{"id":546216,"date":"2026-07-12T17:55:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T17:55:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/546216\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T17:55:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T17:55:14","slug":"binge-8-gripping-shows-this-week-including-star-studded-adrenaline-fueled-assassin-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/546216\/","title":{"rendered":"Binge 8 “gripping” shows this week including star-studded adrenaline-fueled assassin series"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’re looking for something new to catch on TV this week, then you’re in luck as there are a number of new shows coming to the likes of Netflix<\/a>, the BBC and more.<\/p>\n

Over on ITV, there’s “gripping” Scotland-set serial killer drama The Dark, which is based on a novel \u2013 and is certainly one to check out if you like your shows of the more chilling variety. And if you prefer your TV more adrenaline-filled, then Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer lead a new assassin series.<\/p>\n

On a lighter and more emotional note, there’s the long-awaited one-off finale of Heartstopper, titled Heartstopper Forever, which will see Nick and Charlie face their toughest relationship challenge yet.<\/p>\n

Here’s what’s in store for the next seven days.<\/p>\n

\"kit<\/p>\n

Netflix<\/p>\n

Heartstopper Forever<\/p>\n

Prepare the tissues as the acclaimed teen drama reaches its conclusion in this special film. And while we’ve seen central couple Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring’s romance go from strength to strength over three seasons, Heartstopper Forever promises their “biggest challenge yet”.<\/p>\n

As Nick prepares to head off to university and Charlie has newfound independence at school, the prospect of a long-distance bond starts to surface.<\/p>\n

Their friends are also “navigating the ups and downs of love and friendship” and “confronting the bittersweet challenges of growing up and moving on”. Can their love endure?<\/p>\n

Heartstopper Forever streams on Netflix from Friday, 17 July.<\/p>\n

\"laura<\/p>\n

ITV<\/p>\n

The Dark<\/p>\n

ITV’s atmospheric new drama takes place in the Scottish countryside, and focuses on the murder of a young man, whose body is found in the wilderness in a staged fashion.<\/p>\n

It is up to DI Monica Kennedy (Laura Donnelly) to look into the death, as she fears that it is just the start of a terrifying campaign that could upend the local community. As such, “paranoia rises, suspicions and secrets are forced into the light” and Monica gets “entangled in a heightened game of cat and mouse with a cunning killer”.<\/p>\n

Described as “gripping”<\/a>, The Dark is based on GR Halliday’s novel From the Shadows, and also stars Mark Rowley as Monica’s new police partner DC Connor Crawford.<\/p>\n

The Dark debuts on ITV on Sunday, 12 July at 9pm.<\/p>\n

\"sally<\/p>\n

BBC<\/p>\n

The Hairdresser Mysteries<\/p>\n

Some lighter crime drama fare now, this time starring Sally Phillips as hairdresser Lily Petal, who settles in a small town after leaving her big city job as an upmarket stylist in the 1970s.<\/p>\n

Lily becomes a hub of gossip thanks to her job, though when a spate of murders start to happen in the village, she teams up with assistant Clary Coombs (Charlotte Jordan) and starts to use her eye for details to help untangle clues and get to the bottom of the mysteries.<\/p>\n

Other stars fans can expect to see include Wendi Peters, Ben Castle-Gibb, Sunetra Sarker, Clive Rowe and Guy Henry.<\/p>\n

The Hairdresser Mysteries debuts on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Friday, 17 July at 2pm.<\/p>\n

\"diane<\/p>\n

BBC<\/p>\n

Ann Droid<\/p>\n

Diane Morgan and Sue Johnston lead this new futuristic BBC comedy series, which follows an elderly woman who is given a robot assistant.<\/p>\n

Character Sue is grieving the death of her husband David 18 months prior, with her only son David moving out again to try and fix his marriage. In order to help his mum live independently, he gifts her an android called Linda\u2026 who becomes her “worst nightmare”.<\/p>\n

However, while Linda proves to be a pain for her, Sue discovers she has her uses, as a friendship starts to blossom between the unlikely pair.<\/p>\n

Ann Droid debuts on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Friday, 17 July at 9.30pm.<\/p>\n

\"hannah<\/p>\n

Prime Video<\/p>\n

Ride or Die<\/p>\n

What if your best friend turned out to be an international assassin? Well, that’s the central concept of this new adrenaline-fueled<\/a> comedy from Prime Video<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ride or Die follows Debbie Claybourne (Octavia Spencer) as she learns the truth about Judith Burton (Hannah Waddingham) after a mysterious figure from the latter’s past emerges and a hit goes wrong, and the friends are “forced to go on the run together”.<\/p>\n

They embark on a road trip across Europe as they race against time, with “law enforcement, highly trained assassins, and some very dangerous criminals” hot on their heels.<\/p>\n

Ride or Die streams on Prime Video<\/a> on Wednesday, 15 July.<\/p>\n

\"anya<\/p>\n

Apple TV<\/p>\n

Lucky<\/p>\n

Anya Taylor-Joy leads this new Apple TV<\/a> crime thriller, which focuses on a con artist called Lucky who is forced to go on the run. <\/p>\n

The character had left behind her life of crime years ago, though she must embrace her darker side in the wake of a multi-million dollar heist gone wrong, as Lucky is pursued by both the FBI and her former crime boss.<\/p>\n

Lucky is based on the book of the same name by Marissa Stapley, and comes from Jonathan Tropper \u2013 who also created Apple TV’s Your Friends & Neighbors.<\/p>\n

Lucky streams on Apple TV<\/a> on Wednesday, 15 July.<\/p>\n

\"jennifer<\/p>\n

Sky<\/p>\n

The Five-Star Weekend<\/p>\n

Based on a 2023 novel by Elin Hilderbrand, The Five-Star Weekend follows a food influencer named Hollis Shaw (Jennifer Garner) who suffers the loss of her husband.<\/p>\n

The tragedy also starts to “expose the cracks in Hollis’s picture-perfect life”, and in an attempt to discover herself again, she decides to host a weekend in her Nantucket home with three friends from three key stages of her life, as well as a surprise guest.<\/p>\n

In the luxurious coastal setting, secrets are exposed and boundaries are pushed, with the characters maturing in ways they couldn’t have imagined.<\/p>\n

The Five-Star Weekend debuts on Sky<\/a> and NOW on 16 July.<\/p>\n

\"roh<\/p>\n

Netflix<\/p>\n

The East Palace<\/p>\n

This new fantasy K-drama takes on a ghostly theme, and focuses on characters Gu-cheon (Nam Joo-hyuk), a man who is able to travel between the human and ghost worlds, and Saeng-gang (Roh Yoon-seo), a lady of the court who hides a huge secret.<\/p>\n

The two are tasked by the king to unravel the haunting secrets of the royal palace, and are “drawn into a world where power, hidden histories, and restless spirits are bound together by a dangerous curse”.<\/p>\n

The East Palace streams on Netflix on 17 July.<\/p>\n

Visit our Streaming Guide<\/a> now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.<\/p>\n

The new edition of Living Legends, celebrating the global phenomenon of BTS, is here! Buy this ultimate fan guide in newsagents or online<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies<\/a>, TV<\/a> and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME<\/a> and Screen International<\/a>. \u00a0Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings<\/a> to Love Is Blind<\/a>, and is equally in his element crossing every ‘t’ and dotting every ‘i’ as a sub-editor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you’re looking for something new to catch on TV this week, then you’re in luck as there…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":546217,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[131891,1105,231588,1107,93,1110,61,60,184510,1135,231587,223989,282],"class_list":["post-546216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-collection-digital-spy-features","tag-content-type-news","tag-contentid-4e3e23a2-5dec-4cb2-974f-e1e57fecd5bb","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-entertainment","tag-hasproduct-true","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-shorttitle-binge-8-gripping-shows-this-week","tag-sponsored-false","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=546216"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546216\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/546217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=546216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=546216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=546216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}