It’s one of the most recognisable beer brands in the world, but there’s a side to the history Guiness that’s even darker than a perfectly poured pint, writes streaming columnist NICK OVERALL.

House of Guiness, a new series now streaming on Netflix, explores the family’s dark history in rich and addictive detail.

It slings audiences back to Ireland in the 1800s, a time of political and religious unrest when the country was still recovering from famine and under British rule.

The show opens following the death of Benjamin Lee Guinness, a patriarch of the brewing empire that had first been established close to a century earlier.

Now worth millions of dollars, Guiness’ four children, Arthur, Benjamin, Edward and Anne each desperately wish to inherit their father’s throne and must battle it out for their chance to sit atop the frothy castle.

Does it sound familiar?

There’s some heavy inspiration here from shows such as Succession and Game of Thrones, but the historical setting makes House of Guinness stand out.

While the period is exquisitely crafted, don’t expect quite the same historical accuracy in the fine details of the plot.

Show creator Stephen Knight has admitted there’s a fair amount of creative licence exercised.

Knight is also the creator of Netflix’s hit show Peaky Blinders, the gritty drama series about Tommy Shelby and his infamous Birmingham street gang.

Those who enjoyed Peaky Blinders are sure to also get a kick out of House of Guiness as well.

It turns out the battle for this iconic brewing dynasty is more violent than many may think.

Can’t this all be just settled over a pint?

Apparently not.

AT first glance Amazon Prime Video’s new show The Girlfriend might come across as a run-of-the-mill psychological drama, but as the plot unfolds this slick series becomes increasingly hard to look away from.

Up front and centre is House of Cards star Robin Wright as Laura Sanderson, a cashed-up artist and gallery owner who lives a picture perfect life in the wealthy enclaves of London.

Her world turns upside down though when her son Daniel (Laurie Davidson) brings home Cherry (Olivia Cooke), a new partner whose behaviour becomes increasingly disturbing.

At a family dinner Laura catches Cherry sneaking through their house and going through belongings. The following day the cat went missing. Even stranger, Laura’s son, normally very close to his parents, seems to be increasingly withdrawing.

Has Daniel brought home a nightmare manipulator or is Laura simply being paranoid?

The show plays with the perspectives of different characters to make even the viewer doubt themselves. At first glance with the little information we have, it seems Cherry really is an evil incarnate, but when the audience get to see through her eyes things suddenly start to look very different. Perhaps Laura isn’t the saint she first seems.

The Girlfriend is made up of six episodes, 50 minutes a piece. It’s a fun, easy watch with a killer twist indeed.

IN an age where everything, including entertainment, can feel all doom and gloom, a film with a bit of good old-fashioned optimism is a breath of fresh air.

That’s certainly the case with the new Superman film, which has just started streaming on Max.

The original, classic symbol of hope landed with a bang this year in the form of this new remake, doing big numbers at the box office thanks to its charismatic cast including David Corenswet as the leading man.

But it’s the film’s good sense of humour and a genuinely hopeful outlook at the world that make it stand out in the oversaturated market of superhero flicks.

Superman is set in the modern day. It doesn’t shy away from the politically and digitally divided era we find ourselves in, but instead stares it down with a message of goodness that reignites the wonder that Christopher Reeve once instilled.

A tad corny? Without a doubt, the big streaming numbers show the man of steel and what he represents still cuts through. Perhaps more so now than ever.