The bank holiday weekend is upon us, which means a bit of extra time to sit on the sofa and enjoy some good old-fashioned TV! With autumn upon us, there’s heaps of great shows coming our way, which is why we’ve set aside some time to preview them all and bring you the ones that are actually worth watching.
From the return of both Suranne Jones and Vicky McClure to our screens to a binge-worthy detective and a fascinating insight into romance fraud, we’ve got your bank holiday TV sorted. So, forget the aimless scrolling and enjoy our pick of the 7 unmissable shows to watch this weekend on ITV, Netflix, the BBC and more.
Ludwig
Colin Hutton//BBC
If you missed the return of one of the BBC’s best cosy crime dramas, now’s the time to catch up. Now a fully-fledged police consultant, puzzle genius John “Ludwig” Taylor (David Mitchell) is once again using his unique skillset to hunt down criminals in rural Cambridgeshire, while also trying to find out exactly what happened to his brother, who inexplicably vanished and abandoned his family. Anna Maxwell Martin also returns, with Fleabag’s Sian Clifford and Celebrity Traitors’ Mark Bonnar amongst the cast, too. The first three episodes of Ludwig series 2 are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer, with new episodes arriving every Thursday.
Trigger Point 
ITV
Vicky McClure is back with an absolute bang! The fourth series of Trigger Point premieres this weekend and sees troubled bomb expo Lana Washington (played by Vicky) and her team return to the frontline as London is rocked by a wave of devastating bombings. With Julie Graham joining the cast as Commander Nia Quentin, the department faces its biggest challenge yet, as unsettling cracks begin to show and members of Lana’s team harbouring dark secrets. Meanwhile, Lana must confront her own mental health struggles, while knowing each call-out could potentially be her last. Series 4 of Trigger Point will premiere on Sunday 30th August at 9pm on ITV1, with the whole boxset becoming available on ITVX.
Meet the Owens
Amazon Prime
There’s no denying that the British public loves getting a glimpse behind the scenes of famous football families and now former England striker, Michael Owen, is letting us into his home to meet his chaotic clan. The six-part docuseries follows Michael, his wife, Louise, and their four children, Gemma, James, Emily and Jessica, as they juggle family life with his ambitious horse empire, while each of the children reach different crossroads in their lives. All episodes of Meet the Owens will premiere on Prime Video on Friday 28th August.
The Whisper Man
Netflix
You might want to keep the lights on for this one! The Whisper Man is based on Alex North’s 2019 novel of the same name and follows recently widowed crime writer Tom Kennedy (Adam Scott) and his son Jake, who have just moved to a new town for a fresh start. Soon after arriving, however, Jake vanishes. The disappearance has striking similarities to a case from 20 years earlier in which a serial killer known as The Whisper Man murdered five young boys. Tom turns to his estranged father, Peter Willis (Robert De Niro), a retired police officer, for help – but if The Whisper Man is behind bars, who abducted Jake – and will Peter and Tom be able to save Jake and stop the perpetrator from striking again? The Whisper Man is coming to Netflix on Friday 28th August.
The Rainmaker
USA Network
This 10-part series follows rookie lawyer Rudy Baylor (Milo Callaghan), who enters the legal world full of wide-eyed optimism – only for it to be squashed almost immediately. Rudy’s attitude annoys his unscrupulous and powerful boss, Leo Drummond (John Slattery), and he’s fired. But when he lands at an underdog firm, a deeply buried conspiracy leads him to go head to head with his formidable former employers – and his girlfriend. The Rainmaker premieres on ITV1 on Friday 28th August at 9pm, and will be available to stream on ITVX.
Vigil 
Jamie Simpson
Suranne Jones and Rosie Leslie are back as DCI Amy Silva and DI Kirsten Longacre for their most dangerous mission yet. For those new to the drama, over the course of two series, we’ve followed the Scotland Police detectives as they investigate crimes linked to the military, from a suspicious death aboard HMS Vigil to the disappearance of a Scottish fishing trawler. Their latest quest will take them to a remote Arctic research station after a British special forces agent is shot dead, and they’re also faced with a potential international crisis… Vigil series 3 will premiere on BBC iPlayer on Sunday 30th August, with episode one airing on BBC One at 9pm.
Love Cheats
Channel 4
Channel 4’s fascinating docuseries takes us into the shocking world of romance fraud, delving into the stories of victims of serial fraudsters and scammers, and following their fight to bring them to justice. Previous cases covered by the eye-opening documentary include a swindler who lies about a series of family tragedies, a female fraudster who infiltrates marginalised communities in Seattle, and twins defrauded by a sinister con artist. The new series promises another collection of stories that we could all learn something from. Love Cheats returns to Channel 4 on Sunday 30th August at 10.15pm.