The top TV to watch this week chosen by our experts – from The Diplomat to Lioness
10/26/2024 05:00 AM
THE clocks are going back this weekend so what will you do with that extra hour?
Maybe watch one of the new shows coming to the top streaming services!
The Sun’s TV Mag has tasked its TV experts with choosing the top tele to watch over the next seven days, here’s what they have suggested.
NETFLIX
The Diplomat – Available from Thursday
There are explosive political thrillers, and then there's The Diplomat. Crammed with intrigue, political manoeuvring, power struggles, international crises and torrid personal lives, this transatlantic treat returns for a second series, promising even more drama than season one.
When we were last with her, US Ambassador to the UK Kate (Keri Russell) had been left reeling by two huge shocks. First was the revelation that the explosion on a British aircraft carrier – which got events going at the start of the first season – was actually planned by UK Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear).
Secondly, her husband, fellow diplomat Hal (Rufus Sewell), had been caught up in a terrible car bomb explosion in London. Can Kate help unravel the conspiracy at the heart of the governments, while balancing her personal problems and professional ambitions?
With Allison Janney joining the cast as Vice President Grace Penn, expect another slick and stylish season.
Olivia Rodrigo: Guts World Tour – Available from Tuesday
With concert ticket prices soaring through the roof, it's becoming increasingly difficult for pop fans to see their idols live. But thanks to Netflix, followers of the all-conquering Olivia Rodrigo need not worry. This spectacular concert film captures the GRAMMY Award-winning artist as she performs to a packed house at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.
Featuring energetic renditions of all her biggest hits, plus a heap of other tracks from her most recent album GUTS and her debut SOUR, it's an absolute must-see for all the Livies out there. And best of all, you don't have to fork out an arm and a leg for the experience.
The Manhattan Alien Abduction – Available from Wednesday
It's one of the most notorious and mysterious cases of a supposed alien abduction in history. In November 1989, housewife and mum Linda Napolitano believes she was drawn through her 12th-floor Manhattan apartment bedroom window by a blue beam of light, which then held her in the sky before pulling her into a UFO.
This new series attempts to get at the truth of what happened that night, featuring interviews with Linda herself, supposed witnesses and a wealth of archive footage taken by a filmmaker who started investigating Linda's claims back in the early 90s.
And whatever you think of the New Yorker's outlandish claims, the series is compelling and creepy enough to keep you on tenterhooks.
Martha – Available from Wednesday
Martha Stewart is a true American icon. Writer, TV star, businesswoman, homemaker, influencer, former stockbroker and model, not to mention the country's first self-made female billionaire, she's been an inspiration for millions.
This feature-length documentary draws on intimate interviews with Martha herself to tell her remarkable story of highs and lows – including a short stint in prison 20 years ago for lying about a stock trade.
"People don't quite understand just how much of a visionary Martha was and continues to be," says the film's director, RJ Cutler. "She made the world a more beautiful place, and she gave us greater access to beauty.
She democratised fashion, taste, and style. She saw the future before others saw it and she always had to overcome enormous obstacles that were in her way." Fascinating.
Murder Mindfully – Available from Thursday
Feeling burned out by work and the pressures of modern life? You need to get some mindfulness into your daily schedule. That's what successful but put-upon criminal attorney Björn (Tom Schilling) is thinking when he reluctantly attends a mindfulness seminar, hoping to find a better work-life balance, save his marriage and spend more time with his daughter.
And Björn's new mindset produces surprisingly results when he unexpectedly murders one of his clients, a brutal Mafia boss. With the Mob and the police now on his trail, can Björn stay calm in order to stay alive? Drenched with blacker than black humour, this German crime thriller is hugely entertaining escapism.
Time Cut – Available from Wednesday
It's that time of year when a whole heap of new horror movies start to appear on streamers. Most have little chance of becoming Halloween staples but will colourful, inventive teen slasher Time Cut be different? When smart high-schooler Lucy (Madison Bailey) accidentally discovers a time machine, she decides to travel back to the early Noughties and prevent the shocking murder of her elder sister, Summer (Antonia Gentry). Can she adapt to life in 2003, stop the killer and stay alive herself? Filled with neat, nostalgic touches, and spirited performances from the young cast, this is a Cut above.
PARAMOUNT+
Lioness – Available from Sunday
Zoe Saldaña is back as hard-as-nails CIA agent Joe McNamara, leader of the Lioness program, which trains undercover female US Marines.
After the explosive events of the first series, season two promises even more action and heightened tension, as the CIA's war against terror moves closer to home. To infiltrate and neutralise the emerging threat, Joe, Kaitlyn (Nicole Kidman) and Byron (Michael Kelly) enlist a new recruit, but with pressure mounting from all sides, wife and mother Joe finds herself having to confront the personal sacrifices she's made as the leader of the Lioness program.
The new season kicks off with a double bill, with the remaining six episodes to follow weekly.
DISNEY+
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place – Available from Wednesday
One of the shows that launched the career of Selena Gomez, teen classic Wizards Of Waverly Place was a fun and sassy sitcom that ran for four seasons during the late Noughties.
Now we have this equally magical spin-off sequel, which centres on a powerful young wizard-in-training called Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown). She's sent by Alex (Selena) to Justin (David Henrie) – Alex's brother and one of main characters from the original show – in the hope that he'll help train the youngster.
Justin, however, has long since given up his life as a wizard, choosing instead to live a normal existence with his wife and sons. Will Billie be able to convince him to return to his magical roots? An enchanting, entertaining comedy for teens and older kids.
PRIME VIDEO
Paris Has Fallen – Available from Friday
Big, daft and a whole heap of popcorn-powered fun, the 'Has Fallen' movie series – which includes the likes of Olympus Has Fallen, London Has Fallen and Angel Has Fallen – has kept cinema-goers entertained for over 10 years.
Now the franchise is branching out into television, and heading to the French capital. When a terrorist group, led by Jacob Pearce (Sean Harris), attacks a high-profile event, hoping to bump off the French Minister of Defence, protection officer Vincent Taleb (Tewfik Jallab) teams up with MI6 agent Zara Taylor (Rita Arya) to bring the perpetrators to justice.
However, it quickly transpires that the terrorist plan is much bigger than first thought – and to make matters worse, one of Vincent's own colleagues is leaking info to the bad guys. Can the brave pair find the traitor and protect Paris from Jacob's reign of terror?
CHANNEL 4
Walter Presents: The Palace – Available from Friday
The latest offering from the always-reliable Walter Presents whisks us to East Berlin just before the fall of the Berlin Wall, for a tense and emotional tale of a family divided.
It's 1988, and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Republic, a spectacular birthday show is being planned. Among the performers taking part is Christine (Svenja Jung), a young dancer at the Friedrichstadtpalast, a famous burlesque theatre.
During the performance, it dawns on Christine that she and audience member Marlene, a young businesswoman visiting from West Germany, are doppelgangers. Talking afterwards, the pair realise that they're actually twins, separated at a very young age.
To find out about each other's lives on opposing sides of the Wall, and to investigate why they were separated, the intrepid sisters risk everything by swapping identities – and passports – and visiting each other's families. A stirring six-part period drama from Germany.
Week 44 Deadhouse Dark
If you enjoy being terrified and confused all at the same time, take a dip into these six 15-minute horror-infused fever dreams, set in the same world and mysteriously connected.
Two girls pass a car crash on the way home from a Halloween party, but who's in the vehicle? A struggling athlete enrols in an online coaching course and pays a terrible price.
A group of true-crime vloggers put themselves in terrible danger just to go viral. A tomato-obsessed pensioner hides a dark secret. And a dying woman lives in utter squalor, while haunted by her past. These might sound like randomly generated plotlines but one of the six stories, about a girl who receives a mystery box, holds the key to everything. Enjoyably creepy tales that will have you scratching your head.
BBC IPLAYER
The Cure In Concert – Available from Thursday
It's Thursday, we're in love. Coinciding with today's release of The Cure's long-awaited new album – the monumental Songs Of A Lost World – Robert Smith and his iconic band have recorded two very special live performances, one for Radio 2 In Concert at the BBC Radio Theatre, and one for 6 Music.
Tickets for the Radio 2 show were almost impossible to get hold of, but if you were among the many unlucky fans who missed out, don't worry: from this evening both performances will be available to watch on iPlayer, promising exclusive renditions of tracks old and new. Smudged lipstick and backcombed hair at the ready.
APPLETV+
Tú También lo Harías – Available from Wednesday
When an armed robbery on an airport coach goes wrong, it results in the deaths of three robbers.
But with the supposed culprit nowhere to be found, and six witnesses who are having trouble providing consistent statements about what took place, investigating detectives Fran (Pablo Molinero) and Rebeca (Ana Polvorosa) struggle to determine the truth about the incident before it's too late.
It doesn't help that the two cops are an estranged former couple, adding another layer of complication to an already messy situation. Tense and fast-paced, this Spanish mystery thriller is a must for fans of shows like Money Heist.
STUDIOCANAL PRESENTS
The Night Logan Woke Up – Available from Friday
From acclaimed director and actor Xavier Dolan, this five-part psychological thriller tells the story of an estranged Canadian family who are forced to confront a terrible secret, decades after it tore them apart.
In the early 90s, a shocking incident involving Mimi (Julie LeBreton), her brother Julian (Patrick Hivon) and their best pal Logan, shatters their family and friendships.
Now, 30 years later, after Mimi and Julian's mother dies, she returns home, stirring up uncomfortable memories of what happened on that fateful day many years before. Can they find a way to come to terms with the past?
Cinematic, claustrophobic and both visually and tonally dark, expect an impressive, if not entirely comfortable journey into the disturbing depths of a dysfunctional family. In French with subtitles.
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