Apple TV+/ Sky
From a surprise horror-comedy hit to a suburban whodunnit with a difference and the latest runs of Rivals and Ted Lasso, we pick the year’s greatest programmes to stream right now.
Hulu
1. Furious
It’s your classic cat-and-mouse set-up: a dogged cop on the hunt of a killer. But Furious subverts that formula with a horrible and timely twist – and the result is easily the best crime thriller of the year so far. Emmy Rossum, best known for TV’s Shameless and graduating to the role of her career here, is brittle and enigmatic as Alice, an FBI agent battling the sexism of the institution and demons from an abusive relationship with a colleague. Her quarry, mesmerisingly played by Irish actor Lola Pettricrew, is a serial murderer with a difference: a former sex trafficking victim taking revenge on the Epstein-like circle of rich men involved in her, and many others’, abuse. What’s so impressive about New Girl and Dying for Sex creator Elizabeth Meriwether’s latest show is its seamless tonal shifts, from dark comedy-evoking Promising Young Woman, to truly haunting drama. The result is a scintillating and dare we say it, important post-MeToo howl of rage at the very grimmest underbelly of our society. (Hugh Montgomery)
Streaming weekly on Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK
Apple TV+
2. Widow’s Bay
Even with the terrific Matthew Rhys as the star, no one expected this inventive horror-tinged comedy to become the breakout hit that it has, gathering 19 Emmy nominations. Rhys finds comedy by playing it straight as Tom Loftis, the mayor of Widow’s Bay, an old-timey town on a New England island that he hopes to make a tourist destination. If only it weren’t haunted by an evil spirit, a reality Tom doesn’t believe until he has to. It’s easy to see why the show arrived so quietly. It has a distinctive comic-horror tone that doesn’t fit any cookie-cutter category. Its knowing wink at horror is not intended to make you jump. But while the humour nods at classic horror tropes from Jaws to The Shining, it is never as broad as a spoof. That works beautifully because the town is populated by such vivid, down-to-earth characters. Rhys holds it all together, with a perfectly synced-in cast that includes Stephen Root as Wyck, the sea captain who tries to warn the mayor about the spirit, and Kate O’Flynn as Tom’s tightly-wound assistant, Patricia. (Caryn James)
Available on Apple TV internationally
Hulu
3. Rivals
The UK lost a literary legend when Jilly Cooper, joyous author of the erotic upper-crust romps which epitomised the so-called “bonkbuster”, passed away suddenly last October. But there could be no better tribute to her than the second series of this adaptation of her novels set in her mythical Cotswolds-like country Rutshire. In these six instalments (the second batch of six will be released later this year), it was even more on-point in capturing Cooper’s balance of raucous comedy and emotionally sharp examination of class, relationships and matters of the heart. On one hand, there’s the exquisite farce of episode two, in which a dinner party devolves into beautifully-choreographed chaos; and on the other, some devastating moments of marital upset, many provided by Claire Rushbrook, giving this run of episodes’ most powerful performance as the villainous Tony Baddingham’s stiff-upper-lipped, but quietly agonised wife, Lady Monica. It’s hit such a confident stride that I suspect it could run and run. (HM)
The first six episodes of season 2 are available on Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK, with a further six episodes premiering in November
Apple TV+
4. Ted Lasso
After three years away and no guarantee it would return, Ted Lasso came back with all its warmth and humour intact. Don’t be put off by the lame first episode, which finds Ted in Kansas City and strains for laughs. By episode two he is back in London, coaching a new Richmond women’s football team. Like his old men’s team they are underdogs, and unlike the men they face a whole set of sexist problems. Ted is still a wonder of a character, both goofy and unaccountably wise about human nature. And Jason Sudeikis, so comfortable in the role, is surrounded by the familiar, still-winning cast: Hannah Waddingham as Rebecca, Juno Temple as Keeley, Brett Goldstein as Roy and Jeremy Swift as Leslie. Tanya Reynolds is a sharp addition as a deadpan new coach. Ever since it arrived, during the pandemic era, the series has been synonymous with a reassuring, positive message summed up by Ted’s motto, “Believe.” Then and now, it is rare in the way it manages to be uplifting without being preachy or sugary. (CJ)
Available on Apple TV internationally
Warner Bros Pictures
5. DTF St Louis
From David Lynch to Desperate Housewives and beyond, the dark underbelly of American suburbia is extremely well-trodden narrative territory, and any one taking it on has a task on their hands to avoid cliché. Which makes the achievement of this seven-part HBO miniseries set in the titular Missouri city all the more impressive. For while its initial set-up – a love triangle, a murder investigation – may be nothing too remarkable, what it reveals is a finely tuned, remarkably tender appreciation of the oddities of the most ordinary-seeming human beings: to reference a line which forms the show’s thesis, “No one’s normal. It just looks that way from across the street”. It also contains a game-changing performance from Stranger Things star David Harbour as Floyd Smernitch, an overweight cuckolded husband plagued by debt, whose open-hearted approach to life is nevertheless inspiring. In fact, all the lead performers bring their A-game. As Floyd’s wife Carol, Linda Cardellini offers a poignant depiction of middle-class disaffection, while even Jason Bateman’s smoothie weatherman reveals hidden and strange depths. With its absurd humour, dramatic dysfunction and atmospheric score, it perhaps most evokes that Oscar-winning suburban classic American Beauty, although both the writing and characterisation are much more sophisticated. (HM)
Available on HBO Max in the US and NOW in the UK
6. The Other Bennet Sister
Of all the television shows, films and novels that spin off from Jane Austen – an industry in itself – few are as delightful as this. Ella Bruccoleri is endearing as Mary Bennet, the bookish sister in Pride and Prejudice, always overshadowed by her siblings. The series is true to the spirit of Austen – the family warmth, the dances, the fought-for romance and above all the sardonic view of society in all its inanities. Yet it manages to give the commonsensical, spectacle-wearing Mary a life of her own. The early episodes stay close to Austen, with Richard E Grant dream casting as Mr Bennet. When the plot goes beyond Pride and Prejudice, Mary heads to London to live with her aunt and uncle, where she finds two suitors and a very Austen like ending. Indira Varma is elegant and full of good advice as Mary’s smart and helpful aunt, with Dónal Finn and Laurie Davidson as the men, very different from each other, whom Mary falls for. Colourful and spirited, the series doesn’t have a trace of the cringe that often comes with attempts to fill in the blanks Austen left behind. (CJ)
Available on Britbox in the US and BBC iPlayer in the UK
Apple TV+
7. Margot’s Got Money Troubles
Several A-list actors shine in this unlikely dramatic comedy. Elle Fanning is empathetic as Margot, whose affair with her married college professor leaves her as a single mother who can’t afford daycare. But she can make money from home on OnlyFans. Michelle Pfeiffer once more proves how good she is at comedy as Margot’s mother, Shyanne, a former Hooters waitress determined to marry a good-guy minister (Greg Kinnear). Nick Offerman brings nuance to the role of Jinx, Margot’s father, a former wrestler and recovering addict who becomes the live-in babysitter and advisor on her elaborate but not explicit videos. Nicole Kidman even turns up as a wrestler turned lawyer. Non-judgmental and realistic about sex, clear-eyed and funny about family dysfunction, the show may be about money problems and adult websites but it’s also remarkably heart-warming. (CJ)
Available on Apple TV internationally
Apple TV+
8. Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed
Tatiana Maslany came to public consciousness with her virtuosic performance in sci-fi series Orphan Black, in which she played 17 different clones, masterfully differentiating each one. Since then, though, she has struggled to find a role worthy of her talents – until now. In this delicious little Hitchcockian thriller, she plays a spiky divorcee and single mum who finds some relief in her sessions with an online sex worker, only for him to wind up dead. From there, spins out a plot in which she becomes both prime suspect and target of the real bad guys. Beyond the suspense and twists, though, this is at heart a compelling portrait of a woman hitting rock bottom, but in the process finding herself. And that element is carried superbly by Maslany’s powerhouse screen presence and her winning mix of toughness and vulnerability. (HM)
Available on Apple TV internationally
Disney
9. Alice and Steve
Friendship and vengeance go together in this funny, caustic comedy with a dramatic undertone. Nicola Walker and Jemaine Clement, each wonderfully edgy actors on their own, make a terrific pair as the title characters, who have been best friends for 30 years. Then he starts dating her 26-year-old daughter, who, to be fair, made the first move. When Alice furiously tries to thwart the relationship, sabotaging Steve’s hair-styling career, he retaliates and their outlandish, destructive pranks escalate. The unpredictable final episode is likely to divide opinions. I didn’t buy it for a second, but that didn’t spoil the fun of watching Walker and Clement. Throughout this bracing, fresh series, they find a perfect balance of genuine feeling and outrageous comic behaviour as they grapple with the meaning of love, friendship and jealousy. (CJ)
Available on Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK
Simon Ridgway/ HBO
10. Industry
This BBC/HBO drama has been on quite a journey since it kicked off 2020: where it began as a tight, claustrophobic drama about London graduates trying to make it in the cutthroat world of the banking industry, in its fourth series its young protagonists are now power-players, and its scope has expanded to equally incorporate the worlds of media, politics and Britain’s landed gentry. The new thematic ambition is admirable, turning it into something like a state-of-the-West drama, albeit an extremely pessimistic one – but what remains most impressive is the sharpness of the writing and performances. As frenemies Harper and Yasmin, Myha’la and Marisa Abela continue to anchor the show with a chilly magnetism, while Kit Harington has never been better than as the mentally broken, failed politician-cum-entrepreneur Sir Henry Muck. It’s been announced it will wrap up with one final season, which feels about right – and hopefully before it ends, it will finally get the awards attention it deserves. (Hugh Montgomery)
Available on HBO Max in the US and BBC iPlayer in the UK
Christopher Barr/ Netflix
11. How to Get to Heaven from Belfast
This thoroughly winning romp from Lisa McGee, the creator of Derry Girls, is a comedy and a mystery, along with a road trip across Ireland and beyond. And at heart it is another of her stories of female friendship, no matter how unlike each other those friends are. We believe the three late-thirty-something heroines have stayed close for 20 years despite their diverging paths: Robyn is a polished but harried mother of three, Saoirse is a successful TV writer clearly engaged to the wrong man, and awkward Dara is a carer for her mother and still mourning a broken romance with the woman who was her true love. The series is expansive enough to delve into their relationships, complete with tensions and irritations, while each fast-paced, cliff-hanging episode propels the increasingly outlandish and funny plot, which ramps up from finding the wrong body in a casket to spying and kidnapping, with some romantic attractions along the way. McGee’s unique voice comes through in a show filled with droll, perfectly-delivered dialogue, along with wacky humour and action. (Caryn James)
Available on Netflix internationally
Philippe Antonello/ FX
12. The Beauty
While super-producer Ryan Murphy seems to become ever-more prolific, he definitely has issues with quality control: see last year’s universally slated legal drama All’s Fair as an example. But he’s certainly had a strong run in 2026 so far: Love Story, telling the story of the tragically cut-short relationship of John F Kennedy Jr and Carolyn Bessette, was a real watercooler hit, although it came under fire for its looseness with the facts. But body horror The Beauty was a more unqualified success: based on a comic book, it satirises today’s vanity-driven age with its story of a wonder drug that literally causes people to be reborn as a more physically attractive version of themselves – with the unfortunate side effect that they may, at some point, explode. Like recent film The Substance, with which it shares much DNA, it’s not exactly subtle in its messaging, but that’s hardly the point: it easily carries you through its 10 episodes with its in-your-face brio, humour and game performances from the likes of Evan Peters, Rebecca Hall, Ashton Kutcher and Isabella Rossellini. Plus, it finishes on a great cliffhanger, which suggests a second season must be on the cards. (HM)
Available on Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK
Des Willie/ Amazon Prime Video
13. The Night Manager
There aren’t many series so good that they can afford to wait 10 years between seasons, but this espionage drama is a thrilling exception. Tom Hiddleston once more plays Jonathan Pine, now an MI5 agent who is as tightly wound as they come, but somehow still endlessly charming. The first season used up the plot of John le Carré’s novel of the same name, but writer David Farr does a first-rate job of channelling him to create a new story involving gun-running and political intrigue in Colombia and the corrupt involvement of MI5 itself. Diego Calva gives a magnetic, star-making performance as a new villain, the arms dealer Teddy Dos Santos. Steamy scenes tease an attraction between Teddy and Jonathan, the settings range from luxurious homes to the jungle, and the series even pulls off a welcome surprise concerning the fate of Hugh Laurie’s character, Richard Roper, called “the worst man in the world.” True to its origins, it has all the danger, tension and glamour of the best spy stories. (CJ)
Available on Prime Video internationally and BBC iPlayer in the UK
BBC/ Eleven/ Lisa Tomasetti
14. Lord of the Flies
After writer Jack Thorne had a global mega-hit with his Netflix drama Adolescence, it might seem foolhardy for him to follow it up with another piece focussed on boys behaving violently. Yet his adaptation of William Golding’s celebrated parable about a group of schoolkids stranded on a desert island is a triumph. While it retains the book’s period setting, it’s a fresh, innovative retelling, which makes an inspired decision to present each of the four episodes from a different character’s point of view, giving it an immersive quality that is intensified by the queasy, over-saturated visuals and White Lotus composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer’s disturbing, discordant score. The result is both a tense thriller and a chilling inquiry into the dark side of human nature, with an expertly-cast ensemble of child actors all impressing: in particular, watch out for David McKenna, who plays the doomed Piggy, in years to come. (HM)
Coming to Netflix in the US on 4 May, and available on BBC iPlayer in the UK now
Steffan Hill/ HBO
15. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
This lively standalone series may be a prequel to Game of Thrones, taking place in author George RR Martin’s familiar world, but its refreshing wit and lightness set it apart. There is no cutthroat palace intrigue because the immensely likeable hero is the impoverished Ser Duncan (Peter Claffey) – low in rank, tall in height and possibly not even a real knight given the dubious way he was made one. His clever sidekick and squire is an even more likeable character, a sardonic little boy known as Egg (the delightful Dexter Sol Ansell). There is colourful medieval-style action at a jousting tournament, but the characters are the point here. Daniel Ings is practically effervescent as the high-spirited, carousing Ser Lyonel Baratheon. A major character turns out to have links to one of the many GOT royal families, but even so, it’s a treat to watch a Game of Thrones show that doesn’t require doing homework on the characters’ genealogy to make sense of it all. (CJ)
Available on HBO Max in the US and UK
Erin Simkin/ HBO
16. The Comeback
Lisa Kudrow’s mockumentary about a sitcom actress, the irrepressible Valerie Cherish, desperate to stay relevant, has had a fascinating trajectory. Initially cancelled after just one season in 2005, before garnering a cult following, it has subsequently returned every 10 years to reflect on the state of Film, TV and popular culture in scathingly hilarious style. This third run takes on Hollywood’s looming AI crisis as Valerie signs up to appear in a new multi-camera comedy written by machine, her qualms outweighed by her need to keep her career afloat. Sharply satirical, but with a more poignant and searching undertow of melancholy than ever, it’s a sophisticated piece of work, but most importantly, it’s still laugh-out-loud hilarious. Seeing Valerie in the first episode during rehearsals for a run in Chicago – a plot turn too perfect for words – is something from which you may struggle to recover. (HM)
Running weekly on HBO and HBO Max in the US, and NOW, Sky Go and HBO Max in the UK
Katrina Marcinowski/ HBO
17. Rooster
Steve Carell is a comic master at turning unlikely characters into loveable, messy heroes. And Bill Lawrence, co-creator of Ted Lasso, Shrinking and many other series, makes shows that are heartfelt and sincere without being saccharine or feeling fake. They’ve combined those strengths in this smart sitcom that isn’t afraid to be silly. The premise is beyond improbable: Greg Russo, a writer of commercial novels, is hired to teach at a college he happened to be visiting to check in on his daughter, an art history professor going through a messy public divorce from a colleague. But Carell soars above the goofy premise. So does the ensemble cast, including Danielle Deadwyler, Phil Dunster (Jamie on Ted Lasso) and John C McGinley, who is especially funny as the college’s benign, clueless, gossipy dean. The feel of the show is breezy and low-key, which is another asset. In a landscape of intense dramas and strained, unfunny sitcoms, this one is a gem. (CJ)
Available on HBO Max in the US and UK
Amazon Prime Video
18. Bait
If there’s one good thing to come out of the endless, exhausting speculation game that is the hunt for the next James Bond, it’s this inspired, very meta show created by and starring Riz Ahmed. It sees the British-Pakistani Oscar nominee play Shah Latif, a down-on-his-luck actor, formerly a rising star, now broke, who gets an audition to play 007. After he then deliberately gets himself papped leaving the building, he finds himself at the centre of a media circus – one that leads to attacks on all sides, from those who believe Bond should remain a white man, to Muslim peers who think he’s selling out by taking on such an establishment role. What’s most exciting about Bait is how determinedly it evades classification: through its six sub-half-hour episodes, it manages to at once be a penetrating industry satire about the knotty issue of “representation”, a delightful family comedy, and an involving psycho-drama. And that’s all topped off by some inspired splashes of surrealism: see the way it integrates pastiches of Bond action sequences, and features, of all things, a disembodied pig’s head voiced by Patrick Stewart. (HM)
Available on Prime Video in the US and UK
Warrick Page/ HBO Max
19. The Pitt
Anchored by Noah Wyle’s intense, empathetic performance as Dr Robby, this compelling medical series found an ideal formula that it carries seamlessly into season two. As it goes through a single 15-hour shift at a Pittsburgh trauma centre in real time, it captures – often in gut-wrenching detail – the life-or-death stakes and the personal stories of the doctors, nurses and other staff. But even patients who are treated briefly emerge as vivid characters rather than case studies, in line with the show’s humane tone. The latest season arrived in the US before the first landed in the UK last month, but even for viewers catching up it’s no spoiler to say that Robby, who has a kind of PTSD from years of treating patients who can’t always be saved, is more on edge than ever. Among the strong cast, Taylor Dearden is a standout as the supersmart, neurodivergent Dr Mel King. The series has been seen as a throwback to older episodic television, but it’s the up-to-the-minute portrait of stress in the medical profession that resonates. (CJ)
Available on HBO Max in the US and UK
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