It’s a Sin
Not for nothing was Russell T Davies’s heartfelt portrait of gay London at the height of the Aids crisis the most watched drama ever on Channel 4’s streaming service. A group of flat-sharing friends, led by Olly Alexander’s magnetic Ritchie, throw themselves into a life of hedonism as rumours of a virus affecting gay men become reality.
Russell T Davis: ‘Life doesn’t stop when terrible things happen’
On All4 in the UK and HBO Max in the US
Uprising
Hot on the heels of last year’s exceptional Small Axe series comes film-maker Steve McQueen’s remarkable documentary, co-directed by James Rogan, examining three events in London in 1981: the New Cross fire, in which 13 black British teenagers died; the Black People’s Day of Action, when thousands marched through the city; and the Brixton riots.
On BBC iPlayer in the UK and Amazon Prime in the US
Succession, Season 3
The third season documenting the Shakespearean manoeuvres within the Roy family finds investigators closing in on their scandal-hit empire and investors considering their options. But it is the fates of Tom and Kendall which prove most electrifying, the former the sacrificial lamb and the latter the black sheep swinging between braggadocio and devastation.
On Sky Atlantic and Now in the UK and HBO Max in the US
The White Lotus
More monstrous, miserable one-percenters feature in Mike White’s archly comic parable on whiteness, wealth and privilege set in a luxurious holiday resort in Hawaii. Watch for Murray Bartlett’s harried hotel manager, Armond, as he reaches the end of his tether with his spoilt clientele and visits outrageous revenge.
Mike White, the quirky hitmaker behind ‘The White Lotus’
On Sky Atlantic and Now in the UK and HBO Max in the US
Mare of Easttown
Brad Ingelsby’s thriller set in small-town Pennsylvania was a slow-burning hit thanks to a spiky script and a magnificently cantankerous performance from Kate Winslet as the eponymous cop. What starts as a regular whodunnit concerning the death of a teenage girl turns into a riveting character study as Mare’s own story of grief unfolds.
The serious staying power of Mare of Easttown
On Sky Atlantic and Now in the UK and HBO Max in the US
Clarkson’s Farm
When the manager of Jeremy Clarkson’s thousand-acre Cotswolds farm handed in his notice, the presenter decided to do the job himself, inviting a camera crew along for the ride. The result is this year’s most unexpected and illuminating TV hit, during which Clarkson gets a crash course in a thankless and financially unrewarding profession.
On Amazon Prime
The Chair
Sandra Oh shines in this brilliantly funny mini-series set on a prestigious university campus. A shake-up in the English department has resulted in Oh’s Professor Ji-Yoon Kim becoming chair, much to the chagrin of her set-in-their-ways colleagues. Meanwhile, the students are in revolt as a clip of a lecturer making a joke about Nazis spreads across social media.
On Netflix
Sex Education, Season 3
The comedy in which teenagers are put under the microscope has become a beacon of sex positivity, wittily tackling the more joyous and mortifying elements of teenage sexual adventure. In its third season, it has blossomed into an ensemble piece with just the right amount of pathos and the odd outrageous sight gag.
Sex Education and its eclectic clothes capture the trials of being a teen
On Netflix
Time
Jimmy McGovern’s grim but transfixing portrait of prison life casts Sean Bean as a gentle schoolteacher serving a four-year stretch for drink-driving. In another powerhouse performance, Stephen Graham is the prison warder showing him the ropes while trying to fend off the cons who are determined to drag him down.
On BBC iPlayer in the UK and Amazon Prime
King Rocker
A wonderfully experimental documentary from Brass Eye director Michael Cumming and the comedian Stewart Lee examining the life and unsung talents of the Midlands punk Robert Lloyd, frontman of The Prefects and, later, The Nightingales. Lloyd delivers a damning verdict on the music industry while fans including Paul Morley and Frank Skinner sing his praises.
On Sky Arts and Now
What have you been watching this year?
Tell us in the comments which shows you’ve been tuning into — and whether 2021 has changed how, when or what you watch
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