iWorld
10 must-watch series to binge this weekend
MUMBAI: The final weekend of January 2026 has arrived, bringing with it a bittersweet transition in the world of entertainment. While we mourn the passing of the legendary Catherine O’Hara, we also celebrate the staggering wealth of storytelling currently available at our fingertips. If you are looking to lose yourself in a new world without the daunting commitment of a decade-long saga, we have curated the perfect selection.
From rain-soaked Mumbai alleys to the sun-drenched gardens of Regency London, these are the 10 must-watch series this weekend. Each selection is limited to just one or two seasons, making them the ideal candidate for a focused, high-quality binge-watch.
The fresh hits
• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (HBO / JioCinema)
Set a century before the events of Game of Thrones, this series follows Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). Unlike the grand dragons and dynastic wars of its predecessors, this is a grounded, adventurous tale of chivalry and friendship. Having premiered on 19 January, it has been praised for bringing a much-needed warmth to Westeros.
• Daldal (Amazon Prime Video)
In this 7-episode thriller released on 30 January, Bhumi Pednekar stars as DCP Rita Ferreira. This isn’t just a police procedural; it is a psychological dive into a woman balancing the hunt for a cold-blooded serial killer with the heavy shadows of her own past and PTSD. It is raw, unflinching, and currently the most talked-about crime drama in India.
• The Death of Bunny Munro (Sky / HBO)
Matt Smith delivers a tour de force in this 6-part adaptation of Nick Cave’s novel. As Bunny Munro, a self-destructive, sex-addicted salesman, he takes his young son on a doomed road trip across the south coast of England following his wife’s suicide. It is a brutal yet deeply poetic look at flawed masculinity and grief.
• Sarvam Maya (JioHotstar)
Nivin Pauly returns to top form in this supernatural Malayalam comedy that dropped on 30 January. He plays Prabhendu, an atheist musician who reluctantly assists a priest with an exorcism, only to be haunted by a “Gen-Z ghost” named Delulu (Riya Shibu). It is a clever, quirky investigation into memory and modern relationships.
• Ponies (Apple TV+)
Set in 1977 Moscow, this espionage thriller follows two American widows—played by Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson—who go undercover as CIA “ponies” (secretaries) after their husbands are killed on a mission. It is a stylish, 8-episode binge that blends Cold War tension with sharp, character-driven wit.
The returning favourites
• The Night Manager: Season 2 (BBC / Disney+ Hotstar)
A decade after his first mission, Tom Hiddleston’s Jonathan Pine is back. The second season picks up with Pine being pulled out of his quiet life to face a new, high-stakes threat in the global arms trade. Olivia Colman also returns as the indomitable Angela Burr, ensuring the stakes remain as high as ever.
• Fallout: Season 2 (Amazon Prime Video)
The wasteland expands as the narrative shifts toward New Vegas. Ella Purnell and Walton Goggins return to navigate the bizarre and brutal remnants of human civilisation. Expect more of the dark humour and retro-futuristic gore that made the first season a runaway success.
• The Pitt: Season 2 (Max)
Noah Wyle leads this intense medical drama that focuses on the daily grind of a Pittsburgh hospital. Season 2 delves deeper into the systemic failures of modern healthcare while keeping the focus on the poignant, personal lives of the ER staff. It is the “ER” successor fans have been waiting for.
• Hijack: Season 2 (Apple TV+)
Idris Elba’s Sam Nelson finds himself in the middle of another high-tension crisis. While the first season took place entirely in the air, the second season applies the same real-time pressure to a new environment, proving that Nelson’s skills as a corporate negotiator are just as deadly on the ground.
The heart of the weekend
• Schitt’s Creek (Netflix / Amazon)
Though this beloved series technically ran for six seasons, the first two seasons serve as a perfect standalone arc of a family losing everything only to find each other. In light of Catherine O’Hara’s passing, there is no more poignant way to spend your weekend than watching her transform Moira Rose into a global icon of resilience and avant-garde fashion.
Whether you choose the gritty realism of a Mumbai precinct or the sharp wit of the Rose family, this weekend offers a chance to see some of the finest acting of the modern era.
iWorld
Bill Ackman makes a $64bn bid for Universal Music Group
The hedge fund boss wants to list the world’s biggest record label in New York and thinks he knows exactly what ails it
NEW YORK: Bill Ackman wants to buy the world’s biggest record label. Pershing Square Capital Management, the hedge fund run by the billionaire investor, submitted a non-binding proposal on Tuesday to acquire all outstanding shares of Universal Music Group in a business combination transaction worth roughly $64.4 billion (around 55.8 billion euros).
Under the terms of the offer, UMG shareholders would receive 9.4 billion euros in cash, equivalent to 5.05 euros per share, plus 0.77 shares of a newly created company, dubbed New UMG, for each share held. Pershing Square values the total package at 30.40 euros per share, a 78 per cent premium to UMG’s closing price on April 2.
The deal would see UMG merge with Pershing Square SPARC Holdings, with the combined entity incorporating as a Nevada corporation and listing on the New York Stock Exchange. New UMG would publish financial statements under US GAAP and become eligible for S&P 500 index inclusion. Pershing Square says the transaction is expected to close by year-end, with all equity financing backstopped by Ackman’s firm and its affiliates, and all debt financing committed at signing. The transaction would cancel 17 per cent of UMG’s outstanding shares, leaving New UMG with 1.541 billion shares outstanding.
Ackman has a long history with UMG. Pershing Square first bought approximately 10 per cent of the company from Vivendi in the summer of 2021 for around $4 billion, around the time of UMG’s listing on the Euronext Amsterdam exchange. He has since trimmed that position, raising around $1.4 billion from the sale of a 2.7 per cent stake in March 2025, and resigned from UMG’s board in May 2025, citing new executive and board obligations arising from recent investments.
His diagnosis of UMG’s troubles is blunt. The company’s stock has fallen around 33 per cent over the past twelve months on the Euronext Amsterdam exchange, and Ackman lays out six reasons why. These include uncertainty around the Bolloré Group’s 18 per cent stake in the company, the postponement of UMG’s US listing, the underutilisation of UMG’s balance sheet, the absence of a publicly disclosed capital allocation plan and earnings algorithm, a failure to reflect UMG’s 2.7 billion euro stake in Spotify in its valuation, and what Ackman calls suboptimal shareholder investor relations, communications and engagement.
The Bolloré stake has long cast a shadow over the company. Cyrille Bolloré stepped down from UMG’s board in July 2025 as the Bolloré Group battled the French financial markets regulator over its stake in Vivendi, which holds a further capital interest in UMG. UMG had confidentially filed a draft registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in July 2025 for a proposed secondary listing in America, but put those plans on hold in March 2026, citing market conditions.
Ackman has kind words for UMG’s management, at least. “Since UMG’s listing, Lucian Grainge and the company’s management have done an excellent job nurturing and continuing to build a world-class artist roster and generating strong business performance,” he said. But he made his diagnosis plain: “UMG’s stock price has languished due to a combination of issues that are unrelated to the performance of its music business and importantly, all of them can be addressed with this transaction.”
In other words, Ackman believes UMG is a great business trapped inside a broken structure. If the board agrees, he intends to fix that, loudly and in New York.
