Too much choice on NOW? Trust the Radio Times experts to help you discover the shows most deserving of a place on your watchlist.
A dark, slick crime procedural with a pulpy high-concept hook, The Hunting Party follows FBI profiler Bex Henderson as she tracks serial killers sprung from a secret underground prison. Melissa Roxburgh leads a capable ensemble, while the conspiracy surrounding the prison gives the case-of-the-week formula an extra layer of intrigue.
For a gentler crime drama, there’s Miss Scarlet and the Duke. In Victorian London, convention is just another obstacle for Eliza Scarlet, a sharp-witted private detective determined to succeed in a profession dominated by men. Kate Phillips brings charm and steel to this stylish period mystery, with Stuart Martin as her sparring Scotland Yard ally, the Duke.
No-one can leave — that’s the horror at the heart of sci-fi thriller From, which stars Lost’s Harold Perrineau. Set in a nightmarish American town that traps everyone who enters, unwilling residents fight to survive terrifying nocturnal creatures from the surrounding forest while searching for hidden secrets and a way out.
Saturday Night Live UK brings America’s legendary sketch show across the pond. Broadcast live from London, it pairs a different celebrity host (such as Jeff Goldblum, Jamie Dornan and Hannah Waddingham) and musical guest each week with topical sketches and a British take on Weekend Update, created by a home-grown ensemble cast that includes Hammed Animashaun, Celeste Dring, Ania Magliano and Paddy Young. Series two is airing now, so there’s no better time to dip in.
Mark Gatiss writes and stars in cosy post-war crime drama Bookish as Gabriel Book, a London bookseller with a talent for solving mysteries. With the second season having recently landed, there are even more baffling cases, hidden secrets and literary clues to uncover.
If you like Doc Martin, why not try Best Medicine, a US comedy drama based on Martin Clunes hit. It follows a brilliant but socially awkward surgeon (played by Josh Charles) who leaves Boston to become a GP in a small Maine fishing town, where his blunt manner clashes with the quirky locals.
NOW hosts acclaimed series such as It: Welcome to Derry and The Chair Company, widely discussed dramas The Last of Us and The Day of the Jackal, plus highly decorated comedy Hacks, with gritty crime thriller Gangs of London among the British originals to choose from. It’s also where you can find celebrated classics such as Chernobyl, The Wire, Boardwalk Empire and The Sopranos.
All of this means it’s the perfect place to head to if you’re looking for an evening’s entertainment. Scroll on for Radio Times’s top picks, spanning recent releases and all-time greats.