New doco reveals how John Howard looks back on Tampa turning point

Welcome to what to watch, where we take you through what's on the box in September.

This month brings a heartbreaking documentary about a dark part of Australian history, and the first local show from international streamer AppleTV. Plus, a madcap variety show like you've never seen, and the newest dramedy from Bad Sisters creator Sharon Horgan.

Here's what we're watching this month.

• The Cage
• Last Seen
• Stamptown
• Tampa: The Turning Point
• Youth

The Cage

What's it about? Casino co-workers Matty (Michael Socha) and Leanne (Sheridan Smith) couldn't live more different lives. She's a widowed single mother responsible for two teens and a dementia-riddled Nanna, who is ironically the only reason they have a roof over their heads. Once she moves into an assisted living centre, Leanne and her kids will be evicted from their council housing.

Matty's a former drug addict and current gambling addict whose mornings consist of a phone full of lost sports bets and a punch in the head from his (admittedly quite kindly) bookie after missing another pay day.

Matty and Leanne's desperation leads them to the same place: cooking the books and stealing money from the casino, which also happens to be their employer. But catching each other in the act is merely the beginning of their troubles when a drug kingpin who is laundering money through the casino figures out his profit is a little light.

Like many thrillers where bad things consistently happen to mostly good people, The Cage can be a tough watch at times but it's the deep, lived-in performances of its main duo which make it endlessly compelling.

Perfect for: A fake crime story you can be obsessed with without feeling guilty

Where to watch: The first episode of The Cage is streaming on ABC iview now

Last Seen

What's it about? Ian (Patrick Brammall; Colin from Accounts) isn't doing well. He's barely holding onto his sobriety, with help from his friend and sponsor Donald (Daniel Henshall; ABC TV's The Newsreader). His marriage to Debbie (Jessica Wren; Devil's Playground) has long ended, he's estranged from his son Dean (Tobias Muhafidin; Bali 2002), and he's working as an emergency dispatcher after giving up a career in the police force.

At least Ian is very good at keeping strangers calm at times of crisis, offering the kind of empathy you wish he'd extend to himself and the people close to him. But he's too wracked by grief to do that, following the disappearance of his three-year-old daughter Maggie more than a decade ago.

When police find the remains of a girl near the port-side town where he lives, Ian is thrust back into that grief — but this time, he's hell-bent on finding out what happened to his daughter.

It leads him into the path of the similarly stubborn Henry (Brendan Cowell; Love My Way) who lives off-grid with his wife Jenna (Maxine Peake; Say Nothing) and daughter Sarah (newcomer Chloe Jean Lourdes), who is about the same age Maggie would be now.

At first, Last Seen slowly teases out the true relationships between the characters, before it transforms into a fast-paced thriller, complete with a car chase, more than one shoot-out, and Colin Friels (Water Rats) as a fundamentalist patriarch.

Perfect for: Lovers of twisty but emotional crime shows set in Australia, like Black Snow and Troppo

Where to watch: Last Seen is streaming on Apple TV now

Stamptown

What's it about? How to describe Stamptown, the mutant travelling circus brought together by comedian Jack Tucker (professional clown Zack Zucker). Zucker has been assaulting audiences around the world with his high-octane variety show, but capturing the sprightly, slightly unhinged essence of the live show on a recorded format was always going to be a challenge.

Zucker and his troupe of performers more than rise to the occasion with a full hour of nonstop comedy clownery. 

Don't worry if the beaming safety vest dance of Norwegian clown Viggo Venn isn't tickling your funny bone because in the next second the dangerously high-heeled Vanessa 5000 (LA comedian Courtney Pauroso) will be here to chat cryptocurrency with unsuspecting male audience members. Meanwhile, Nate-luminary Natalie Palamides is already out here telling jokes as the original nepo baby (complete with still-attached umbilical cord).

For some, Stamptown will be too much (there are multiple penises), but for the right crowd it's an absolute delight to join in on the breathless fun — even if it's through a screen.

Perfect for: When you want to be surprised at every turn

Where to watch: Stamptown is streaming on Netflix now

Tampa: The Turning Point

What's it about? In late August 2001, a leaky boat carrying 433 asylum seekers bound for Australia's Christmas Island broke down in the middle of the open ocean.

All hope seemed lost until two days later, the Norwegian freighter MV Tampa responded to a distress call and rescued the mostly Hazara men, women and children, who were from Afghanistan.

Then Australia refused them entry.

At the time, then-prime minister John Howard was gearing up for an election. The asylum seekers on board the Tampa offered an opportunity to demonstrate his tough border stance, kickstarting an eight-day standoff.

His management of the situation, which would see some of the Tampa survivors sent to New Zealand and others to an offshore detention centre in Nauru, initially prompted international condemnation.

But the public's perception of the immigration measures shifted dramatically after 9/11.

In the wake of the terror attacks, many Australians became increasingly concerned with security, controlled borders and terror threats, lending support for the Howard government's hardline measures. And in the decades since, our hardline policy has been adopted in countries around the world.

Now it's time to reflect.

This gripping three-part docuseries hands the microphone to the people at the centre of the story — some of whom were children when they were rescued by the Tampa. Their recollections are juxtaposed with testimonies from legal and migration experts, media and politicians of the day. Then and now, John Howard is front and centre.

Perfect for: Anyone who wants a holistic and balanced view of how we got here

Where to watch: All episodes of Tampa: The Turning Point are streaming now on ABC iview

Youth

What's it about? From Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag to Aisling Bea's This Way Up, the last decade has been a boon for the female-led, warts-and-all, realities-of-life dramedy. Irish actor Sharon Horgan has already cut her teeth in the genre on both ends of the spectrum with accidental baby sitcom Catastrophe and the darker Bad Sisters, for which she scored two Emmy nominations for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy.

Now Horgan is Alex, a 50-year-old divorcee with an apathetic adult teen, a dead-end publishing job (one of the three professions fictional women can apparently hold) and an absent ex. 

She can barely muster the mental effort to find her sexuality, let alone put it to any good use. It's a stage of life when she should finally be making space for herself, but Alex more often finds herself trying to help 18-year-old Ruari (Aran Murphy) launch out of arrested development and, more importantly, her house. Her boss/friend Sam is a good sparring partner but has a bad habit of pushing work she'd rather avoid on Alex.

Despite Alex saying she's not looking for anything serious romantically, her situationship with Patrick (Rupert Friend) grows more entangled every time they meet. Sporting some sparkling cameos from UK favourites, it's Horgan's inextinguishable light which keeps Youth bright and tight.

Perfect for: Fans of a quick quip and a messy situation

Where to watch: Youth premieres on HBO Max on Monday September 21