The 15 biggest TV shows to watch this summer
The Jetty
Arson at a Lancashire beauty spot, a missing-persons cold case and a superb ensemble cast (Jenna Coleman, Arthur Hughes, Tom Glynn-Carney, Weruche Opia) make up this eerie crime drama.
BBC One, date TBC
Mr Bigstuff
Danny Dyer brings his wide-boy geezer shtick to this knockabout sitcom about two estranged brothers. Brassic’s Ryan Sampson writes and co-stars. Dyer has a ball.
Sky Max, July 17
Those About to Die
Daniel P Mannix’s 1958 novel inspired Gladiator and it now gets the prestige TV treatment. Anthony Hopkins leads the cast of this handsome sword-and-sandals epic.
Prime Video, July 19
Lady in the Lake
Baltimore in the 1960s is the setting for this unsettling noir, starring Natalie Portman as a downtrodden housewife who reinvents herself as an investigative journalist and gets sucked into a murder mystery.
Apple TV+, July 19
Time Bandits
Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, along with The Inbetweeners’ co-creator Iain Morris, take on Terry Gilliam’s absurdist cult classic about time-travelling thieves.
Apple TV+, July 24
Piglets
From the team behind Smack the Pony and Green Wing comes this pleasingly daft comedy about a police training college. Mark Heap and Sarah Parish star.
ITV1, date TBC
Battle in the Box
Another inspired and silly format borrowed from Korea, as pairs of comedians are locked in a box for 24 hours with nothing but their toothbrushes.
Dave, date TBC
Industry
Those amoral young City bankers return for a third series of finan-cial bullfighting. Joining the cast this season are Game of Thrones’ Kit Harington and Barry’s Sarah Goldberg.
BBC One, August 11
Bad Monkey
Vince Vaughn stars in this comedy about a former Miami cop reduced to becoming a health inspector, until a gruesome discovery offers the chance of a comeback.
Apple TV+, August 14
Pachinko
Soo Hugh’s Korean-Japanese-American family epic was one of the best shows of 2022 and deserves far more recognition. There’s time to catch up before series two.
Apple TV+, August 23
Only Murders in the Building
Steve Martin and Martin Short’s terrific comedy-drama returns for a fourth helping of murder mystery. Along for the ride this time are – deep breath – Molly Shannon, Eva Longoria, Eugene Levy, Kumail Nanjiani, Zach Galifianakis and Melissa McCarthy.
Disney+, August 27
Suspect
What it lacks in subtlety, this intense crime drama makes up for in the quality of its cast. Anne-Marie Duff returns from series one, and is joined by Dominic Cooper, Tamsin Greig, Vinette Robinson, Eddie Marsan and Gina McKee.
Channel 4, date TBC
Kaos
Jeff Goldblum as a vainglorious Zeus worried that his grip on power is weakening? How can we resist? A dark comedy-drama about gods and mortals.
Netflix, date TBC
The Rings of Power
The Lord of the Rings prequel is back – now with added Tom Bombadil (played by Rory Kinnear). How does Tolkien’s mysterious oddball relate to the rise of Sauron?
Prime Video, August 29
Sherwood
James Graham’s superb state-of-the-nation crime drama – set in a former Nottinghamshire mining town – returns for a second series.
BBC One, date TBC
