From video games to novels to musical theatre, "revisionist retellings of ancient Greek myths have been having something of a moment lately", said Louis Chilton in The Independent. But few have been as punchy as Netflix's "Kaos", from the British writer Charlie Covell, who is best known for Channel 4's "The End of the F***ing World".
Billed as a "Succession"- or "White Lotus"-flavoured take on the gods of Olympus, it stars Jeff Goldblum as Zeus, depicted here as a neurotic, leisurewear-clad billionaire. He's first seen "mincing discontentedly through his pink mountain-top shag pad", said Camilla Long in The Sunday Times. The designers turn out to have had "Barbie levels of fun" throughout. Zeus's spotting of a wrinkle on his forehead triggers a midlife crisis and a complicated plot featuring versions of Cassandra (Billie Piper), Hades (David Thewlis), Prometheus (Stephen Dillane) and others. Structured as a sour comedy of manners rather than a fantasy, it's "engrossing, imaginative and fun".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
23andMe's bankruptcy isn't just a finance story, it's a potential privacy crisisIN THE SPOTLIGHT The ancestral testing juggernaut's corporate collapse opens a new — but not wholly unforeseen — front in the battle over who has access to your genetic data
-
US officials share war plans with journalist in group chatSpeed Read Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a Signal conversation about striking Yemen
-
Stephen Graham's best TV and film rolesThe Week Recommends From Line of Duty to Adolescence, these are the prolific actor's must-watch projects
-
A horseback safari in the wilds of ZambiaThe Week Recommends Unforgettable trip offers chance to see wildlife and experience local villages
-
Erica's harira soup recipeThe Week Recommends Gently spiced Moroccan soup-stew warms the soul
-
6 spacious homes in loftsFeature Featuring a Landmarks Conservancy award-winning apartment in New York City and a helicopter-workshop-turned-home in Washington, D.C.
-
Properties of the week: little gemsThe Week Recommends Featuring homes in Kent, Cornwall and Fife
-
Opus: 'charismatic' Ayo Edebiri can't rescue 'empty' cult horrorTalking Point Celebrity satire follows a 'well trodden' plot and struggles to find its voice
-
Turner: In Light and Shade – an 'enlightening' exhibitionThe Week Recommends 'Superb' collection of the celebrated artist's works on paper are on display at the Whitworth
-
Anne Sebba shares her favourite books about women in warThe Week Recommends The journalist picks works by Caroline Moorehead, Sarah Helm and Kristin Hannah
-
Critics’ choice: Fine dining worth stepping up toFeature Celebrity chefs share a kitchen, a ‘spa-like’ lounge, and more
