Babies and The Drama: top reviews this week

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- Babies on BBC One/iPlayer is hailed by Sarah Dempster as an "unsettling, compassionate, funny, moving, wildly unpredictable and beautifully acted series" about life after baby loss, starring Paapa Essiedu and Siobhán Cullen.
- The Drama, starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, is described by Peter Bradshaw as a "provocation, a jeu d’ésprit of outrage" that delivers on its title, despite mounting backlash over its controversial twist.
- Dear Killer Nannies on Disney+ offers a surprisingly emotionally-literate story about adultification and trauma, told by Pablo Escobar's son, with Micha Frazer-Caroll noting its "biggest gut-punches are quieter and bloodless."
- Harry Clark Goes to Rome on iPlayer/BBC One is a moving pilgrimage where The Traitors winner reconnects with his faith, but it's his relationship with his mother that truly resonates, according to Lucy Mangan.
- A Woman of Substance on Channel 5, a remake starring Brenda Blethyn, is celebrated by Lucy Mangan as a "perfect homage to the age of excess and television that drowned you in plot," akin to "Dallas in Yorkshire."
- Kim Novak’s Vertigo features an intensely personal interview with the 92-year-old Hollywood star, where she discusses how Hollywood imposed male views on women's appearance and behavior during the golden age of movies.
Why it matters: New dramas like "Babies" and "The Drama" are prompting critical discussion and audience engagement with complex emotional and social themes.




