John Powers

A new Australian comedy series called "Colin From Accounts" is about a 40-something man and a late-20s woman who were brought together by a dog. The series begins streaming on Paramount+ tomorrow, and our critic at large, John Powers, says that its warmth, good humor and essential benevolence might make it the perfect antidote to what's going on in the world.

When Helen Garner published her first novel, "Monkey Grip," in 1977, it made her a literary sensation in her native Australia. She's been a famous writer there ever since. The American publisher Pantheon has begun releasing her most popular books, starting with her 1984 novel "The Children's Bach" and her 2014 true crime book "This House Of Grief." Our critic-at-large, John Powers, says that Garner is one of his favorite writers and that these books offer the ideal introduction to a woman who's forever grappling with the hard stuff of life.

"The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" is the final film by the Hollywood director, William Friedkin, who made "The Exorcist" and won the Oscar for "The French Connection." Premiering this weekend on Showtime and Paramount+, it's a present-day adaptation of Herman Wouk's story about a trial of a ship's officer accused of wrongly ousting his captain, played by Kiefer Sutherland. Our critic-at-large, John Powers, says that it uses an old-fashioned story to comment on culture today.