From the latest swords-and-sandals blockbuster to a 1960s murder-mystery, there is something to appeal to everyone on TV this weekend.
Sports fans and those who enjoy real-life crime series are spoilt with some brilliant documentaries.
And our critics have cherry-picked the bester comedies, dramas and movies to make sure you have plenty to keep you entertained this weekend.
So just read on… we’ve done all the hard work for you. You just have to sit back and relax.
Those About To Die
Ancient Roman gladiator drama series starring Anthony Hopkins and Iwan Rheon
Year: 2024
This sprawling ten-part drama set in ancient Rome goes all out for both spectacle and political skullduggery. It’s 79AD and the corrupt capital of the sprawling Roman empire is a dangerous place. Emperor Vespasian (Anthony Hopkins) is growing old and the restless masses are barely kept in line with the bread and circuses combo of free food and endless violent entertainment in the city’s gladiator pits.
Into the middle of all this comes Master of Games Tenax (Game Of Thrones’ Iwan Rheon), a commoner eyeing up power in the city, power he can grasp by staging the largest and most brutal spectacles the city has ever seen.
From single combat to huge battle re-creations, from scraps with lions to incredible chariot races, this is thrilling stuff that fans of both Game Of Thrones and Gladiator will lap up.
The series is actually based on the same book that inspired Gladiator, funnily enough – a 1958 history of the Roman games written by Daniel P Mannix, also entitled Those About To Die. (Ten episodes)
Skywalkers: A Love Story
Dizzying documentary about ‘rooftoppers’ Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus
Year: 2024
Certificate: 18
Watch now on Netflix
‘Love is like heights. The fear never goes away. You just get better at facing it.’ Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus are the couple who face both things head-on in this documentary which, fair warning, is absolutely packed with dizzying footage shot from the tops of very high buildings. Angela and Ivan are ‘rooftoppers’ – people who climb buildings without equipment – and their photos documenting their acrobatic feats and evolving love story became a sensation on social media.
The particular focus of this documentary is their prison-defying attempt to scale Kuala Lumpur’s Merdeka 118, the second-tallest structure in the world. If you remember the Mission: Impossible film in which Tom Cruise scales the Burj Khalifa, this feels a little like that, and there are some real heart-in-mouth moments as they evade the attentions of security.
Visually, it’s an astonishing film, and while there are moments when it can feel scripted and the lessons imparted about life can feel a little trite, the overall impact is enough to sweep you up for the duration and for some stretch after that, too. (100 minutes)
Lady In The Lake
Natalie Portman stars in a 60s-set US murder mystery
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Watch now on Apple TV+
In 1960s Baltimore, Maddie Schwartz (Natalie Portman) ditches her life as a suburban housewife and mother in order to pursue a career as an investigative reporter. It’s a career switch that sees her become entangled in the discovery of the body of a black woman floating in a lake.
Her quest to unravel the murder takes Maddie deep into the city’s underworld, where, as she digs into the life of the dead woman – a bartender named Cleo (Moses Ingram of Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Queen’s Gambit fame) – she discovers sides to the city that she never knew existed.
This seven-part thriller is a gripping and atmospheric watch with a powerful sense of time and place. Portman and Ingram are both excellent as the two very different but inextricably linked women at the heart of the tale. (Seven episodes)
Cobra Kai (Series 6)
The first five episodes of the final series of the Karate Kid sequel show
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Watch now on Netflix
All good things come to an end and the sixth and final run of the hugely enjoyable sequel series to the Karate Kid movies starts here with a batch of five episodes. A further five arrive at the end of November, before the very last quintet takes to the mat in 2025.
The show usually specialises in cliffhanger endings, but series five finished on a harmonious note with the evil Terry Silver defeated and the combined students of Johnny and Daniel (William Zabka and Ralph Macchio) now working happily together.
It’s not going to last, though, and as the fighters prepare for the Sekai Taikai – the world championships of karate – divisions and rivalries emerge. Oh, and don’t forget that creepy Cobra Kai founder John Kreese (Martin Kove) is roaming about too, having faked his own death to escape from prison. (Five episodes, with more to follow on 28 November and in 2025)
Suspect (Series 2)
Can frantic parents solve the mystery of their daughter’s death?
Year: 2022-2024
Certificate: 15
Watch now on Channel 4
There’s a big-name cast attached to this psychological thriller, based on a Danish series, but it’s James Nesbitt in series one and Anne-Marie Duff in series two who carry it. They are the divorced parents of Christina, who is, in the very first episode, a body on a slab.
What follows is a series of two-handers with various people connected to Christina, starting with the pathologist doing her autopsy (Joely Richardson). In series one, Danny disagrees with her assessment that Christina took her own life, and hurls himself into a frantic and highly unorthodox investigation. It evolves, in 30-minute episodes, into an increasingly gripping set of dark and twisty encounters with mostly shady characters who inhabit the murky underworld where Christina lived.
In series two, it’s Duff’s turn to get frantic as her psychiatrist sets out to stop an unhinged client from committing murder. Ultimately, all roads lead back to Christina, but the direction the plot takes gets increasingly incongruous.
As for that knockout cast, stay tuned for Niamh Algar, Ben Miller, Dominic Cooper, Celine Buckens, Eddie Marsan and Richard E Grant. (Two series)
Simone Biles: Rising
Sports documentary following the US gymnast on the road to the Paris Olympics
Year: 2024
Certificate: 12
Watch now on Netflix
There’s no doubt that Simone Biles is one of the greatest gymnasts in history, with a gobsmacking total of 37 Olympic and World Championship medals (including four Olympic golds from the 2016 games in Rio).
However, her career looked to be ending on a – relative – low after her problems at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Despite entering the gymnastic competition as the clear favourite in most of the available disciplines, she withdrew in tears from virtually all of them, citing psychological difficulties and concerns for her own mental health (she had revealed two years earlier that former US Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar had sexually assaulted her).
Biles wasn’t prepared to go out like that, though, and declared in 2023 that she was going to try for another Olympics. This revealing and frequently inspiring four-part documentary follows her as she works towards Paris, charting not only her struggle to regain her place at the top of the sport but also her determination to leave the sport on her own terms. (Four episodes)
Mafia Spies
Documentary series investigating the 1960s links between the Mob and the CIA
Year: 2024
In the early 1960s, President John F Kennedy and the CIA were seriously concerned about Cuban President Fidel Castro and his connections to Communist Russia. Castro had to be removed, they decided, but how to go about it? The answer? Hire the Mafia to kill him…
Using recently declassified papers known as the JFK Files, this fantastic six-part documentary digs into one of the most unlikely sounding forgotten corners of the Cold War, revealing how the US intelligence community really did contact top gangsters Johnny Roselli and Sam Giancana and tasked them with assassinating Castro.
It didn’t go quite as the spy bosses planned, though, and what follows in the series is an amazing true story that encompasses everything from devious double agents to Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack, and planned invasions to killer gadgets such as exploding cigars. (Six episodes)
The Jetty
Jenna Coleman plays a widowed detective in this mystery thriller
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Watch now on BBC iPlayer
Jenna Coleman is a police detective and widowed mum of a teenage daughter in this four-part mystery thriller that weaves together many more layers than the average potboiler. Coleman’s Ember Manning and her own past become uncomfortably close to the central mystery, of a missing girl and a repeating seam of inappropriate sexual relationships involving underage girls.
It deals with some weighty themes, but the overall tone is intimate and thoughtful, and Ember’s character is genuinely interesting – no saint, she’s often full of rage, and has made her fair share of bad decisions.
The cast overall is excellent, with the best exchanges in the whole show coming between Ember and her hippy mother (Amelia Bullmore). Completing three generations of the family’s women is Ember’s teenage daughter Hannah, played by Ruby Stokes, the rising star of Bridgerton who was also excellent in last year’s The Burning Girls. (Four Episodes)
Ragdoll
Darkly comic crime-thriller series from the team behind Killing Eve
Year: 2021
Certificate: 15
Fans of Luther should appreciate this pitch-black crime series about the hunt for a serial killer – an especially inventive killer who stitches together the body parts of his six victims to create a grotesque whole. No, it’s not a show for the fainthearted.
Like Luther, the detective on the case has a few issues. DS Rose (Henry Lloyd-Hughes) is nursing a troubled past and is fresh out of a psychiatric hospital when he arrives at the grim crime scene. Like Luther’s twisted relationship with Alice Morgan, the Ragdoll killer has a special interest in Rose, who has made it onto Ragdoll’s six-strong ‘coming next’ kill list.
The show distinguishes itself from Luther thanks to its twisted sense of humour – check out Rose and his partner Emily Baxter (Thalissa Teixeira) choosing the name Ragdoll for the killer. It’s also at its best when Rose and Baxter are on screen together. Baxter provides the competence and compassion that balances Rose’s tortured maverick and yes, there is a romantic spark between them that helps give the show some heart. Watch out for Phil Davis as a Boris-alike mayor of London. (Six episodes)
Find Me Falling
Harry Connick Jr headlines a romantic comedy about a fading rock star
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Watch now on Netflix
When his latest album flops and his career looks doomed, ageing rock star John Allman (Harry Connick Jr) decides to leave the business of show far behind him. Heading to a clifftop retreat on the island of Cyprus, he plans to quietly rediscover his musical spark in private. However, things don’t quite go to plan and Allman finds his life becoming more rather than less complicated as his existence starts filling up with new people and new problems. And that’s all before an old flame resurfaces…
Singer, songwriter and actor Connick Jr’s drawling slow-burn charm is showcased perfectly in this gentle rom-com about life, love and music (he even contributed a couple of songs to the movie’s soundtrack). And the film’s loving footage of the groves and beaches of Cyprus will have you itching to head to the Mediterranean island for your next holiday. (92 minutes)
Omnivore
Danish chef Rene Redzepi travels the world, telling the stories of ingredients we take for granted
Year: 2024
Certificate: pg
Watch now on Apple TV+
If you like you food and travel series to come from the more thoughtful end of the spectrum then welcome to Omnivore, an eight-part voyage into culinary and geographic revelations with chef Rene Redzepi.
Born in Copenhagen, Redzepi is a firm believer in ‘we are what we eat’ and Noma, his restaurant in the Danish capital, is devoted to understanding the ingredients it uses.
This series continues that work, as Redzepi takes us round the world to dig deep into the stories of culinary building blocks such as rice, tuna, salt and corn; what they mean to him, to history and to the world today.
The series has the look of a feature film and was developed for TV by Cary Joji Fukunaga, who directed the first and best series of True Detective. If you have an aversion to pretension then this may feel like overkill for a show about such a seemingly small subject but there’s no denying the depth of knowledge, skill and money involved in creating something like this. (Eight episodes)
Mr Bigstuff
Danny Dyer stars as an outlandish returning brother in Ryan Sampson’s comedy
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Danny Dyer has always had a flair for comedy and he’s certainly made funny films, but this show is, incredibly, his first, actual proper TV comedy series. Dyer plays Lee, the returning estranged older brother of Glen, a meek carpet salesmen played by series creator Ryan Sampson (Brassic). Lee re-enters Glen’s life like a drunken bowling ball, turning up at his place of work and instantly making a nuisance of himself.
So, will Lee’s return ruin Glen’s life, or will it be the making of him? What is Lee hiding? Those are the questions you’re left with in the first episode of this six-parter, and the process of having them answered provides a steady stream of laughs, not least of which is Glen and Lee’s dance routine to M People’s Moving On Up in the opening episode. The language is pretty strong at times but then, this is Dyer, so you’d expect that. (Six episodes)
Mean Girls (2024)
The musical remake of the hit 2004 high-school movie comedy
Year: 2024
Certificate: 12
Watch now on Paramount+
The original 2004 Mean Girls movie starred Lindsay Lohan as new-girl-in-school Cady, trying to find her place as she stumbled into the orbit of the toxic Regina George and her clique of ‘Plastics’. Written by Tina Fey, it was a huge hit and went on to spawn a Broadway musical version.
Now that stage musical version has become this almost equally enjoyable movie, chockful of updated references and fashions to go along with the songs. Co-written by Fey, it’s slickly enjoyable stuff that should appeal to lovers of the original as well as a new generation of fans.
Spider-Man: Far From Home’s Angourie Rice stars as Cady, with Reneé Rapp as Regina, but look out too for Fey reprising her role as a teacher from the first film, Jon Hamm appearing as a PE teacher and even a small cameo from original star Lohan. (112 minutes)
Orlando Bloom: To The Edge
The actor tries out three extremely dangerous sports
To celebrate the launch today of UKTV’s new brand, lots of exciting new content arrives on their free on-demand service, which will be renamed U from UKTV Play.
This new, three-part series follows Orlando Bloom, the Pirates Of The Caribbean actor, Buddhist and partner of I Kissed A Girl singer Katy Perry, as he takes on extreme sports – learning to free dive, rock climb and skydive in a wing suit. Bloom has always been a bit of risk taker and has had the broken bones to prove it. In his 20s, he broke his back and was told he may never walk again. Thirteen days later he walked out of hospital on crutches. But adrenaline and determination can only take him so far. No one is going to let him jump out of a plane, dive without air or climb a rock until he’s proved it won’t be a suicide mission.
As brave (insane?) as Bloom is, the show isn’t just about him, but the amazing people who train him. His climbing instructor is Maureen ‘Mo’ Beck, who was born without her lower left arm, and taught herself to climb one-handed.
My Spy The Eternal City
Dave Bautista returns as the CIA spy and reluctant childminder in this action-comedy sequel
Year: 2024
Certificate: 12
Watch now on Prime Video
Mixing action, slapstick comedy and some warmhearted relationship gubbins, 2020’s My Spy told the story of how gruff CIA operative JJ (Dave Bautista) reluctantly became the babysitter to precocious nine-year-old Sophie (Chloe Coleman).
Now, this very welcome sequel sees the pair heading to Italy as Sophie – now less cute moppet and more stroppy teenager – goes on tour with her high-school choir, and JJ trails after her as a chaperone. Trouble is, there’s a bomb plot brewing at the Vatican and the pair soon have to dust off their old skills to stop it.
There’s a lot to like in this chirpy action comedy. Bautista and Coleman’s sparky father-daughter-esque relationship remains solidly entertaining, while the rest of the cast is filled out very nicely by the returning Ken Jeong and Kristen Schaal, as well as newcomer to the franchise Anna Faris. (111 minutes)
Sunny
Rashida Jones stars in a blackly comic mystery thriller set in Japan
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Watch now on Apple TV+
The disappearance of her Japanese husband and son in a plane crash has left American emigré Suzie (Rashida Jones) suddenly bereft and adrift in her Kyoto home. But then the bosses at the electronics company that her husband worked with present her with a sophisticated household robot named Sunny to keep her company.
With Sunny’s assistance, Suzie begins to investigate just what really happened to her family, opening a door into a very dark, very strange and very dangerous world below the surface of her everyday life.
Created by The Affair’s Katie Robbins, this darkly comic ten-part mystery thriller oozes neon style and eye-catching strangeness. There are strong hints of Black Mirror in its twisted only-slightly-future world, but it slices a distinctive path of its own, with Jones a baffled but determined and fierce figure at the centre of events. (Ten episodes)
Daley: Olympic Superstar
The life of double Olympic decathlon champion Daley Thompson
Year: 2024
Certificate: 12
‘By a country mile, the best Olympian we have ever had in the UK,’ says Sebastian Coe of Daley Thompson, and if you don’t believe that bold statement, keep watching.
As a schoolboy, Daley was subbed into a decathlon tournament, despite ‘never having done seven of the things’ in the ten-piece track and field event. He won, and from there it was sheer determination that got him to his first Olympic starting line in 1976. He came 18th that time, but world records and gold medals were to come.
Full of revealing and amusing anecdotes from Daley himself, as well as from legends including Sharron Davies and one-time rival Bruce (now Caitlyn) Jenner, plus Tessa Sanderson and Denise Richards, this is a warm and highly entertaining look at a very sporting hero.
It’s also a nostalgic look back at the 1980s, a time when football was our national shame and it was the athletics stars who filled the newspaper back pages, even if Daley himself wasn’t one to welcome publicity: ‘I don’t want popularity competitions, I want to win other things,’ he says of his 1982 BBC Sports Personality Of The Year trophy. (103 mins)
The Iron Claw
Zac Efron stars in a real-life wrestling drama
Year: 2023
Certificate: 15
Watch now on Prime Video
Zac Efron, Harris Dickinson and The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White star in the moving true story of the Von Erichs, three brothers who became wrestling superstars but were dogged by tragedy.
The title comes from the wrestling move their controlling father passes down to them, but also from the idea that the family are all trapped by the sport – even, it is said, cursed – and the movie flips from inspiring to poignant as it goes.
If you liked Darren Aronofsky’s bruising Oscar nominee The Wrestler, Sean Durkin’s film has a similar feel for the harsh realities of life inside the ring and the cast, especially Efron, have certainly done the work to look the part.
However, it’s the family drama that it’s paired with, as Kevin (Efron) looks to break with his father, that gives this film such a rounded appeal. And while it certainly deals with a lot of tragedy, the tone never gets completely bogged down in it. (132 minutes)
Homicide
Documentary series following the work of Los Angeles murder detectives
Year: 2024
Certificate: 18
Watch now on Netflix
Star producer Dick Wolf, creator of the Law & Order universe, cut his teeth on shows about fictional murder, but recently he’s turned his attention to real-life cases too. The five-part first series of his Homicide show looked at murder cases in New York but, for series two, the focus turns to the west coast of the US.
This time the show examines everything from the high-profile celebrity Hollywood prosecution of record producer Phil Spector to the more commonplace but no less tragic death of young mother Teresa Boudreaux, which remained unsolved for more than two decades.
It’s glossy, enthralling and frequently gruesome stuff, using interviews with veteran detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department, prosecutors, and the friends and family of the victims to chart the twisty route towards solving each case and bringing the killer to justice. (Two series)
Battle In The Box
Zany comedy contest where guests live in a box and complete silly challenges
Year: 2024
Certificate: 12
This new comedy is a lot of fun – a bit like Taskmaster, but in a confined space, a 16x3m locked box, to be precise. Jimmy Carr is the evil genius presiding over the mayhem, as two pairs of comedians set up home in the box, competing with their neighbours for luxuries and space.
They complete challenges to earn money or ‘box coin’ with which they can buy things – important stuff like furniture, pyjamas and food – and also the chance to steal space off their rivals. It’s all exceedingly silly and hugely entertaining, with Seann Walsh and Joe Swash, and Harriet Kemsley and Lara Ricote, the first to do battle (and yes, the boys do a fair bit of farting).
