***
50-41
***
50
The Last of Us
(Sky Atlantic/Now) TV’s best ever video game adaptation screamed back to life with the year’s most traumatic killing off of a beloved character. Losing one half of the show’s central duo was no easy thing to move past, but The Last of Us morphed into a touching meditation on grief, loss and the pain of love left unspoken – with added mushroom monsters.
What we said: “A gutsy and thoughtful rendering of humans on the edge.” Read more
***
49
All Her Fault
(Sky Atlantic/Now) Is anyone as watchable as Sarah Snook? Her performance as Marissa, whose son Milo was kidnapped when she thought he was on a play date, was an absolute powerhouse as we’ve come to expect from the Succession star. It started with the most profound fear a parent can face, before it turned out to be even worse: orchestrated from within her own inner circle. But the plight of Dakota Fanning as her friend Jenny, trying to navigate the incessant hell and guilt of being a working mother, was relatable and affecting too. Together, they deepened this thriller into something far more intriguing.
What we said: “All Her Fault is fantastically well done. All the carefully planted seeds come to fruition. All the narrative cogs turn and interlock fast and seamlessly. You come for the terrifying premise and stay for the absolute pleasure.” Read more
***
48
The Last Musician of Auschwitz
(BBC Two/iPlayer) This exceptional film told the extraordinary story of the now 100-year-old cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, the only surviving member of the women’s orchestra at Auschwitz. First-hand testimonies – including from the stoic, straight-talking subject herself – plus archive footage and musical performances merged to show the emotional turmoil of prisoners playing beautiful music in a hellscape, as well as tiny glimmers of resistance.
What we said: “This incredibly impressive programme does not let us forget about Auschwitz’s corpse mountains or stench of burning bodies for a second, all the while posing questions about art and humanity that should ring in your ears for years to come.” Read more
***
47
Apple Cider Vinegar
(Netflix) A remarkable true story, superbly told; this series dramatised the rise and fall of Belle Gibson, an Australian woman who established herself as a “wellness guru” by falsely claiming to have mitigated cancer via dietary tricks and alternative medicine. The truth was simpler: Gibson didn’t have cancer and her career and persona was a tissue of lies. Kaitlyn Dever’s portrayal of Gibson was admirably nuanced; she’s deeply dishonest but also desperately needy and in denial about the consequences of her actions, not least for her followers, some of whom relied upon her hokum to combat life-threatening conditions.
What we said: “A fast, drily witty, acutely intelligent, compassionate and furious commentary on greed, need, mass delusion, self-deception, the exploitation of the credulous and the enabling of insidious new forms of all of these by technology.” Read more
***
46
The Residence
(Netflix) Something terrible has happened at the White House! No, not Donald Trump’s new ballroom extension but a fictional murder at the heart of American power. This funny, quirky whodunnit starred Uzo Aduba as Cordelia Cupp, an eccentric detective (she’s a keen birder, dresses entirely in brown tweed and frequently utilises her binoculars for work purposes) sent to solve the case. It’s charmingly good fun – essentially a country house murder mystery with added snark and West Wing trappings.
What we said: “A gorgeous, gleeful romp.” Read more
***
45
Common Side Effects
(Adult Swim/Channel 4) Has Mike Judge ever made a bad show? This is the question it was hard not to ponder while watching this impeccable animated thriller-comedy. The plot? A fungi expert discovers a mysterious mushroom that seems to cure all illness, and ill-advisedly tells his childhood crush Frances – who now works for big pharma. The resulting high-octane deep-state drama was a blackly humorous adventure with real heart that satirised the state of healthcare in a capitalist society. An absolute triumph of TV-making.
What we said: “Not merely the best thing I’ve seen on TV this year but one of the best shows I’ve seen in my life.” Read more
***
44
Gaza: Doctors Under Attack
(Channel 4) The film the BBC couldn’t broadcast. Thanks be, then, to Channel 4 for stepping into the breach and airing it – for this was an essential document of our times. Its unsparing look at the targeting of Palestinian medics showed a pattern that has emerged over the past two years at hospitals across Gaza. First, they are bombed. Then, they are raided and doctors detained and tortured. Then, when their workplaces are reduced to rubble, the cycle starts on the next hospital. The testimony by Dr Khaled Hamouda, whose home was bombed, killing most of his family … before a drone strike mere moments later hit the supposed safe house his remaining children had escaped to, was an unforgettable piece of television that really needed to be aired.
What we said: “In an open letter before its broadcast, Channel 4’s Louisa Compton warned that Doctors Under Attack would ‘make people angry, whichever side they take’. She is right. This is the sort of television that will never leave you.” Read more
***
43
Am I Being Unreasonable?
(BBC One/iPlayer) This riot of marital, sexual and social awkwardness (with a side order of murder and betrayal) came courtesy of Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli, who have created a worthy successor to Julia Davis’s scabrous 2004 sitcom Nighty Night. Cooper stars as Nic, a woman juggling guilt, trauma and parenting catastrophe, still finding time for extramarital hi-jinks and yet somehow remaining deserving of sympathy, mainly because of the cavalcade of monsters around her. A dangerously addictive chamber of horrors.
What we said: “Howlingly funny.” Read more
***
42
Task
(Sky Atlantic/Now) This crime drama starring Mark Ruffalo as gone-to-seed cop Tom Brandis allocated a dangerous new assignment in Philadelphia certainly wasn’t for the faint-hearted. But if you could handle the all-pervasive air of impending catastrophe, it was a fine, gritty, twisty procedural centred on stick-up merchants, biker gangs and the grim ramifications of the fentanyl trade. An intense downer, in the best possible way.
What we said: “A meditation on guilt, sin and the possibility of redemption.” Read more
***
41
The Traitors
(BBC One/iPlayer) Before the celebrity version gave us Alan Carr, the third series of normies Traitors delivered Linda, AKA the worst/best traitor to ever roam the castle. Her head-turn when Claudia Winkleman said “traitors” wasn’t the only golden moment. Charlotte’s fake Welsh accent! Lisa the vicar’s bare-faced lie about her job! The shock return of Alexander! Rare is the show that makes appointment TV and creates national watercooler chat in 2025. But beyond all that – Claudia’s gothic outfits alone were worth tuning in for.
What we said: “As a study of human behaviour – of deception, manipulation, self-preservation – it remains captivating. As perhaps the best example of social experiment-style reality TV, it has cemented its place in the cultural firmament.” Read more
***
40-31
***
40
Dope Thief
(Apple TV) The two amiable, small-time Philadelphia crooks at the heart of Dope Thief have a good thing going. They rob low-level stash houses disguised as DEA officers and put on a performance of authority to avoid using violence. But when a big score at an out-of-town location is offered, they roll the dice and very quickly regret it: soon they have a bunch of very dangerous people on their tails. The key to this show was the chemistry between ride-or-die leads Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura. As the stakes rose, these alternately hilarious and heartbreaking hoods had us rooting for them in no time.
What we said: “Brian Tyree Henry ranges from comedy to tragedy in a single scene and never misses a beat. He is extraordinary and the rest of the cast are up there with him. He gives Dope Thief heart and at times threatens to break the viewer’s. Wonderful.” Read more
***
39
Squid Game
(Netflix) Hwang Dong-hyuk’s killer game dystopia was one of those exciting shows that nobody saw coming – and it quickly became the biggest show of 2021. But after the sagging second series, the end was in sight with this final one. Fans simply needed to know whether Player 456 – name: Gi-hun – could take down the evil game masters and VIPs from within. While he attempted that, new games meant more scream-at-the-screen entertainment, and we had other contestants to side with (or hate). The twists were totally bewildering (hi, Cate Blanchett!), which made this one hell of a ride to the finish line.
What we said: “If you can get on board with the new contestant twist – and that is a big if – then the final two episodes have a nicely grand and operatic feel to them, and ultimately, Squid Game does its job.” Read more
***
38
Dept. Q
(Netflix) Like a Scottish Slow Horses, but with fewer fart gags. This TV adaptation of a series of Danish crime novels – relocated to Edinburgh – was a sarcasm-packed thrill ride as it told the tale of unpopular maverick copper Carl Morck, sent to work on futile cold cases in the basement. You couldn’t help but root for the team he pulls together to track down a missing lawyer, but the show’s real joy lay in the dynamic between grumpy Morck and Kelly Macdonald as his cheeky, pomp-pricking, work-mandated therapist.
What we said: “It is all fantastically well, and rigorously, done. The pacing has a leisurely confidence that some may find a touch slow, but allows for a character-first approach, creating a richness that amply rewards initial patience.” Read more
***
37
This City Is Ours
(BBC One/iPlayer) The city in question was Liverpool and while the drug gang at this drama’s heart had the territory well and truly locked down, the internal politics of family and succession were a different matter. James Nelson-Joyce stole the show as Michael, the gang’s heir apparent who finds his assumed rise to the top threatened by retiring boss Ronnie’s (Sean Bean) surprising preference for his feckless son Jamie. Needless to say, as the brains and the brawn of the operation, Michael doesn’t take this well. This City Is Ours never fully escaped from standard gangster tropes but instead, leaned into them with compelling relish. And that final rooftop standoff! Breathtakingly tense.
What we said: “The Sopranos influence can be felt” … Read more
***
36
The Beast in Me
(Netflix) An extraordinary performance of jittery, self-destructive anguish from Claire Danes lies at the heart of this ambiguous psychological thriller. Danes is Aggie Wiggs, a creatively blocked and prickly author who is dealing with the trauma of bereavement. When Matthew Rhys’s rebarbative (indeed, possibly murderous) real estate magnate Nile Jarvis moves in next door, it seems like the last thing she needs. Sure enough, the pair hate each other almost on sight – but soon, a weird, co-dependent fascination develops between them which leads to some very dark waters indeed. The two leads inspire each other into something genuinely startling.
What we said: “It is, they are, absolutely wonderful to watch. Awards will surely be given, and in the meantime you cannot look away.” Read more
***
35
A Thousand Blows
(Disney+) The best of Steven Knight’s many shows this year, this punchy underworld drama contained pretty much a full house of his favourite tropes: strangely poetic outlaws, beautifully realised period trappings (London’s East End in the grubby, gruesome late Victorian era) and regular outbursts of bone-crunching violence. It also boasted a trio of magnificent lead performances: Malachi Kirby’s immigrant boxer, Hezekiah Moscow, was charming, principled and deadly, while charismatic gang leader Mary Carr (Erin Doherty) was shrewd and slippery. Meanwhile, Stephen Graham – an actor whose combination of vulnerability and volatility loomed over this TV year – was somehow terrifying and desperately poignant as fading prize-fighter Henry “Sugar” Goodson.
What we said: “Has an irresistible, Dickensian-yarn quality that helps smuggle in timely social and political commentary, much as the great man did himself.” Read more
***
34
I Love LA
(Sky Comedy/Now) Is internet comedian Rachel Sennott the Lena Dunham of her generation? Her first comedy series certainly has potential to be as relevant to gen Z as Girls was for millennials. The show follows 27-year-old aspiring talent manager Maia (Sennott) in LA as she navigates relationships, friendships, career ambitions and all of life’s mortifying moments in between. It took a few episodes to find its feet but the cast burst with energy as they delivered near-constant gags. Plus, for the millennials: Leighton Meester guest stars as Maia’s boss.
What we said: “The endless embarrassments and boundless opportunities of celebrity can seem, by season’s end, not too different from that of being alive, particularly in one’s 20s. It’s a bumpy ride, but they’re just getting started.” Read more
***
33
The Change
(Channel 4) Bridget Christie’s comedy drama is something special: a deeply personal call to arms for menopausal women who feel invisible. It’s also hilarious. Linda (Christie) is a fiftysomething mother and wife who escapes life on a motorbike to go and find herself in the Forest of Dean. By series two, she has had quite an effect on the local people: women wear “Je suis Linda” T-shirts and, armed with their copy of Linda’s Ledger, boycott doing unrecognised work. But she’s still on her own journey, too, with plenty of touching moments and acts of sisterhood. All of this was explored with Christie’s gorgeous whimsy. What a shame Channel 4 cancelled the show, despite Christie writing it for a three-series arc. Hopefully it will find a new home.
What we said: “The Change is still the best (and probably the only) TV comedy series ever written about menopause.” Read more
***
32
South Park
(Paramount+) After Paramount settled a lawsuit with Donald Trump for $16m (£13.5m) and discontinued Stephen Colbert’s show after the late-night host called the deal “a big fat bribe”, South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker signed a $1.5bn five-year contract with the network – and immediately fought back. Episode one starred Donald Trump with a micropenis, climbing into bed with Satan. ICE, AI, tech bros and Labubus have all been in the line of fire. For an animated show in its 28th series to not just stay relevant, but boldly retaliate against the Trump administration’s censoring of the media, is incredible. It’s also still really, really funny.
What we said: “Even for a show like South Park, which has often been defined by its anger, this may well go down as its most furious ever.” Read more
***
31
Mussolini: Son of the Century
(Sky Atlantic/Now) Joe Wright’s stylish adaptation of Antonio Scurati’s doorstop of a historical novel followed Il Duce’s wobbly first steps towards fascism, as he moved from national laughing stock to the March on Rome and his ultimate enshrining as dictator. Luca Marinelli was chillingly compelling as a fourth-wall-breaking Mussolini, walking the audience through each of his norm-shattering acts in a series that served as a honking great warning klaxon in these fractious times.
What we said: “A brilliantly performed portrait of a pathetic monster.” Read more
***
30-21
***
30
What It Feels Like For a Girl
(BBC Three/iPlayer) Based on Paris Lees’ unflinching coming-of-age memoir, What It Feels Like For a Girl followed Nottingham teenager Byron (an incredible breakthrough for Ellis Howard) who befriends a group of club-loving transgender women and starts to explore their own identity. Byron is far from a likable protagonist – but that, along with the nuanced ways the story tackled sex work and drug use is what made it so authentic, so bold. It was a challenging but captivating watch, made even better for capturing the 00s in all their inglorious mess.
What we said: “It’s certainly a wild ride – I’ll struggle to look at a toilet brush the same way ever again.” Read more
***
29
Amandaland
(BBC One/iPlayer) Replicating the sheer watchability of Motherland’s phenomenal ensemble cast is no mean feat. But it certainly doesn’t hurt to draw on solid-gold comedy pedigree performers like Joanna Lumley and Siobhán McSweeney, plus Motherland’s most underrated character: the gloriously daffy Anne. Add in the subtlety and vulnerability that Lucy Punch brought to her turn as post-divorce queen bee Amanda, plus a script that skewered Insta-obsessed posh parents, and you had a televisual joy. Just don’t accuse her of living in South Harlesden: it’s “SoHa”, darling.
What we said: “When writing is this good, it fizzes with the hysterical energy of perimenopause.” Read more
***
28
The Bear
(Disney+) This one sure divided the critics. There were those who felt the hit restaurant drama that skyrocketed blood pressures and sales of sexy white T-shirts had served up its duffest course yet. But those who stuck with its fourth season were rewarded in spades with way less shouting of “Yes chef” and way more deep and brave and emotional television that had catharsis by the crateload. The under-the-table wedding scene? That two-hander between Sydney and Carmy (“I believe in you more than I’ve ever believed in myself”)? The funeral reveal (“I will fucking destroy you, Carmy”)? This was TV that still hits so hard.
What we said: “Having put his creations and his audience through hell, showrunner Christopher Storer now lets the light in via a torrent of tenderly written, fiercely performed interactions where broken people who love each other start to heal, saying variations on those two beautiful phrases, ‘sorry’ and ‘thank you.’” Read more
***
27
Andor
(Disney+) Probably the best and certainly the most universally appealing of the many additions to the Star Wars universe in recent years, this Rogue One prequel may have had the usual fantasy trappings but was also a stirring meditation on oppression and resistance. And dropping in the year of Donald Trump’s second coming, it felt particularly poignant and potent. It starred the excellent Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, a thief and scavenger whose home planet has been rendered uninhabitable by the Galactic Empire. Andor is a natural leader but he’s also a cynic; sceptical of revolutionary idealism. How does such a man turn into a freedom fighter, willing to risk everything for his cause?
What we said: “Even when it’s in a lighter mode, Andor is Star Wars for grownups. This rebellion is a serious business.” Read more
***
26
Hacks
(Sky Max/Now) Never mind that this wasn’t the Jean Smart-starring, odd-couple sitcom’s finest season. So glorious is this Emmy-winning tale of a veteran standup paired with a gen Z comedy writer that even a low-key outing is the stuff of most show’s dreams. This time round, we got a new roster of scene-stealing minor characters, heart-wrenching moments of pathos and zingers so acerbic you were in constant danger of spraying tea across the room. It also doesn’t hurt that the relationship between its two leads is one of TV’s most captivating.
What we said: “Season four of Hacks is very funny. But what makes it really special is just how raw it is, too, ready to hit you in the feels when you least expect it.” Read more
***
25
Trespasses
(Channel 4) This beautiful adaptation of Louise Kennedy’s layered story about a forbidden love affair set against the Troubles truly crushed hearts. It followed young Catholic teacher Cushla (Lola Petticrew) who falls for Protestant barrister Michael Agnew (Tom Cullen). Obviously, things couldn’t end well – as the story navigates the temperature of Belfast during that time. Gillian Anderson has, rightly, received a lot of praise for her portrayal of Cushla’s grieving alcoholic mother. But Petticrew is a rising talent, as proven in last year’s Say Nothing.
What we said: “Trespasses seems like a collection of familiar melodramas, each borrowing from the Troubles for extra dramatic heft. The narrative is constructed with deceptive skill. As individuals’ hopes and feelings are crushed in the gears of events much bigger than them, we feel that pain.” Read more
***
24
The Assembly
(ITV1/ITVX) There’s no denying that one of the great pleasures of this interview show was watching Gary Lineker subjected to an unfiltered grilling, just as he followed years of controversy by announcing he was leaving the BBC. But that was just one of many excellent reasons to tune in to TV’s most joyous chatshow, with the questions this group of neurodivergent people fired at a visiting celebrity leading to unfailingly brilliant viewing. The panel were fearless, funny and not afraid to ask questions most entertainment journalists wouldn’t dare to. All the celebrity guests, including Danny Dyer, Jade Thirlwall and David Tennant, answered with rare candour – while the musical performances left you bawling.
What we said: “This is some of the warmest telly you’ll see this year … even when Danny Dyer starts dropping f-bombs left, right and centre.” Read more
***
23
Dreaming Whilst Black
(BBC iPlayer) “Sometimes you have to Hit the Pavement. Ask Zohran Mamdani.” Since season two of his BBC comedy Dreaming Whilst Black came out, Adjani Salmon has been taking to the streets of central London with his Bafta in one hand and a poster in the other that says “Do you watch Black shows”. It’s an ace marketing strategy, but everyone in the UK should already know Salmon, and should already have watched his show – one of the most exciting and hilarious comedies of our age. In its second outing, aspiring film-maker Kwabena (Salmon) starts out unemployed – his uncle brutally roasts him, declaring “Kwabena is the only Black man in England that never got any work out of Black Lives Matter” – but soon lands what seems like a dream gig: directing a new period drama with colour-blind casting. Soon, though, the wheels come off (literally) in the most catastrophic way. It’s punchy and it always goes there; it even recreated the Tyrese Gibson RnB banger How You Gonna Act Like That. More please, BBC!
What we said: “Dreaming Whilst Black remains rich with funny, true observations, about the hypocrisies and degradations of working in TV, and Black British life in general. Pertinent questions raised in this series include: “Who the fuck wines to Giggs?” and “What has Jamaican national dish ackee and saltfish – served on rye, no less – got to do with celebrating Barbados?” Read more
***
22
Riot Women
(BBC One/iPlayer) This story about a menopausal rock band in Hebden Bridge was unmistakably by Sally Wainwright: a wickedly funny, hugely moving and personal take on women who feel invisible in midlife – with a few twists chucked in for good measure. The cast was some of Britain’s best, including Joanna Scanlan, Lorraine Ashbourne, Tamsin Greig and Sue Johnston. But Rosalie Craig was the standout as furious lead singer Kitty, who belted out their absolute bangers (“Give. Me. HRT!”). There was poignant social commentary, too, and many moments that were a reminder to call your mum tonight. But ultimately, it was a rollicking ode to women who won’t be ignored. Rock on series two!
What we said: “Sally Wainwright should be prescribed on the NHS as a form of HRT.” Read more
***
21
Mo
(Netflix) Mo is an almost miraculous thing, managing to find humour and humanity in the most impossible circumstances. And the worst of it is that while Mo’s struggles towards belonging in America during season one were already considerable, the Trump administration’s extreme hostility towards “invaders” makes the real situation for such people almost unbearable to contemplate. And yet, Mo’s Palestinian-American creator Mohammed Amer continues to make his extremely heavy points with remarkable lightness – really, the big takeaway should be that the pride, ingenuity and cultural richness offered by strivers like Mo would be an asset to any nation open-hearted and self-possessed enough to welcome them in.
What we said: “Surely one of the most heart-rending things you’ll watch on TV this year. It brings together food, identity, immigration, family and Middle Eastern politics in a way that’s as fresh and intriguing as the falafel tacos that become central to the plot.” Read more
***
20-11
***
20
Just Act Normal
(BBC Three/iPlayer) Drugs, social services, a live chicken: this wry comedy drama had it all. As if a comic tale of three under-18s desperately trying to avoid being taken into care after their mum vanishes wasn’t idiosyncratic enough, it set the series up with one of the year’s most astonishing narrative rug pulls. The youthful cast was astonishing, the gags were strong and its charmingly dark tone was like nothing else on TV. Eye-prickingly sad moments of childhood trauma rubbed up against satire, with plots that ranged from hilarious spoofs of heist movies to a tender teen romance whose early stage played out in a massage parlour. It also featured the most touching tale of a child bonding with a local drug dealer seen on TV this year. Like we said, there’s no other show like this.
What we said: “It is, within each episode and over the entire series, beautifully structured and holds its many strands in perfect tension … It is altogether a wonderful thing.” Read more
***
19
Shifty
(BBC iPlayer) While it’s possible to argue that Adam Curtis has been telling variations of the same story for many years now (the slow death of liberal democracy and human autonomy at the hands of late-stage capitalism), he still finds new and dazzling ways of illuminating his thesis. Shifty was his most convincing offering in some time: an emotional rather than strictly historical journey and all the better for it. It begins in the Thatcher years and, using Curtis’s extraordinary skill as an editor and archive-hunter, maps a path to the New Labour years. There’s no voiceover – simply a cascading collage of imagery that feels at once familiar and revelatory. Curtis’s films are best appreciated as art installations rather than historical narratives, but this intuitive masterpiece felt convincing on every level.
What we said: “It is an increasing rarity to stand in the presence of anyone with an idea, a thesis, that they have thoroughly worked out to their own satisfaction and then present stylishly, exuberantly and still intelligently. The hell and the handcart feel that bit more bearable now.” Read more
***
18
Slow Horses
(Apple TV) We’ve reached season five of the little espionage thriller that could, and by this point it’s become a bona fide blockbuster. Though we can’t help but feel it’s a slight case of diminishing returns, this season still had Gary Oldman giving his all as the slovenly Slough House spy boss Jackson Lamb, Nick “Celebrity Traitors” Mohammed as the London mayor nearly getting shot in a mosque and the honey-trapping of Roddy Ho almost bringing down the whole of MI5. Thankfully, Jackson managed to step in with a cracking checkmate to save the day – and his Slough House crew. Or as he put it: “Fuck MI5. My gaff, my rules.”
What we said: “Season five isn’t really about white nationalists, or environmental activists, or hostile foreign actors, and yet it is also about all of those things, all at once.” Read more
***
17
The Chair Company
(Sky Comedy/Now) Fans of Tim Robinson’s awkward brand of humour were in for a real treat with this cracking series. He played family man and office worker Ron, who becomes obsessed with tracking down the company behind the chair that caused an embarrassing accident in front of his colleagues. But what starts as a week of angry emails and phone calls turns into a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories and the unravelling of a man who has had enough. Bizarre, worryingly relatable and absolutely hilarious.
What we said: “You can’t tell exactly when the next massive, stupid laugh is coming.” Read more
***
16
Last One Laughing UK
(Prime Video) It’s a simple concept: round up 10 comedians in a room and get them to try to make each other laugh – anyone who cracks is kicked out. No wonder it’s been a hit in 26 other countries. Joe Lycett lasted mere minutes, while Richard Ayoade’s deadpan ways consistently worked in his favour. Daisy May Cooper’s re-enactment of being on a rollercoaster deserves a shout-out, too, but it was Bob Mortimer who stole the show. So much so that he has already been confirmed for season two next year.
What we said: “Bob Mortimer performed a magic act first seen on The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer 30 years ago and sang some songs he posted on social media during Covid. The fact that these routines not only found new life on LOL UK, but also pushed his fellow contestants to the brink, is testament to Mortimer’s talent.” Read more
***
15
Platonic
(Apple TV) Kayaking disasters, LSD-related wedding catastrophes and the most grim golfing-related accident ever shown on TV – in its second season, Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne’s tale of two uni pals navigating midlife lost none of its anarchic spark. And yet its depiction of the pressures of working motherhood felt more acute than ever, with Byrne the standout performer, reliably turning in comedy gold that veered from deadpan to OTT frenzy. Not bad going in a year that her co-star broke records for the number of Emmys he won for his other comedy, The Studio.
What we said: “The show does a brilliant job of capturing that feeling of exclusion from the real world that often accompanies motherhood, and Byrne expertly walks the line between aspirational cool girl and relatably downtrodden housewife.” Read more
***
14
Big Boys
(Channel 4) It kicked off with Jack finally losing his virginity in a tent in Faliraki and ended up with an emotionally pulverising beach scene (“I didn’t make it did I?”) followed by the revivification of a most beautiful mate. But over three series, Jack Rooke’s gorgeous autobiographical uni comedy about awkward bod Jack (Dylan Llewellyn) and his straight best mate Danny (Jon Pointing) was never one to do things by halves. It tackled love, loss and the drinking of poppers. It had a fish named Alison Hammond, a dissertation called To Bum or Not to Bum, and it offered a masterclass in how to eat Peperami while giving birth to your delivery driver’s baby. But the way it moved towards its final moments was a masterstroke. We can’t wait to see what Rooke does next.
What we said: “It’s heartbreaking, it’s beautiful, it’s a valuable companion in itself: sitcoms don’t get much more deep and meaningful than this.” Read more
***
13
Such Brave Girls
(BBC Three/iPlayer) None of the characters are nice, but it’s almost impossible to watch an episode of this darkly comic, impeccably acted show about three women on the brink and not want to spend more time in their company. A ferocious, laugh-out-loud funny rampage through mental health crises, debt and toxic relationships. Given that creator Kat Sadler and her sister co-star Lizzie Davidson are wringing sparklingly bleak comedy out of material based on their own lives, it makes the bravery of this Bafta-winning creation even more impressive.
What we said: “If you like your comedy scary, lairy and perfectly portioned, it is a total knockout.” Read more
***
12
Pluribus
(Apple TV) With Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul behind him, there were huge expectations for showrunner Vince Gilligan’s new drama – but he has pulled off a spectacularly original sci-fi story. Carol (the brilliant Rhea Seehorn, who the show was written for) is a miserable novelist who is immune to an alien virus that takes hold of 99.9% of the world and turns them into a happy hive. As Carol tries to “save” the world, the show morphs into a sharply funny social observation and a psychological thriller that hums with existential dread. As per Gilligan’s works, trust and patience are rewarded – thanks in part to those hypnotic opening montages – and each episode racks up more questions that you’re happy to wait whole series to find answers to. It’s a good job season two has already been commissioned.
What we said: “It takes some chutzpah to look at the world in 2025 – especially if you are a non-Maga citizen of the US – and say to yourself, “Yes, but wouldn’t it be almost more terrible if everybody just … got along?” But that is essentially what Gilligan has done. The execution may not be flawless but the audacity of the question is incredible.” Read more
***
11
The White Lotus
(Sky Atlantic/Now) Parker Posey’s lorazepam-fuelled North Carolinian accent! Aimee Lou Wood’s melting of hearts! And … Patrick Schwarzenegger’s sibling incest! The third season of Mike White’s luxury resort drama, set in Thailand, might not have been the best – but it was stuffed with viral comedy moments, treacle-dark twists and career-high performances. This is still one of the most solid series going, with White taking it in weirder and wilder directions each time, so who on earth knows what the next White Lotus stay will bring.
What we said: “Exquisitely shot, scripted, paced and performed, it’s a sumptuous feast for all the senses. ” Read more
***
10-4
***
10
Louis Theroux: The Settlers
(BBC Two/iPlayer) As a follow-up to his 2011 film, The Ultra Zionists, Louis Theroux returned to the West Bank after the 7 October attacks, as more Israeli religious nationalists settled in the occupied Palestinian territory. Not many could keep their cool while having rifles pointed at them repeatedly, or when spending time with Ari Abramowitz, a gun-holding settler from Texas who refused to utter the word “Palestinian”, or Daniella Weiss, the outspoken “godmother” of the settler movement. Even Theroux, in a jaw-dropping moment, set aside his gentle persona and asked whether she is a sociopath. Bold, alarming and necessary viewing.
What we said: “I’ve been watching Theroux’s films for more than three decades, and watching him be this forthright feels like a true watershed moment in his career. It suits him.” Read more
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9
Severance
(Apple TV) Following up the stunning cliffhanger finale of this creepy workplace satire’s first season was always going to be a difficult feat. But this second outing managed to move past the novelty of a clever premise, featuring employees mentally “severed” into two personalities so that their workplace incarnations are ignorant of their personal lives and vice versa. What emerged were love stories that were touching, troubling and had a flair for wrongfooting the viewer, the show’s creepiest scenes ever and a terrifying guest spot from Gwendoline Christie that’s not just a strong contender for the show’s most memorable moment, but possibly one of her defining roles. Forget Brienne of Tarth: here’s Terrifying Corporate Goat Herd.
What we said: “Severance is a rarity in so many ways – stylish without sacrificing substance, a thoroughly singular vision, fresh, challenging, a wholly credible world made of a tissue of incredulities.” Read more
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8
How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge)
(BBC One/iPlayer) The Gibbons brothers’ BBC revival of Partridge continued apace with this triumphant return to fly-on-the-wall TV redolent of I Am Alan Partridge. This supposed attempt by the broadcaster to tackle a mental health epidemic had a wide brief: from episodes spoofing BBC show Winter Walks to Partridge taking on borderline consumer champion role that saw him tackle an unscrupulous tech boss on behalf of an unfairly sacked employee (only to “give her story the hearing it deserves” by flying one of the company’s jetpacks while screaming “Sell your kids! Get one before they ban it!”). He got wasted on white wine at a book club, was forced to let Lynne nearly crash his car and ruined her church music group by turning them into a rehearsal space for his electronic drum kit. Is that how you champion better mental health? Clearly not. But this is Alan Partridge, after all – on the form of his life.
What we said: “Whatever medium he inhabits, Partridge remains the funniest comic creation in Britain, and even placeholder Partridge has more laughs-out-loud per half-hour than anything else on telly.” Read more
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7
The Rehearsal
(Sky Comedy/Now) Nathan Fielder is worried about aircraft safety. Well, he might be. Or he might be using the subject as a smokescreen for a rambling, surreal exploration of the concept of authenticity. Or maybe a bit of both? Fielder’s new series – in which he tries to persuade the aviation industry to adopt new techniques to ensure better cockpit communication between pilots – will wrongfoot you so frequently you’ll end up stumbling in circles. Along the way, he builds a full-scale replica of parts of Houston airport, performs an experiment with a pair of cloned dogs and suckles on a huge model of the mother of heroic pilot Chesley Sullenberger. He also (quite literally) sticks the landing in a way that genuinely leaves you gasping. Whatever you expect this show to be, prepare to be wrong. But prepare to be dazzled too: no one else makes television like this.
What we said: “At the end of the finale, I realised that all I had written for the final 30 minutes was ‘how on EARTH did they do this????’ over and over again, like a bad version of the typewriter scene in The Shining.” Read more
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6
Alien: Earth
(Disney+) Who could have predicted that a demon-eyed sheep would become the most symbolic baddie in the Alien franchise? Making a TV series of the beloved films (the first two, at least) was a huge gamble. But boy did Noah Hawley pull it off. Fleshing out the mythology, he introduced us to a not-so-far-fetched dystopia where a rich brat in pyjamas called the shots and immortalised dying children via synthetics. He also really wanted aliens. But when his wish came true, hell was unleashed: the trypanohyncha ocellus – a tentacled eyeball that buried itself in its victim’s eye socket, including that poor sheep – joined the xenomorph in scaring the bejesus out of fans. Hawley took his time in telling the story, but even when humans weren’t being ripped apart, the masterly production ensured a sense of doom and always had you wondering: who are the real monsters here?
What we said: “The series always has a way of making us feel like helpless prey being circled. Something gloriously horrific is just around the corner.” Read more
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5
Blue Lights
(BBC One/iPlayer) It’s meticulously researched, so rooted in its Belfast location that it feels like no other cop drama on TV, and almost certainly the show with television’s finest Westlife-based comic moment. As its third season saw action move to the drug trade’s links to wealthy elites it took a darker turn than previously, with fewer comic moments, and a run of grippingly tense episodes that repeatedly raised the bar for the year’s most intense watch. The stress of two officers failing in their battle to stop a car crash victim bleeding out, only to nearly end up being assassinated by dissident republicans while informing the driver’s parents of his death? Pfft. Standout episode Ordo Ab Chao saw a low-key restaurant disturbance end in a stabbing for constable Shane, while colleague Grace had to protect a witness against a carful of gunmen, despite having no weapons, armour or clue what she was supposed to do. At times it was stressful enough to give you a panic attack, and yet, it still managed to end the series on a joyful, smile-inducing singalong. What a show.
What we said: “Blue Lights has quietly become one of the best shows on TV.” Read more
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4
The Studio
(Apple TV) Seth Rogen’s sitcom about a Hollywood film studio broke records for the number of Emmys it won, and with good reason. Despite being stuffed with brilliant celeb cameos (Dave Franco as a live wire, drug-taking party monster! Ron Howard knocking Rogen head over heels in a fight!), its core cast outshone them, oozing astonishing comic flair as they rattled through one side-splitting farce after another. The show’s embrace of its subject matter extended to a soundtrack of big band-style skittering drums redolent of golden era Hollywood and artfully directed episodes whose camerawork included one filmed in an elaborate single-take shot (while the plot of the episode is about a film-maker trying to get an elaborate single-take shot). Don’t let the highfalutin artsy stuff fool you, though: after all, one of the most memorable moments of this hilariously slapstick show is a drug-addled, violently spray-tanned Bryan Cranston in a leopard-skin thong. Unforgettable.
What we said: “Many things mark The Studio out from the ever-increasing herd of satires on Hollywood. There is the unimpeachable casting, from core to cameos; the former comprising not just Catherine O’Hara as the raw-nerved Patty but also Kathryn Hahn as permanently, incandescently furious marketing maven Maya.” Read more
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No 3 coming soon
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Stay tuned for the next episode
