As we struggle out of the bleak misery of winter into the warm, hopeful sunshine of spring, you could be forgiven for wanting to turn off the TV set and head outdoors to soak up some much needed Vitamin D.
However! Doing so would mean missing out on some truly excellent shows. March and April are bursting with exciting new releases, from the new season of Doctor Who to the juicy Guy Ritchie gangster series Mobland – and in the interests of not missing out, we’ve rounded up some of the best here.
Adolescence
Philip Barantini made the country sit up with his frenzied one-take film Boiling Point. Now he’s back, but instead of tackling stressed chefs, he’s reunited with Stephen Graham to tell the story of something darker and more troubling: a tween who’s arrested for violently murdering a classmate. Graham is the perplexed father figure, and the camera follows the action relentlessly – yes, it’s all one take.
Netflix, out March 13
The Wheel of Time Season 3
The lore gets denser, but fantasy fans will find plenty to enjoy in the latest season of the Wheel of Time. As it the wont of far-flung fantasy lands, the threats against the power of the Light are multiplying: the White Tower is divided, old enemies are returning and the terrifying Forsaken are in hot pursuit of Rand, the newly-appointed Dragon Reborn. Unfortunately for everybody, Rand is slowly being corrupted by a dark power.
Prime Video, out March 13
The Residence
Think Knives Out crossed with The Diplomat – and if that’s not a reason to tune in to Netflix’s upcoming show, what is? Uzo Aduba stars as Cordelia Cupp, a brilliant and eccentric detective (ringing any bells?) who is called upon to solve a murder at the White House residence. The suspects? All the staff and guests at a state dinner. No problem.
Netflix, out March 20
This City is Ours
Any excuse to have a little more Sean Bean in our lives is a good one – so with that in mind, his upcoming BBC show should be a good one. Bean stars as an ageing mobster, who wants to step down and leave the running of the business (as it were) to loyal aide Michael Kavanagh (James Nelson Joyce). Only issue? Their son, Jamie, feels it’s his birthright. And the entire thing is set in Liverpool.
BBC, out March 23
The Change Season 2
Bridget Christie’s menopause comedy is back once more – as well as its cast of frankly weird and wonderful characters (seriously, name one other TV show that started with its hero running away from her boring life in Swindon and ended with her being crowned the Eel Queen in a pagan rite). Fortunately for us all, there’s more paganism and more weird and wonderful characters to come, as former homemaker Linda reckons with the lies that she’s told the local community, as well as the repercussions of husband Steve (Omid Djalili) arriving to take her back home.
Channel 4, out March 25
Mobland
Guy Ritchie played a blinder with last year’s TV show The Gentlemen. Now he’s back with another take on the genre – this time for Paramount+. You can’t argue with a line-up that includes Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Tom Hardy either. Details are scarce but it seems that Brosnan plays Conrad Harrigan, the head of an organised crime family, which finds itself scrapping for influence in a global crime syndicate. Juicy – and with Ritchie at the helm, most likely bloody.
Paramount+, out March 30
Reunion
It’s not everyday a thriller lands on screens that’s bilingual in both English and British Sign Language – which makes Reunion worth a watch in itself. However, there’s also a great plot: Matthew Gurney plays Daniel Brennan, a deaf man who leaves prison determined to right his wrongs, reconnect with his daughter and figure out the truth behind the events that led to his crime. Factor in appearances from Anne-Marie Duff and Rose Ayling-Ellis and the end result promises to be gripping.
BBC One, out spring
Malpractice Series 2
What happens when a doctor goes rogue? Well, Dr Norma Callahan (Helen Behan) and Dr George Adjei (Jordan Kouamé) of the Medical Investigation Unit step in. Season one of ITV’s hit drama saw them investigating Niamh Algar’s A&E doctor Lucinda Edwards; for season two, they’re tackling a brand new case: Dr James Ford (Tom Hughes), a Psychiatric Registrar in a North Yorkshire hospital with a messy personal life.
ITV, out spring
Your Friends and Neighbors
Jon Hamm is on peak form as a recently disgraced (and divorced) hedge fund manager who resorts to stealing from his neighbours’ homes in the affluent Westmont Villages to make ends meet. Unfortunately for him, it’s not just valuables he ends up finding – he also stumbles across rather a lot of secrets and secret affairs that those neighbours will go to extreme lengths to keep hidden.
Apple TV+, out April 11
Doctor Who
Ncuti Gatwa is back to spin us around space and time some more as the Doctor. As ever, the plot is being kept tightly under wraps, but we’ve had confirmation of some exciting guest appearances – Rylan and Alan Cumming, anybody? – as well as a brand new companion in the form of Varada Sethu’s Belinda Chandra. Strap in for more intergalactic hijinks.
BBC One, out April 12
The Stolen Girl
Ambika Mod captured our hearts in One Day – and now she’s back for this Disney+ thriller that preys on every parent’s worst nightmare. Denise Gough is Elisa, the mum to two young kids who daughter Lucia goes on a playdate with new best friend Josie. Only the next day, Josie and Lucia are missing – taken by Josie’s mum Rebecca (Holliday Grainger). Rebecca took Lucia for a reason, but what that is, we’ll have to find out.
Disney+, out April 16
The Last Of Us Season 2
Season one proved that video games could actually be made into excellent TV (yes, it’s possible). Set in a dystopian future America ruled by mushroom-powered zombies, it was nail-biting, vicious television – powered in the main by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey’s excellent performances as Joel and Ellie. Season two picks things up a few years later, in the small town of Jackson, Wyoming – the pair are living a peaceful life, but of course, zombies have a habit of messing things up, and soon they’re fighting for their lives once more.
HBO Max/ Sky Atlantic, out April 21
Andor Season 2
The explosive conclusion to one of the best Star Wars TV series the franchise has ever put out. Diego Luna is back as Cassian Andor, a former layabout turned committed rebel leader. His mission? To help foment dissent across the Empire and form what becomes the Rebellion – and as unrest spreads, its leadership starts cracking down to brutal effect.
Disney+, out April 22
You Season 5
The show that briefly made stalkers sexy. Penn Badgley returns one last time as Joe, the deranged psychopath who has a nasty habit of fixating on girls and ruining their lives. Now, he’s back in New York once more and married to Kate (Charlotte Ritchie) – but that won’t stop him. The twists will be cheesy, the plot will be full of holes, but we’re not here for that, we’re here for the unhinged energy, and there will certainly be plenty of that.
Netflix, out April 24
