The unmissable TV sequence on Sky’s streaming service. Up to date for August 2022
It would lack the general cachet of Netflix and Amazon Prime, however Now is a streaming service value shouting about. Welcome to our information to the perfect Now TV exhibits.
Not solely does Now characteristic a best-in-class Motion pictures bundle, it additionally presents a separate, properly inexpensive “Leisure Cross”. This go grants you entry to tons of of TV exhibits and documentaries.
Some can be found in BBC iPlayer-style catch-up kind (based mostly on Sky’s broadcast channels) and box-sets that includes particular person seasons or complete runs of a single present.
There’s lots of stuff to sift by means of on Now Leisure however as all the time, we’re right here to assist. How? By selecting out the sequence and exhibits we predict it’s best to watch, that’s how.
Home of the Dragon (S1)
Banish that dreadful closing season (honest sufficient: these dreadful final three seasons) of Sport of Thrones out of your thoughts. A brand new sword and sorcery epic concerning the warring households of Westeros is right here, and it seems like a real return to kind.
The solid is implausible, the manufacturing values are immense, and since the entire thing relies on a historical past of the Targaryen household already totally fleshed out by George R.R. Martin himself, the writing shouldn’t veer off the rails into Michael Bay territory this time round. Set nearly 200 years earlier than the occasions depicted in Sport of Thrones, Home of the Dragon focusses on the Targaryen household, the dragon-riding dynastic rulers of Westeros who used fireplace, blood and worry to first unite after which management the Seven Kingdoms. However whereas the Targaryen’s hulking pets make their empire all however unassailable from the surface, a looming succession disaster threatens to tear their dynasty other than inside – and produce damage and bloody civil warfare to the realm within the course of.
Yellowjackets (S1)
A New Jersey highschool soccer group reaches the nationwide finals, that means a flight to Seattle and a shot at glory – however when their airplane crashes in the course of the Rockies and rescue by no means materialises, the women should cross horrifying boundaries to outlive their ordeal.
25 years later we meet up with the survivors, now approaching center age however in some ways simply as troubled, confused and dysfunctional as they had been at 17. So what actually occurred again there within the mountains, and might they ever escape the terrible decisions they made? Yellowjackets’ time-hopping construction means we unravel its mysteries slowly, however the glorious solid (together with real-life 90s icons Christina Ricci and Juliette Lewis) retains issues entertaining all through. Darkish, nostalgic and surprisingly humorous.
I’m Alan Partridge (S1-2)
Alan Partridge had already appeared on TV in The Day At the moment and his faux discuss present Figuring out Me, Figuring out You, but it surely was the 2 sequence and 12 episodes of I’m Alan Partridge that cemented Steve Coogan’s comedian creation as one among Britain’s best-loved (or ought to that be ‘most enjoyably endured’?) comedy characters.
A type of cinema verité sitcom following Alan round in his life – a failed TV presenter now slumming it as a neighborhood radio DJ in his residence county of Norfolk – I’m Alan Partridge is wealthy with pathos, quotable strains and the type of cringeworthy moments that Ricky Gervais later constructed a profession on. Partridge’s Britain is one among Rover Fastbacks, owl sanctuaries, bleak motels, static caravans, driving gloves, Toblerone addictions, makes an attempt to wangle free energy showers and disastrous company occasion appearances – and it’s one which it’s a blast to spend (occasional) time in.
The Flight Attendant (S1-2)
Kaley Cuoco stars as a hard-partying long-haul flight attendant who embarks on a one-night stand in Bangkok that ends in additional than a horrible hangover. We’re speaking bloody homicide, worldwide intrigue and suspicion from none aside from the FBI. As she tries to piece collectively the scrambled occasions of the evening, the viewer unravels the thriller alongside along with her. An enjoyably fast-paced darkish comedy-drama that offers Cuoco room to flex her thesp muscular tissues.
We Personal This Metropolis (S1)
The Wire creator David Simon returns to Baltimore’s imply streets with this six-part restricted sequence about corruption within the police drive. Based mostly on true occasions, it’s loads smaller in scope than Simon’s opus, however hits lots of the similar notes simply as precisely. Not solely is We Personal This Metropolis an entertaining and eye-opening look into the investigation that introduced the soiled cops to justice, however a portrait of a metropolis (and a rustic) by which regulation enforcement has failed to guard and serve anyone however itself. The solid contains lots of acquainted faces from The Wire and elsewhere, but it surely’s Jon Bernthal because the apparently untouchable Sergeant Wayne Jenkins – the person who made the boast that offers the sequence its title – that shines the brightest.
Inside No. 9 (S1-5)
Having made their title with The League Of Gents and Psychoville, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith set about creating Inside No. 9 – six sequence (though solely the primary 4 are presently out there right here) of expertly crafted self-contained tales with one factor in widespread: they’ll preserve you guessing proper till the tip.
Whether or not it’s a demise on a sleeper prepare, a recreation of disguise ‘n’ search with extreme penalties, or the completely dialogue-free story of two hapless burglars, the writing right here blows most of its contemporaries out of the water – and there’s all the time a devilishly macabre twist within the tail. And whereas it received’t all the time have you ever falling off the couch with laughter, there’s usually not less than one absolute stonker of a gag in every episode.
Curb Your Enthusiasm (S1-8)
Seinfeld co-creator Larry David has spent twenty years taking part in himself on this sitcom – or not less than an exaggerated, extra obnoxious model of himself. Curb Your Enthusiasm’s system hasn’t modified a jot through the years: a misanthropic Hollywood millionaire makes an attempt to barter life’s difficult little conundrums – social niceties, nonsensical customs and the like – often falling foul of his personal hubris alongside the way in which. Every episode seems like a well-crafted puzzle, with characters, operating gags and themes that every one pull collectively into some form of wider comedic image on the finish.
Sprinkle within the dozens of superstar cameos (Ted Danson as Larry’s long-time buddy and rival is a pleasure) and Curb turns into a type of meta-commentary on fame: that being a rich superstar doesn’t protect you from the quirks and irritations everybody else has to endure.
Westworld (S1-4)
An clever large funds drama from HBO, Westworld is ready in a future the place the wealthy can dwell out their fantasies of heroism or villainy in an enormous high-tech theme park populated by robotic “hosts” which can be all-but indistinguishable from actual flesh and blood people. This superbly realised setting offers the present’s creators loads of room to ponder large philosophical chin-scratchers: the ethics of robotics, the character of leisure, the hazards of AI and the entire idea of free will.
All attention-grabbing stuff, however on the finish of the day it is a sci-fi drama that’s made to entertain, and on that stage it doesn’t disappoint – even when a few of the most compelling thematic threads tend to unravel amidst the dramatic twists and turns.
Euphoria (S1-2)
Its gifted solid, dead-serious tone, considerable nudity and wealth of stylistic prospers – moody lighting, a killer soundtrack and cinematography by which the time period “this digicam’s depth of area is just too shallow” merely doesn’t exist – make this highschool drama appear to be extra than simply your common teens-behaving-badly cleaning soap.
In the event you really dig beneath Euphoria’s high-gloss floor, chances are high you’ll conclude there’s nothing there you haven’t seen earlier than, however our recommendation is to only sit again and benefit from the present for what it’s. Certain, that is likely to be a po-faced American tackle Skins (with extra pores and skin on present), however like all good cleaning soap its plotlines draw you proper in – and trash TV hardly ever seemed nearly as good.
Succession (S1-3)
Written by Peep Present co-creator Jesse Armstrong and govt produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, Succession is a blackly comedian drama sequence a few huge multinational media firm run by demonic mogul Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and his brood of dysfunctional kids (sound like anybody we all know?).
When it turns into clear that Roy should quickly step down as the corporate’s head, numerous members of his household start to vie for the corporate’s levers of energy – and it’s on this wrestle that the satire begins to chunk. Extra of a drama than Armstrong’s ordinary fare (and definitely not as knockabout because the likes of Veep), Succession has scooped armfuls of awards and grow to be nothing lower than a cultural touchstone, spawning memes left and proper.
The White Lotus (S1)
This superbly black comedy-drama takes place over the course of every week in a Hawaiian luxurious resort. Following each the rich, entitled and privileged visitors and the put-upon employees, it’s a biting satire that takes correct pot pictures at each first world drawback within the guide whereas constructing dramatic pressure over a foreshadowed demise amongst the holidaymakers. Sure, it’s full of terrible folks, however what an pleasurable experience!
Mare of Easttown (S1)
Following within the footsteps of Nicole Kidman, Amy Adams, Jude Legislation and Mark Ruffalo, Kate Winslet turns into the most recent Hollywood A-lister to entrance her personal brooding, darkish and mystery-fuelled HBO miniseries – and it’s actually good! Winslet excels as Mare Sheehan, a world-weary detective confronting a brand new homicide case, an previous lacking individuals case and her personal previous trauma, all whereas her close-knit, small-town Pennsylvania neighborhood begins to unravel within the aftermath of tragedy.
An enormous solid together with Evan Peters, Man Pearce and Jean Good gives loads of gifted help for a multi-threaded story that – we assume based mostly on the primary couple of episodes – might be drawn collectively because the sequence progresses.
Raised by Wolves (S1-2)
Ridley Scott directs the primary two episodes of this cerebral science fiction drama – the form of ideas-filled present that may attraction to followers of Westworld and Scott’s personal forays into cinematic sci-fi.
Within the obvious aftermath of a horrific warfare on Earth, two androids arrive on a virgin planet with six human embryos. Their mission is to seed a brand new civilisation, free from the prejudices and non secular strife of the previous one – however just a few years later extra remnants of humanity arrive, threatening to reignite historic conflicts.
Your Honor (S1)
Not possible decisions abound in Brit telly author extraordinaire Peter Moffat’s second main US sequence (the primary being the very good The Night time Of – additionally streamble on Now). Breaking Unhealthy‘s Bryan Cranston performs a choose who abandons his skilled principals when his son is concerned in a lethal hit and run accident. The fallout is a harmful net of deception and lies that threatens additional bloodshed.
Ladies (S1-6)
Lena Dunham, each creator and star of this six-season HBO sequence, has a knack for dividing opinion – and Ladies is a present that many beloved, many hated and lots of merely didn’t get.
Focussing on 4 associates making an attempt to make it in New York (profession, romance, household… you title it), Ladies seeks to sum up the hopes and fears of a era of younger millennial girls, and achieve this in an entertaining style – and whereas, in our opinion it nails the latter half (it’s often hilarious, its characters are complicated and flawed, and it’s superbly written and shot), its scope is arguably too slim for the previous. Hey Lena, not each younger lady is a white, well-educated, middle-class Au Revoir Simone fan! Even so, if Intercourse and the Metropolis proved too clear, bougie and simply plain out-of-touch in your tastes, Ladies makes for a filthier, funnier and sharper different.
ZeroZeroZero (S1)
The creators of Gomorrah go world with this bold sequence that follows a global cocaine cargo. Mexican narco-terrorists, corrupt cops, Italian mobsters and a white-collar American household all intertwine in a gripping story that illustrates how insidious and far-reaching the unlawful narcotics commerce actually is – and the way the so-called warfare on medication is a complete sham.
Olive Kitteridge (S1)
A four-hour miniseries adaptation of Elizabeth Strout’s novel of the identical title, this slow-burning examination of marriage, parenthood, melancholy and suicide isn’t all the time a enjoyable experience. It’s, nonetheless, an intensely involving and well-crafted one, with memorably good performances from Richard Jenkins, Zoe Kazan, Invoice Murray, Peter Mullan and notably Frances McDormand within the title function.
Set in small-town Maine, it portrays a few a long time within the lifetime of a misanthropic instructor, spouse and mom who struggles within the latter two roles, and makes use of all of its operating time to craft an outline of individuals as flawed, difficult and conflicted creatures that lingers lengthy after the tip credit roll.
Eastbound & Down (S1-4)
Danny McBride peddles an excellent line in loveable offensiveness. It’s by no means extra evident than on this very good sitcom, by which he performs washed-up baseball star Kenny Powers, compelled to slum it as an alternative instructor when his pitching arm loses its… er, energy.
For all his bluster and bravado, Powers cuts a tragic and even sympathetic determine – and it’s testomony to McBride’s talent as a author and actor that he can wring the pathos out of such an smug and egocentric character. Oh, and in case you’re questioning: it’s actually, actually humorous too.
The Night time Of (S1)
Riz Ahmed excels on this function as a shy and sheltered New York lad – a second-generation immigrant to America who simply desires to do his dad and mom proud, succeed at his research and make one thing of his life. That life is snatched away when a horrific crime is dedicated – and all fingers level to him.
Off to brutal Riker’s Island jail he goes, together with his future wanting as bleak as bleak could be. John Turturro gives glorious help on the eccentric lawyer who takes up Ahmed’s case, but it surely’s the burning sense of injustice – and the need to search out out what actually occurred that fateful night – that’ll preserve you coming again episode after episode.
Penny Dreadful (S1-3)
A horror sequence set in Victorian London and bringing collectively lots of the well-known monsters and villains of literature and common tradition, Penny Dreadful is three seasons of grim, gothic delights – plus there’s a completely separate however thematically related spin-off within the form of Penny Dreadful: Metropolis of Angels, set in Forties Los Angeles to sink your fangs into when you’ve polished off the unique.
Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton, Rory Kinnear and the incomparable Eva Inexperienced (made for this sort of present) star in an involving, atmospheric sequence that was offed earlier than its time. Relaxation in peace.
Sport of Thrones (S1-8)
The ultimate stretch of HBO’s decade-long fantasy sequence might have left a bitter style in lots of viewers’ mouths however no matter its divisive ending (which, to be clear, this explicit author thinks may be very unhealthy), Sport of Thrones stays some of the thrilling, stunning, involving and simply plain previous riveting TV exhibits of all time. It’s full of so many well-drawn characters, memorable moments and guaranteed world-building you can’t write it off just because the showrunners failed to stay the touchdown.
No different sword and sorcery sequence has loved the manufacturing values lavished upon this adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s novels. It boasts a sprawling solid of faces each acquainted and contemporary, Hollywood-level visible results and, notably within the earlier seasons, a few of the greatest writing and plotting on tv full-stop. So make a journey to Westeros if you happen to’ve by no means been – it’s bloody marvellous (emphasis on the bloody).
Band of Brothers (S1)
There’s a powerful argument to be made that the “Golden Age of Tv” by which we now apparently dwell began right here, with this wonderful 2001 World Struggle II miniseries made by HBO (to not point out the BBC, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks).
Boasting mammoth manufacturing values (on the time of its making, it was the costliest TV present ever), a solid of dozens and an impeccable script, Band of Brothers tells the story of the warfare from the attitude of Straightforward Firm, a US Military parachute firm. Stretching from Straightforward’s bounce coaching by means of their deployment on D-Day to the very finish of the warfare in Europe, with every of its 10 episodes bookended by interviews from the real-life veterans on which the story relies, it’s compelling from begin to end, and can seemingly go away you in floods of tears by the tip.
Boardwalk Empire (S1-5)
This lavish interval drama recreates America’s early twentieth century prohibition period – and retells the rise of organised crime that resulted from the banning of booze – in lavish element, full with an enormous (and vastly spectacular) solid of precise and fictional crooks, corrupt politicians, cops, conmen, mobsters and molls.
Centred round New Jersey’s glitzy, seedy resort city Atlantic Metropolis (run by Steve Buscemi’s nearly comically corrupt central protagonist, Nucky Thompson) however often taking trip to go to Chicago and New York, Boardwalk Empire rivals different HBO exhibits like The Sopranos and The Wire for scope and manufacturing values, even when it feels a bit worn-out by its personal lofty ambitions by the point the ultimate season rolls round.
The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (S1)
In the event you’re a documentary fan and also you’re presently unfamiliar with the story of Robert Durst, you’re in for a deal with: The Jinx is an totally compelling exploration into the eccentric New York property inheritor’s previous, by which he might or might not have murdered one, two or three folks – and received away with it each time.
Durst’s story can be intriguing sufficient by itself, however on this six-part sequence the person himself volunteers to be interviewed by filmmaker Andrew Jarecki – a seemingly pointless threat when you think about the crimes of which he’s suspected. As Durst’s participation begins to shine contemporary mild on the previous instances, you’ll end up superglued to your display screen proper up till the unforgettable finish.
Chernobyl (S1)
A miniseries recreating the terrifying occasions of April 1986, when a Ukrainian nuclear energy plant went into unintentional meltdown, and the courageous, dangerous operation to forestall it escalating right into a continent-spanning catastrophe. With a solid together with Stellan Skarsgard, Emily Watson and Jared Harris, this Sky/HBO collaboration places true high quality into the retelling of this real-life horror story.
The Wire (S1-5)
Persistently ranked among the many best TV sequence ever made, The Wire is a compelling US crime present that’s far, far past your widespread or backyard police procedural.
Set in Baltimore, its 5 seasons take a novelistic strategy to detailing the interaction between town’s energy constructions, all the way in which from the mayor’s workplace to the nook boy crack sellers. As a lot as The Wire is pushed by its seasons-spanning plots and big solid of memorable characters, it’s maybe the way in which it turns a brutal examination of the systemic failure of American establishments – politics, the press, schooling, the police drive – into gripping leisure that cements its standing as one of many twenty first century’s greatest TV exhibits thus far.
Escape at Dannemora (S1)
An eight-episode miniseries directed by Ben Stiller and starring Benicio del Toro, Patricia Arquette and Paul Dano, Escape at Dannemora tells the story of a New York state jail breakout and the weird love triangle surrounding it. Astonishingly, it’s all based mostly on real-life occasions.
In brief, it’s exactly the form of attention-grabbing, well-crafted one-off drama sequence that we’ve come to count on from Sky Atlantic in recent times, with an excellent solid worthy of a Hollywood characteristic. It’s solely out there to stream on Now TV for a restricted time, so don’t delay.
The Sopranos (S1-6)
These days we take intelligently written, thematically deep, superbly shot large funds tv sequence with no consideration – however a few a long time in the past such programmes (bar the odd miniseries) had been a rarity.
Then alongside got here HBO and David Chase’s The Sopranos, a long-running drama concerning the New Jersey mob, household and millennial America. Gripping, humorous, shifting and infrequently arduous to observe, this present made a bone-fide star of the late James Gandolfini, who excels, attracts and repels in equal measure as mafia boss Tony Soprano.
Each single episode of what is likely to be the best TV present ever is presently out there on Now TV, so if you happen to haven’t watched it already – or it’s been just a few years and also you’re lacking Paulie Walnuts, Silvio, Huge Pussy and Christopher – seize your self a bin bag stuffed with snacks, a number of gallons of your most popular bevvie and get settled in for a mobster marathon.
Patrick Melrose (S1)
Based mostly on the semi-autobiographical novels of Edward St Aubyn, this Sky- and Showtime-produced drama sequence stars Benedict Cumberbatch because the titular Patrick, an aristocratic heroin addict making an attempt in useless to outrun the harm accomplished in childhood by his monstrous upper-class father and weak, emotionally absent American mom.
With every of the 5 episodes based mostly on a single novel within the St Aubyn’s sequence, every seems like a self-contained story – however collectively they characterize as vivid, complicated and compelling a portrayal of habit, hopelessness, cruelty and redemption as you’ll discover on tv.
The Affair (S1-5)
This sluggish burn of a sequence charts the rising mutual attraction between two married folks and the passionate, damaging affair that unfolds. As with every affair, folks find yourself damage – however on this case it’s worse: someone finally ends up useless.
What elevates this past your typical steamy thriller is its construction: The Affair is advised by means of a number of characters’ factors of view, which differ in slight however important methods. The impact is to make you query what you assume you recognize.
Throw in stellar performances by Dominic West and Ruth Wilson and this turns into an totally riveting watch. However don’t fear, you could have 5 complete seasons to plough by means of earlier than withdrawal units in.
Twin Peaks: The Return (S1)
There are two methods to have a look at the brand new sequence of Twin Peaks. One is that it’s with out query probably the most totally good TV present of the yr, the opposite that it’s an enormous pile of pretentious poo-poo.
Now we’re firmly within the former camp right here at Stuff, however if you happen to a) didn’t like the unique two sequence or b) typically don’t like David Lynch’s inventive ouput then that is emphatically not going to vary your thoughts. Certainly, The Return is a form of meta-Lynch present, distilling themes, components, tropes and filmmaking strategies he’s employed elsewhere into one bewilderingly unimaginable expertise.
Set 25 years after the occasions of the groundbreaking first two sequence, The Return revisits lots of the characters from the originals, and there’s monumental quantities of enjoyable and curiosity to be gained merely in seeing how they’ve aged and the way their lives have labored out.
We don’t wish to spoil issues by going into element concerning the plot, however suffice to say that it’s about as removed from an easy linear journey as you may ever think about. Completely important viewing.
Billions (S1-6)
Consider Billions because the high-finance counterpart to Home of Playing cards and also you received’t be far off the mark.
Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti are very good as, respectively, the win-at-all-costs head of an enormous hedge fund and the win-at-all-costs district lawyer decided to place him behind bars, though each are completely upstaged by the even higher Maggie Siff as the lady who retains each on the high of their recreation.
It may well get a bit slowed down in monetary jargon – except you’re a hedge-fund supervisor your self, you’ll seemingly not perceive a phrase of what’s being mentioned at occasions – however that’s by no means actually an issue, as a result of this isn’t actually a present about world monetary markets. Properly, no extra so than Sport of Thrones can be a present about dragons.
As a substitute, it’s a present about energy and whether or not the sort you should purchase is extra vital than the sort you earn. Properly value a watch.
Ray Donovan (S1-7)
Liev Schreiber performs the titular character on this long-running sequence a few Los Angeles regulation agency “fixer” who solves issues for Hollywood’s elite – typically in ways in which deliver him into battle with the authorities.
When Donovan’s father (performed with rascally relish by Jon Voight) is launched from jail, the distant previous comes again to hang-out him. And that’s fortunate for us, because it kicks off a series of occasions which assist make this some of the absorbing mainstream dramas on telly.
