The best TV dramas and comedies airing in autumn 2019
From The Crown to The Politician, from The Good Place to His Dark Materials – here's the best of drama and comedy across TV and on-demand
Modern Love is an anthology series based on "true stories" of 21st century romance – and it has the kind of cast to make you starry-eyed. Actors signed up to the show include Anne Hathaway, Andrew Scott, John Slattery, Dev Patel and Tina Fey, and they'll guide us through stories of love and romance, broken hearts and troubled marriages, daddy issues and second chances. Read more
The Good Place series 4 – Netflix
Air date: Friday 27th September
This is the final season of NBC's hit comedy about the afterlife (and life itself), and – as ever – we'll be watching it in the UK on Netflix. We first met our main characters after they'd died and been sent to "the Good Place", and now we'll reunite with Eleanor (Kristen Bell), Chidi (William Jackson Harper), Tahani (Jameela Jamil) and Jason (Manny Jacinto) as they continue their adventures – alongside celestial being Michael (Ted Danson) and artificial being Janet (D'Arcy Carden). Read more
Giri/Haji – BBC2
Air date: Autumn 2019 (expected)
This BBC/Netflix co-production is an international drama set in both London and Tokyo. When Tokyo-based detective Kenzo's younger brother Yuto (Yosuke Kubozuka) goes missing, he must head to London to find him. The two siblings had been estranged since a "dark event" years ago, and now Kenzo (Takehiro Hira) must get to the truth – while navigating a professional and personal relationship with Met police detective Sarah (Kelly Macdonald). Read more
Criminal – Netflix
Air date: Friday 20th September
This international anthology drama is made up of 12 episodes, three of which are set in London and performed in English. In "Criminal: UK", the action takes place within a police interrogation room as investigators grill their suspects to find the answers they need to solve their cases. It's a bit Line of Duty-ish, and you might spot the familiar face of Rochenda Sandall (aka Lisa McQueen) alongside Doctor Who's David Tennant and Cheat's Katherine Kelly, as well as Lee Ingelby and Hayley Atwell. Read more
Pose series 2 – BBC2
Air date: TBC
Season two has already aired in the US, and we're hoping that means it's on our way to BBC2 sometime soon. Ryan Murphy's drama is set around the LGBTQ community of New York in the 1980s and 90s, and explores the colourful ballroom culture scene at a time of huge change. Billy Porter, who plays the character Pray Tell, actually just became the first openly-gay black man to win in any lead acting category at the Emmys. Read more
Frayed – Sky
Air date: Thursday 26th September
This hilarious (and expletive-filled) comedy follows a housewife in late 1980s London who learns that her high-flying rich husband has died in a particularly embarrassing way. Even worse, he's left the family utterly bankrupt. With nowhere to turn, she and her kids move in with her mum in small-town Australia – the background she has tried so hard to escape. Created by and starring Sarah Kendall, the series also features Diane Morgan, Robert Webb and Rufus Jones. Read more
Doc Martin – ITV
Air date: Wednesday 25th September
Martin Clunes is back as Doc Martin for a ninth series, deploying his medical skills in the sleepy Cornish fishing village where he lives with wife Louisa (Caroline Catz) and their young son. "Doc" Martin is well-known locally for his lack of beside manners — not to mention his debilitating fear of blood — and although you might wonder why it's taken them this long, the GMC has launched an investigation into Martin's practise, spelling trouble him and the life he's built over the years. Read more
Living With Yourself – Netflix
Air date: Friday 18th October
Big-hitter Paul Rudd is coming back to the small screen in this comedy sci-fi series, playing a man called Miles who undergoes an experimental treatment – only to find himself saddled with a clone who is a "new and improved version" of himself. Aisling Bea plays his wife, Kate. Read more