British summer time is over, the daylight hours are dwindling and we seem to be getting a new and horrendous storm every week. Clearly then it’s hibernation season, when trips outside – or even away from the sofa – are to be kept to an absolute minimum, and the “play next” button is to be bashed liberally.
Thankfully, despite a worrying, strikes-induced dry spell for TV in recent months, November and December is looking pretty stuffed for intriguing new shows. Here are 10 to burn through over the coming weeks (for the purposes of today’s newsletter I’ve looked at UK release dates, but for global schedules and platforms check out justwatch.com) …
For All Mankind
This speculative history drama imagining what would have happened if the Soviets had won the space race is one of the best shows on TV that no one talks about. Season four moves the action to 1996 where tensions are hotting up at an international base on Mars. Worth watching alone for the great opening sequences at the start of every season, reeling through news stories in the show’s alternative reality (“John Lennon survives assassination … Ted Kennedy elected president”).
Available on Apple TV+ from 10 Nov
The Curse
A new Nathan Fielder comedy? Co-created by Benny Safdie? Starring Emma Stone? Not sure anything else on this list can quite match that top billing. In The Curse Fielder and Stone play a home-improvement-show-hosting couple whose lives are upturned when a child curses them. If it’s a fifth as full-on as Fielder’s last series, The Rehearsal, it will be very full-on indeed!
Paramount+ from 11 Nov
A Murder at the End of the World
Netflix’s decision to cancel The OA, TV’s most mysterious show, before its mysteries had actually been resolved was a truly maddening commissioning decision. Here, as a crumb of solace for those still in mourning, comes a new show from its creators Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij: a chilly whodunnit starring Emma Corrin as a celeb sleuth trying to get to the bottom of a suspicious death at a tech retreat.
Disney+ from 14 Nov
The Lazarus Project
The first series of this sci-fi thriller could best be described as elevated trash: its premise – secret agent is stuck in a perpetual six-month time loop – was high-concept and silly, but the talent involved (Giri/Haji’s Joe Barton on showrunning duties, Paapa Essiedu in the starring role, Vinette Robinson, Tom Burke and Caroline Quentin ably supporting) was serious. It returns this month for season two with the stakes upped again, as time itself is in danger of collapsing.
Sky and Now from 15 Nov
The Crown
The final season of Peter Morgan’s royal drama has an awful lot to cram in before its 2005 termination point. Diana’s death and its aftermath will obviously take up a lot of room, but there’s the emergence of Tony Blair, the deaths of the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret, and Charles’s marriage to Camilla to tick off as well. For maximum impact it’s being released in two chunks: the first four (Diana-focused) episodes arrive this month; the remaining six follow on 14 December.
Netflix from 16 Nov
Squid Game: The Challenge
Fans of sadistic spins on grandmother’s footsteps will have to wait until next year at least for season two of hit drama Squid Game. But here comes a gameshow version that, while a fair bit less bloody, hardly sounds a stroll in the park: three contestants needed medical treatment during its making. Still, a $4.56m prize pot should make all the suffering worthwhile for its lucky winner – and raise the stakes sufficiently for those of us watching from the sofa.
Netflix from 22 Nov
Doctor Who specials
It’s a big year for the Who-niverse, as TV’s longest-running sci-fi series celebrates its 60th. Marking the anniversary, and leading up for a new series starring Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th Doctor, are a trio of specials starring one of the show’s most loved Timelord/Companion combos: David Tennant and Catherine Tate. How and why they’re back together remains a bit of a mystery, but with Russell T Davies back on showrunning duties, the reveal should hopefully be a satisfying one.
BBC One and iPlayer from 25 Nov
Slow Horses
At a time when so many shows have years-long gaps between series (see The White Lotus, which won’t be back until 2025!), it’s hard to resist the like-clockwork charms of this Gary Oldman-starring spy drama, which keeps churning out tightly plotted, frequently funny fare at a steady click (this is its third series in 18 months). Let’s gloss over that extremely ropey Mick Jagger theme tune for now, eh?
Apple TV+ from 29 Nov
Boat Story
Fraternal writing duo Harry and Jack Williams have carved out a solid niche in taut, glowering British thrillers (The Missing, One of Us, The Tourist). Boat Story looks thrilling alright, but otherwise seems a bit of a departure: a big, broad crime caper about two strangers who stumble upon a literal boatload of cash, and have to deal with the ugly consequences. The cast is a perfect one for this sort of comedy/drama hybrid: Back to Life’s Daisy Haggard, Paterson “Johnson from Peep Show” Joseph and Joanna Scanlan (The Thick of It, After Love).
BBC One and iPlayer TBC
Platform 7
Jasmine Jobson’s performance (as conflicted dealer Jaq) was the best thing about Top Boy’s recent final season, so it really is time for her to get a shot at a juicy leading role. Here, right on cue, is one: she stars in this supernatural-tinged psychological thriller adapted from Louise Doughty’s bestseller, about a woman questioning everything after witnessing a traumatic incident at a train station.
ITV and ITVX from 7 Dec
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