Also coming to streaming
Murder in Provence (BritBox, from March 1) Hot on the heels of The Magpie Murders a couple of weeks ago comes another crime drama exclusive to BritBox. This time Roger Allam and Nancy Carroll are heading the cast bringing to life the books of ML Longworth. Allam plays Antoine Verlaque, a judge in Aixen-Provence, with Carroll as his romantic partner Marine Bonnet. They also team up to investigate local murders and mysteries, as well as the dark underbelly of the seemingly idyllic area in which they live. Longworth is Canadian born but has lived in Aix since 1997, allowing her to bring a touch of realism to her novels. Here’s hoping that Alison Owen and Debra Hayward, the acclaimed producers behind the project, can do them justice.
Pieces of Her (Netflix, from March 4)
With a name like Karin Slaughter, there’s no wonder the Georgiaborn author became a crime writer. She’s written more than 20 novels, selling over 40 million copies in 120 countries. Now one of her books, 2018’s Pieces of Her, has been snapped up by Netflix and turned into a gripping eight-part drama.
Toni Collette heads the cast as Laura Oliver, whose secret past is about to come to light after her daughter Andy is caught up in a mass shooting in their usually quiet home town. Andy witnesses her mother coolly take down the assassin, and as video footage of the incident goes viral, Andy begins to piece together the truth about Laura, which may change their relationship forever. Bella Heathcote, David Wenham and Joe Dempsie co-star.
Star Trek: Picard (Amazon Prime, from March 4)
The first series of this spin-off from Star
Trek: The Next Generation went down a treat with fans, so it’s no surprise to see it return for a second run. Once again Patrick Stewart reprises his iconic role as the supposedly retired Jean-Luc Picard, who this time must enlist friends old and new for a bold and exciting journey that takes them into the past. They’ll be visiting 21st century Earth, where Picard and co face a race against time to prevent one of his greatest foes’ efforts to destroy the galaxy. Alison Pill, Jeri Ryan, Orla Brady, Santiago Cabrera and Brent Spiner are among the supporting cast, while Whoopi Goldberg reprises her role as Guinan. A third season is already in the works.