Ah, the golden era of television. We all know when it was, around the turn of the century, when HBO gave the world The Sopranos and The Wire and everything was generally just a bit better – Trump was a comparably harmless if highly irritating real estate mogul and the most impressive thing you could do with your phone was play Snake.
Since then, there have of course been brilliant shows popping up over the years – Breaking Bad, Succession, Mad Men – but there have also been long stretches of “meh, nothing special” TV in between. That’s why it’s so exciting that we currently seem to be in a purple patch of great telly, from the pressure-cooker medical drama The Pitt to the return of biting satire like Beef.
Here’s our pick of what you would be mad to miss out on, while TV is having a bit of a moment...
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Out now on Apple TV
I could not get enough of this show. Even the opening credits (always such an artistic treat on Apple) gave me a kind of sugar rush each time I tuned in. Adapted from the 2024 novel by Rufi Thorpe, it’s quite hard to define, a show about OnlyFans and motherhood and power imbalances and money, all set in a candy-coloured world. An effervescent Elle Fanning is at the story’s glittering core, and surrounded by a note-perfect ensemble of Nick Offerman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nicole Kidman and Thaddea Graham – the village who help raise her child. Perfect, joyous TV that, like the sun on your skin, you’ll miss when it’s over. Ellie Harrison
The Other Bennet Sister
Out now on BBC iPlayer
As soon as I finished watching The Other Bennet Sister, in which plain, put-upon Mary from Pride & Prejudice gets her moment as an Austen heroine at last, I wanted to start watching it again. If it had been released in the early Noughties, I’d have bought it on DVD with my Christmas money and watched it once a month for the rest of my teens. It was that kind of show; nostalgic, silly but also incredibly important, full of heart and big feelings, stacked with brilliant British actors having the time of their lives. The best bit? Mary Bennet looking like the cock of the walk in a rowing boat, her two warring suitors heaving her to the shore in Darcy-esque white wet shirts. Jessie Thompson
Beef
Out now on Netflix
Back for a second season, Beef remains one of the most brilliantly conceived shows on Netflix. Where series one followed the escalating fallout from a road-rage incident, season two relocates to a swanky Montecito country club. Here, two cash-strapped young staff members film their bosses having the mother of all domestic rows, and start wondering what that video might be worth. What follows is thrilling and unpredictable: a vicious, subversive class war, with Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaac superb as the crumbling couple at its centre. Coolly eschewing sentimentality, Lee Sung Jin has built a world where everyone considers themselves the wronged party – and nobody gets what they deserve. Patrick Smith
Dirty Business
Out now on All 4
Channel 4 delivered the greatest piece of British campaigning television since Mr Bates vs The Post Office in February with Dirty Business – a deep dive into the murky raw sewage scandal. Starring Jason Watkins and David Thewlis as two real-life neighbours who noticed a lack of wildlife in their filthy local river, the three-parter follows them as they uncover how water companies allowed raw sewage to contaminate England’s rivers and seas over 10 years – jeopardising the health of millions. A darkly comic yet heartbreaking series, prepare to laugh and cry, but most of all, feel incredibly angry. Lauren Morris
Legends
7 May, Netflix
In the early Nineties, a group of bored-out-of-their-skulls customs officers got a promotion that changed their lives forever. Heroin was flowing into Britain at an unprecedented rate, leaving thousands of dead youngsters in its wake, and a small group of men and women were asked to go undercover and take down the gangs bringing it into the UK. The story of these ordinary people on an extraordinary mission has been turned into a rip-roaring drama led by Tom Burke, Steve Coogan and Hayley Squires. I challenge you not to finish off all six episodes in one gulp. EH
Waiting for the Out
Out now on BBC iPlayer
This tender drama arrived without fanfare on BBC One in early January, when everyone was distracted by Alan Carr giving the performance of a lifetime on The Celebrity Traitors. For those who missed it, it’s well worth catching up on – Josh Finan is strange and captivating as Dan, a man who teaches philosophy in prisons, and who himself comes from a family of men who’ve spent time behind bars. It’s all the more moving for being based on a true story and adapted from Andy West’s memoir A Life Inside. This is delicate, thoughtful television that leaves a mark on your heart. EH
Last One Laughing
Out now on Prime
The person who came up with the idea for Last One Laughing is a genius. A cruel genius. The concept is so simple: get a bunch of comedians in a room and force them to keep a straight face for six hours; if you laugh, you’re out. This year’s second UK series pulled in a bunch of hilarious British heavyweights, from Alan Carr to David Mitchell to returning champ Bob Mortimer. I actually don't know how they survived – they must have felt genuine physical pain watching Diane Morgan read poetry, completely deadpan, from a hardback book while making intermittent fart noises, banned even from so much as smiling. I laughed myself silly. JT
The Pitt
Weekly on HBO Max
Last year, I was telling everyone who’d listen about The Pitt, a breathless medical drama tracking a 15-hour stint in the heart of a busy Pittsburgh emergency room. Each episode focuses on one hour in the lives of the doctors and nurses being pushed to their limits. That very show is now the biggest series on TV – and crucially, it deserves that moniker. The show has razor-sharp attention to detail and is filled with a cornucopia of well-rounded characters for you to root for (or not). Thank heavens lead star Noah Wyle’s original plans to make this show a pure ER reboot fell through, because then we might have been robbed of this cultural phenomenon. Jacob Stolworthy
SNL UK
Weekly on Sky and NOW
Sketch shows are notoriously a hit-and-miss format – and while that’s certainly the case for Saturday Night Live’s new British counterpart, it’s still appointment viewing. Each 75-minute episode delivers an electric cocktail of live comedy hosted by a celebrity guest, showcasing its impressive cast of up-and-comers – like hilarious breakout star Jack Shep (whose Princess Diana impression took the internet by storm). Riz Ahmed’s stellar turn as guest host has been a highlight so far this series, and with sitcom upstarts Nicola Coughlan and Aimee Lou Wood on board, the second half is already showing comedic promise. With our attention spans at an all-time low, it’s easy to switch off after one unfunny sketch – but stick around for sharp Traitors parodies and terrific takes on Keir Starmer before they undoubtedly go viral the next day. LM
Big Mistakes
Out now on Netflix
Comedy-crime dramas might be associated with the cold winter months, but Big Mistakes, Dan Levy’s new drama for Netflix, is one to stay in for even during these sunnier climes. Schitt’s Creek creator Levy, who wrote the show with auteur and It-girl Rachel Sennott, stars as closeted pastor Nicky, while Taylor Ortega is his sister Morgan. I won’t say how, but the bickering duo find themselves accidentally embroiled in a world of dark criminality, burner phones thrust into their hands to be picked up, no matter what. Things might sound sinister, but Big Mistakes perfectly balances big laughs and pacy, dramatic plotting. Schitt's Creek fans, naturally, will love. Isobel Lewis
For All Mankind
Out now on Apple TV
For All Mankind might just be TV’s best-kept secret. It presents an alternate history in which the space race never ended – and, over the decades, has found its way to Mars. Series one begins in the 1960s, with each new season presenting a time jump of 10 years. Sci-fi fans will be left astounded by some space-set sequences that rival any film you’ll see in the cinema. I’ll be honest: season three and four lost some of the magic that the first two brought in droves, but season five is back on track; it’s better than ever, and a spin-off, Star City, will be released later this year, so now’s the time to jump aboard. JS
The Capture
Out now on BBC iPlayer
The Capture has concluded its chaotic third season, which might be the end of the show altogether. This makes it the perfect time to go back and watch the whole thing through – you won’t regret it: The Capture is a terrifyingly prescient exploration of deepfake tech, and how shadowy figures at the top can tweak what we see to fit the narrative they want to peddle. It has more twists than Line of Duty and Luther combined, and yet has ridden somewhat in the background compared to those two juggernauts. If there’s any justice, The Capture will endure as a classic. JS
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