‘The Regime,’ ‘3 Body Problem’ and other recommended series for March 2024

A political satire starring Kate Winslet. A period story of ambition, sex and manipulation. Small-time criminals involved in the biggest jihadist attack in the history of Spain. Guy Ritchie’s universe made into a series. The new creation from the team responsible for Game of Thrones. Among the pick of the shows being released this month there are many outstanding names in front of and behind the cameras, and several offerings that travel to the past with different points of view.

These are EL PAÍS’ recommendations for the month of March.

The Regime

In the reviews of this six-episode miniseries opinions are divided on some aspects but there is unanimity on one thing: Kate Winslet, its protagonist, is brilliant and that is reason enough to watch this political satire. Will Tracy, one of the screenwriters on Succession, wrote the script for a story directed by Stephen Frears and Jessica Hobbs. Winslet plays the dictatorial chancellor of a fictitious European republic, who governs from a luxury hotel that she has turned into a kind of personal Versailles and whose paranoia grows as her country’s economy sinks. Hugh Grant, Martha Plimpton, Matthias Schoenaerts and Andrea Riseborough complete the cast.

March 3 on HBO Max

Nos vemos en otra vida (See you in another life)

Gabriel Montoya Vidal, “Baby,” a 16-year-old boy, was the first person convicted of the March 11, 2004, terrorist attacks in Madrid. His story is the guiding thread of a series that shows the Asturian plot that led to the biggest jihadist attack committed in Europe since the Lockerbie bombing in 1988. Based on the summary of the 11-M macro-trial and the interview Baby gave to journalist Manuel Jabois (and published in the book Nos vemos en esta vida o en la otra), Jorge and Alberto Sánchez-Cabezudo put together a six-episode miniseries that shows how small-time criminals ended up being the facilitators of a tragedy.

March 6 on Disney+

The Gentlemen

While not exactly an adaptation or spin-off of the movie of the same title, this series created, co-written and produced by filmmaker Guy Ritchie does recapture the spirit of the film. Theo James plays a man who unexpectedly inherits a huge estate from his father, which carries with it an enormous cannabis empire. Threats soon arise in the form of thugs who want to get their share of the pie and take advantage of the new man’s inexperience, but he learns quickly. Violence, black humor and the usual extreme characters found in Ritchie’s films are all present.

March 7 on Netflix

Mary & George

The story behind this period drama is real, believe it or not. Mary Villiers educated her second son to make his way in the court. Her goal was to get him as close as possible to King James I of England and thus move up the social ladder. So much so that the young man, George, became the king’s lover and ended up being the first Duke of Buckingham. Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine star in this series that combines historical drama, comedy, and political thriller filled with palace intrigue, sex and plenty of sass. Some have already described it as a cross between The Favourite and The Great.

March 8 on SkyShowtime

Manhunt

This thriller takes the search for John Wilkes Booth, Abraham Lincoln’s assassin, as a thread to narrate a period conspiracy crime thriller around him. Tobias Menzies plays Edwin Stanton, a lawyer and politician who was the U.S. Secretary of War at the time. Booth, a sympathizer to the Confederate cause, shot Lincoln in a theater a few days after the American Civil War had come to an end, putting the future of the country in jeopardy. The president’s assassin managed to flee and an extensive manhunt was launched to find him.

March 15 on Apple TV+

Palm Royale

Maxine Simmons is a housewife fascinated by the high society that meets in the select Palm Beach (Florida). To join them she will have to talk like them, behave like them, dress like them... but being accepted is not so easy. A luxury cast headed by Kristen Wiig sets up this social satire set in the 1960s and that highlights the distance between rich and poor to follow in the wake of The White Lotus, but with a different tone, style and setting. Allison Janney, Laura Dern, Ricky Martin and Josh Lucas complete the cast, with Carol Burnett and Bruce Dern as guest stars.

March 20 on Apple TV+

3 Body Problem

The science fiction trilogy by Chinese writer Liu Cixin is the basis for the new television project by the creators of Game of Thrones. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, along with Alexander Woo (The Terror) are the creators of this ambitious series, one of Netflix’s star projects for the first half of the year. The plot has as its starting point signals sent into space by a secret military project that reach aliens, who decide to travel to Earth and communicate with humans through a kind of video game. The cast is headed by Eiza González and Benedict Wong, and the cast includes some familiar names for Game of Thrones fans, such as John Bradley, Liam Cunningham and Jonathan Pryce.

March 21 on Netflix

Renegade Nell

Sally Wainwright, the creator of Happy Valley, is responsible for this adventure comedy set in England in 1705. After being accused of murder, young Nell Jackson flees along the roads robbing carriages to survive. Eventually, she discovers that she is a key player in trying to stop a magical plot against the Queen of England. The script may seem a bit unhinged, but that Wainwright is behind it and it promises lighthearted entertainment are reason enough to keep this series on your radar.

March 29 on Disney+

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