Netflix has proved all conquering when it comes to high drama series such as The Crown and House of Cards. It has swept the board with critically acclaimed movies such as Beasts of No Nation and Okja. It has presented successful stand-up specials from the likes of Chris Rock and, locally, Adel Karam.
One area where it hasn't yet proved able to stand shoulder to shoulder with traditional broadcasters, however, is topical comedy chat shows. These are big news, particularly for American audiences, where the likes of The Daily Show and The Late Show are long-standing staples of the late-night schedules. So far, Netflix's attempts to compete haven't really hit the mark with audiences.
Its first effort, Chelsea with Chelsea Handler, limped through two seasons while generating little buzz before dropping from the schedules in 2017. The Break with Michelle Wolf and The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale both failed to make a second season. My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman did generate plenty of hype, in no small part thanks to opening with Barack Obama's first post-White House interview, but even that seemed to drop off the radar as the season wore on.
There does seem a sense in which Netflix isn’t ideally suited to the chat show format. The platform is ingrained in linear TV’s schedules. When you finish watching the night’s big movie or water-cooler-moment serial, it’s just there. You don’t need to switch over, or consider what to watch next – just sit back and see what Trevor Noah, Jimmy Kimmel or John Oliver have lined up for you tonight. With Netflix, you need to make an active choice to watch. If you’re interested in the guest, you may give it a go. If not, you keep scrolling.
The lack of prescribed time slots on the platform is in some ways both a blessing and a curse. It's great that you can binge the entire new series of Daredevil in a single weekend, but conversely Netflix has no "event TV" card to play. No one is clearing Sunday nights from their schedules for the next three months so they can watch Game of Thrones then discuss it at work on Monday morning. The chat-show format, thanks to its topical nature, requires that kind of regular commitment, because it dates quickly.
Hasan Minhaj has taken some sensible steps to minimise this problem. His Patriot Act show is closer to a topical weekly stand-up show than a Daily Show clone. He has done away with guests – and the traditional desk – altogether, relying on a Last Week Tonight-style monologue format, but in a less formal setting. Rather than picking up on a series of topics from the week's news, he dedicates each episode to a broad topic – affirmative action and the United States' relationship with Saudi Arabia, in the case of the first two episodes, which landed last week. The subjects are current affairs-related, but they're broad enough to still be relevant in a month's time, giving the show a longevity not normally associated with this kind of programming.
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Read more:
David Letterman returns to screens
From Colbert to Kimmel: the rise of 'investigative comedy'
How Netflix will survive its divorce with Disney
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The comedian isn't covering any new ground stylistically. He's a former Daily Show contributor and an established stand-up, so we know what we're getting – informative, topical, well-researched, politics-heavy, intelligent comedy. And Minhaj does it very well.
He also offers a refreshingly different perspective to the usual liberal white man's viewpoint that underscores these kind of shows. His "Indian-ness", his Asian identity and his Islamic faith constantly underpin his comedy, and he's not averse to throwing a few punches his own way when needed. His critique of the Asian groups trying to bring an end to positive discrimination at US colleges in episode one is scathing, and he's likely to raise a few eyebrows regionally with episode two, where he asserts that "every time Saudi Arabia does something wrong, Muslims all over the world have to deal with consequences". His character assessment of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman won't be winning any prizes for hagiography in the Kingdom either.
Two episodes in, the signs are good. Whether Minhaj can give Netflix its first weekly "event TV" flagpole on a Sunday night remains to be seen. In all honesty, I doubt it. One of the big appeals of Netflix remains that it doesn't bind you to schedules, but by making his shows topical enough to be relevant, but not so topical that they're entirely irrelevant by Monday evening, Minhaj has neatly sidestepped this quandary.
The show is certainly good enough to be rewarded with decent viewing figures, but it can also successfully exist in isolation as a series of stand-up routines – and those figures probably won't all be achieved from loyal viewers feverishly tuning in as soon as each new episode drops on a Sunday.
The first two episodes of Patriot Act are streaming now on Netflix. New episodes drop every Sunday
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Brief scoreline:
Wales 1
James 5'
Slovakia 0
Man of the Match: Dan James (Wales)
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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If you go
The Flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.
The trip
Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Meydan race card
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh125,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,200m
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh170,000 (D) 1,900m
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 (D)1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
Normal People
Sally Rooney, Faber & Faber
The lowdown
Bohemian Rhapsody
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
South Africa 66 (Tries: De Allende, Nkosi, Reinach (3), Gelant, Steyn, Brits, Willemse; Cons: Jantjies 8)
Canada 7 (Tries: Heaton; Cons: Nelson)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
What is a calorie?
A food calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of nutritional energy generated from what is consumed.
One calorie, is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C.
A kilocalorie represents a 1,000 true calories of energy.
Energy density figures are often quoted as calories per serving, with one gram of fat in food containing nine calories, and a gram of protein or carbohydrate providing about four.
Alcohol contains about seven calories a gram.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
Profile box
Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
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Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199