Best TV shows airing in 2020
From the return of The Crown and Marcella to another helping of The Mandalorian, here's the best of 2020's TV...
While 2020 has been a strange year - to say the least - owing to the global coronavirus pandemic, we can at least be grateful that it is jam-packed with great programmes on TV and on-demand services to keep us occupied while we've been finding ourselves spending more time at home in front of the box...
Kicking off the brand-new decade, there are plenty of shows to get excited about: from new offerings like Billie Piper's I Hate Suzie and Keeley Hawes's return to the force in ITV factual drama Honour, to some popular returning series, from The Crown to Marcella and Lucifer.
Read on for our list of all the best TV to savour in 2020. And check out our best TV dramas for 2021 if you're looking forward to future hits.
The Mandalorian season 2 - Disney+
Streaming service Disney+ launched earlier in the year in the UK, and we're already being treated to a second series of this samurai/Western inspired Star Wars spin-off from Jon Favreau.
Starring Game of Thrones’s Pedro Pascal as the titular Mandalorian, it's set in the Star Wars universe between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. This new trailer shows off all sorts of explosive new battles and exciting adventures, so it looks like we're in for a lot of fun when the show returns.
Episodes of The Mandalorian season 2 are released weekly on Disney+
Bridgerton - Netflix
The drama will portray the romance novels of Julia Quinn, which revolve around a well-to-do family in Regency-era London - with Julie Andrews narrating.
Bridgerton will land on Netflix on Friday 25 December
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina seasons 3 and 4 - Netflix
The supernatural series starring Kiernan Shipka as a teenage witch is back for not one but two helpings this year.
Season 4 arrives on Netflix on 31 December
Roadkill - BBC One
Hugh Laurie (The Night Manager) plays a self-interested Conservative minister whose life — both public and private — is falling apart, but whose eye remains on the ultimate political prize as he attempts to out-run his past.
Riviera series 3 - Sky Atlantic
Julia Stiles returns as Georgina for eight more episodes of the hit drama based around the lush paradise that is the French coast.
Find out more about Riviera series 3
The Haunting of Bly Manor
The Haunting of Hill House creator Mike Flanagan is back for another revisionist take on a classic ghost story for Netflix, and this time he's tackling the work of Henry James, particularly his 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw.
Find out more about The Haunting of Bly Manor
Life - BBC One
Life is an “epic story about seemingly "ordinary" people who turn out to be anything but” from the writer of Doctor Foster, Mike Bartlett. Set in a divided house in Manchester, it brings together four stories from different flats to tell a bigger tale about what happens when people step out of their own personal space and take a closer look into the lives of others.
Us - BBC One
Based on the best-selling novel by David Nicholls, Us follows Douglas Petersen (Tom Hollander), a seemingly happily married man who’s meticulously planned a grand tour of Europe. However, his family holiday schemes hit a slight road bump: his wife Connie (Luther’s Saskia Reeves) tells him she wants to separate.
Honour - ITV
Honour is a new two-part factual drama based on the true story of 20-year-old Londoner Banaz Mahmod, who was murdered by her family for falling in love with the wrong man. Keeley Hawes will star as the lead detective on the case.
Des - ITV
David Tennant portrays Dennis Nilsen, a killer of at least 12 men across London in the 1980s and one of the UK’s most notorious mass murderers, in a three-part series on ITV.
Star Trek: Discovery
Series three of the space spin-off arrives, with episodes dropping the day after the US airing. Michael Burnham and the crew of the USS Discovery ended up nearly a thousand years in the future at the end of season two - but what will they find there?
Find out more about Star Trek: Discovery
The Crown series 4 - Netflix
Netflix's ongoing royal biopic series is back for a fourth run, with the second and final instalment of Olivia Colman's stint in the role of Queen Elizabeth II.
Find out more about The Crown series 4
Small Axe - BBC One
Oscar-winning writer and director Steve McQueen is bringing an anthology of hour-long stories about London’s West Indian community to BBC One, with Black Panther’s Letitia Wright and Star Wars's John Boyega joining the starry cast.
Tin Star: Liverpool - Sky Atlantic
Sky’s thriller Tin Star returns for a third and final season – this time set in the UK as the Worth family "confront their menacing past" in Liverpool.
Tin Star: Liverpool airs on Thursdays at 9pm on Sky Atlantic - catch up now on NOW TV
Find out more about Tin Star series 3
Strike: Lethal White - BBC One
Sleuthing double act Cormoran Strike (Tom Burke) and Robin Ellacott (Holliday Grainger) will be back on our screens for a new four-part adaptation of JK Rowling’s latest crime novel, Lethal White. The story begins when Strike receives a visit from Billy, a troubled young man asking the detective to investigate a crime he believes he witnessed as a child.
Find out more about Strike: Lethal White
I Hate Suzie - Sky Atlantic and NOW TV
Doctor Who favourite Billie Piper reunited with Secret Diary of a Call Girl writer Lucy Prebble to co-create an original Sky drama about a star on the wane, whose world is turned upside-down after her phone is hacked and an image of her in a "compromising position" is leaked.
Find out more about I Hate Suzie
Lucifer series 5 - Netflix
Tom Ellis will return this summer in the popular and devillishly good drama, which is set to include a musical episode and a guest appearance from Debbie Gibson.
Lucifer season 5 theory could spell a dark ending for Deckerstar
Lucifer officially renewed for “final, final” sixth season
The Singapore Grip - ITV
The Singapore Grip, starring David Morrissey and Luke Treadaway, is a new drama from the makers of Poldark adapted from JG Farrell’s 1978 novel of the same name. The programme will follow a British family living in Singapore at the time of the Japanese invasion during the Second World War.
Find out more about The Singapore Grip
Ghosts series 2 - BBC One
The BBC's dead funny (sorry) sitcom has been recommissioned for another series following a group of squabbling spirits haunting crumbling country pile Button House. From the team behind Horrible Histories, it stars Mathew Baynton, Charlotte Ritchie, Kiell Smith-Bynoe and more.
Find out more about Ghosts series 2
A Suitable Boy - BBC One
Serial adapter Andrew Davies (known for War and Peace, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Sanditon, among others) takes on Vikram Seth's classic novel A Suitable Boy. The lavish period drama is an epic family saga set in the 1950s in post-Partition India.
Find out more about A Suitable Boy
Adult Material - Channel 4
Hayley Squires stars as a leading British porn star in a drama examining the adult film industry. It promises to be a timely look at how porn’s influence on mainstream culture has affected society's ideas of consent. Sheridan Smith was originally attached to the project but dropped out due to a scheduling conflict.
Find out more about Adult Material
All Creatures Great and Small - Channel 5
Channel 5 has teamed up with US broadcaster PBS for a six-part remake of the iconic comedy drama based on James Herriott's memoirs, tying in with the 50th anniversary of the publication of his books.
Find out more about All Creatures Great and Small
The Umbrella Academy season two - Netflix
Season two of Netflix's dark comedy superhero series recently landed on the platform after the success of the first outing last year.
Based on the comic books by My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, The IU, looks at the eclectic Hargreeves siblings – all of whom exhibited supernatural powers at birth and were adopted by an eccentric billionaire to form a crime-fighting family.
Find out more about The Umbrella Academy season 2
WandaVision - Disney+
As well as The Mandalorian, Marvel series WandaVision is one of Disney+'s most anticipated original shows, with Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany reprising their MCU roles as Wanda Maximoff and Vision respectively – with the latter seemingly brought back following his death in Avengers: Infinity War.
Find out more about WandaVision
Mrs America - BBC Two
The letters ERA may not mean much to us, but in 1970s America the fight over the Equal Rights Amendment was a drama political crossroads. Cate Blanchett stars as the influential conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly who opposed it, with Rose Byrne and Tracey Ullman playing feminists Gloria Steneim and Betty Friedan.
Find out more about Mrs America
I May Destroy You - BBC One
Created by and starring Michaela Coel of Chewing Gum fame, I May Destroy You explores the question of sexual consent in today’s world, where gratification is only a dating app away.
Find out more about I May Destroy You
Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You is a biting and brave look at consent
13 Reasons Why season 4 - Netflix
The fourth and final series of the teen drama, on which Selena Gomez serves as an executive producer, will show the Liberty High School students preparing to graduate, while attempting to keep a lid of the secrets each of them are keeping after Bryce Walker’s murder...
Find out more about 13 Reasons Why season 4
Normal People - BBC Three
Sally Rooney has adapted her critically acclaimed novel Normal People for BBC Three. The modern love story chronicles the romance between Marianne and Connell (Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal) – both from a small Irish town, but from very different backgrounds – whose relationship is tested at various junctures in their lives.
Will there be a Normal People season 2?
Normal People ending explained: How BBC Three TV series’ finale differs from the book
More on Normal People
Little Birds - Sky Atlantic
Inspired by Anais Nin’s collection of erotic short stories, Juno Temple stars as an American debutante who travels to 1950s Tangier in the hopes of finding a more unconventional life.
Find out more about Little Birds
The Salisbury Poisonings - BBC Two
The poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal on British soil sent shockwaves around the world – but at the epicentre of the story was the city of Salisbury. This two-part drama starring Anne-Marie Duff will tell the story “of how ordinary people reacted to a crisis on their doorstep, displaying extraordinary heroism as their city became the focus of an unprecedented national emergency”.
Find out more about The Salisbury Poisonings
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - Disney+
Avengers-adjacent superheroes Bucky Barnes (AKA The Winter Soldier) and Sam "Falcon" Wilson are to lead their own Disney+ TV show. The six-part series is being written by Malcolm Spellman (Empire), with Kari Skogland (The Handmaid's Tale) set to direct – and it's expected to follow on from the events of Avengers: Endgame.
Find out more about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Disney+ delays release of Marvel's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series
The Luminaries - BBC Two
Casino Royale's Eva Green is starring in the TV adaptation of Eleanor Catton's Man Booker Prize-winning novel The Luminaries. The drama promises to be "an epic story of love, murder and revenge" and is set on the Wild West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island during the boom years of the 1860s gold rush.
Find out more about The Luminaries
Gangs of London - Sky Atlantic/NOW TV
Peaky Blinders's Joe Cole heads up Sky's violent new crime saga, in which the city of London is torn apart by the power struggles of international gangs attempting to take control on the capital.
Find out more about Gangs of London
The Politician season 2 - Netflix
The second run of Ryan Murphy's hit drama follows Payton Hobar (Ben Platt) four years after the events of season one as he runs for Senate in New York against complacent Democratic candidate Senator Standish (Judith Light)...
Find out more about The Politician season 2
After Life series 2 - Netflix
Ricky Gervais is back in this bittersweet comedy as a widower who, after contemplating suicide, decides instead to take his misery out on the rest of the world by saying and doing whatever he likes...
The second outing sees him still mourning his late wife, even as he works hard to be a better person - and Gervais has said that it "might resonate even more" in these challenging times.
Find out more about series 2 of After Life
More on After Life
Killing Eve series 3 - BBC
Cat-and-mouse drama Killing Eve is back with a new female showrunner at the helm: Suzanne Heathcote, who has previously written two episodes of Fear the Walking Dead, takes over from Call the Midwife actress Emerald Fennell, who penned series season two (with Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge having written the first series and who continues to be an executive producer on the show).
If you've seen the series three trailer, you'll know, of course, that despite having been left for dead by Villanelle (Jodie Comer), Eve (Sandra Oh) is very much still alive and hiding in plain sight...
Find out more about Killing Eve series 3
Killing Eve recap – what happened at the end of season two?
Ozark series 3 - Netflix
Long-awaited third season of the hit drama about a financial planner (Jason Bateman) who finds himself at the whim of a Mexican drug cartel. Showrunner Chris Mundy has said that the new season will see Ruth Langmore (Julie Garner) trying her best to get closer to the Byrdes, and that it will see Marty further descend into darkness...
Find out more about Ozark series 3
Ozark to return for one final 14-episode season on Netflix
The Last Kingdom
The Last Kingdom, which has won a loyal army of fans, is based on the Saxon Stories novels by Sharpe creator Bernard Cornwell. Set in the 9th-century AD, the show tells the story of rugged hero Uhtred son of Uhtred, a Saxon boy who is brought up by Danes, after they capture him and decide to raise him as their own. Of course this leads to split loyalties and Uhtred is eventually accused of killing his adoptive father, forcing him to flee to another kingdom.
Watch The Last Kingdom season four on Netflix
The Last Kingdom season four: cast, trailer and plot
When is The Last Kingdom season five on Netflix?
Alex Rider - Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video is streaming a brand-new eight-episode thriller based on Point Blanc, the second book in the popular long-running series of spy novels by Anthony Horowitz, with Otto Farrant as the title character.
Watch now on Amazon Prime Video
Find out more about Alex Rider
Best Interests - BBC One
BAFTA-winning screenwriter Jack Thorne pens a brand-new four-part drama series, following a couple who must fight for their daughter's survival — even if they don't know whose best interests that might fulfil.
Find out more about Best Interests
Sitting in Limbo - BBC One
Novelist Stephen S Thompson has based this drama on the real-life story of his brother Anthony Bryan and the Windrush immigration scandal. Anthony had lived in the UK since he was eight years old – but when he decided to obtain a passport and visit his mother in Jamaica, he learnt that there was no record of him as a British citizen.
Find out more about Sitting in Limbo
Brooklyn Nine-Nine series 7 - E4
NYPD’s 99th police department is back once again to solve crime, catch bad guys and get up to all sorts of antics in their free time.
Find out more about Brooklyn Nine-Nine series 7
The North Water - BBC Two
Set in the late 1850s and adapted from Ian McGuire's novel, the four-part series will depict the harrowing exploits of a whaling vessel called Volunteer and its passengers, namely the ship's doctor Patrick Sumner (Jack O'Connell) and the unhinged harpooner Henry Drax (Colin Farrell). Filmed on a ship, the series also stars Line of Duty and The Irishman star Stephen Graham, as the Volunteer's captain.
Find out more about The North Water
I Know This Much Is True - Sky Atlantic/NOW TV
In this harrowing serial drama based on the bestselling novel by Wally Lamb, Mark Ruffalo plays identical twin brothers in an epic story of betrayal and forgiveness, set against the backdrop of 20th-century America.
Homeland series 8 - Channel 4
The eighth and final season of Homeland, starring Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin, brings an end to the long-running, ever-twisting political thriller.
Find out more about Homeland series 8
Belgravia - ITV
Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes has adapted his novel Belgravia into a six-parter starring Tamsin Greig, Alice Eve and Harriet Walter. The 19th century-set drama revolves around the Trenchard family, who attend a ball hosted by the Duchess of Richmond on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo, sparking a series of events that will have consequences for decades to come in London’s wealthiest neighbourhood.
The Trip to Greece - Sky One and NOW TV
Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan pack their suitcases once again, this time for a tour around the Greek islands. Expect plenty of moussaka, tzatziki, feta and bickering...
Find out more about The Trip to Greece
Succession series 3 - Sky Atlantic and NOW TV
The Roy family is returning for another series following the shock plot-twist at the end of season two. Expect more twists, back-stabbing, exotic locations, and sumptuous clothes.
Find out more about Succession series 3
Homecoming season 2 - Amazon Prime Video
The chilling and intriguing thriller based on a hit podcast of the same name, is coming back for a second series on Amazon - and while Julia Roberts starred in season one, season two has a new lead actor – in the form of Janelle Monáe.
Find out more about Homecoming season 2
Outlander series 5 - Amazon Prime Video
Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe reprise their roles as the beloved Jamie and Claire in a fifth series of Outlander, which sees the pair facing new challenges, adversaries and adventures as the show delves into American history and continues the story of the Frasers settling in the New World.
Watch now on Amazon Prime Video
Find out more about Outlander series 5
The English Game - Netflix
Former Line of Duty star Craig Parkinson, Edward Holcroft and Kevin Guthrie all star in Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes's latest series about the history of football, exploring "how those involved in its creation reached across the class divide to establish the game as the world's most popular sport".
Find out more about The English Game
The Nest - BBC One
Nicole Taylor, the BAFTA-winning writer behind Three Girls, is back with a brand-new Glasgow-set surrogacy thriller that explores the life-changing consequences of a wealthy couple asking a teenage girl to carry their baby.
The Barking Murders - BBC One
From Jeff Pope and Neil McKay, the award-winning team behind The Moorside and Appropriate Adult, this new factual drama is about the victims of "the Grindr serial killer" who drugged and murdered four young men he met on a dating app and will star Sheridan Smith and Stephen Merchant.
Find out more about The Barking Murders
Noughts + Crosses - BBC One
Malorie Blackman’s bestselling novel, set in a dystopian world where races are segregated and the ruling class is black, has been adapted for television. Peaky Blinders actor Jack Rowan and newcomer Masali Baduza lead the cast.
Find out more about Noughts + Crosses
Star Trek: Picard
Fans of Star Trek: the Next Generation, rejoice! Patrick Stewart has returned to the Star Trek universe after nearly two decades on shore leave, with his iconic Captain Picard starring in a new spin-off series that imagines his later years.
Watch now on Amazon Prime Video
Find out more about Star Trek: Picard
David Attenborough: a Life on Our Planet - Netflix
This documentary, in which the celebrated naturalist reflects upon both the defining moments of his lifetime and the devastating changes he has seen, was expected in the spring but subsequently delayed because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more about David Attenborough: a Life on Our Planet
Too Close - ITV
Emily Watson (from Chernobyl) stars as a forensic psychiatrist in ITV's upcoming three-part drama Too Close, based on the novel by Clara Salaman (written under under the pseudonym Natalie Daniels).
Blood series 2 - Channel 5
A year on from the first series of this psychological thriller, we return to the fractured family at its heart, with Jim Hogan (Line of Duty's Adrian Dunbar) trying to build bridges.
Find out more about Blood series 2
Dracula - BBC One
Sherlock creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have penned a three-part bloodcurdling adaptation of Dracula, featuring Danish actor Claes Bang as the blood-sucking vampire created by Bram Stoker for his 1897 novel. John Heffernan and Gatiss himself also star.
Inside No 9 series 5 - BBC Two
Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton's anthology series welcomes the likes of Jenna Coleman, David Morrissey, Maxine Peake and Jill Halfpenny for new episodes on this wonderfully inventive series.
Read more about Inside No 9 series 5
The Pale Horse - BBC One
And Then There Were None and Ordeal by Innocence writer Sarah Phelps tackles her next Agatha Christie tale, The Pale Horse, set in 1961 and centring on the character of Mark Easterbrook (Rufus Sewell), a man whose name appears on a mysterious list found inside the shoe of a dead woman.
Read more about The Pale Horse
Industry - BBC One
Set in 2008, the upcoming drama will cover the global financial crisis and follow a handful of aspiring bankers just out of university, each trying to build a career in finance by acquiring full-time roles at a particular investment bank based in London. David Jonsson and Informer's Nabhaan Rizwan have both been cast.
Liar series 2 - ITV
Joanne Froggatt and Ioan Gruffudd are back with the second series of the popular drama to answer the many questions we had after the shock series one ending...
Find out more about Liar series 2
The Good Karma Hospital series 3 - ITV
Set in an Indian hospital and starring Amanda Redman and Amrita Acharia, ITV's The Good Karma Hospital is returning for a third helping.
Find out more about The Good Karma Hospital series 3
The Trial of Christine Keeler - BBC One
James Norton, Sophie Cookson and Emilia Fox star in this series shining a light on the infamous Profumo Affair of 1963, promising to “take a fresh look at one of the most infamous British stories”.
Find out more about The Trial of Christine Keeler
The Serpent - BBC One
Set in the 1970s, French actor Tahar Rahim will play notorious serial killer Charles Sobhraj who became the chief suspect in a spate of unsolved murders of young Western travellers in India, Thailand and Nepal.
Find out more about The Serpent
Flesh and Blood - ITV
Family drama Flesh and Blood is the modern story of three adult siblings – Helen, Jake and Natalie – whose lives are thrown into disarray when their recently widowed mother Vivien reveals she's fallen for a new man. The drama is written by The Long Song’s Sarah Williams and stars Imelda Staunton and Russell Tovey.
Watch now on ITV Hub
Find out more about Flesh and Blood
The Stranger - Netflix
Netflix has adapted Harlan Coben's nail-biting novel The Stranger into an eight-part thriller series, starring The Hobbit's Richard Armitage as a man whose world is turned upside-down by a woman who reveals secret information to him about his wife.
Find out more about The Stranger on Netflix
Because the Night - ITV
Luther creator Neil Cross has penned a dark new four-part series for ITV, featuring murder — and possibly ghosts.
Find out more about Because the Night
Doctor Who series 12 - BBC One
Jodie Whittaker and her Doctor Who team are back for another series of adventures on the BBC. Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill all return, with actor, writer, presenter and general polymath Stephen Fry also having a role in one episode...
Find out more about Doctor Who series 12
Narcos: Mexico series 2 - Netflix
Charting the rise of the Guadalajara drug cartel in 1980s-era Mexico, this drama started out as the fourth season of Narcos, before the streaming giant decided to develop the series as a companion show. This year there's a second helping following real-life narco Felix Gallardo.
Find out more about Narcos: Mexico series 2
Deadwater Fell - Channel 4
Daisy Coulam, the creator of Grantchester, is back with a new four-part crime drama starring Doctor Who's David Tennant. The drama examines the “notion of evil” and follows two families in the aftermath of the murder of three children and their mother, looking at the ripple effect of the crime in the local community.
Find out more about Deadwater Fell
The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe - BBC
The BBC is set to explore the final months of Marilyn Monroe’s life in a new drama series written by Trust Me screenwriter Dan Sefton. The show will trace the run-up to her death at the age of 36 from an overdose of sleeping pills.
Find out more about The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe
White Lines series 1 - Netflix
New drama by Alex Pina, creator of hit crime series Money Heist (La Casa De Papel). A woman returns to Ibiza to investigate her famous Manchester DJ brother’s death.
Find out more about White Lines
Death Comes as the End - BBC One
We're more used to seeing Sarah Phelps tackle Agatha Christie, but for this adaptation of Death Comes as the End, the BBC has turned to Gwyneth Hughes. Unusually for Christie, the murder mystery is set in ancient Egypt.
Find out more about Death Comes as the End
Impeachment: American Crime Story - BBC Two
The new season of the Ryan Murphy anthology series will depict the Clinton–Lewinsky sex scandal of the mid-90s, starring Clive Owen as Bill Clinton, joining Booksmart's Beanie Feldstein (Monica Lewinsky) who will appear alongside previous ACS cast members Sarah Paulson (Linda Tripp) and Annaleigh Ashford (Paula Jones).
Find out more about Impeachment: American Crime Story
The Split series 2 - BBC One
The London-set legal drama starring Nicola Walker is back for a second series, which sees Hannah (Walker) building the firm's most prolific case yet, while Ruth (Deborah Findlay) looks for her place and Rose (Fiona Button) is now finally married to James (Rudi Dharmalingam).
Find out more about The Split series 2
Call the Midwife series 9 - BBC One
The midwives of Poplar are back for another series that starts in January 1965 with the funeral of Winston Churchill, and sees Nonnatus House “entering a bold and innovative era”. And there's good news for fans – Call the Midwife has been green-lit for a further two series so will be on our screens until at least 2022.
Find out more about Call the Midwife series 9
The Eddy
The latest project from the director of Whiplash and La La Land Damien Chazelle is another much-anticipated musical drama.
The Trouble with Maggie Cole - ITV
The Vicar of Dibley star Dawn French plays dangerous village gossip Maggie Connors, a busybody who gives an indiscreet interview to a local radio interviewer that sparks off a series of unexpected happenings in the fictional town of Thurlbury.
Find out more about The Trouble with Maggie Cole
Hollywood - Netflix
New limited series from Ryan Murphy following a group of aspiring actors trying to make it big in Los Angeles after the Second World War.
https://twitter.com/streaming/streaming/netflix/status/1230507771281453061?s=20
Watch Hollywood now on Netflix
There She Goes series 2 - BBC Two
Returning to our screens is There She Goes, the funny but highly emotional comedy drama about a couple (played by David Tennant and Jessica Hynes) whose daughter has severe learning difficulties that present regular challenges in their day-to-day life.
Creator Shaun Pye wanted to provide an honest portrayal of raising a child with a disability as his daughter was born with a chromosomal disorder.
Find out more about There She Goes series 2
Locke & Key
This new series is based on the critically acclaimed graphic novels by Joe Hill (the son of Stephen King), taking place in a mysterious house where unlocking doors grants magical abilities.
Watch Locke & Key now on Netflix
Find out more about Locke & Key
Our Girl series 4 - BBC One
Michelle Keegan returns as army medic Georgie Lane for a fourth series as she heads back to Afghanistan, the scene of fiancé Elvis's death. 2 Section will also be back – but missing a few familiar faces this time.
Watch Our Girl series 4 on BBC iPlayer
Find out more about Our Girl series 4
Unforgotten series 4 - ITV
DI Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) and DCI Cassie Stuart (Nicola Walker) dig into another historic crime in this critically acclaimed series from writer Chris Lang.
Find out more about Unforgotten series 4
Money Heist (La Casa de Papel) part 4 - Netflix
Not only the most-watched non-English show on Netflix, but one of the most-watched series overall on the streaming service, the hit Spanish crime drama is back.
Watch Money Heist part 4 now on Netflix
The Bay series 2 - ITV
The Bay, penned by Being Human writer Daragh Carville, is a crime story rooted in the families and communities of a coastal town. Morven Christie is expected to return as Family Liaison Officer Lisa Armstrong for season two, with a whole new case to crack.
Find out more about The Bay series 2
Kaos - Netflix
Charlie Covell, the creator of The End of the F***ing World, has written a new, darkly comic Netflix series, Kaos, which is a modern reimagining of Greek mythology with a "Game of Thrones scale".
Quiz - ITV
It's the show everyone's been talking about - and has been the biggest drama of the year so far. This fascinating drama explores Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’s infamous Charles Ingram coughing scandal, and stars Matthew Macfadyen, Fleabag star Sian Clifford, Helen McCrory and Michael Sheen as an uncanny Chris Tarrant.
Motherland series 3 - BBC Two
Sharon Horgan's Motherland is back for a third (school) run, promising more biting comedy about school-gate politics, half-term holiday fiascos and middle-class parenting.
Find out more about Motherland series 3
The Elephant Man - BBC One
The Elephant Man will chart Joseph Merrick's working-class beginnings in 19th-century Leicestershire, through the workhouse and a life of poverty to a London human oddities show, where he met Dr Frederick Treves, who would go on to become a lifelong friend. Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things) will play the titular role in the two 90-minute episodes.
Find out more about The Elephant Man
Innocent - ITV
Chris Lang's tense drama returns but with an entirely new story and characters. Once again, it will revolve around a central conceit – is its main character innocent or not?
Grantchester series 5 - ITV
James Norton may have gone, but his replacement – Tom Brittney’s motorcycle-riding Reverend Will Davenport – is back for another season of the popular 1950s drama.
Find out more about Grantchester series 5
Sex Education series 2 - Netflix
The critically acclaimed comedy drama continues the story of Otis, a teenager who sets up a sex clinic at his school, as well as his classmates Maeve, Ola, Adam and Eric.
Watch Sex Education season 2 now on Netflix
Find out more about Sex Education series 2
Death in Paradise series 9 - BBC One
Ardal O'Hanlon's DI Jack Mooney is back in paradise (for the last time) to solve another batch of eccentric crimes and give us all some serious Caribbean holiday inspo — before we meet his replacement Ralf Little...
Find out more about Death in Paradise series 9
Space Force - Netflix
A new workplace comedy created by The Office US favourites Greg Daniels and Steve Carell, Space Force will skewer President Trump's proposal for a military "space force". Lisa Kudrow and John Malkovich also star.
Watch Space Force now on Netflix
Find out more about Space Force
Endeavour series 7 - ITV
Shaun Evans is returning as young Inspector Endeavour Mose, in a seventh series by writer Russell Lewis that introduces the series' characters to a new decade: 1970.
Find out more about Endeavour series 7
Altered Carbon series 2 - Netflix
Long-awaited second run for the cyberpunk series based on the 2002 novel of the same title.
Find out more about Altered Carbon series two
Last Tango in Halifax series 4 - BBC One
Derek Jacobi, Anne Reid, Sarah Lancashire and Nicola Walker will all return for four more episodes of the much-loved comedy drama, written by Sally Wainwright. The BAFTA-winning series tells the story of former childhood sweethearts Celia and Alan who have rekindled their relationship later in life, as well as following the lives of their respective grown-up daughters.
Find out more about Last Tango in Halifax series 4
This Is Going to Hurt - BBC Two
Former junior doctor Adam Kay has adapted his bestselling memoir into an eight-part series charting his fraught – and often hilarious – experiences of working in the NHS.
Find out more about This Is Going to Hurt
Cold Feet series 9 - ITV
Stars John Thomson, Hermione Norris, James Nesbitt, Fay Ripley and Robert Bathurst all return to Manchester for a ninth series of the long-running comedy drama.
Find out more about Cold Feet series 9
Boys (working title) - Channel 4
Former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies will explore the lives of three young gay men affected by the AIDS crisis of the 1980s. Ritchie, Roscoe and Colin arrive in London with "hope and ambition and joy" but walk straight into "a plague that most of the world ignores".
Messiah - Netflix
New thriller about a man who builds a huge fanbase of people who believe he is a divine messiah figure, but in the process becomes a threat to international security.
Tenacity - ITV
Adapted from JS Law's debut novel, Tenacity sees a Navy sailor discovered dead aboard a nuclear submarine. A military detective is sent to investigate and it soon transpires that the death was no accident...
Alan Partridge's travelogue series - BBC One
A follow-up to This Time with Alan Partridge, the much-loved comedy character's next (as-yet untitled) series is described as a motor travelogue series, and will follow Partridge as he drives around Britain and meets various new characters.
Find out more about Alan Partridge's travelogue series
Better Call Saul series 5 - Netflix
The penultimate season of the Breaking Bad spin-off starring Bob Odenkirk as dodgy lawyer Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman.
Find out more about Better Call Saul series 5
The New Pope - Sky Atlantic
Paolo Sorrentino returns with his follow-up to The Young Pope, with Jude Law reprising his role as Lenny Belardo, alias the first ever American pope Pius XIII, while John Malkovich plays his potential successor.
Find out more about The New Pope
David Attenborough: a Life on Our Planet
This new film from the legendary broadcaster was due to arrive in April, but its launch was pushed back to later in the year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The documentary will draw on Attenborough's 93 years to discuss some of the biggest challenges facing life on our planet, and reportedly offers a powerful message of hope for future generations.
Father Brown series 8 - BBC One
Harry Potter’s Mark Williams is back as the crime-solving priest for an eighth season of the immensely popular daytime series. The BBC has also already recommissioned a ninth season to air in 2021, so the show's future is secure.
Find out more about Father Brown series 8
The Letter for the King
Based on the bestselling Dutch novel of the name by Tonke Dragt, Netflix’s latest fantasy adaptation is a coming-of-age story with a mystical twist unfolding in a medieval kingdom.
Find out more about The Letter for the King
TV airing in 2021 – and beyond
Marcella series 3 - ITV
Annoying news for UK fans - Anna Friel is due to reprise her role as the troubled detective Marcella for a third series on ITV, but they'll have to wait until September, while the rest of the world can tune in to Netflix from 14 June...
The new eight-part season will “delve further into the psychology” of Marcella and follow her new line of work as an undercover cop.
Find out more about Marcella series 3
- For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 guides.
The Handmaid's Tale series 4 - Channel 4, Hulu
Hulu's Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning adaptation starring Elisabeth Moss returns for a fourth season, set in a dystopian future version of the United States.
Find out more about The Handmaid's Tale series 4
Stranger Things series 4 - Netflix
Netflix confirmed it was cancelling filming of one of its biggest hits in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. The delay in filming is expected to last at least two weeks, and it’s unclear at this stage how it will affect season four’s release date - though it will likely be 2021.
Find out more about Stranger Things series 4
Happy Valley series 3 - BBC One
Sally Wainwright’s BAFTA-winning crime drama is expected to return, with Sarah Lancashire back as no-nonsense copper Catherine Cawood. However, we could still be waiting a while.
Gentleman Jack series 2 - BBC One
Suranne Jones will be back to bring the remarkable story of Anne Lister to life in a second series of the period drama, which was recommissioned after just two episodes of the first season had aired.
