{"id":551795,"date":"2026-04-26T15:00:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T15:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/551795\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T15:00:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T15:00:19","slug":"tv-is-having-a-real-moment-here-are-the-shows-you-absolutely-have-to-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/551795\/","title":{"rendered":"TV is having a real moment \u2013 here are the shows you absolutely have to watch"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Ah, the golden era of television. We all know when it was, around the turn of the century, when HBO gave the world The Sopranos <\/a>and The Wire and everything was generally just a bit better \u2013 Trump was a comparably harmless if highly irritating real estate mogul and the most impressive thing you could do with your phone was play Snake.<\/p>\n

Since then, there have of course been brilliant shows popping up over the years \u2013 Breaking Bad, Succession, Mad Men \u2013 but there have also been long stretches of \u201cmeh, nothing special\u201d TV in between. That\u2019s why it\u2019s so exciting that we currently seem to be in a purple patch of great telly, from the pressure-cooker medical drama The Pitt<\/a> to the return of biting satire like Beef.<\/a><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s our pick of what you would be mad to miss out on, while TV is having a bit of a moment…<\/p>\n

Margo\u2019s Got Money Troubles <\/p>\n

Out now on Apple TV<\/p>\n

\"MichelleMichelle Pfeiffer and Elle Fanning in \u2018Margo\u2019s Got Money Troubles\u2019 (Apple TV+)<\/p>\n

I could not get enough of this show. Even the opening credits (always such an artistic treat on Apple) gave me a kind of sugar rush each time I tuned in. Adapted from the 2024 novel by Rufi Thorpe, it\u2019s quite hard to define, a show about OnlyFans and motherhood and power imbalances and money, all set in a candy-coloured world. An effervescent Elle Fanning is at the story\u2019s glittering core, and surrounded by a note-perfect ensemble of Nick Offerman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nicole Kidman and Thaddea Graham \u2013 the village who help raise her child. Perfect, joyous TV that, like the sun on your skin, you\u2019ll miss when it\u2019s over. Ellie Harrison<\/p>\n

The Other Bennet Sister<\/p>\n

Out now on BBC iPlayer<\/p>\n

\"MaryMary Bennet finally gets her moment (BBC\/Bad Wolf)<\/p>\n

As soon as I finished watching The Other Bennet Sister, in which plain, put-upon Mary from Pride & Prejudice gets her moment as an Austen heroine at last, I wanted to start watching it again. If it had been released in the early Noughties, I\u2019d have bought it on DVD with my Christmas money and watched it once a month for the rest of my teens. It was that kind of show; nostalgic, silly but also incredibly important, full of heart and big feelings, stacked with brilliant British actors having the time of their lives. The best bit? Mary Bennet looking like the cock of the walk in a rowing boat, her two warring suitors heaving her to the shore in Darcy-esque white wet shirts. Jessie Thompson<\/p>\n

Beef<\/p>\n

Out now on Netflix<\/p>\n

\"OscarOscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan in \u2018Beef\u2019 (Netflix)<\/p>\n

Back for a second season, Beef remains one of the most brilliantly conceived shows on Netflix. Where series one followed the escalating fallout from a road-rage incident, season two relocates to a swanky Montecito country club. Here, two cash-strapped young staff members film their bosses having the mother of all domestic rows, and start wondering what that video might be worth. What follows is thrilling and unpredictable: a vicious, subversive class war, with Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaac superb as the crumbling couple at its centre. Coolly eschewing sentimentality, Lee Sung Jin has built a world where everyone considers themselves the wronged party \u2013 and nobody gets what they deserve. Patrick Smith<\/p>\n

Dirty Business <\/p>\n

Out now on All 4<\/p>\n

\"JasonJason Watkins and David Thewlis in \u2018Dirty Business\u2019 (Channel 4)<\/p>\n

Channel 4 delivered the greatest piece of British campaigning television since Mr Bates vs The Post Office in February with Dirty Business \u2013 a deep dive into the murky raw sewage scandal. Starring Jason Watkins and David Thewlis as two real-life neighbours who noticed a lack of wildlife in their filthy local river, the three-parter follows them as they uncover how water companies allowed raw sewage to contaminate England\u2019s rivers and seas over 10 years \u2013 jeopardising the health of millions. A darkly comic yet heartbreaking series, prepare to laugh and cry, but most of all, feel incredibly angry. Lauren Morris<\/p>\n

Legends<\/p>\n

7 May, Netflix<\/p>\n

\"OnOn the cusp of major change: Charlotte Ritchie and Tom Burke in \u2018Legends\u2019 (Netflix)<\/p>\n

In the early Nineties, a group of bored-out-of-their-skulls customs officers got a promotion that changed their lives forever. Heroin was flowing into Britain at an unprecedented rate, leaving thousands of dead youngsters in its wake, and a small group of men and women were asked to go undercover and take down the gangs bringing it into the UK. The story of these ordinary people on an extraordinary mission has been turned into a rip-roaring drama led by Tom Burke, Steve Coogan and Hayley Squires. I challenge you not to finish off all six episodes in one gulp. EH<\/p>\n

Waiting for the Out<\/p>\n

Out now on BBC iPlayer<\/p>\n

\"RonkeRonke Adekoluejo and Josh Finan in \u2018Waiting for the Out\u2019 (BBC\/Sister Pictures\/Kerry Spicer)<\/p>\n

This tender drama arrived without fanfare on BBC One in early January, when everyone was distracted by Alan Carr giving the performance of a lifetime on The Celebrity Traitors. For those who missed it, it\u2019s well worth catching up on \u2013 Josh Finan is strange and captivating as Dan, a man who teaches philosophy in prisons, and who himself comes from a family of men who\u2019ve spent time behind bars. It\u2019s all the more moving for being based on a true story and adapted from Andy West\u2019s memoir A Life Inside. This is delicate, thoughtful television that leaves a mark on your heart. EH<\/p>\n

Last One Laughing<\/p>\n

Out now on Prime<\/p>\n

\"SamSam Campbell and David Mitchell face off in \u2018Last One Laughing\u2019 (Amazon MGM Studios)<\/p>\n

The person who came up with the idea for Last One Laughing is a genius. A cruel genius. The concept is so simple: get a bunch of comedians in a room and force them to keep a straight face for six hours; if you laugh, you\u2019re out. This year\u2019s second UK series pulled in a bunch of hilarious British heavyweights, from Alan Carr to David Mitchell to returning champ Bob Mortimer. I actually don’t know how they survived \u2013 they must have felt genuine physical pain watching Diane Morgan read poetry, completely deadpan, from a hardback book while making intermittent fart noises, banned even from so much as smiling. I laughed myself silly. JT<\/p>\n

The Pitt<\/p>\n

Weekly on HBO Max<\/p>\n

\"PushedPushed to the limit: Noah Wyle in \u2018The Pitt\u2019 (HBO)<\/p>\n

Last year, I was telling everyone who\u2019d listen about The Pitt, a breathless medical drama tracking a 15-hour stint in the heart of a busy Pittsburgh emergency room. Each episode focuses on one hour in the lives of the doctors and nurses being pushed to their limits. That very show is now the biggest series on TV \u2013 and crucially, it deserves that moniker. The show has razor-sharp attention to detail and is filled with a cornucopia of well-rounded characters for you to root for (or not). Thank heavens lead star Noah Wyle\u2019s original plans to make this show a pure ER reboot fell through, because then we might have been robbed of this cultural phenomenon. Jacob Stolworthy<\/p>\n

SNL UK <\/p>\n

Weekly on Sky and NOW<\/p>\n

\"RizRiz Ahmed has been one of the best hosts of \u2018SNL\u2019 (Sky UK)<\/p>\n

Sketch shows are notoriously a hit-and-miss format \u2013 and while that\u2019s certainly the case for Saturday Night Live\u2019s new British counterpart, it\u2019s still appointment viewing. Each 75-minute episode delivers an electric cocktail of live comedy hosted by a celebrity guest, showcasing its impressive cast of up-and-comers \u2013 like hilarious breakout star Jack Shep (whose Princess Diana impression took the internet by storm). Riz Ahmed\u2019s stellar turn as guest host has been a highlight so far this series, and with sitcom upstarts Nicola Coughlan and Aimee Lou Wood on board, the second half is already showing comedic promise. With our attention spans at an all-time low, it\u2019s easy to switch off after one unfunny sketch \u2013 but stick around for sharp Traitors parodies and terrific takes on Keir Starmer before they undoubtedly go viral the next day. LM<\/p>\n

Big Mistakes<\/p>\n

Out now on Netflix<\/p>\n

\"DanDan Levy and Taylor Ortega in \u2018Big Mistakes\u2019 (Netflix)<\/p>\n

Comedy-crime dramas might be associated with the cold winter months, but Big Mistakes, Dan Levy\u2019s new drama for Netflix, is one to stay in for even during these sunnier climes. Schitt\u2019s Creek creator Levy, who wrote the show with auteur and It-girl Rachel Sennott, stars as closeted pastor Nicky, while Taylor Ortega is his sister Morgan. I won\u2019t say how, but the bickering duo find themselves accidentally embroiled in a world of dark criminality, burner phones thrust into their hands to be picked up, no matter what. Things might sound sinister, but Big Mistakes perfectly balances big laughs and pacy, dramatic plotting. Schitt’s Creek fans, naturally, will love. Isobel Lewis<\/p>\n

For All Mankind<\/p>\n

Out now on Apple TV<\/p>\n

\"JoelJoel Kinnaman in \u2018For All Mankind\u2019 (Apple)<\/p>\n

For All Mankind might just be TV\u2019s best-kept secret. It presents an alternate history in which the space race never ended \u2013 and, over the decades, has found its way to Mars. Series one begins in the 1960s, with each new season presenting a time jump of 10 years. Sci-fi fans will be left astounded by some space-set sequences that rival any film you\u2019ll see in the cinema. I\u2019ll be honest: season three and four lost some of the magic that the first two brought in droves, but season five is back on track; it\u2019s better than ever, and a spin-off, Star City, will be released later this year, so now\u2019s the time to jump aboard. JS<\/p>\n

The Capture<\/p>\n

Out now on BBC iPlayer<\/p>\n

\"HollidayHolliday Grainger in \u2018The Capture\u2019 (BBC)<\/p>\n

The Capture has concluded its chaotic third season, which might be the end of the show altogether. This makes it the perfect time to go back and watch the whole thing through \u2013 you won\u2019t regret it: The Capture is a terrifyingly prescient exploration of deepfake tech, and how shadowy figures at the top can tweak what we see to fit the narrative they want to peddle. It has more twists than Line of Duty and Luther combined, and yet has ridden somewhat in the background compared to those two juggernauts. If there\u2019s any justice, The Capture will endure as a classic. JS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":551796,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[96,391,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-551795","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-tv","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=551795"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551795\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/551796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=551795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=551795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=551795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}