{"id":907170,"date":"2026-09-27T08:22:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T08:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/907170\/"},"modified":"2026-09-27T08:22:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T08:22:13","slug":"tv-guide-the-best-new-shows-to-watch-starting-tonight-the-irish-times-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/907170\/","title":{"rendered":"TV guide: the best new shows to watch, starting tonight \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pick of the weekTall Tales & Murder Sunday, RT\u00c9 One, 9.40pm<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a stellar team behind this new series: it\u2019s co-created by Stuart Carolan (creator of Love\/Hate) and Chris Addison (of The Thick of It), adapted from Caimh McDonnell\u2019s novels and its directors include Addison and Neasa Hardiman. Plus it stars a heap of Irish talent, from stalwarts such as Aidan Gillen and Philippa Dunne to relative newcomers such as Ella Lily Hyland. The juicy story centres on a patient (played by Gillen) at a Dublin nursing home who wakes from a long coma only to claim he\u2019s a gangster who knows where treasure is literally buried. Handily enough, there to hear the news are his quirky nurse, Bridget, and a vulnerable young employee named Paul who\u2019s in debt to a crime boss. Both Bridget and Paul have their own reasons for wanting to get their hands on the treasure, and hopefully it\u2019ll be a thrill watching them try.<\/p>\n

HighlightsHome Truths: Crisis in the Classroom with Eric RobertsMonday, Virgin Media One, 9pm\"HomeHome Truths: Crisis in the Classroom with Eric Roberts <\/p>\n

Home Truths is a new four-part documentary strand from Virgin Media that sees some of its familiar TV faces look at issues that have affected their own lives. The first, Crisis in the Classroom with Eric Roberts, looks specifically at special education support in Ireland. While demand is rising, many families are struggling to access the services and school places their children need. Ireland AM presenter and former special needs assistant Eric Roberts examines the issue by speaking to families, principals and SNAs across the country. Among them are Alison Field, who has applied to 19 schools in order to find a place for her son James, but is still waiting for him to be able to start his education. A timely documentary about a pressing issue for many families across the State.<\/p>\n

Jamie\u2019s 20 Minute Meals Monday, Channel 4, 8pm<\/p>\n

There\u2019s an interesting concept for the latest Jamie Oliver cookery show. As the name suggests, it\u2019s dedicated to showing us how to whip up an easy and nutritious meal in 20-minutes flat. And to prove that it\u2019s possible, each of the eight episodes is filmed in real time, in one continuous shot. So there will be no editing to gloss over how long the process actually takes. In the first show we will learn how to make Camembert and onion rice served with crunchy croutons, followed by crispy golden breadcrumbed chicken, accompanied by charred broccoli on a bed of garlic creamy beans. At the very least, it\u2019ll get your mouth watering. <\/p>\n

Michael Palin in the Philippines Monday, 5, 9pm<\/p>\n

Ex-Monty Python star and traveller extraordinaire Michael Palin could totally take a rest and no one would complain about it \u2013 he is 83, after all. But he\u2019s showing us that age is no barrier to adventure, and has filmed a new series where he heads off to the Philippines in southeast Asia to do some exploring. His journey begins in the country\u2019s capital, Manila, where he witnesses a protest march. Then he spends time with some locals before heading off to a remote island on a traditional bangka boat. You can always bet on him to bring us fascinating stories, and perhaps inspire your next holiday.<\/p>\n

Blue Lights Tuesday, BBC One, 9pm\"GraceGrace Ellis (Si\u00e2n Brooke) returns in Blue Lights <\/p>\n

Blue Lights is back for a fourth series, and if by now you haven\u2019t become a fan of this excellent cop show, it\u2019s a chance to get stuck into the action. It\u2019s set in Belfast and brings us the experiences of fictional PSNI officers as they deal with small and large (mostly large) threats to their lives and the force. It\u2019s now three years since Grace Ellis (Si\u00e2n Brooke), Stevie Neil (Martin McCann) and Annie Conlon (Katherine Devlin) began working as response officers, and things have not got an iota easier. In this series they face a new threat on the streets of Belfast. Meanwhile, a murder trial exposes a dangerous secret that will have ramifications for police and criminals. The show also tackles many contemporary issues: tonight\u2019s episode involves tensions provoked by opposition to the opening of a new Migrant Resource Centre.<\/p>\n

The Case I Can\u2019t Forget Wednesday, RT\u00c9 One, 9.35pm\"DetDet Sgt Grace O’Boyle in The Case I Can\u2019t Forget <\/p>\n

In the first episode of this new series, garda\u00ed recall the investigation into the murder of 36-year-old childcare worker Elaine O\u2019Hara, who disappeared in 2012. In September 2013 the discovery of human remains on Killakee Mountain revealed that she had not, as believed, taken her own life. Keys and phones later recovered at Vartry Reservoir proved vital to the case. Many will remember the terrible and upsetting details about Elaine\u2019s death as revealed in the subsequent murder trial of her killer, Graham Dwyer<\/a>. Det Sgt Grace O\u2019Boyle was among those who worked on the case, using CCTV footage, phone data, witness statements and online activity to shape a timeline helping to explain how Elaine\u2019s body had ended up on the mountain. We also meet Det Sgt Kevin Duggan, who reconstructed Elaine\u2019s final movements, and senior crime analyst Sarah Skedd, who examined crucial phone records and text messages. O\u2019Boyle, Duggan, Skedd and the wider team detail their work on the case, and the search for justice for Elaine. <\/p>\n

The 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock InThursday, RT\u00c9 2, 10.10pm\"TheThe 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock In <\/p>\n

Yes, the 2 Johnnies \u2013 that would be Johnny Smacks and Johnny B, to the uninitiated \u2013 are back for a fourth series of their popular show, which is set in a packed pub. There\u2019ll be the usual mix of live music, celebrity chats, comedy moments, games and encounters with fans. In this first episode, the boys will be joined by broadcaster Jennifer Zamparelli and comedians Paddy McDonnell (Paddy the Dagger) and Jarlath Regan.<\/p>\n

The Celebrity Traitors Thursday, BBC One, 8pm\"CelebrityCelebrity Traitors <\/p>\n

Yes, Traitors fans, you have yet another show to enjoy: the return of Celebrity Traitors. Its first run was a huge success for the BBC (15 million viewers watched the final), and no doubt celebrities were lining up in their droves to star in round two. Who can we expect? Only the best in British celebs, including Bella Ramsey, Jerry Hall, Miranda Hart, Michael Sheen, Richard E Grant, Ross Kemp, Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan. But who will host Claudia Winkleman choose to be Traitors this time around? We\u2019ll find out in this first episode. <\/p>\n

StreamingEast of EdenFrom Thursday, October 1st, Netflix<\/p>\n

John Steinbeck\u2019s epic 1952 novel was made into a Hollywood blockbuster starring James Dean, and directed by Elia Kazan. It tells the story of the Trask family as they build themselves a new life in California\u2019s Salinas Valley in the years leading up to the first World War, with biblical themes abounding, including the stories of Jezebel and Cain and Abel. Now Kazan\u2019s granddaughter, Zoe Kazan, has turned her lifelong passion for Steinbeck\u2019s magnum opus into a wide-ranging drama series for Netflix, starring Florence Pugh as the novel\u2019s amoral antihero Cathy Ames. She arrives into the lives of Adam and Charles Trask like a storm, driving a wedge between the two brothers and casting a shadow that will reach into the next generation. Adam thinks she\u2019s an angel sent from heaven; Charles believes she\u2019s the devil\u2019s daughter. Soon Adam and Cathy are wed, but Adam\u2019s dream of a perfect family turns to dust when Cathy abandons him and their twin sons, Caleb and Aaron. The boys grow up thinking their mother has died, but the shocking truth will open a chasm between the two brothers and bring past demons back to the surface. Kevin Courtney<\/p>\n

Kill JackieFrom Friday, October 2nd, Prime Video<\/p>\n

Jackie Price is living the high life as an international art dealer, jet-setting around the world and enjoying all the trappings of wealth while taking full advantage of every tax loophole available. Only one problem: she has to keep a low profile, due to her past life as a big-time cocaine dealer, during which she made a lorra lorra enemies. She\u2019s getting a bit bored being under the radar, but when she discovers that a group of ruthless hitmen known as The Seven Demons have been hired to bump her off the second she puts her head above the parapet, she decides it\u2019s time to do an Uma Thurman and hunt down her would-be assassins one by one. Catherine Zeta-Jones \u2013 now well known to younger viewers as Morticia Addams in Tim Burton\u2019s Wednesday \u2013 stars in this Tarantino-meets-Guy Richie style thriller series, along with Daniel Ings and Sidse Babett Knudsen. The series also features something we haven\u2019t heard since The Darling Buds of May back in the 1980s: Zeta-Jones reactivating the Welsh accent she left behind when Hollywood beckoned. KC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pick of the weekTall Tales & Murder Sunday, RT\u00c9 One, 9.40pm There\u2019s a stellar team behind this new…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":907171,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[312898,64,63,475383,134,475385,475384,427],"class_list":["post-907170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-aidan-gillen","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-ella-lily-hyland","tag-entertainment","tag-graham-dwyer","tag-philippa-dunne","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/907170","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=907170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/907170\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/907171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=907170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=907170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=907170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}