Screens/Streaming

Where: AppleTV+
What: Series, 7 episodes, 25 mins.
When: Now, new episodes Fridays
Genre: Comedy
Rating: NNN (out of 5)
Why you should watch: Like another historical comedy, the pirate-propelled Black Flag, the premise for The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin is funnier than the show itself as it follows the escapades of an accidental highwayman in 17th century Britain. Turpin (Noel Fielding) is a major disappointment to his butcher father who expects his flighty son to follow in his trade. Through a collision of events the charming, style-obsessed Turpin finds himself mistaken for a skilled highwayman and quickly attracts a gang of accomplices to help propel him up the highwayman chart — yes, there is one. A pamphleteer, the TMZ of the day, tells florid tales of Turpin’s exploits, her exaggerated stories generating a small but feverish following for the aspiring thief. You’re hoping for hilarious hijinks, but Turpin rarely rises above amusing. Downton Abby’s Hugh Bonneville is a good foil to Fielding’s Turpin; we just wish the laughs would rise above a chuckle.