TV: ‘DTF St. Louis’
This pitch-black comedy/mystery, which just debuted on Crave, stars Jason Bateman and David Harbour as middle-aged suburban dads experiencing sexual ennui who begin to seek alternate sources of pleasure. In the first episode alone, Harbour emerges as the MVP, seemingly channelling both Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly with his dad-bod pride and carnal disgust for … umpires. — Doug Brod
Documentary: ‘Being Gordon Ramsay’
Chef Gordon Ramsay might just be one of the busiest people on the planet. He has dozens of restaurants, multiple TV shows and countless collabs, from F1 to cookware, along with six kids. This fascinating docuseries takes you behind the scenes of his jam-packed life as he prepares to launch his most ambitious project yet: four restaurants and a cooking school atop London’s tallest building. While the nitty gritty of opening multiple eateries is fascinating, it’s the famously ornery chef’s quieter moments of reflection on family and fame that really cook. — Briony Smith
Music: ‘Live at 6 O’Clock’
Over the nine years since the death of Gord Downie, listeners have been treated to a robust supply of Tragically Hip outtakes, reissues and a couple of solo projects. It would be easy to assume the deep archive of Downie has been tapped out, but the new concert album “Live at 6 O’Clock” captures Dowie as frontman of the supergroup called Gord Downie, the Sadies, and the Conquering Sun. Mostly classic covers, including the Who’s “So Sad About Us” and Neil Young’s “Grey Riders,” the eight-track album races through its 30 minutes teetering on the edge of a psychedelic bar brawl. The recordings were made at a handful of 2012 and 2014 summer music festivals, but it feels as if you’re right at the centre of a late-night performance at a dingy Toronto bar. — David Friend
Visual Art: ‘Parting/فراق’
Afghan Canadian textile artist Hangama Amiri, a finalist for the prestigious 2025 Sobey Art Awards, draws deep from her personal and family history in “Parting/فراق,” her first major solo exhibition in Toronto, now on display for free at the University of Toronto Art Museum. After fleeing Kabul with her family as a child, Amiri would go on to be separated from her father for nine years. Her large-scale textile works are inspired by themes of migration and familial separation, along with her trove of family letters and photos. Bright colours are juxtaposed with contemplative figures, staring out in the distance with a melancholic gaze. It’s both haunting and mesmerizing at the same time. — Joshua Chong
