{"id":587028,"date":"2026-04-05T12:28:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T12:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/587028\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T12:28:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T12:28:16","slug":"the-best-new-shows-to-watch-starting-tonight-the-irish-times-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/587028\/","title":{"rendered":"the best new shows to watch, starting tonight \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pick of the weekFor Peat\u2019s SakeMonday, RT\u00c9 One, 6.30pm <\/p>\n

Long before oil<\/a> crises and the wars in Ukraine<\/a> and Iran<\/a>, Irish people had a cheap, readily available source of energy right there in the soil. For thousands of years, turf has heated Irish homes and kept the cold at bay, and also fuelled an image of Ireland as a land of quaint cottages with turf fires burning. But in recent decades, Ireland\u2019s peatlands have been revealed to be huge natural carbon sinks, essential to combating the effects of climate change, and also places of rich biodiversity. <\/p>\n

Soon the EU was knocking at our door, calling for an end to turf cutting and for the peatlands to be protected, but locals didn\u2019t take too kindly to Brussels bureaucrats telling us what to do with our own turf, and this one-hour documentary tells the story of the \u201cbattle of the bogs\u201d that followed the EU\u2019s intervention. Among the contributors are ecologist Piaras \u00d3 Giob\u00fain, Connemara councillor Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 Currao\u00edn and Kerry turfcutters Mick and Denis Scannell. <\/p>\n

HighlightsOther Voices presents Foo FightersMonday, RT\u00c92, 9.30pm\"OtherOther Voices presents Foo Fighters: Dave Grohl and co. Photograph: Johnny Savage\/RT\u00c9 <\/p>\n

Last month, the peace and quiet of St James\u2019 Church in Dingle, Co Kerry was shattered by the thunderous sound of US rockers Foo Fighters \u2013 and no one was complaining. The band played a secret gig in the beautiful old venue last month, previewing tracks from their new album, Your Favourite Toy, released on April 24th, and the whole thing was captured on film for this Other Voices special. It\u2019s been a long time since the band fronted by Dave Grohl played a venue this small, but the 80 lucky fans in St James\u2019 Church got a performance worthy of a big stadium. <\/p>\n

LigasTuesday, Sky Atlantic and Now, 9pm\"Ligas:Ligas: Luca Argentero and Barbara Chichiarelli. Photograph: Sky <\/p>\n

Lorenzo Ligas is a brilliant but unconventional lawyer with a messy private life. Sounds like every telly lawyer ever created, but this one, we are assured, is a cut above the usual small-screen legal eagles. Ligas is one of Milan\u2019s most successful advocates, charming, talented and ingenious, supremely confident in both the courtroom and the bedroom, but he\u2019s also unscrupulous and unpredictable, willing to break rules and bend laws to win his cases. His arrogance gets the better of him, though, and he\u2019s fired by his high-powered law firm. But Ligas is determined to claw his way back to the top and, with help from idealistic trainee Marta, he takes on some of the city\u2019s most hopeless cases, and sets out to win them. The series stars Italian film and TV star Luca Argentero.<\/p>\n

The Copenhagen TestWednesday, Channel 4, 9pm and 10.15pm; Thursday, 10pm and 11.05pm<\/p>\n

Governments and intelligence agencies worry about hackers getting into computer systems and causing all sorts of mayhem, but what if someone could actually hack into someone\u2019s brain, and get access to everything that person sees and hears? Alexander Hale is an intelligence analyst who realises he\u2019s not alone \u2013 someone else has got into his head, and they\u2019re using him to steal secrets from his agency, known as The Orphanage. How can Hale convince The Orphanage he\u2019s not the one who\u2019s spying on them? And how can he find out who the hackers are and unplug them from his cranium? <\/p>\n

Twenty Twenty SixWednesday, BBC Two, 11pm\"TwentyTwenty Twenty Six: Hugh Bonneville <\/p>\n

So, are you getting excited about this summer\u2019s World Cup? Me neither, but the BBC reckon the upcoming tournament, hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, is ripe for satire, and this, if you will, mockumentary series stars Hugh Bonneville as Ian Fletcher, Fifa\u2019s fictional newly hired director of integrity, tasked with making sure it all goes without a hitch and with Fifa coming up smelling of roses. But how to put a cool spin on the threat of several host cities becoming too hot for matches to be played? And how to convince Gen Z that the tournament is meeting its sustainability targets? Don\u2019t see anything about the threat of Ice lifting fans out of stadiums, though, or Trump getting a \u201cpeace prize\u201d from Gianni Infantino. Guess that\u2019s just too far beyond satire. <\/p>\n

Michael Jackson: An American TragedyWednesday, BBC Two, 9pm<\/p>\n

Following the Channel 4 documentary series Michael Jackson: The Trial and the 2025 documentary film Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson, here\u2019s a three-part documentary from the BBC charting the singer\u2019s rise to stardom, from child prodigy propelling the Jackson 5 to fame, to global superstardom with the game-changing album Thriller, to his troubled private life and his legal battles over accusations of child sex abuse. The story we all know, but here it is woven into a single, three-part narrative, with contributions from friends and family, including Jackson\u2019s sister LaToya. With a new biopic due in cinemas, starring Jackson\u2019s nephew Jaafar Jackson as the former self-styled King of Pop, expect the battle over Jackson\u2019s legacy to continue for years to come. <\/p>\n

The Miniature WifeThursday, Sky Atlantic and Now, 9pm\"TheThe Miniature Wife: Matthew Macfadyen and Elizabeth Banks. Photograph: Sky <\/p>\n

Kids, I shrunk your mummy. Elizabeth Banks and Matthew Macfadyen star in this new comedy series as married couple Lindy and Les Littlejohn, whose relationship dynamic is upended when scientist Les accidentally shrinks Lindy with his latest invention. In a world where women are made to feel insignificant, Lindy now has to assert herself despite being only the size of a Barbie doll. Les does his best to make Lindy comfortable in her new situation, but soon, the couple are locked in a supersized marital power struggle as Lindy is determined not to end up under Les\u2019s \u2013 or anyone else\u2019s \u2013 thumb. <\/p>\n

Intinn\u00ed \u00c1ille \u2013 Beautiful MindsThursday, RT\u00c9 One, 10.15pm\"IntinníIntinn\u00ed \u00c1ille \u2013 Beautiful Minds: R\u00f3is\u00edn N\u00ed Thom\u00e1in. Photograph: RT\u00c9 <\/p>\n

Presenter R\u00f3is\u00edn N\u00ed Thom\u00e1in looks at the numerous challenges facing neurodivergent people in Ireland, meeting families who are struggling to get supports for their children who have been diagnosed with autism, ADHD or other neurodiverse conditions. No surprise to learn that society is ill-equipped to deal with the neurodivergent population, and a lot more needs to be done to help them thrive in a world that seems designed just for neurotypical people. This is a very personal project for N\u00ed Thom\u00e1in as she herself prepares to be assessed for ADHD. <\/p>\n

Tracks & TrailsFriday, RT\u00c9 One, 8.30pm<\/p>\n

The Irish landscape has inspired musicians, writers and poets, and in the 13th series of Tracks & Trails, Doireann N\u00ed Ghlac\u00e1in heads out on another journey through some of the country\u2019s most spectacular scenery in counties Louth, Roscommon, Longford, Antrim and Kildare, and also explores the walking trails around the coastal town of D\u00fan Laoghaire. In the first episode, she is joined by broadcaster Anton Savage for a walk in Co Louth, which takes them through Ravensdale forest and alongside Carlingford Lough. And archaeologist Paul Gosling accompanies her on a walk through time from Slieve Foye Forest Park the medieval town of Carlingford. <\/p>\n

StreamingThe BoysFrom Wednesday, April 8th, Prime Video\"TheThe Boys: Chace Crawford, Antony Starr and Nathan Mitchell in season 5. Photo: Amazon <\/p>\n

It\u2019s the fifth and final series of The Boys: can Butcher and his ragtag crew finally kill Homelander? You know the story \u2013 the world is plagued by \u201cSupes\u201d, supposed superheroes; the biggest and baddest is Homelander (Anthony Starr), an egomaniacal man-child who wields ultimate power and uses it to settle scores with anyone who has ever crossed him. The world is now completely under his thumb. His enemies are dragged off to so-called \u201cFreedom Camp\u201d, and no one seems able to muster any organised resistance to the Supe supremacy. That is, until the reappearance of Butcher (Karl Urban), who arrives armed with an anti-Supe virus. But Homeland has his own plan, and if he succeeds he\u2019ll not only be all-powerful: he\u2019ll also be immortal.<\/p>\n

The TestamentsFrom Wednesday, April 8th, Disney+\"TheThe Testaments: Chase Infiniti. Photograph: Disney\/PA <\/p>\n

The TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood<\/a>\u2019s novel The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/a> was a cultural phenomenon, and long before the sixth and final series in 2025, the show\u2019s creators were preparing to adapt Atwood\u2019s The Testaments, its sequel, for TV. Will it have the same seismic impact as its predecessor? Elisabeth Moss<\/a>, who starred as Offred in The Handmaid\u2019s Tale, is one of the producers of this new series set in Gilead. It tells the tale of two teenage girls, Agnes and Daisy, who have been sent to an exclusive prep school for future wives, where they will learn to be dutiful, pious and obedient servants of men in this brutal, repressive patriarchy. Will they prove to be apt pupils, or will a spark of resistance be ignited? The cast includes the recent Oscar nominee Chase Infiniti.<\/p>\n

Big MistakesFrom Thursday, April 9th, Netflix<\/p>\n

How do you follow a smash hit like Schitt\u2019s Creek? Dan Levy<\/a>, creator of the acclaimed comedy series in which he starred with his dad, Eugene Levy, the late, great Catherine O\u2019Hara<\/a> and Annie Murphy, has delivered his sophomore series. But will it suffer from second-album syndrome or confirm Levy as a comic auteur par excellence? Big Mistakes is a comedy thriller revolving around two chaotic siblings who are inadvertently plunged into the world of organised crime. Levy plays Nicky, with Taylor Ortega as his sister, Morgan. When they carry out an ill-advised theft, they find themselves being blackmailed into carrying out ever more dangerous crimes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pick of the weekFor Peat\u2019s SakeMonday, RT\u00c9 One, 6.30pm Long before oil crises and the wars in Ukraine…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":587029,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[64,63,134,31238,77086,54373,19928,435,250173,24091,12773,427,21418],"class_list":{"0":"post-587028","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-foo-fighters","12":"tag-hugh-bonneville","13":"tag-margaret-atwood","14":"tag-michael-jackson","15":"tag-netflix","16":"tag-other-voices","17":"tag-rte","18":"tag-sky","19":"tag-tv","20":"tag-world-cup"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=587028"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587028\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/587029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=587028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=587028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=587028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}