Did we need a Legally Blonde prequel? Of course not. But Elle is surprisingly well executed and captures the film’s bright, fluffy sense of humour. Plus: Melissa George leads a new Kiwi crime-comedy, Eric Andre and John Cena deliver gross-out gags in Little Brother, and we unearth some old classics.Elle (Amazon Prime Video) ★★★★I should have known better than to underestimate Elle Woods, but Amazon’s prequel series to Legally Blonde took me by complete surprise.For a show that could sit pretty atop the streaming charts off the power of nostalgia alone, Elle is far funnier than it needs to be. That’s if – and it will be too big of an if for many – you can overlook that the entire premise of a prequel runs counter-intuitive to the beloved 2001 hit film starring Reese Witherspoon. Lexi Minetree as Elle Woods in the Legally Blonde prequel Elle. Starring newcomer Lexi Minetree and executive produced by Witherspoon, Elle is a fish-out-of-water story about a peppy, pink-obsessed and kind-hearted girl who discovers a whole world outside of her Barbie-like bubble of privilege. Sound familiar?Set in 1995, Elle relocates the Woods from Los Angeles to the grey, grunge-obsessed Seattle, her dad needing to lie low after botching a celebrity’s nose job. (The soundtrack follows suit, too, as evident in Elle’s theme song, Garbage’s Only Happy When It Rains.)Soon lost in a sea of dark flannel, nose rings and black hoodies at her new high school, Elle struggles to make sense of a world where Bikini Kill isn’t a swimwear brand and rhinestones don’t improve Nirvana’s smiley face.“Didn’t anybody ever tell you we don’t do poseurs here?” says instant enemy and queen bee Kimberly (Chandler Kinney). “Seattle isn’t a costume, and pink isn’t a personality.”Still, Elle is insistent on winning over her classmates through sunny perseverance, even if it involves going to a gross grunge gig where people leave their coats out in the open. “A trust system,” Elle whispers, her entire worldview shifting.The love triangles, friendship betrayals and more are enticing enough, but Elle’s propelled predominantly by two excellent comedic performances: a carefully studied Minetree, who mimics Witherspoon perfectly, and June Diane Raphael (Grace and Frankie) as Elle’s waspy mum, Eva, who is continually horrified by Seattle’s culture.Elle may be a completely unnecessary IP extension, but it’s a well-executed one, capturing Legally Blonde’s bright, fluffy sense of humour. To revive Elle Woods, showrunners Laura Kittrell (High School) and Caroline Dries (The Vampire Diaries) surgically removed the film’s comedic bones and shoved them into the body of a teen drama.Sure, it makes no sense as a prequel (though with a second season already confirmed, maybe it’s all leading to a memory-erasing coma between now and law school), but why let that get in the way of a good time? Just pretend Elle is a soft-reboot, or something akin to The Carrie Diaries – a fun, slightly incongruent imagining of a beloved character’s teen years.Melissa George as Mia and Dean O’Gorman as Oscar in Ms X. Ms. X ★★★ (Binge)Despite the title of this Kiwi crime-comedy, Ms. X’s protagonist and Auckland stay-at-home mum, Mia, isn’t living a double life. Not at first, anyway. “I’m so lame. I used to be fun,” she tells a friend over wine. “I feel like I’m a supporting character in my own life. I want stories to tell, good ones.”Languishing in a life focused on family admin, Mia – played by Melissa George (The Slap) – is more excited than angry by a trail of clues suggesting that her husband Jimmy (Edwin Wright) is having an affair.Call it fate when she runs her car into Oscar (Dean O’Gorman), an old friend who just started moonlighting as a private investigator. Dressed in a garish clash of patterns and seasonal items, his eccentric style echoes his lack of direction – perfect for Mia, who needs a pal.But their adventure soon spirals when Jimmy goes missing, and Mia and Oscar are caught in the crosshairs of Auckland’s crime syndicate. To survive, they have to steal, stab and scam their way through Ms. X’s ever-escalating six episodes.The bloodshed and triple-double-crossing is all a touch ridiculous, and most other characters – including Mia’s teen children, who have strange, dark subplots – are underdeveloped as a result. But Ms. X is an exercise in escapism, as much for us as Mia.The cast of Heroes (from left): Sendhil Ramamurthy, Ali Larter, Hayden Panettiere, Greg Grunberg, Masi Oka and Milo Ventimiglia. Heroes ★★ (Netflix)In 2006, the world was hooked on Heroes. In NBC’s ambitious ensemble superhero drama, an invincible high-school cheerleader (Hayden Panettiere), super-strong stripper (Ali Larter), Japanese time-traveller (Masi Oka) and more strangers save the world – and face a supervillain serial killer (Zachary Quinto).Starting strong as a sweeping mystery, Heroes really dips in quality: three stars for season one, one for the rest. Even so, its arrival on Netflix could connect with Gen Z. Clearly indebted to Lost, it’s a misguided but charming mix of big swings, bigger world-building and silly characters taken very seriously.Adam Scott in Party Down. Party Down ★★★ (SBS On Demand)Underseen but adored, this short-lived – and briefly revived – late 2000s sitcom may follow a group of struggling actors in Los Angeles moonlighting at a catering company, but it’s packed with major stars. Adam Scott, Jane Lynch and Megan Mullally lead the cast, while each episode’s new event is primed for guests such as Jennifer Coolidge, Kristen Bell and Ken Jeong. A workplace sitcom filled with apathetic workers can lose its laughs, but Party Down balances that cynicism, though 2023’s third season, with characters stuck in the same jobs, is naturally a little darker.Léa Seydoux and George MacKay in The Beast. The Beast ★★★★ (Mubi)Cerebral, strange and wildly ambitious, this sci-fi romance stars Lea Seydoux and George MacKay and begins in 2044, where AI effectively runs the world. Undergoing an emotion-removing process to be better workers, two strangers regress into past lives and discover they’ve been lovers numerous times across centuries, languages and continents. A head-spinning, sweeping story from French director Bertrand Bonello, The Beast is an immense visual spectacle, shifting between 1910s Paris shot on warm 35mm film and a cold, glitchy digital future.John Cena and Eric Andre in Little Brother. Little Brother ★★★ (Netflix)John Cena loves an all-in, gross-out comedy, and alt-comedian Eric Andre takes it to the extreme, combining the weirdness of Tim and Eric with Jackass-level stunts. But in Little Brother, they’re an odd couple: Rudd (Cena), a high-strung real estate agent trying to break into reality TV, and Marcus (Andre), an eccentric ex-foster child once mentored by Rudd in a buddy program. Crude physical humour hits the spot, but the unexpected highlights are small roles from comedians Caleb Hearon and Ego Nwodim, playing two smiley-nefarious reality TV producers. It’s ultimately forgettable, but fun.Want more TV? We’ve got you.Newsletter:Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.July streaming guide: All the most exciting new shows to watch this month.Little House on the Prairie: A new version of this beloved series is coming to Netflix this week. We speak to the Australian lead.Louis CK returns: Nine years after his big scandal, the popular comedian is back on streaming. Is his new special any good? Tour de France: Caleb Ewan tells us what makes the iconic race so special.Best (and worst) TV finales: We ranked some of the most iconic final episodes – and no, Breaking Bad didn’t top the list.Video: Deputy TV editor Meg Watson on the shows she recommends watching right now (below).