Daily Mail - Daily Mail Weekend Magazine
TOP SHOWS to watch on a smart TV
NETFLIX The Crown Seasons 1-2
This Royal Family saga has an eyewatering budget – and it shows. It tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, from her marriage to Prince Philip and her ascent to the throne in 1952. Claire Foy will be back as the monarch when the second series starts on 8 December.
Stranger Things Seasons 1-2
Netflix’s thriller is set in the 1980s and in tone falls between ET and a Stephen King novel. Winona Ryder stars as a mum looking for her missing son, while his friends encounter a mute girl (Millie Bobby Brown, main picture, second from left) – she has special powers and is fleeing some shady adults. Unsettling events ensue.
Narcos Seasons 1-3
This impressively produced drama charts the rise of drugs kingpin Pablo Escobar and the use of cocaine in the US, plus the ensuing fight against narcotics. It’s told from the perspective of Steve Murphy, an upstanding DEA agent who joins the drugs war in the Colombian capital Bogotá.
Godless Season 1
Jeff Daniels, Jack O’Connell and Downton Abbey’s Michelle Dockery star in this western about an isolated mining town where all the men have died and the women have taken control. It’s a slow- burner but takes some intriguing turns if you give it a chance.
Designated Survivor Season 1-2
After almost the entire US government is wiped out, the humble Secretary of Housing (Kiefer Sutherland) becomes the President. That’s the premise of an addictive mix of political and conspiracy thriller that goes like a rocket at the start, before settling into a steadier groove.
Dynasty Season 1
A pacey, 21st-century remake of the glitzy 1980s soap that sadly doesn’t feature any of the original stars. Look out for Alan Dale as the steely Car-
rington family fixer in a slick series full of betrayals and secrets.
Mindhunter Season 1
The acclaimed US director David Fincher (Se7en, Zodiac) is behind a moody new series set in 1977, capturing the early days of the FBI’s use of profiling to catch killers. The lead character of Holden Ford is based on real FBI agent John E Douglas.
Star Trek: Discovery Season 1
The latest Star Trek series (main picture) has been a hit, and will be returning for season two. It’s set during a Cold War with the Klingons – a decade before the 1960s show with Kirk and co – and largely unfolds on a hi-tech vessel led by a ruthless tactician (Jason Isaacs).
Breaking Bad Seasons 1-5 Better Call Saul Seasons 1-3
Bryan Cranston is terminally ill chemistry teacher Walter White, who decides to manufacture the drug crystal meth in a bid to secure his family’s future in the critically acclaimed Breaking Bad. Its prequel, Better Call Saul, tells the story of Walter’s dodgy lawyer Saul Goodman. Be warned: neither show is for the fainthearted.
Black Mirror Seasons 1-3
After his brilliant dystopian dramas on Channel 4 (which are also available on Netflix), British writer Charlie Brooker was snapped up by Netflix to make a US version. So far there have been six self- contained episodes – the standout is San Junipero, about a relationship between two very different women that seems to defy the laws of space and time.
Ozark Season 1
Arrested Development’s Jason Bateman plays it straight in this gritty crime thriller as a Chicago- based financial advisor who relocates his family to the remote Missouri Ozark mountains when his dealings with a drug cartel go wrong.
Grace And Frankie Seasons 1-3
The stellar pairing of Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin (main picture, centre) makes this a standout comedy. They play a couple of women who are thrown together in unlikely circumstances after discovering that their husbands are not just work partners, but have also been romantically involved
for the last two decades. There will be a fourth series next year.
GLOW Season 1
Netflix’s comedy set in the world of women’s wrestling in the 80s is an absolute blast, and one of their best and most unusual original series in a while. Mad Men’s Alison Brie stars as a struggling actress who throws herself into a new project.
Marvel’s The Defenders Season 1
This superhero series sees comicbook vigilantes Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Luke Cage and Iron Fist join forces to save New York. The conflict between the lead characters provides the spark, as does Sigourney Weaver’s mysterious, glacial baddie.
AMAZON PRIME Outlander Seasons 1-3
This lightly raunchy adventure follows a married World War II nurse (Caitri-
ona Balfe) who is transported to 18thcentury Scotland, where she falls for a Highland man of act ion ( Sam Heughan). The scenery and music give it atmosphere and the story moves at a fast pace. Season three concludes next month.
Transparent Seasons 1-4
This complex Los Angeles family drama is Amazon’s best original series, and won the 2016 Bafta for Best International Show. At its centre is a patriarch with a secret (Jeffrey Tambor, who’s won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his performance), who is trying to get the attention of his selfish children. There’ll be a fifth series next year.
The Man In The High Castle Seasons 1-2
Based on a story by Philip K Dick ( Blade Runner, Total Recall), this gripping alternative history drama is set in America in the aftermath of
WWII. The twist is that Germany won and the country is under Nazi rule. Rufus Sewell stars as evil Obergruppenführer John Smith (main picture, far left) and there’ll be a third series next year.
American Gods Season 1
A quiet ex- con ( Ricky Whittle) is pitched into a battle between gods on Earth in a brooding fantasy drama based on the novel by comics maestro Neil Gaiman. Ian McShane steals the show as charismatic deity Mr Wednesday.
Preacher Seasons 1-2
This comic-book adaptation is based on the cult 90s stories of the same name by British-born writer Garth Ennis. Dominic Cooper plays a small-town preacher with a criminal past; Ruth Negga is his hell-raising girlfriend and Joe Gilgun his vampire pal.
The Collection Season 1
This well- dressed family saga is set in a post- war Paris fashion house, where brothers Paul and Claude Sabine ( Richard Coyle and Tom Riley) strive for success in a cut-throat world.
Mozart In The Jungle Seasons 1-3
Set in the world of the New York clas- sical musical scene, this comedy drama stars Gael Garcia Bernal as the outrageous conductor Rodrigo who shakes up the old order.
The Marvelous Mrs Maisel Season 1
A Jewish housewife (Rachel Brosnahan) stumbles into the world of standup comedy in this smart drama. It’s set in late-50s Manhattan, features a brilliant ensemble cast, and arrives on 29 November. The pilot is available to watch for free. in the New Year. The final eighth season will air on Sky Atlantic, although it’s not certain when.
Billions Seasons 1-2
Set in the high- powered world of finance, this testosterone- fuelled drama focuses on Damian Lewis’s morally bankrupt hedge-fund king Bobby ‘Axe’ Axelrod (main picture, fourth from left, with Malin Akerman as his wife Lara next to him); Paul Giamatti is US attorney Chuck Rhoades, who’s determined to bring him down.
The Night Of Season 1
A loose remake of the BBC’s Criminal Justice, this blistering drama features an outstanding performance from Londoner Riz Ahmed. He plays naive Pakistani-American college student Naz Khan, whose life is turned upside down when he becomes the chief suspect in a murder case and enters America’s brutal prison system. John Turturro is also excelBryan Cranston and Aaron Paul in Breaking Bad
lent as the lawyer who’s trying to get him out.
The Affair Seasons 1-3
Another award-winning drama with a strong British influence as our very own Dominic West and Ruth Wilson (near lef t) play a couple who, despite both being married, embark on a torrid affair that has far-reaching consequences for them and everyone they love.
The Wire Seasons 1-5
David Simon’s inf luential crime drama series comprised 60 episodes over five seasons and is often hailed by critics as the best drama of all time. Each season focuses on a different institution in the city of Baltimore, from the illegal drugs trade to the city government, education system and print news media. It was also where Dominic West and Idris Elba got their big breaks.
Fortitude Seasons 1-2
This Arctic Circle murder-mystery was one of Sky’s most ambitious series. Sofie Grabol, star of The Killing, was joined in the icebound town of Fortitude by Michael Gambon and Jessica Raine; Dennis Quaid (above, with Grabol) arrived in series two.
The Young Pope Season 1
In one of the most unusual pieces of casting ever seen on television, Jude Law was chosen to play the role of Pius XIII, the fictional first American Pope in history, who is determined to shake things up in the Vatican. Law proved a revelation, ably assisted by Diane Keaton as his advisor Sister Mary.