ant to hunker down in front of a screen but stuck for something to watch?
Here are the films, TV shows and special streaming events on our cultural radar right now, plus some of our favourites from recent weeks that you can catch up on…
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May 5, 2023
Queen Charlotte
The historical bonkbuster is back! Shonda Rhimes’ Bridgerton prequel series shifts the spotlight onto Queen Charlotte (played here by India Amarteifio). As a 17-year-old, she’s being married off to a complete stranger, George III – but the plot is unimportant. Is there a lot of sex? Yes. Is there a tortured hero? Yes. Does Rosheuvel reign supreme in a wig? Also yes. Perfect.
Black Ops
The BBC’s new comedy/ thriller series takes a ‘what if’ concept and runs a mile with it. Set it East London, it tells the story of Dom and Kay, two Police Community Support Officers who accidentally find themselves thrust into the murky world of deep cover infiltration.
Ed Sheeran – The Sum of It All
It’s Ed Sheeran as you’ve never seen him before: absolutely miserable. This Disney+ documentary follows Sheeran at his lowest ebb, dealing with the death of his friend Jamal Edwards and his wife Cherry’s cancer diagnosis. It’s a raw, heartfelt show – the singer cries several times – and a compassionate portrait of a man struggling under the weight of his own grief.
Star Wars: Visions – Season 2
That’s right: Star Wars can be kooky too. The second series of the acclaimed anthology series gives studios from around the world the chance to create their own Star Wars narratives. The result is a delightful mash-up where we see anime, puppet and 2D-art takes on the beloved franchise – and beloved studio Aardman even shows up to give Stormtroopers a Wallace-and-Gromit makeover.
April 28, 2023
Citadel
Prime Video’s blockbuster TV series is James Bond 2.0: there are high-octane action sequences, glamorous people and a spy agency on the rocks. Richard Madden plays Mason Kane, an agent who has lost his memory and finds himself thrown back into the action alongside fellow spy Nadia Sinh (Priyanka Chopra Jonas). Produced by Marvel alumni the Russo brothers and co-starring Stanley Tucci, it’s a hoot.
Will Trent
Karin Slaughter’s best-selling Will Trent novels have finally made their way onto the small screen. This Disney+ adaptation sees Ramón Rodríguez take on the titular role of Trent, a (very unpopular) detective in Atlanta, Georgia, who finds himself on the hunt for an abducted woman — alongside a reluctant police officer.
The Curse Season 2
We’re heading back to the Eighties for the second season of Channel 4’s hit crime sitcom. At the end of season one, the gang have made it to the Costa del Crime, but 18 months on, their slice of paradise isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Cue more chaos, scarier gangsters and people sniffing around their money.
Guilt Season 3
Mark Bonnar and Jamie Sives are back one last time as Max and Jake for the final series of hit BBC show Guilt. Reunited at last, the brothers are back in the Leith criminal underworld as Max plots his final showdown against the villainous Maggie (Phyllis Logan).
April 21, 2023
The Diplomat
The Americans’ Keri Russell takes on the po-faced role of Kate, a career civil servant who suddenly finds herself in the role of US Ambassador to the UK (when she would much rather be in Kabul instead). When a diplomatic incident occurs, she’s soon up to her neck in plotting, marital crises and kidnappings; it’s supremely silly, but perfect for binge-watching.
Dead Ringers
This glossy Prime Video remake of the iconic 1988 film sees Rachel Weisz take on the title role from Jeremy Irons. She plays twin gynecologists Beverly and Elliot, who are on a mission to change the way in which women give birth. If necessary, they’re willing to do it the bloody way (did we mention? They’re also psychopaths). Brilliantly nasty, darkly funny.
Malpractice
ITV’s latest show is made by the same people as Line of Duty, so you know it’s got to be good. In it, Niamh Algar is simply brilliant as Dr Lucinda Edwards, an A&E doctor whose life goes pear-shaped after one of her patients dies of an opioid overdose on her watch. Cue a medical investigation – and of course, all sorts of buried secrets soon start rising to the surface.
Drops of God
Who knew tasting wine was a superpower? In Apple TV+’s latest (and rather bizarre-sounding) show, it most definitely is. Adapted from the bestselling manga series of the same name, it follows the daughter of world-famous wine expert Alexandre Léger, who dies and leaves behind a multi-million pound wine collection. The catch: to inherit it, she has to undergo a tasting competition against Léger’s protégé.
April 14, 2023
The Marvelous Mrs Maisel Season 5
Midge Maisel takes the stage one last time in the final series of the beloved dramedy. Season four saw aspiring comedian Midge get cut from her tour with the singer Shy Baldwin; this season will see her rebuild her comedy career and resolve her romances with both Milo Ventimiglia’s Handsome Man and comic Lenny Bruce (Luke Kirby)…
The Last Thing He Told Me
Jennifer Garner shines in this glossy AppleTV+ show. She plays married mother Hannah, whose husband (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, charming and menacing as ever) disappears. To find him, she’s going to have to forge a relationship with her prickly stepdaughter Bailey (Angourie Rice); as might be imagined, plenty of dark secrets soon start bubbling to the surface.
Stacey Dooley: Ready for War?
The ever-chipper Stacey Dooley gets access to an extraordinary training programme that sees Ukrainian civilians from all walks of life (florists, grocers, welders and more) flown to the UK for basic army training that includes a month of rough sleeping, weapons training and preparing to kill. It’s sobering stuff, made all the more so by the way we get to know this batch of trainees. Prepare to get emotional.
Bowelbabe: In Her Own Words
Dame Deborah James’ life is celebrated in this moving BBC2 documentary about her activism and legacy. Filmed with James in the last months of her life, it brings together never-seen-before mobile phone footage, James’ TikTok videos, recordings from her podcast You, Me and the Big C and more to create something really quite moving.
April 7, 2023
Rain Dogs
Daisy May Cooper shines in this searing HBO/BBC comedy that takes This Country and runs with it. In it, she plays single mother, writer and sometime peepshow dancer Costello Jones, who’s constantly skirting the edge of poverty and is trying to build a better life for her daughter Iris. When she’s evicted from her flat, she reluctantly lets her erstwhile gay best friend Selby (Jack Farthing) back into her life in the hopes he can save them from the gutter.
Dreamland
Anybody who has sisters will relate to Sky’s new show Dreamland. It stars Lily Allen (yes, the pop star) as Mel, the black sheep of a group of four sisters, who returns home to the seaside town of Margate. However, not everybody is pleased to see her (especially not eldest sister Trish, played by Freema Agyeman) and her arrival soon brings all sorts of nasty family secrets bubbling to the surface.
Schmigadoon! Season 2
AppleTV+’s bonker musical extravaganza is back for its second outing. This time around, central couple Josh and Michelle find themselves heading to the magical musical town of Schmicago: yep, that’s right: it’s a gritty American cityscape where the duo find themselves solving murders, getting framed and dealing with gangsters.
The Good Mothers
Foreign-language dramas are definitely having something of a moment, and this excellent Disney+ Italian contribution deserves all the hype it’s currently getting. It follows the true story of three women who grew up in one of the deadliest Italian Mafia clans in the country. However, these same women were also instrumental in bringing that same clan down, working with a female prosecutor to put together a sting operation for the ages.
March 31, 2023
Murder Mystery 2
Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston return as the unlikely crime-solving duo Nick and Audrey Spitz in the Netflix follow-up to the 2019 film. This time, the bickering couple (now licenced private detectives) find themselves invited to an island wedding that goes horribly wrong – now they have to solve a murder and track down their kidnapped friend.
Six Four
Kevin McKidd as Chris O’Neill
/ ITVXITVX’s latest crime drama stars a returning Kevin McKidd (of Grey’s Anatomy fame) as police officer Chris O’Neill, whose daughter mysteriously goes missing. Alongside estranged wife Michelle (Vinette Robinson), he attempts to find out who – and finds himself butting up against a wall of police corruption.
The Big Door Prize
This light-hearted AppleTV+ show is all about the power of human potential. Chris O’Dowd plays Dusty, whose world is rocked when a magical machine appears in his town’s local grocery store. The machine promises to reveal people’s potential – and naturally, the entire place descends into chaos.
Kindred
Octavia E. Butler’s book is just as powerful now as it was when it was published in 1979 – and now it’s finally getting the Hollywood treatment it deserves. Debuting in Disney+, it tells the story of Dana, an African-American writer who finds herself sucked back into the past, to a Maryland slave plantation.
March 24, 2023
Succession Season 4
It’s back! Dive into the twisted world of the Roys one final time and place your bets for who’s going to come out on top. Last season, Logan Roy (Brian Cox) double-crossed his double-crossing children; this season starts with them plotting revenge. The show is due to air on Sky Atlantic at 2am on Monday; for the less devoted, it will also be airing on NOW afterwards.
Yellowjackets Season 2
Survival show Yellowjackets was a surprise hit when the first season aired in 2021. Combining elements of drama and horror, it follows the story of a high school female football team whose plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness and must fight to survive- as well as their adult selves, years later.
The Dry
ITVX’s latest drama sees Roisin Gallagher take on the role of recovering alcoholic Shiv. She’s returning to the family in Dublin after a family death; unfortunately, the rest of her relatives are less than pleased to see her and Shiv’s approach of radical honesty soon starts to raise hackles.
Rabbit Hole
Keifer Sutherland returns on Monday in a Paramount+ series that seems rather like a cross between Now You See Me and Jack Reacher. Sutherland plays John Weir, a “master of deception in the world of corporate espionage”. Unfortunately, he finds himself on the run when he’s framed for murder by sinister forces; cue chaos.
March 17, 2023
Redemption
ITV’s latest drama puts Paula Malcomson in the shoes of DI Colette Cunningham. She’s working the beat in Liverpool, but when her estranged daughter turns up dead in Ireland, she sets off across the channel to find out why – and who might be responsible.
The Boston Strangler
Female investigative journalists are having something of a moment. In Disney+’s latest offering, Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon shine playing the women who broke the story of the 1960s killer, the Boston Strangler. It’s based on true events, so naturally the pair have to deal with the sexism of the era as well as the extreme danger of chasing a murderer.
Shadow and Bone Season 2
The irrepressible Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) is back once more in the new series of the YA Netflix fantasy show. This time around, Alina’s on the hunt for the magical amplifiers that will increase her power – and the Darkling (Ben Barnes) is just a few steps behind her.
Swarm
This dark, twisted Prime Video show is straight from the mind of Donald Glover. In it, Dominique Fishwick plays Dre, the devoted fan of Queen Bey-esque musical icon Ni’Jah – who goes on a bloody, cross-country killing spree as proof of her devotion.
March 10, 2023
Luther: The Fallen Sun
Everybody’s favourite grizzled detective is back to show London’s criminals who’s boss. Idris Elba dons the overcoat after four years away to battle Andy Serkis’s demonic Robey: a villain who uses people’s Internet history to blackmail them into doing horrible things. Plus, Cynthia Erivo shines as his new boss, DCI Raine.
Paula
The fascinating life and tragic death of 90s icon Paula Yates will be front and centre in this Channel 4 documentary. Out Monday, it will also feature footage from four previously-unheard interviews with Yates herself, taken shortly before her death.
You Season 4, Part 2
Love it or hate it, Netflix show You is undeniably addictive to watch. The end of season four’s part one saw Penn Badgley’s murdery sociopath Joe at the mercy of a group of snobbish English aristocrats. Part two sees things – already bizarre – go off the rails entirely in five episodes that serve up twist after twist. Watch and feel your brain melt.
MH370: The Plane That Disappeared
Rounding off this Netflix-heavy week is its new documentary about the infamous missing plane MH370. In 2014, a routine trip from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing went wrong – but nobody knows how, or where the plane itself ended up. Now this show is exploring three of the most likely theories around what happened; prepare to enter a rabbit hole.
March 3, 2023
Daisy Jones and the Six
Prime Video’s big-budget adaption of the hit novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid is all about the rise and fall of a 70s rock’n’roll band. Based rather heavily on the real-life story of Fleetwood Mac, it’s nevertheless a fun ride through music history – and Elvis Presley’s granddaughter Riley Keough shines in the titular role of singer-songwriter Daisy.
Next in Fashion S2
Gigi Hadid takes over from Alexa Chung as the co-host of this breezy Netflix show. In it, aspiring designers compete in a series of challenges to win a cash prize and the chance to break into the industry. Featuring guest judges like Donatella Versace and Bella Hadid (aka fashion royalty), it’s perfect for bingeing.
Stephen Fry: Willem and Frieda- Defying the Nazis
Prepare to stare in wonder – and wipe away tears – at the story of Willem and Frieda. Presented by Stephen Fry, this Channel 4 documentary tells the remarkable story of two queer artists who saved thousands of Jewish lives by forging identity cards. Until now, they’ve been forgotten by history; hopefully, that’s now about to change.
Abbott Elementary S2
Golden Globe-award winning series Abbott Elementary is back on Disney+ for a second season. Telling the story of the teachers and students at Abbott Elementary school, it inspires the same kind of fuzzy good feelings as Ted Lasso, as well as sharp scriptwriting and gags galore; perfect for afternoons on the sofa.
February 23, 2023
Creature
Based on the critically lauded English National Ballet production, this gorgeous film is a celebration of dance and cinema. It follows Creature (Jeffrey Cirio) who is enlisted into an experimental programme in the Arctic; while there, he meets Marie (Erina Takahashi) and together they dream of escape. Choreographed by Akram Khan and directed by Asif Kapadia, it’s a beautiful, dreamlike piece that is well worth the price of a cinema ticket.
Endeavour final season
Inspector Morse fans have a solemn weekend ahead: Sunday sees the start of the final season of Morse prequel series Endeavour on ITV1. Shaun Evans and Roger Allam return as Morse and his partner in crime Fred to solve some more cases – and the last three episodes will finally reveal how they became estranged for good.
We Have A Ghost
David Harbour has cornered the market in paranormal acting roles – now, in this Netflix family-friendly film, he’s playing a ghost called Ernest. Opposite him is Jahi Winston, who plays teen Kevin. Kevin’s bummed to be moving house, but when he meets Ernest the hijinks start and the quest for fame begins.
Neighbours
Sometimes, the only thing you want to watch is a soothing old fave. Neighbours ticks all those boxes and then some – and even better, some of its best episodes have now launched on Amazon streaming service Freevee. Just the thing to settle back with before the soap relaunches for good later this year.
