What to stream this week: Maniac, Space Force, Operation Buffalo, Central Park and more

From a satirical new miniseries set during the paranoid nuclear arms race to a genre-hopping Netflix series to mess with your head, try these shows on for size this week.SOMETHING BONKERS
Maniac: Maniac is an insanely good genre-hopping sci-fi head-tripper that also happens to be just plain insane. Starring Emma Stone, Jonah Hill and Justin Theroux, it’s a visually arresting series about two people who take part in a strange drug trial that identifies your “core trauma” and tries to fix you – through some hallucinogenic, maddening shared dreams. It’s a total mindf**k. Watch it: Netflix
Enlightened: Enlightened should’ve been a glaring sign that we were in for a Laura Dern-aissance because the now Oscar winner is spectacular in this wild series about a woman trying to find some balance after a nervous breakdown. Getting demoted, drinking madly and having an affair with your boss will do that to you. Watch it: Binge/Foxtel Now
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SOMETHING NEW
Operation Buffalo: A secretive nuclear testing site in the Australian desert doesn’t seem like the natural environment for a satirical comedy-thriller, but when you think about something like Dr Strangelove, it makes perfect sense. Set in the 1950s, the six-part series is centred on the first testings at Maralinga and stars Ewen Leslie and Jessica De Gouw. Watch it: ABC/iview from Sunday, May 31 at 8.30pm
The Beach: Acclaimed Australian filmmaker Warwick Thorton (Samson & Delilah, Sweet Country) made this six-part docuseries with his son Dylan River, a deeply personal journey exploring whether through isolating himself on a harsh but beautiful remote beach in Dampier Peninsular he can heal himself from the self-abuse and pain of the modern world. Watch it: SBS/SBS On Demand/NITV from Friday, May 29 at 7.30pm
SOMETHING FUNNY
Space Force: Steve Carell has re-teamed with his The Office US showrunner Greg Daniels on this new Netflix series the pair created. Carell plays a newly promoted four-star general who is charged with running a new military agency whose mission is put “boots on the moon” after a Twitter thought-bubble from the president. Expect wacky workplace comedy shenanigans. Watch it: Netflix, from Friday, May 29 at 5pm AEST
Ramy: Honest and wryly funny, Ramy Youssef’s show about a young Muslim-American man trying to balance the expectations of his faith with the expectations of himself is a keenly observed and personal story. The second season returns this week and with it, a new cast member in double Oscar winner Mahershala Ali. Watch it: Stan, from Friday, May 29
SOMETHING LONG
The OC: Californiaaaaaa! Given its shakier final seasons and Mischa Barton’s less-than-illustrious exit, we forget just how compulsive and how in the Zeitgeist that first season of The OC was. With its sun-kissed surrounds and Death Cab-infused playlist, the prime time soap opera about wealthy Orange County teens and their parents is forever rewatchable. Watch it: Stan
Archer: Imaginative and boundary-pushing, adult animation Archer may have started off as a sharp comedy about dysfunctional spies, but with every new season, its willingness to reinvent itself has only seen this series reach new heights, whether that’s in a noir dreamworld or as inhabitants of a Pacific island. Watch it: Netflix/iview
SOMETHING WITH THE KIDS
Central Park: Maybe not so much one for really young kids, but certainly any tykes aged nine and over, this charming and lovely new animation from the creator of Bob’s Burgers is a musical featuring the voices of Josh Gad, Daveed Diggs, Kristen Bell, Leslie Odom Jr, Tituss Burgess and Kathryn Hahn. It follows a family whose father is the caretaker of New York’s Central Park faced with fighting off a greedy developer who wants to turn it into an urban wasteland. Watch it: Apple TV+ from Saturday, May 30 AEST
Planet Earth: If our world is feeling a little small right now, expand your children’s minds with this David Attenborough docoseries. Epic in scale and in wonderment, it gives us a look at the world we call home like nothing before it. If your family devours this in a weekend, there’s also Planet Earth II. Watch it: Binge/Foxtel Now/Stan