Lewis Capaldi and this week’s best box sets

This six-part Italian drama is based on a book by award-winning journalist Alex Perry and adapted for the small screen by Bafta nominee Stephen Butchard. It’s a must-read for anyone who loves real-life crime stories. Gaia Girace, Valentina Belle and Barbara Chichiarelli star as Denise Garofalo, Maria Concetta Cacciola and Guiseppina Pesce, three women who dared to oppose the ‘Ndrangheta, a mafia-style organized crime syndicate, one of the world’s most powerful groups of their kind in the world. The trio were born into Calabria-based family but agreed to work with Crusade prosecutor Anna Colace to bring her down from the inside in hopes of securing a brighter future for her children.

Lewis Capaldi: How I Feel Now (Netflix, by Wed)

The Scottish singer-songwriter had a meteoric rise to fame. Still only 26, a Grammy nominee and Brit Award winner, he has released two popular and acclaimed albums and in 2020 it was revealed that his track ‘Someone You Loved’ became not only the best selling single of 2019 but also the longest was. Running top 10 UK song of all time by a British artist. But Capaldi’s success hasn’t always been easy. He suffered from mental health problems along the way and was diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome last year. That’s what he talks about in this no-holds-barred documentary that chronicles his career to date. It took two and a half years to make and is a must read for anyone interested in fame and the music industry.

Schmigadoon! (Apple TV+, from Fri)

After a hugely successful first season, the hit musical comedy series returns to our screens for a second six-episode outing. After surviving their rocky journey to find true love in the town of Schmigadoon, Josh (Keegan-Michael Key) and Melissa (Cecily Strong) relocate to Schmicago – a jazzy world of ’60s and ’70s musicals. As our loving protagonists adjust to their new surroundings, a few familiar faces appear, played by Kristin Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Ariana DeBose, Martin Short and Jane Krakowski, all returning as new versions of the characters they met in the first installment have played run. Also, listen to the melodious tunes of the original songs by Cinco Paul, the series’ co-creator.

Tiny Beautiful Things (Disney+, from Fri)

Cheryl Strayed’s book of the same name has already been adapted into a podcast and stage play, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it’s now also a TV drama. Reese Witherspoon was so taken with the book that she made it one of her book club choices before taking over the rights for her production company, Hello Sunshine. As a result, she’s one of the executive producers, but it’s Kathryn Hahn leading the cast as Clare, a writer who gives advice to others through her regular column but could use some of her own – her marriage to Danny is falling apart and their teenage daughter Rae hardly speaks to her. However, her memories, seen in a series of flashbacks, offer her a new perspective on life.

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (Paramount+, from Fri)

The film version of Grease is as popular today as it was when it was released on the big screen. It became an instant classic when it hit theaters in 1978, but efforts to recapture the magic in Grease 2 four years later proved disastrous. Hopefully this prequel will be more successful – at least we won’t have to wait for those summer nights to see it. Set in 1954, it follows the lives of four vivacious women who are considered Rydell High’s biggest misfits. Held together by adversity, the quartet become the founding members of the Pink Ladies who will rock their school forever. Marisa Davila, Cheyenne Isabel Wells, Ari Notartomaso and Tricia Fukuhara-Star; Also listen to a new set of toe tapping tunes.