The Best TV Shows To Binge In Lockdown

With Star Wars still on a galactic pause big screen-wise, it's up to Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni's Disney+ series to keep the flame burning. And it does so admirably, whisking together Western themes, samurai adventures and all the Wars mythology you can handle into something that feels both fresh and respectful of what has come before. Plus it launched the worldwide meme icon that no one will ever stop us calling Baby Yoda. This is the way. Season 2 has just started, so now is the perfect time to catch up.UK & US: Stream on Disney+

What could have been a cheap, crass crack at superhero overload is in fact a witty, mad exploration of monsters among men and the people who try to keep them in line. Based on Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's comic book run, The Boys finds Karl Urban's Billy Butcher leading an unruly gang of vigilantes who have beef with superhero team The Seven, revered by the public as heroes. Season 2 continues the madness, adding the likes of Aya Cash's lunatic, selfie-obsessed Stormfront, and more drama between Anthony Starr's dead-eyed Homelander and Billy. The new episodes represent everything ramped up.UK & US: Stream on Amazon Prime Video

It took a while for Dan Levy's comedy to reach the acclaim it has – it just won all the comedy categories at the Emmys for its final season. And indeed, it might take a few episodes to warm up to this story of a rich, entitled family who lose it all and move to the titular small town that patriarch Johnny Rose (Eugene Levy) purchased as a lark. But unlike Arrested Development, this squabbling brood shows different shades and sides of themselves as the seasons tick by, growing into characters you actually root for. It'll warm your heart if you give it a chance.UK & US: Stream on Netflix

For a long time a walk-on part in The West Wing was the pinnacle to which all jobbing TV actors aspired. Smart and funny, Aaron Sorkin's political drama showcased the writer's gift for rapid-fire dialogue and layered, politically resonant storylines, proving that television could be funny and insightful all at the same time. The series took a temporary downturn after Sorkin's departure at the end of Season 4, but rallied soon after with a number of surprising changes to both character roles and format. It all came to a natural close at the end of President Bartlet's second term in office, but The West Wing remained one of the most intelligent shows on television throughout its run and a comforting image of what a more benevolent White House could look like. In good news for UK viewers, the entire run is now available on All4 – see the link below. Finding yourself obsessed with the show? Don't tempt the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing, read our James Dyer's Definitive History Of The West Wing.UK: Stream on All4US: Stream on Netflix

UK/US: TBC, Apple TV+A true revelation and burst of joy that raised many spirits in the bleak quagmire that was 2020, Ted Lasso is a show that really shouldn't work as well as it does. Jason Sudeikis' American Football coach will continue to inspire and oversee AFC Richmond while figuring out life in the UK. Season 3 has already been commissioned, though according to co-creator Bill Lawrence, that's likely to be the end of it.

Its maiden voyage was entertaining, if occasionally bogged down by the emotional journeys of its crew. And with Season 2, Discovery re-discovered the sense of fun that Trek sometimes journeys to. Season 3 hinges more on where No-one (at least usually) has gone before – sending Burnham and co (no Pike or Spock, they're getting their own show) to a far future, a desolate place where the Federation no longer exists. Still enjoyable, though.UK: Stream on NetflixUS: Stream on CBS All Access

Originally launched on YouTube, this Karate Kid follow-up brings the story to the present day, where Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso is a successful car dealership owner with a family and William Zabka's Johnny Lawrence is a burned out handyman at his crummy apartment building. When the latter sees the chance to re-launch the Cobra Kai dojo, he sees a new chance at a better life, but old wounds are also ready to be torn open. Both men take on young students, and the scene is set for conflict, drama and bonding. The first two seasons are now on Netflix (a third is on the way in January) and a spin-off of an 1980s movie franchise really has no business being this good. UK & US: Stream on Netflix

Scott Frank follows up Godless with this crafty, stylish adaptation of the Walter Tevis novel. Anya Taylor-Joy is the sarcastic, troubled Beth Harmon, a chess prodigy whose proficiency with the pieces is only matched by her struggles with addiction. It makes the chess scenes come alive and the drama is just as thoughtful. US & UK: Stream on Netflix

Gangs Of London is, hands down, the most violent show on television; it's also a masterclass in action direction and choreography — but neither of these things should be surprising, given that it comes from Gareth Evans, director of The Raid. Set within London's criminal underbelly, the show Sees Joe Cole as Sean Wallace, the volatile scion of the Wallace crime family, who goes on a revenge-fuelled rampage after his father (Colm Meaney) is murdered. It's breakout star Sope Dirisu who steals the show here, however, cracking skulls and breaking limbs as enforcer and undercover officer Elliot Finch. Yes, it's gorier than most horror films and you'll spend much of it wincing and watching through your fingers but this is a gripping ride from end to end. Plus, if episode 5 were half an hour longer it would be a shoo-in for best action movie of the year. UK: Stream on Sky AtlanticUS: Stream on AMC

Lisa McGee's 1990s Norn Iron-set sitcom has had two strong series so far, securing itself as Britain's favourite new comedy. While The Troubles provide a serious back-drop to events, the foreground remains gut-bustingly funny, its lovable cast – Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland, Nicola Coughlan, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, Dylan Llewellyn – delivering lightning-fast gags at a rate of knots. The perfect mixture of warmth and wit.UK: Stream on All 4US: Stream on Netflix

Few shows cross the line from incendiary into vital, history-making television, yet this is precisely where I May Destroy You sits. Drawn from the mind of Chewing Gum creator Michaela Coel - specifically the memory of a sexual assault that she survived during a daunting period of her writing career - the show tasks Arabella (Coel) and her best friends with unpicking the knotty, overwhelming topics of sexual consent and pleasure, and the aggressions that they endure as members of the Black and queer communities. I May Destroy You could easily have been a drama that leaves you reeling from the density of its subject matter, but Coel doesn't allow this, threading humour and tenderness into the fabric of a show so desperately needed today that it should be put on the national curriculum. UK: Stream on BBC iPlayerUS: Stream on HBO

Alex Garland's switch to television was never going to be ordinary. And indeed, Devs is very far from mundane, spinning off into such heady territory as fate, quantum mechanics and the multiple universes nestled within Nick Offerman's magnificent beard. The story follows Sonoya Mizuno's Lily as she investigates her boyfriend's mysterious disappearance from tech company Amaya, where they both work, and just gets deeper from there. Garland's ability to weave technology and morality together is on full display here, Devs feeling of a piece with Ex Machina, while also given the room to breathe that a TV series (even with a relatively short eight episodes) offers. UK: Stream on iPlayerUS: Stream on Hulu

An adaptation of Sally Rooney's novel about two Irish teenagers navigating their first tentative romance, Normal People is far more than a simple tale of sex and adolescent yearning (although both are in generous supply). What directors Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie Macdonald have crafted is a singularly affecting story of the ties that bind us in all their messy, relatable glory. With powerhouse performances from Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal as Marianne and Connell, manifesting a level of sexual chemistry that could happily solve the world's energy crisis, this is a show that resonates on a deep, emotional level, forcing you to feel every scene. Love in all its complexity is rarely depicted so honestly or believably — an intimate, compelling portrait of human entanglement, rendered with a raw intensity that sucks you in from the very first episode and leaves you crying, devastated and elated by its conclusion. UK: Stream on iPlayerUS: Stream on Hulu

M. Night Shyamalan has haunted TV before, but with his new Apple series, the budget was boosted, the episode count lowered and the tension ratched up to almost unbearable levels. Created by Tony Bagsgallop, the show follows couple Dorothy (Lauren Ambrose) and Sean Turner (Toby Kebbell), who are in mourning after an awful tragedy. The devastated parents turn to a hyper-realistic baby doll that looks like their late son Jericho, as a therapeutic device to get through their debilitating grief. But what was supposed to be a short-term solution turns extra creepy when the mother bonds a bit too much with the doll. And when they hire a nanny, Leanne (Nell Tiger Free), things get even creepier... Paranoia builds, live eels are skinned and by the end of the first run of episodes, you might just be doubting your own senses. A horrific delight.UK & US: Stream on Apple TV+

Phoebe Waller-Bridge has long since proved she's more than just the writer and star of Fleabag. Killing Eve cemented that idea, as she adapted Luke Jennings' Codename Villanelle novels into this funny, dark story of a low-ranked MI5 analyst (Sandra Oh's titular Eve) who becomes more than a little obsessed with a psychopathic assassin (Jodie Comer's Villanelle). And then Villanelle becomes just as obsessed with Eve, bringing a whole new angle to the cat-and-mouse spy game. Fiona Shaw steals scenes, and the rest of the cast make it work. Spy series are ten-a-penny, but they've rarely been better – or funnier, or more unexpected – than this. Season 3 may not quite have lived up to its predecessors, but it's still watchable.UK: Stream on iPlayerUS: Stream on BBC America

Having brought several Agatha Christie stories to the screen (plus being trusted with the adaptation of JK Rowling's The Casual Vacancy), Sarah Phelps turned her attention to Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad books. The first two books were fuel for this first series of the show, which follows detectives Rob Reilly and Cassie Maddox as they investigate the murder of a young girl. The case puts their friendship to the test, as they are pulled deeper into the intrigue and darkness that surrounds the killing. Phelps layers on the atmosphere, while leads Killian Scott and Sarah Greene breathe real life into their cop characters. UK: Buy it now on AmazonUS: Stream on Starz

Sweet birthday baby! Natasha Lyonne's existential comedy-drama finds fresh life in the Groundhog Day trope of a deeply flawed character stuck in a time loop. Here it's New York 30-something Nadia, celebrating her birthday and finding that she's gotta get up, gotta get out, gotta get home before the morning comes – and try to avoid an untimely death along the way, lest she wake up back at her birthday bash. Brash and bleakly funny, emotionally tender, narratively surprising – Russian Doll is, appropriately, a deeply layered show with a never-better Lyonne leading the way.UK & US: Stream on Netflix

The acronym happy police corruption squad are the sort of conflicted heroes we're only too happy to turn to in this time of need. Jed Mercurio's series, along with Bodyguard, proved that the UK still rules the roost when it comes to taut police procedurals, going up against the best of the States' output.UK: Stream on iPlayer

Without the huge back catalogues of some of its rivals, Apple needed to make a splash with its first batch of shows. Yet while The Morning Show could have simply stood as a showcase for the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell, the reality is something deeper and more meaningful. Plunging into the #MeToo world, it explores gender politics in the guise of US morning TV (a cutthroat, hugely expensive playing field worlds away from BBC Breakfast and Good Morning Britain) and handed its cast the chance to do some of their best work. UK & US: Stream on Apple TV+

Ava DuVernay is rarely better than when she's shining a light on social ills, and particularly when she has a real-life story to anchor the narrative. Here, she follows what happened to five men who were unfairly convicted of rape in New York's Central Park, following the events of the case with her typically clear-eyed sense of drama and justice. In doing so, she crafts not just one of the most watchable dramas on Netflix's servers, but also launches a raft of relative newcomers, including Jharrel Jerome, while showcasing established actors such as Michael Kenneth Williams and Vera Farmiga.US & UK: Stream on Netflix

The Roy family are monsters of squabbling, corporate backstabbing and acid-tongued insults. Yet Jesse Armstrong and his writers took both the maneuvering and the fallout and combined them with great characters and sharp dialogue. You'll hate the characters for the most part, but they're so very, very compelling.UK: Watch on Sky / Now TVUS: Stream on HBO

TV – and the lesser restrictions/bigger budget allowed by HBO – really was the only place Thrones would have worked outside of George R.R. Martin's books. And even then it was a juggling act given the sedate pace of the author's output. And yet despite the challenges of striking out on its own narrative, featuring significant changes from the printed page, much of what people enjoyed about Martin's mixture of fantasy and grimy medieval politics remains firmly intact. Thrones at its best was almost untouchable: huge effects sequences, battles with real stakes and, powering it all, characters that you cared about, whether they were talking about morality or shoving it aside to light up an entire sept full of enemies. With a cast led by the likes of Peter Dinklage, Emilia Clarke, Lena Headey and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, GOT is full to the brim of all the death, betrayal, laughter and dragons that you might wish for. The climax may have divided opinion, but it's hard to imagine what will fill the void now that the show's over.UK: Stream on SkyUS: Stream on HBO

Phoebe Waller-Bridge scored a pack of Emmys for her second run of Fleabag episodes, and rightly so. Having turned an insightful, frank and frequently filthy one-woman show into a TV series that allowed her to explore the emotional waters to a much greater degree. Writing and starring, Waller-Bridge brought to life a young woman trying to reconcile her worldview and actions with the impact it has on those around her. The show will make you giggle, but Waller-Bridge doesn't shy away from going dark when need be. Stellar turns from Olivia Colman and Sian Clifford have anchored the show through both seasons, while Andrew Scott was a highlight of the second, playing the character that will forever be known by fans as Hot Priest.UK: Stream on iPlayerUS: Stream on Amazon Prime Video

Even as the film franchise sits in spacedock limbo, Star Trek has been enjoying a renaissance on the small screen. And this return for one of the most beloved characters – Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard – is a welcome addition. If the storytelling sometimes feels like it's travelling slowly on impulse rather than hitting warp speed, Stewart is the stalwart anchor, and the series does interesting things with his story. The balance of nostalgia to new narrative is well-handled and there's no denying it's fun to see this particular corner of the Trek frontier. UK: Stream on Amazon Prime VideoUS: Stream on CBS All Access

It's easy to list the myriad ways in which The OA is a weird show, from the internet of trees to the psychic talking octopus. But what makes the series so extraordinarily engaging is that it all makes some kind of sense while you're watching it. Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij's uncategorisable saga of an angelic being who moves between dimensions has an endlessly beguiling, expansive tone, where anything seems possible. Of course, Netflix has cancelled the show after only two seasons when there were supposed to be five, so we'll probably never get a definitive sense of where the whole thing was going. But at least we'll always have these beautiful chapters in the story, full of spine-tingling moments, and a climax to season two which will remain one of the most thrilling narrative leaps in TV history.US & UK: Stream on Netflix

No-one quite knew what to expect from Lost and Leftovers man Damon Lindelof's plan to tackle Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' notoriously prickly graphic novel, which had been brought to the cinema faithfully but problematically back in 2009. A decade later and Lindelof has cracked it by not going directly to the source. That serves as the history and canon for this series, but Watchmen takes detours and spins its own tale. Today's zeitgeisty topics such as police brutality and race relations are in the spotlight and there's a lean efficiency to the storytelling that means even what appear to be wacky diversions (Jeremy Irons as Adrian Veidt, imprisoned with a batch of clone servants) tie into the main story. The anchor is Regina King's masked police officer Angela Abar, played with electrifying, award-scooping energy by Regina King. Episode six will mess with your brain and other revelations are lurking. It's as impressive as it is fun and doesn't require an encyclopedic knowledge of the comics.UK: Stream on SkyUS: Stream on HBO

With its American high school-inspired visuals, frank and funny discussions of sex (duh), and scenes of Gillian Anderson masturbating a courgette, Netflix's Sex Education is quite unlike anything else to have hit the small screen. Part John Hughes homage, part post-Skins teen drama, Laurie Nunn's show contributes to a long line of teen sex comedies while also bringing the genre into a whole new era – with a loveable cast in Asa Butterfield, Ncuti Gatwa, and Emma Mackey. And did we mention Gillian Anderson masturbates a courgette? We did? OK.UK & US: Stream on Netflix

Though it has faced criticism for its portrayal of Holocaust horrors (both real and some invented for the series), this pulpy series about a group in 1970s America hunting down Nazis planning to build a Fourth Reich in the country channels the likes of Grindhouse and Tarantino for a wild action-drama. Logan Lerman is the star, but Al Pacino steals scenes as Meyer Offerman, who funds and runs the team. UK & US: Stream on Amazon Prime Video

Leading the mockumentary charge in the UK, This Country has provided three series' worth of lols as it charts the misadventures of Kerry and Lee "Kurtan" Mucklowe, as they scheme, salvage and awkwardly make their way through small town life. It can be bleak sometimes, but it's charming, witty and far wiser than its main characters – played by creators Daisy May and Charlie Cooper – ever behave.UK: Stream on iPlayerUS: Stream on Hulu

Firing right out of the gates on all cylinders, the first season of The Good Place declared it as one of the smartest, most unpredictable comedies of recent years – even before its forking incredible twist came into play. Sitcom god Michael Schur's afterlife comedy focuses on Kristen Bell's Eleanor Shellstrop as she finds herself sent to the titular Good Place after her untimely death – except, it's all a mix-up and she's an imposter who lived a largely selfish life, forced to be on her best behaviour in order not to get caught. Like all of Schur's comedies it's bolstered by a loveable ensemble – special shout-outs to Ted Danson and D'Arcy Carden as neighbourhood architect Michael and not-a-girl Janet, respectively – but it's more plot-driven (and philosophy-heavy) than most sitcoms, with regular twist endings and a sprawling Lost-esque mythology. Watch it, benches!UK: Stream on NetflixUS: Stream on Hulu

The Witcher has become a minor cultural phenomenon, primarily thanks to catchy ballad 'Toss A Coin To Your Witcher'. This game adaptation, for all its weirdly problematic treatment of casual female nudity, is well worth spending time with. Henry Cavill plays the grumpy warrior Geralt of Rivia, who battles monsters and those who hate everything he is. Production on season 2 has been delayed by the Coronavirus, so enjoy the first.UK & US: Stream on Netflix

Part of the genius of Curb Your Enthusiasm is that it's impossible to tell where the real Larry David ends and the fictional David begins. After all, this is a man who used to go out on stage for stand-up shows, peer at the audience and then walk off if he didn't like the look of them. Every episode draws him into ass-puckeringly awkward scrapes with waiters, doctors, salesmen and other celebrities, from Ben Stiller to Martin Scorsese. The combination of David's lack of social skills with the right-on political correctness of LA's denizens makes for edgy, hilarious viewing.UK: Stream on SkyUS: Stream on HBO

Created by and starring Rufus Jones, Home feels the perfect comedy for These Brexit Times, even if such worries have been slightly superseded by even more pressing current events. Jones' Peter and his family return home from a holiday in France to discover a surprise in the boot – Sami (Youssef Kerkour), a Syrian refugee. Cue smart culture clash comedy and levels of awkwardness rarely seen since The Office. UK: Stream on All 4

Hundreds of years in the future, humans have colonized the solar system. The U.N. controls Earth. Mars is an independent military power. The planets rely on the resources of the Asteroid Belt, where air and water are more precious than gold. For decades, tensions have been rising between these three places. Earth, Mars and the Belt are now on the brink of war. And all it will take is a single spark... Adapting the work of novelist James SA Corey (actually Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck), The Expanse has become one of the best science fiction shows on TV. Blending smart, humanistic science fiction with relatable human characters (and, as the series has expanded, a growing alien presence), it's grown a considerable following, which surely will have helped it find a new show at Amazon after being cancelled by the US SyFy network. Sometimes, good things do happen to good shows.UK & US: Stream on Amazon Prime Video

David Simon famously once said that he intended The Wire as "lean-in" television, a show that you couldn't watch while folding clothes or dusting the mantlepiece. His Baltimore-set series demanded your attention, its slow-burn storytelling never less than totally compelling. Simon crafted a series that skips the usual procedural tropes, looking instead at the linked worlds of cops and criminals in a way that highlights the humanity clouded by labels. High stakes, big emotions and even a scene conducted almost entirely with the use of the F-word are all part of the reasons why this show became one of the greatest. Later seasons expanded the focus to other areas – politics, the school system, and newspapers, to name a few – but the laser accuracy remained the same. The ensemble cast (the likes of Idris Elba and Michael B. Jordan among them) never put a foot wrong. If you've somehow never got round to watching it, lean in – you won't regret it.UK: Stream on SkyUS: Stream on HBO

Clear eyes. Full hearts. Can't lose. As memorable mantras for a TV show go, this is up there. Peter Berg's knowing adaptation of the H. G. Bissinger book and the 2004 movie he drew from it, broadened the scope of the world and wrangled memorable characters that live and breathe. Its young players are realistically flawed, and the team doesn't always win – which just makes it that much more watchable. Plus, in coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) and wife Tami (Connie Britton), we got one of the best married couples on TV, human people dealing with their lives but always leading with love. And most importantly, especially for those of us in the UK, you don't need to worship at the church of the gridiron to appreciate it.UK: Buy to stream on AmazonUS: Stream on Hulu

An animated comedy satirising Hollywood with a Will Arnett-voiced washed-up horse actor as its protagonist sounds like it should be a light, silly laugh-fest – which makes BoJack Horseman's deep vein of sadness all the more surprising. BoJack himself is a has-been, entirely aware of his ever-diminishing status and the ego-driven, alcohol-fuelled self-destructive choices he makes. Given a nurturing platform on Netflix, the show has cultivated an audience who has embraced its bruised heart – which isn't to say it's not funny too. Stacked with animal puns to balance out the darkness, it's a singularly unique brew sure to go down as a definitive animated series for its complexity of emotion.UK & US: Stream on Netflix

Taking in comic book shops, rave culture, and video games, Edgar Wright, Jessica Hynes and Simon Pegg channelled their own pop-cultural obsessions and witty observations to spin gold out of a classic sitcom set-up. Kicking the careers of the three creators (and co-star Nick Frost) into high gear, Spaced is uproarious but also heartfelt, never forgetting to make the characters into people you care about while riffing on different genres. And the fact that only 14 episodes exist adds to the reason we all like it so much – it never overstayed its welcome. Without Spaced, there is no Cornetto Trilogy, so how's that for a slice of fried gold?UK: Stream on All 4US: Stream on Hulu

Those who tuned into the first episode of The Sopranos in 1999 found not a documentary about opera singers but a dark, offbeat drama about a New Jersey gangster with a fixation on the ducks who visit his swimming pool. As the first season wore on, viewers became hooked on creator David Chase's uncompromising vision of an old-school criminal organisation beset by all the stresses and tensions of the modern day. It's not hard to figure out why: Chase and his writers locked in on what made Tony and co. work. James Gandolfini delivered a career-best performance as our way into the show, while the family and "family" around him anchored stories that poked below the gangster surface to what made these people truly tick. A fusion of sharp, unpredictable writing and powerhouse acting means The Sopranos' classic status endures.UK: Stream on SkyUS: Stream on HBO

"It doesn't get really good until Season 2," people said. "Stick with it." The first season was not without its moments, and it laid key groundwork for Bryan Cranston's Walter White to later descend from family man to soul-shucked demon, but the second season was when Vince Gilligan's astonishing, gripping, often plain harrowing show really took off. There followed murders, plane crashes, betrayals, ferocious set pieces, indelible dialogue ("I am the one who knocks!") and meth – enormous quantities of meth. A fall like this in a character takes time to chronicle, and the Breaking Bad team stepped up to that, meticulously crafting each turn and shooting the show as though it were a cinematic offering. From claustrophobic crawlspaces to wide desert vistas, the show never looked less than amazing. And it wasn't just Cranston's show, either: Aaron Paul blossomed as Jesse Pinkman (originally intended to die early, he became an integral element), while the rest of the cast brought real life to the characters. At the beginning of the bingeing era, here was some Class A, seriously addictive television. And might we recommend our list of the 25 Best Breaking Bad Moments?UK & US: Stream on Netflix

The adaptation of Philip Pullman's fantasy trilogy launched at the end of 2019 to great acclaim. And it's not tough to see why – aiming to tackle a book per season (the second launches this month), it's a sprawling tale of young Lyra (Logan's Dafne Keen), who has a destiny and a mission to explore parallel worlds all while a dominant theocracy tries to stop her and anyone else who would confound their beliefs. Witches, talking polar bears, and air balloon adventurers all crop up, and Season 2 promises yet more depth, even as a war is threatened...UK: Stream on iPlayerUS: Stream on HBO

Anchored by a stellar performance from JK Simmons, Counterpart is set in a world where a mild-mannered UN office clerk discovers that his agency actually runs the crossing between his dimension and a parallel one, which happens to be in conflict with our own. On the other side, his counterpart is a badass spy, and the situation just gets more complex from there. But the show is so confident in keeping everything straight and understandable, even as it throws you into the story. Unfairly axed after two seasons, it's still well worth checking out.UK: Stream on Amazon's Starz Play channelUS: Stream on Starz

Originally pitched by Bruce Lee, this series is set during the Tong Wars in the late 1800s, Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy from China, immigrates to San Francisco and becomes a hatchet man for the most powerful gang in Chinatown. It's full of acrobatic and brutal fight scenes, plus all the mature themes you'd expect from a series that originated on the HBO adjacent channel Cinemax across the pond. UK: Stream on Sky OneUS: Stream on Cinemax

Mike Flanagan's affinity with the horror genre is clear (he directed Oculus, Ouija: Origin Of Evil, Gerald's Game), so his turning to Netflix for a ten episode series based on Shirley Jackson's supernatural classic was always a tantalising prospect. His revamp of The Haunting Of Hill House surprised everyone by expanding the story into multiple timelines and introducing a legion of new characters. His version focuses on the Crane family of troubled siblings brought up in the grim mansion of the title, cutting between their childhood with their disparate present-day lives. Flanagan establishes a richly creepy, off-kilter atmosphere from the start, exploiting the Gothic setting of Hill House to the full. Every beautifully-lit shot draws us in to this bleakly inhospitable setting, where shadowy figures roam, but possibly only in the minds of its inhabitants. Yet despite the over-riding tone of impending doom, there are flashes of humour, and the cast are eerily perfect. To follow that up, Flanagan delivered The Haunting Of Bly Manor, which channeled The Turn Of The Screw with several Hill House cast members. UK & US: Stream on Netflix

An audacious story told over six episodes (plus a live staged reading), this is split into "Summer", sees Jude Law as Sam, drawn to a mysterious island off the British coast where he encounters a group of islanders set on preserving their traditions at any cost. "Winter", meanwhile, follows Helen (Naomie Harris), a strong-willed outsider who comes to the island seeking answers, but whose arrival precipitates a fractious battle to decide its fate. There are Wicker Man vibes, but Utopia creator Dennis Kelly makes this very much its own thing, full of tension and atmosphere. UK: Stream on Sky AtlanticUS: Stream on HBO

Who could have predicted that the telly adaptation of the Nick Hornby book (which also channels some of the energy of the movie) would end up one of the best TV series of the year. Zoe Kravitz kills it as Robyn "Rob" Brookes who sorts through past relationships and life experiences with lists and laughter. Cruelly cancelled after one season, we'd still recommend giving it a spin.UK: Stream on StarzplayUS: Stream on Hulu

Set almost entirely within the confines of a police interrogation room (with occasional trips to the control room or corridors by it), Criminal could be seen as a gimmick –load up a guest star suspect and let the main characters unpeel the layers on their acts. But in reality, it's a tense, wordy delight, full of great performances before you even get to the likes of David Tennant, Hayley Atwell and Kit Harington. You'll be glued to the cases, and intrigued by the sprinkling of personal drama between the police officers. Two seasons of the UK version are available now, and there are also variants set in France, Spain and Germany, shot with different casts on the same set.US & UK: Stream on Netflix

Created by Billie Piper (who stars) and Lucy Prebble, I Hate Suzie charts what happens when Suzie Pickles has her life upended when she is hacked and pictures of her emerge online in an extremely compromising position. Aided by her best friend and manager, Naomi (Leila Farzad), Suzie tries to hold her life together. Blisteringly funny in places and skewing celebrity life, it's has depth and feeling too. UK: Stream on Sky AtlanticUS: Stream on HBO Max (from Nov 19)

Positing a world in which America saw the value of witches beyond trying to blame them for bad weather, ruined crops or wayward men, Fort Salem finds them recruited for the Army and trained in combat magic. LBTQ friendly storylines and characters abound and the effect is a powerful delight.

With a dash of the unlikely-saviour and teen angst that Buffy specialised in, Warrior Nun is no lazy retread of that show's themes, finding its own vibe in this comics adaptation. Troubled teen Ava (Alba Baptiste), who wakes up in a morgue to discover that she's been merged with a mystical halo that gives her demon-battling powers. She's soon sought by a sect of nuns who need her help to save the world. But perhaps she'd rather party with some new friends? It's a whole lot of fun.UK & US: Stream on Netflix

An anthology of mystery series, The Sinner swaps casts (though the bedrock of Bill Pullman as detective Harry Ambrose, dealing with literal personal pain) as he digs into the details. Launched by a season starring Jessica Biel (who is also a producer), there are now three seasons to enjoy. UK & US: Stream on Netflix

If you're not familiar with writer Sophie Petzal, now is the time to get acquainted. Her thorny, gripping writing has made Blood the best show to be broadcast on Channel 5: a psychological thriller that's both meticulously composed and engorged with suspense, right down to the first season's final reveal. Once again set in rural Ireland, Blood's second season proves there's plenty more mileage in the story of the Horgan family and their many scandalous secrets. Returning for the new series, Line of Duty stalwart Adrian Dunbar delivers a pronounced performance, while Gráinne Keenan steps up to carry the equally twist-laden storyline with a flawless air of ambiguity. Maintaining its promise that nothing is quite what it seems, Blood remains a carefully observed family affair drowning in menace.UK: Stream on Channel 5

His time as Captain America now behind him, Chris Evans turned his attention to starring in and producing this drama, which finds him as Andy Barber, an assistant district attorney whose world is shattered when his son Jacob (Jaeden Martell) is accused of murdering a classmate. It's twisty and tense, Evans matched scene for scene by Michelle Dockery as wife Laurie. UK & US: Stream on Apple TV+

Based on the true-life cheating scandal that enveloped Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in the UK, this offers the sensational tale of a major (Matthew McFadyen) who had a pal in the audience coughing coded answers to him. With Michael Sheen back in real-world mode to play Chris Tarrant, it's a fascinating look at a huge story.UK: Stream on ITV HubUS: Stream on AMC

Titus Welliver is tough-nut 'tec who prowls the darker corners of Los Angeles sorting out murderers and other criminals even as he can't quite get a grip on his personal life. Then, it's back to his house overlooking the hills for a steak and some jazz. It could all be so corny, but this adaptation of Michael Connelly's hard boiled crime tomes really works. UK & US: Stream on Amazon

Lenny James' follow-up to Save Me's searing first series manages the improbable feat of packing an even more potent emotional gut punch than its predecessor. As we rejoin Nelly a year on in the search for his kidnapped daughter, Jodie, we're taken to even darker, more harrowing places as he delves further into the world of child-trafficking, fearing that the trail has long gone cold. Written once more by James himself, the story plays with expectation and perspective, at once prompting a visceral revulsion at unthinkable exploitation, while counterbalancing with the nuanced, tragic portrayal of Stephen Graham's sex offender, Melon. Stunningly written and beautifully performed (one moment in particular is a strong contender for scene of the year), this remains one of the most powerful dramas on television.

This surprisingly insightful comedy stars Canadian stand-up Mae Martin as herself, mixing the occasional on-stage routine with a touching and authentically-written sitcom about relationships and identity. As Mae struggles with addiction and paternal indifference (from an excellent Lisa Kudrow) she begins a new relationship with the hitherto straight George (Charlotte Ritchie), whose conservative group of casually homophobic friends (including one named Binky) only serve to complicate matters. The title does the series a disservice, suggesting easy dismissal as frothy nonsense when, while this is both fun and funny, it's as insightful and occasionally painful in its depiction of messy relationships and emotional baggage as any number of serious dramas. UK: Stream on All4

We had to wait years for Bong Joon-Ho's chilly ( in terms of weather) yet satirically human sci-fi movie. Fortunately, though it itself faced delays on its journey to the screen, the TV series manages the tricky feat of bringing the story of a frozen earth and the train that endlessly circles the planet to keep humanity alive to screens without losing too much of the original's spirit. It's both enjoyable and somewhat compelling, requiring little in the way of sustained concentration — ideal lockdown entertainment.UK: Stream on NetflixUS: Stream on TNT