The best TV dramas and comedies airing in autumn 2019

This Sky and HBO miniseries brings A-Lister Helen Mirren back to the small screen, playing 18th century Russian ruler Catherine the Great. The focus is on the end of her reign and on her passionate affair with Grigory Potemkin (Jason Clarke) and will apparently explore "the politically tumultuous and sexually charged court of the most powerful female monarch in history." Read more

The Accident – Channel 4

Air date: Autumn 2019 (expected)

Sarah Lancashire stars in this miniseries from Kiri and The Cursed Child writer Jack Thorne. It's set in Wales, and Lancashire plays Polly – the wife of a local politician who has thrown his support behind a large-scale construction project to regenerate his town. But a catastrophic accident on the construction site leaves many dead and or with life-changing injuries – including children. The community is torn apart by anger and blame and cries for justice, and challenging truths begin to emerge. Read more

The War of the Worlds – BBC1

Air date: Autumn 2019 (expected)

We had this on our autumn drama preview list for 2018 – but then it just completely dropped off the radar. Now, after a long wait, this adaptation of HG Wells' The War of the Worlds is finally set for an autumn 2019 premiere. Starring Eleanor Tomlinson and Rafe Spall, it's the story of an alien invasion which catches Earth by surprise. Read more

Sticks and Stones – ITV

Air date: TBC

Doctor Foster writer Mike Bartlett is back with this "contemporary workplace drama" set at a Reading business park. Starring Ken Nwosu and Ben Miller, it's a three-parter about a businessman who experiences massive fallout for a slip-up at work. Read more

The End of the F***ing World – Channel 4

Air date: November 2019 (expected)

This Channel 4 and Netflix co-production returns for a second series of dark comedy and troubled teens. In series one, we met James (Alex Lawther), a teenager who believed himself to be a psychopath, and his rebellious classmate Alyssa (Jessica Barden) who was looking to escape from her tumultuous home life. Now, we'll find out about the aftermath of the dramatic finale, and what has happened to our characters two years later. Read more

Motherland series 2 – BBC2

Air date: Monday 7th October

Line of Duty's Anna Maxwell Martin is a mother at her wit's end in this sitcom from Sharon Horgan, which also stars Diane Morgan as laid-back mum Liz and Paul Ready as super-keen dad Kevin. As the show returns for a second season, Julia is intimidated by the arrival of a new mum at the school gates who seems to have it all — a high-flying career, a large family, and a loving husband — but is she everything she says she is? And will the gang be able to keep up? Read more

Read on for more autumn shows...