Looking for something new to watch this weekend? The Mail’s TV experts have sifted through hundreds of programmes to bring you 20 of the best shows and films to stream on demand right now…
Adolescence
Stephen Graham stars in a crime drama where each episode is filmed as a single shot
Year: 2025
Certificate: 15
Shows and movies filmed as one single continuous take (or cunningly cut to appear that way) are a huge challenge, but they’re a challenge that filmmakers and viewers seem keen to take up.
Actor Stephen Graham and director Philip Barantini previously made the engrossing single-take kitchen drama movie Boiling Point together, and have now reunited for this hard-hitting four-episode crime series, with each instalment filmed in a single take.
When 13-year-old Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) is arrested for the murder of a teenage girl who goes to his school, his world, and those of his family, his friends and the detectives investigating the case, are turned upside down. Graham stars as his dad Eddie alongside Ashley Walters as the detective inspector handling the case and The Crown’s Erin Doherty as the psychologist assessing Jamie.
Watching it is one thing, but actually thinking about the mechanics of how it was made – how did they make sure each set-up was that far from the previous one, how many times did they have to restart when someone bumped into a table, etc – is another level of interest on top here. But by the end, you’ll also be left with a powerful message about the importance of what passes between fathers and sons. (Four episodes)
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1
The first of a quartet of westerns from Kevin Costner
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
No-one can accuse Kevin Costner of lacking ambition in, or commitment to, the grand old American genre of the Western. He won an Oscar for Dances With Wolves back in 1991, starred in modern example Yellowstone on TV for years and this is the first of a planned four-strong brace of big-screen examples, set to be released in an era when it’s become notoriously hard to get people into cinemas for anything other than sequels or superheroes.
The first movie alone is more than three hours long (the same running time as Dances With Wolves, funnily enough) and Costner directs himself, from a screenplay he co-wrote. It’s a tale of the settlement of the American West and friction with the indigenous people. The star is wonderfully gruff as stoic cowboy Hayes Ellison, while Sienna Miller excels as frontier mum Frances Kittredge in a mix of interlinked stories hinged around the Arizona settlement of Horizon. Don’t expect these stories to take off like a rocket – it’s the first of a four-parter, remember – but fans of old-school Western filmmaking should find a fair amount to like here. (181 minutes)
The Electric State
Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt headline a sci-fi adventure about rogue robots
Year: 2025
Certificate: 12
After a catastrophic war between mankind and the array of robots that they built to help out with everyday life – from tiny toys to giant industrial machines – the robots were imprisoned on a vast walled reserve in the American heartland. Now determined teenager Michelle (Stranger Things and all-round Netflix star Millie Bobby Brown) sets off on a journey across this battered and dangerous technological wonderland in search of her lost brother with only a few friendly bots and a world-weary drifter (Chris Pratt) to help her.
Directed by the Russo brothers (Avengers: Endgame), this is a big live-action sci-fi adventure with heart and action. It’s also got a fantastic supporting cast with Stanley Tucci and Ke Huy Quan cropping up in person, while Alan Tudyk, Anthony Mackie, Woody Harrelson and Brian Cox are among those providing the voices of the robots.
There are some smart ideas at the heart of the story (one recalls Apple’s Severance) and, even if the movie ultimately has stretches that feel bland, bloated and predictable, there is also a lot to like here – not least the sheer scale of it all. There may have been better ways to spend that reported £250 million budget, though… (128 minutes)
Moana 2
Sequel to the hit Disney Pacific Island animated adventure
Year: 2024
Certificate: pg
Visually stunning, quietly mystical, very funny and packed with great songs, the first Moana movie (2016) told the story of how intrepid island chieftain’s daughter Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) set out to return a mystical relic to the goddess Te Fiti, aided and abetted by the mischievous shapeshifting demi god Maui (Dwayne Johnson).
This very welcome sequel picks up Moana’s story three years later, when she’s once again chosen by mystical forces to go on a quest, this time to defy the storm god Nalo and find the lost island of Motufetu. Johnson returns as the irrepressible Maui, but this time Moana’s also got a full crew, including craftswoman Loto (Starstruck’s Rose Matafeo), to help her. The result is a bubbly and energetic sequel that successfully channels the spirit of the first film into a satisfying new adventure. (100 minutes)
NCIS: Origins
NCIS prequel series revealing Gibbs’ first adventures as a rookie agent
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Deadpan, unflappable and lethal, former marine sniper Leroy Jethro Gibbs (played by Mark Harmon) has been one of the best things about the NCIS franchise since it was launched in 2003. But just how did he learn the tricks and rules that would help make him the NCIS’s greatest-ever agent?
It’s time to find out as this prequel series reveals Gibbs’ earliest days on the squad, still struggling with the death of his wife and daughter, and learning the tricks of the trade from veteran agent Mike Franks (played here with laconic charisma by Kyle Schmid). It uses the Young Sheldon trick of having the older character (Harmon) narrate events, but what helps this show fly is the way that Austin Stowell channels the spirit of Gibbs without falling into a lazy impression. The result is a crackling 1990s-set thriller show that NCIS fans can’t afford to miss. (13 episodes)
The Wheel Of Time
Epic fantasy series starring Rosamund Pike
Year: 2021-
Certificate: 15
Amazon built its own studio in Prague to accommodate the vast production needs of this ambitious fantasy series. Based on a series of bestselling novels by Robert Jordan, it is set in a world in which magic is used only by women, and the powerful Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) must undertake a dangerous journey with five youngsters, one of whom may be a powerful sorcerer called the Dragon Reborn. The critics weren’t entirely convinced but fans of the books got behind it and the first run of episodes became Amazon’s most-watched original series of 2021.
The show’s enticing sense of scale continues into this even more epic second series, which sees the mysterious Moiraine continue her quest to defeat the looming threat of the Dark One. Despite its huge scope, the first series was, in many ways, just a scene-setting exercise. Now that the show’s got most of its exposition out of the way it gets to sink its claws even further into fans of Game Of Thrones and The Lord Of The Rings by properly exploring the world it’s created.
The second, eight-episode run is where the fun really starts, especially as it has an even bigger budget to play with than series one – while the most recent third opens with a dramatic showdown between good and evil that’s up there with Game Of Thrones. (Three series)
Boiling Point (2021 film)
One-take kitchen drama starring Stephen Graham as a super-stressed chef
Year: 2021
Certificate: 15
Award-winning film with Stephen Graham in blistering form as Andy, the chef at a top London restaurant who is having the night from hell. Tension is there from the start and rises and rise until – yes – reaching boiling point seems inevitable. The restaurant is overbooked, guests include a famous food critic and a chef he owes money to and there’s a problem with the restaurant’s management.
And then, to compound the nightmarish evening there is a visit from a health and safety inspector. And all the time customers need to be fed. This is a tense, almost exhausting, but thoroughly compelling watch will help you appreciate the restaurant staff next time you eat out. (92 minutes)
Temptation Island (2025 series)
The US reality relationship show makes its Netflix debut
Year: 2025
Certificate: 15
After being revived in 2019, the always controversial relationship reality show now makes the move to Netflix, and with a tight-ish, ten-episode run for its first series (previous incarnations have had up to 12 episodes per series).
Four couples with complicated relationship histories (ranging from infidelities to financial problems) are split up on a tropical island. The male halves of the relationships go to live in a house with a bunch of attractive single girls, while the female halves get to live with a group of unattached hunky fellas. Will the singletons be able to persuade the coupled-up individuals to cheat on their partners? And how will their partners react when they see video of what’s been going on?
The moment at the end of the series where host Mark L Walberg asks the members of each couple whether they want to leave the island with their original lover, head off with someone new or just depart alone is always agonisingly dramatic, as are the interludes when each half is shown the videos of what their possibly soon-to-be-ex has been up to. It’s in these moments that the show feels most uncomfortable, but there are scenes of worthwhile introspection that come as a result of it – it’s just a shame that all of it has to be done in public.
So, will they all be in a better place at the end of it? It’s hard not to hope so, for some of them – Tayler, in particular, seems to deserve so much better. (Ten episodes)
Belgravia: The Next Chapter
Enchanting Victorian costume drama sequel series
Year: 2024
Certificate: 12
The hunt for the new Downton Abbey continues and now this drama, shown in 2020, gets a second chance. The original series, penned by Downton’s Julian Fellowes and based on his 2016 novel, followed the wealthy families of London’s swanky Belgravia. This follow-up, set two decades later, has more of the same.
That means beautiful costumes, lavish interiors, and plenty of romance and backstairs intrigue, with the current Lord Trenchard, Frederick (Ben Wainwright, recently cast as Maigret in an upcoming series based on the Georges Simenon novels), making confident, headstrong Clara Dunn (Pennyworth’s Harriet Slater) his wife. But all is not well in the marriage, and as Frederick maintains an emotional distance from Clara, she is drawn to the more Bohemian lifestyle of dashing doctor Stephen Ellerby (Edward Bluemel). Clara’s more pious sister Emily (Hannah Onslow), meanwhile, is rather taken with the parish priest – who just happens to be Frederick’s estranged younger brother.
There is a veteran ensemble cast adding pleasing extra colour, notably Sophie Thompson, Miles Jupp, and real-life noblewoman Sophie Winkleman (who is married to Lord Frederick Windsor, the King’s second cousin). Solidly written (by Dalgleish writer Helen Edmundson), this is a must for costume drama fans who want to escape to an opulent and ordered bygone era. (Eight episodes)
The Au Pair
David Suchet stars in a chilling tale of family dynamics, trust and hidden secrets
Year: 2025
Certificate: 12
Sally Bretton, of Not Going Out and Beyond Paradise fame, stars in this four-part thriller and her sunny disposition is a perfect match for the beautiful Cotswold village she calls home. As seamstress Zoe Dalton, she’s stepmother to the two children of GP husband Chris (Vera’s Kenny Doughty), and she also takes care of her diabetic retired GP dad (played by Poirot veteran David Suchet). A saint by anyone’s estimation, and one made even more sweet and sympathetic for her desire to become a mum.
But it won’t be all smiles for long, when an angry young cuckoo swoops into this picture-perfect nest. Frenchwoman Sandrine (Lupin’s Ludmilla Makowski) likes listening to French rap music at top blast and has business with Zoe and her family, inveigling herself into their employ and making herself indispensable as the au pair of the tile.
For Zoe, it’s a maternal nightmare in the making, but it doesn’t end exactly where the early episodes lead you. Twisty enough to keep you guessing and, while it’s great to see Suchet back on the telly, it’s rising French star Makowski who has by far the most interesting role to play. (Four episodes)
Candy
Jessica Biel stars as a churchgoer – and suspected axe-murderer
Year: 2022
Certificate: 18
Almost unrecognisable under a curly wig and a set of false teeth, Jessica Biel is icily hard to read as Candy Montgomery, a seemingly perfect church-going wife and mother in 1980s Texas. Seemingly perfect? Well, yes, because after her best friend Betty’s brutal murder with an axe, the police discover that Candy had been having an affair with the dead woman’s husband. Surely Candy can’t also have been the one who wielded the axe that killed Betty – can she?
This engrossing thriller based on real events plays out over five parts shot through with perfect period detail and some great performances. Apart from the fantastic Biel, there’s a beautifully understated passive-aggressive turn from Yellowjackets’ Melanie Lynskey as the ill-fated Betty. (Five episodes)
Dope Thief
Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura star in an unpredictable crime drama
Year: 2025
Certificate: 15
If you’re a fan of The Wire, then Apple’s crime drama is highly reminiscent of that in terms of look. The premise, however, is considerably less grounded than David Simon’s show – but it’s certainly attention-grabbing. Brian Tyree Henry (Causeway) and Wagner Moura (Narcos) star as the dope thieves of the title, Philadelphia friends who pose as DEA agents to make money out of stealing drugs. Only one day they rob the wrong people and have to take a good, hard look at themselves as they deal with the potentially deadly consequences.
Tyree Henry is one of those actors who doesn’t get the mainstream recognition he deserves, and any scene with him here is worth watching. Look out, too, for the excellent supporting cast, particularly Kate Mulgrew as his mother figure, while the violent and occasionally surprisingly comical story unfolds. Will Ray (Tyree Henry) and Manny (Moura) still be friends by the end of it? Or even alive? (Eight episodes)
Ten Pound Poms
Gritty drama about the reality of life for Brits who tried to start a new life Down Under in the 1950s
Year: 2023-
‘I love Australia, me!’ shouts Terry (Luther’s Warren Brown) as he disembarks in Sydney in 1956, hoping to start a new, sun-soaked life with his family alongside other Brits, such as Kate (Michelle Keegan), who have relocated for just £10. But as Danny Brocklehurst’s gritty historical six-parter shows, new starts are often disappointing and the emigrants face a grim future Down Under across the first series. The second, which follows the further twists in their challenging stories, was recently added.
Off camera, the actors certainly had a lively time of it with the local wildlife. Seeing kangaroos became the daily norm for Keegan and her co-star Faye Marsay, who plays Terry’s wife Annie. ‘There was always a mob of them in the background,’ recalls Game Of Thrones star Faye. ‘We wouldn’t get right up close because they might give you a punch, apparently. But it was kind of amazing. I’d never been to Australia. I was slightly terrified about the fact that if you get bitten by anything you’re probably going to die. Michelle and I would be Googling shark attacks.’ (Two series)
Stacey Dooley: Rape On Trial
Stacey follows four young women through the legal process
Year: 2025
Certificate: 12
Stacey Dooley is pretty much the only choice for this powerful investigative two-parter. The journalist and presenter has earned respect and a ready-made audience thanks to her frank and revealing back catalogue of factual programmes, many of which have dealt with similarly challenging themes. She’s also warm and compassionate, as this subject matter demands.
Filmed over three years, Stacey meets four young women as they go through the process of reporting a rape by someone they know and, crucially, she stays with them as they wait for the cases to come to trial. Shining a light on the challenges of reporting rape, as well as the toll of waiting – with their lives put on hold – as court backlogs mount up, Stacey will also be at their sides as they each have their day in court. (Two episodes)
Last Take: Rust And The Story Of Halyna
Documentary about the Rust shooting that focuses on the life of the victim, Halyna Hutchins
Year: 2025
Certificate: 15
On 20 October 2021, the 42-year-old Ukrainian cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died after being shot on the set of the Western movie Rust, when a gun was loaded with live ammunition instead of blanks. We’ve heard a lot about the court case that followed this tragedy – especially in how it relates to the film’s star and producer Alec Baldwin – but comparatively little about Hutchins herself.
Rachel Mason’s feature-length documentary aims to correct that, collecting footage from before and after the incident and talking to those who worked on the film and knew Hutchins. Mason first met her back in 2015, when the two took their children to the same childcare centre and the access she has here, both to footage and to people – on and off set – really brings her friend’s story to life.
It may be a ‘true crime’ documentary but it’s also the very human story of what’s left behind. Be warned, some of the footage around the shooting itself is quite upsetting. (91 minutes)
American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden
The third in the Manhunt documentary strand follows the hunt for the man behind 9/11
Year: 2025
Certificate: 15
After its recent series about the OJ Simpson case and 2023’s The Boston Marathon Bombing, the docuseries American Manhunt turns its lens on the search for Osama bin Laden in the weeks, months and eventually years after the 11 September 2001 attacks. It’s territory that’s been covered before by both documentaries and films (notably Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty) but this three-part series brings a new level of detail and insight.
Interviews with many of the key players – from highly placed US government officials and CIA operatives to the members of the Special Forces team who actually took part in the final assault on bin Laden’s compound – this is an impressive look at the highs and lows of arguably the most high-profile manhunt in recent memory. (Three episodes)
Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party
Rare 1983 Cameron Crowe-directed documentary about US rocker Tom Petty
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
To mark the release of their fifth album Long After Dark and the tour that followed it, rock star Tom Petty allowed an MTV film crew intimate behind-the-scenes access to follow him and his band the Heartbreakers everywhere they went, from studios to stage, from tour buses to dressing rooms, and everywhere in between. Directed by then-novice filmmaker Cameron Crowe (who would go on to make movies such as Almost Famous), the result is a madcap freewheeling look at rock ‘n’ roll life, full of candid, oddball and frequently hilarious chat, as well as a ton of rarely seen footage of the band performing.
It was aired only once on MTV in 1983 and sat in a vault for more than 40 years before being remastered – with some additional footage, including a new interview with Crowe and Petty’s daughter – for this release. It’s an unmissable chunk of rock history. (84 minutes)
Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney
Comedian John Mulaney hosts his first live studio chat show
Year: 2025
Certificate: 15
John Mulaney’s Netflix love-in continues. The US comedian and actor has already racked up a batch of stand-up specials in recent years, along with his freewheeling live show John Mulaney’s Everybody’s In LA, as part of last year’s Netflix Is A Joke festival. Now he gets to try his hand at being a traditional chat-show host, though with the never-knowingly restrained Mulaney at the helm expect it to be anything but traditional. Airing for 12 weeks, the show will go out live with no delays – at 2am, UK time – which must be giving some Netflix execs a few sleepless nights.
The guests in episode one include Michael Keaton, Joan Baez and Fred Armisen – with music from Cypress Hill – while the always hilarious Mulaney will be ably supported by veteran actor and comic Richard Kind, who also filled the role of Mulaney’s sidekick in the Everybody’s In LA show.
In terms of what to expect from the structure of the show itself, Mulaney quipped that he would take all the elements that had worked for people in the past, then just present them in a different order. It’s that kind of self-deprecating humour that means he can get away with pretty much anything, and he probably will, too. (12 episodes)
Andor
Strong Star Wars spin-off centred on a rebel in hiding, now partly free on YouTube
Year: 2022-
Certificate: 12
This is a Star Wars show for people who don’t like Star Wars shows. Created by Bourne writer Tony Gilroy, Andor is a dramatically credible account of life at the sharp end of rebellion and is, essentially, a prequel to the brilliant movie Rogue One – which Gilroy also co-wrote, and was in itself essentially a sci-fi take on The Magnificent Seven.
Diego Luna (Narcos: Mexico) stars as Cassian Andor, a rebel in hiding, in a series that starts slowly but builds up and out in ways you don’t expect. In some places it becomes a workplace comedy drama set at Imperial intelligence, where the bureaucrats fight among themselves. It’s also a spy action thriller, with a particularly thrilling sideline in jail breaks, and it’s also a dark political drama about the consequences of fighting the system, hinged around a terrific performance from The Honourable Woman’s Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma.
That last element has the feel of the US House Of Cards, which is no coincidence – Beau Willimon, who created that show, wrote several episodes of Andor. A second and final series is due to arrive from 23 April and, in preparation for this, the first three episodes from series one are now available on YouTube. (12 episodes)
Denise Richards And Her Wild Things
Reality show following the lives of the former Bond Girl and her daughters
Year: 2025
Certificate: 15
Actress Denise Richards is no stranger to reality TV. The cameras have followed the private life of the former Bond Girl for The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills as well as her own short-lived show Denise Richards: It’s Complicated in 2008.
This show takes us back into her Hollywood life as she struggles with her grown-up daughters Sami Sheen and Lola Rose Sheen (her children with former husband Charlie Sheen) as well as her adopted teenage daughter Eloise and her current husband Aaron Phypers. It’s glossy drama-filled stuff full of glamorous LA locations, expensive houses and a huge number of spats and fights, not least between Sami and Lola Rose, the former a creator of mature content on OnlyFans and the latter a recently baptized devout Christian. (One series)
