Reviews

“This is Going to Hurt,” streaming, Acorn TV. Ignore the blurb describing this 7-ep British import from 2022 as “hilarious.” There are laughs, but it’s gallows humor only, as junior doctors and nurses on a gritty London hospital’s labor ward help expectant moms and deliver newborns, despite being desperately understaffed, sleep-deprived and overloaded mentally. Gurgling underneath is the system: Britain’s National Health Service, whose good intentions are barely noticeable under its bureaucratic weight. The protagonist is peripatetic obstetrician Adam (Ben Wishaw), often the ward’s sole doctor, though bewildered student Shruti (a terrific Ambika Mod) progresses rapidly, albeit at a tremendous cost. Besides Adam’s droll, fourth-wall comments, the mini’s most consistent humor is an outstanding Ashley McGuire as Vicky, whose brusque manner and hedonist lifestyle recede at times, exposing her medical skill and humanity. She’s a welcome respite from the series non-stop realism, yet she fits in perfectly.

“Tehran,” streaming, Apple TV+. No less intense than the above, “Tehran”’s plot about Israeli hackers infiltrating Iran to destroy its nuclear facilities is so sensitive that season III isn’t available in the U.S. As such, viewers must manage with two, award-winning seasons, from 2020-21. They’ve aged well as neither sides’ spies are the good guys. Glenn Close is neatly woven into season II, raising the dramatic stakes. And her Persian ain’t bad.