grew up loving Scream films, so this was some good old nostalgia for me.

Was it perfect? Not really. Were the killer (s) interesting? Kinda weird, but it worked. But hey I enjoyed this. It was a little gory. I ended jumping though a number of times lol

Either way, Scream 7 was a fun little ride, 3 stars.

Scorchin' Summer Streamin' 26 - Steal - Miniseries

Addictive, intense, fast-paced, Steal is a British crime/thriller television series streaming all episodes now, on Amazon Prime Video.

Starring Sophie Turner, Archie Madekwe and Jacob Fortune-Lloyd. Steal centres on the fallout of a robbery at a financial management company. 

Zara Dunne, an office worker for pension management company Lochmill Capital, is caught up in a major robbery by an armed gang. However, it soon emerges she may have had a key role in the crime.

Steal originally premiered late last month, so I was a little late to the party. However once I got into with the parents on the weekend, it was a quick and nasty binge.

Six high octane episodes just passed by like nothing. This was such as an easy watch. The first two episodes were insanely intense. This heist series was excellent.

But how does finale, Dead Cat Bounce go down?

Spoiler alert!

Sniper takes Zara's cold wallet and steals Milo's after killing him. After obtaining Milo's access codes at the Lochmill offices, Luke and Zara fight Sniper when he prepares to kill them. 

Covaci intervenes to save Zara, but is injured when London's team arrives. Zara discovers they don't know who hired them. Luke escapes when Sniper kills his former colleagues. Using Covaci's Taser, Zara is able to kill the injured Sniper, but he implicates the police before dying. 

The £4 billion is returned to Lochmill Capital after passing through dozens of public figures' accounts, implicating them in using tax havens. 

Milo is named as the mastermind in the press, with Zara and Luke giving their cold wallets to MI5 to avoid prison. Covaci is fired, and sells his house to pay his debts. He deduces Yoshida, a radical former financier now disillusioned with the wealth system, was behind the operation. 

They turn down £10 million from him to keep quiet, but Zara reveals she kept a hold of Milo's cold wallet, containing £20 million, for them to share instead.

This was Amazon at it's best. I next need to get into the erotic series, 56 Days. Amazon has started off 2026 with a bang. With Deadloch and Scarpetta landing next month, Amazon is looking ahead at a good year. I also need to get into Cross's second season when I get a hot minute.

Until next time. Later!