This week we have a new show from the screenwriter Jack Thorne (Adolescence, Lord of the Flies) and a monster-hunting series set in a retirement village that has been executive-produced by the creators of Stranger Things. There’s a new dark comedy drama on Apple TV, Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson go undercover in Moscow and the Netflix Untold series heads to the UK with a comeback to end them all in Istanbul.
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Falling
Available on C4 streaming in the UK
It’s fair to say that the screenwriter Jack Thorne is a busy man right now. Fresh from winning just about every award going with Adolescence and his recent critically acclaimed adaptation of Lord of the Flies on the BBC, he returns with this story of forbidden love. Starring Paapa Essiedu as a priest and Keeley Hawes as a nun, the powerful drama follows the pair as they fight their forbidden passion and deal with their demons in a world of secrets.
Read the full review here
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed
Available on Apple TV in the UK and the US
This dark comedy drama starring the Canadian actress Tatiana Maslany as Paula, a newly divorced mum, is the latest glossy series from Apple TV. The show centres on Paula’s journey as a single mother as she ends up falling down a rabbit hole of murder, blackmail and youth soccer after she believes she has witnessed a crime. Determined to get to the truth of the matter, she launches her own investigation that takes her on a winding journey of discovery.
The Boroughs
Available on Netflix in the UK and the US
Part Thursday Murder Club, part Stranger Things, this new series about a group of retirees hunting monsters in an old folks’ town in the desert sounds quite silly (and it is) but somehow it works. Executive-produced by the Duffer brothers, who created Stranger Things, there’s a lot of energy about this series, which layers mysteries on top of one another at just the right rate to keep you watching. It also features fine turns from Bill Pullman and Geena Davis.
Read the full review here
Ponies
Available on Sky/ Now in the UK and Peacock in the US
Emilia Clarke, best known as the mother of dragons in Game of Thrones, and Haley Lu Richardson (season two of The White Lotus) team up in this espionage series set in 1970s Russia. Their characters, Bea and Twila, work as secretaries in the American embassy until their husbands are killed in mysterious circumstances and they end up working undercover for the CIA. Ponies, if you were wondering, stands of Persons of No Interest in intelligence speak.
Untold UK: Liverpool’s Miracle of Istanbul
Available on Netflix in the UK and the US
The Untold strand has been a big hit for Netflix in the US so it was only a matter of time before the documentary series made its way to Britain. In this episode we are treated to the inside track on one of the greatest sporting comebacks of the modern era. In the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul, Liverpool were 3-0 down to the Italian giants Milan but what happened next would stun fans of both sides and the footballing world. We hear from the people who were there including Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and Rafael Benítez.
Love TV? Discover the best shows on Netflix, the best Prime Video TV shows and the best Apple TV+ shows. Don’t forget to check our critics’ choices to watch and our comprehensive TV guide, plus our look at the finest films and TV shows this month