This week on streaming: Dance doco-series worth applause

The five-episode Aussie documentary series follows a group of full-time dance students at Sydney's Brent Street performing arts studio throughout the year, as they grow not only their dancing ability, but also their confidence, friendships and self-belief.

With enough buzz, Dance Life has the opportunity to become a big hit like Netflix's Cheer did a few years back. It also feels quite similar to Disney+ documentary series On Pointe, which followed students of all ages at the School of American Ballet just before COVID.

The series explains that Brent Street is the preeminent organisation for producing working dancers in Australia, and when you see the talent on show, it's not surprising.

Lucas Newland, creative director of the establishment, explains that one of the big reasons people want to hone their craft at the academy is teacher/choreographer Cassie Bartho, who describes herself as a bit of a 'psychopath'.

She demands perfection from her dancers and says she's a hard task-master, but we learn she's really a softie who wishes nothing but greatness for her dancers.

As much as the dancing itself is engaging and well worth the watch, it's following the students' journeys that keeps you hooked.

Whether it's Emily, who's had a tougher upbringing than most and is less confident in her body than many of her peers, or Archer, who is figuring out their place in the world and carving their own niche, or Max O, who has so much talent it's insane but finds it hard to connect with other people.

It all leads up to their big final graduation performances, and what a reward it is to reach that final episode and proudly cheer on these kids that you're now personally invested in, and see where they ended up after the series.

If we don't get a season two, it's time to riot.

There's been quite a number of whodunnit series of late, from Only Murders in the Building to A Murder at the End of the World, and now we have another with Death and Other Details.

This series puts Criminal Minds' Mandy Patinkin (affecting something of a British accent) and Truth or Dare actress Violett Beane in charge of the investigation into the death of a passenger on a luxury cruise liner.

Beane's Imogene is on the ship at the invitation of her wealthy friend's family, who are trying to go into business with another wealthy family, and the murder puts everything in jeopardy.

Meanwhile, Patinkin's private detective Rufus thinks this murder might tie Imogene's friend's family to the murder of her own mother years earlier.

The series is a bit of a mess, with questionable wigs and even more questionable accents, obvious digital backdrops and a weird tone, but it's easy viewing and you still want to do who's responsible.

Richard Roxburgh and Rebecca Gibney lead this Aussie drama series which is quite clearly inspired by the Hillsong church, and also has Succession vibes.

Roxburgh plays Cal, the charismatic leader of an evangelical church who has more than a few secrets, while Gibney is his mess-cleaning wife who knows how to play the game.

Then we've got their various adult and teen children with their own agendas, and the drama of a dead parishioner.