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The 20 Hottest Show on Netflix, Sky/Now, Paramount+ and...
The 20 hottest shows on Netflix, Sky/Now, Paramount+ and more to watch On Demand this weekend
If you're looking for something to keep you entertained on TV this weekend, look no further as our critics have picked out the 20 must-watch shows On Demand you won't want to miss.
We Might Regret This
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Watch now on BBC iPlayer
Freya is a Canadian artist who moves to the UK to be with her much older boyfriend Abe (The Outlaws' Darren Boyd). This sitcom follows her and the large group of friends and family surrounding the couple.
Freya (like Kyla Harris, who plays her) uses a wheelchair and we get some pretty raw and realistic insights into what that's like for her, including literal toilet humour. But the show doesn't focus only on the disability angle; it's also an alternative, joyfully confrontational and bold look at relationships and friendships.
Freya certainly doesn't let her disability get in the way of her life, despite how much society - and the availability of accessible toilets - are pitted against her. And while her relationship with Abe drives much of the plot, the real core of the show is her close friendship with chaotic Jo (Elena Saurel). They have an easy, uninhibited closeness yet there's a hint of something more complex underpinning it all.
Combined with the presence of Sally Phillips (Smack The Pony) as Abe's ex-wife and Edward Bluemel (Killing Eve) as his grown-up son, this has the feel of a rounded and involving ensemble comedy, that also happens to show the realities, and frustrations, of being disabled, too. (Six episodes)
Faye
Prestige HBO profile of the great Hollywood actress Faye Dunaway
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Watch now on NOW
Watch now on Sky
'She could be as devastating as any man. And you know what? It was kind of exciting to see that.' A layered and compelling profile of a layered and compelling woman: the Hollywood great Faye Dunaway, whose mantelpiece groans under the weight of an Oscar, an Emmy, three Golden Globes and a BAFTA, a collection of awards that feels like a fairly small representation of her massive talent.
Produced for HBO in the US, this is the kind of profile that only legends in their field receive (see also the excellent Jane Fonda In Five Acts) and it's built around a riveting interview with Dunaway herself, who is clearly a force to be reckoned with, both on and off screen.
It's fitting then, that this is also a pretty candid treatment - there's a clip of Bette Davis saying she would never work with her again ('she's just totally impossible... Miss Dunaway is for Miss Dunaway'), for instance, and Dunaway presents herself in endearingly unvarnished fashion, complaining about the seat she's sitting in for the interview and demanding a 'a glass of water, not a bottle'.
Is that a performance too, though? Wherever you land on that question, this is a great and succinct slice of informative entertainment. (87 minutes)
Stags
A six-part drama about a stag do gone wrong, with This Country's Charlie Cooper
Year: 2024
Certificate: 18
Watch now on Paramount+
If you have fond memories of the drama Mad Dogs, in which a lads holiday went really, really wrong, then Stags - a six-part story of a stag do gone really, really wrong - may be for you.
The first episode is jam-packed with bad behaviour, swearing and drugs in South America, but if you can get past all that, you'll see what makes this show interesting - the island prison they all end up on as a result of all that bad behaviour.
This Country's Charlie Cooper, Hollyoaks' Nico Mirallegro and People Just Do Nothing's Asim Chaudhry are the most familiar faces on the cast who wind up in this place. It's a prison completely cut off from the grid that functions as its own society - a sort of purgatory on Earth - and there's some really interesting ideas that come along with that.
In a sense, Daniel Cullen's show is like a dramatic version of the real-life series Banged Up Abroad, and that's an intriguing idea but you wonder, sadly, how many people will make it far enough into the show to see that side of it. (Six episodes)
Secret Lives Of Orangutans
Sir David Attenborough narrates this look at one of man's closest relatives
Year: 2024
Certificate: pg
Watch now on Netflix
We first met orangutans Ellie and her young child Eden in an episode of Sir David Attenborough's Our Planet documentary, way back in 2019. This standalone documentary picks up their story a few years later, returning to the jungles of Sumatra to follow Ellie and the now eight-year-old Eden as the young orangutan embarks on one of the most testing periods of the great ape's life so far.
The film focuses on new primate characters too, including Rakus, a Sumatran orangutan in Indonesia who made headlines when he became the first wild animal to be seen treating a wound with a medicinal herb. It's a beautiful character-filled nature film of the highest order, with Attenborough's honeyed tones playfully bringing the lives of the great apes to life while never letting us forget just how precarious their position remains in the ever-shrinking forests of Sumatra. (79 minutes)
Dating Naked UK
Rylan hosts the UK's first nude reality dating contest
Year: 2024
Certificate: 18
Watch now on Paramount+
With contestants spending the bulk of the time just wearing swim shorts and bikinis, most of the UK's existing dating shows already leave very little to the imagination. This show, however, strips away even that as the ten singletons involved spend the entire show completely nude, with no pixellation or blurring to hide the bits most TV shows are too polite to show.
It's basically Love Island spliced with Naked Attraction as TV presenter Rylan brings his usual eye-rolling 'ooo-er' merriment to the hosting duties as the unclothed contestants flirt and spar with each other in the hope of securing the grand cash prize - although, to be fair, they don't know about that at the start. New players will be dropped into the show's tropical paradise at various points to spice things up, while each episode sees some of the garment-deprived romance-seekers given the boot in the Dumping Ground.
It's surprising how quickly it becomes normal to watch, really, but it's questionable whether normalising society's attitudes to nudity is the motivation, given the slow motion footage that introduces new contestants shedding their clothes. In a way it's the opposite of Love Is Blind, as it inevitably places so much emphasis on how the contenders look from top to toe - but if there's nowhere to hide, does that actually encourage emotional vulnerability? Time will tell but, either way, you do find yourself hoping they've all applied the sunscreen thoroughly. (Ten episodes)
Sven
Documentary charting the life of former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson
Year: 2024
When the shocking news broke in early 2024 that Sven-Goran Eriksson was suffering from terminal cancer, with probably only about a year to live, there was a great outpouring of affection for the former England and Manchester City boss.
This film embraces that as it charts Eriksson's career - from undistinguished playing days to a managerial CV crammed with some of the world's greatest club sides as well as no less than four international teams - and his often headline-grabbing private life, filled with stories of womanising and affairs (including a well-publicised fling with TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson).
It's a bittersweet watch, with fond reminiscences from England players including David Beckham and Wayne Rooney, intercut with the story of the cancer diagnosis and the quietly witty Eriksson's philosophical attitude towards his impending death.
The Walking Dead: Dead City
Maggie and Negan head to Manhattan in a spin-off series from the zombie show
Year: 2023
Certificate: 18
Watch now on NOW
Watch now on Sky
This spin-off from the zombie show takes two of its strongest characters - tough Maggie and charismatic Negan - and places them in a location that, historically in the movies, has been one of the best places to set an apocalyptic story: Manhattan. The duo trying to survive its zombie-filled streets have a history, to say the least. In one of the original show's most shocking moments (spoiler alert), Negan brutally killed Maggie's husband in front of her.
You don't just move past something like that, even on The Walking Dead, and while Maggie's learned to resist the urge to cut Negan's head off over the years, that urge is certainly still there. The sad truth for Maggie is that her son - the son with the husband Negan killed - has been taken by a man Negan used to know, and that means she needs him, at least for now.
Whether she will kill him or he will betray her before the end provides a constant sense of tension to the show's unfolding story, which is not a quality that a Walking Dead series has ever been short on. It's certainly chimed with audiences, though, and a second series is due in 2025. You may recognise the kidnapper - he's played by Zeljko Ivanek, a veteran character actor from many US shows, including Damages. (Six episodes)
Merseyside Detectives: The Murders Of Ashley And Olivia
Follow the investigation after the 2022 shootings of Ashley Dale and Olivia Pratt-Korbel
Year: 2024
Certificate: 12
Watch now on Channel 4
During the summer of 2022, Liverpool and the whole nation were reeling from not one, but two fatal shootings, of a woman and young girl.
Ashley Dale, 28, was gunned down in her home; less than two days later, nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel suffered the same terrible fate. They were both innocent victims, caught in the crossfire of escalating organised crime warfare.
This four-part series (continuing nightly) sticks close to Merseyside Police as they investigate the murders, and probes the culture of a community fearful to speak to police lest they face lethal retribution. We also hear from the heartbroken families of Ashley and Olivia, including their mums, Julie and Cheryl. It makes for a devastating portrait of crime and loss. (Four episodes)
The Kingdom: Saudi Arabia's Most Powerful Prince
How the Prince of Saudi Arabia has become a powerful but divisive leader
Year: 2024
Certificate: 12
Watch now on BBC iPlayer
We all know that Saudi Arabia and its oil wield enormous global power, but do we really understand how, and who is behind it all?
This two-part series is a detailed account of Saudi Arabia's history and make-up as well as a rare insiders' view of the man behind recent reforms. Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS for short, is the Crown Prince and heir of this 'absolute monarchy', and has moved from the margins to become the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia.
Hearing from exiled former friends and advisers of the prince and Saudi royal family, as well as journalists and biographers, this series is a fascinating look inside an insular kingdom known for its great wealth, but also for oppression and worse. According to one expert, a professor who became an informal adviser to MBS, he 'doesn't do things the usual way' - he even earned himself the nickname 'the bullet guy' when he was a young man. (Two episodes)
Bob Marley: One Love
Biopic telling the story of the life and career of the reggae music star
Year: 2024
Certificate: 12
Watch now on Paramount+
Musical biopics have hit some high notes at the box office in recent years with the likes of Rocketman, Elvis and Bohemian Rhapsody all doing well. At one level, Bob Marley: One Love ambles happily along in their footsteps, telling the story of the Jamaican reggae star and frontman of the band The Wailers, and recounting the origin of several of his biggest hit songs.
The film also has a more strikingly dramatic side, though, recounting Marley's role in trying to diffuse the armed strife that plagued Jamaica during the 1970s, and which placed his own life and that of his family in serious peril. British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir (Peaky Blinders) oozes laid-back charisma as Marley himself in a pop-star biopic that tries to be about more than just the music. (107 minutes)
OceanXplorers
High-tech sea-life documentary show produced by James Cameron
Year: 2024
Certificate: 12
Watch now on Disney+
Movie director James Cameron is one of the big names behind this snazzy new wildlife documentary series that aims to reveal never-before-seen sides to the animals with whom we share the ocean.
In each of the six episodes, the crew of hi-tech science ship OceanXplorer - which comes complete with two submarines, a helicopter and four onboard research labs - heads to a far-flung part of the world to explore the habits of a different sea creature, from bowhead whales and polar bears in the Arctic to hammerhead sharks in the Bahamas. They even follow the giant sixgill shark as it dives into the very deepest parts of the ocean.
Pairing stunning filmmaking with fascinating revelations about the oceans and the animals that inhabit it, this is a genuine must-see for wildlife fans. (Six episodes)
Wyatt Earp And The Cowboy War
Actor Ed Harris narrates a new docudrama about the Wild West
Year: 2024
Certificate: 12
Watch now on Netflix
Wyatt Earp is one of the best-known figures in Wild West history. Immortalised on screen by actors including Burt Lancaster and Kurt Russell, Earp is renowned for his role in bringing peace to the lawless town of Tombstone when he and his brothers, alongside legendary gunslinger and gambler Doc Holliday, faced off in 1881 with an outlaw gang led by Ike Clanton at the OK Corral.
But, according to this six-part documentary series, that legendary gunfight was the start rather than the end of the clash between Earp and Clanton's gang. Chockful of moody dramatic reconstructions and narrated with drawling charisma by Oscar-nominated movie actor Ed Harris, this is stirring stuff that brings a forgotten slice of Wild West history to dusty, vengeful, pistol-packing life. (Six episodes)
Incoming
Raunchy high-school comedy about four teens looking to make their mark
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Watch now on Netflix
Arriving at high school is a great chance to reinvent yourself. There are nerdy reputations to be lost, status to be won and beautiful girls to be wooed. Or at least that's what Eddie, Benj, Connor and Koosh hope as they embark on their first week as high-schoolers. When an invitation to a party crammed with older kids falls into their laps, they're convinced that all their dreams are about to come true. What could possibly go wrong?
Pitched somewhere between American Pie and Superbad, this boisterous, very silly, occasionally slightly raunchy and overall properly funny teen comedy plays happily with the full toolkit of high-school tropes as it gleefully milks laughs from the catastrophes that befall its excellent cast of largely unknown teen actors. Do look out, though, for familiar face Bobby Canavale as the high school's least conventional teacher. (91 minutes)
Everything You Love
Sombre Scandinavian love story set against rising political extremism
Year: 2022
Certificate: 15
Watch now on Channel 4
This Norwegian drama, made up of seven punchy 25-minute episodes, is a love story seen through the dark glass of the divisive political atmosphere that exists as much in Scandinavia as it does here.
Two beautiful young Norwegians - security guard Jonas (Jakob Fort) and psychology student Sara (Mina Dale) - fall in love, but Jonas is nursing a deep and long-held disaffection with a modern Norway where his generation feel left behind. Sara, meanwhile, represents a more politically apathetic youth, more interested in living in the moment.
As Jonas becomes more depressed about the state of his country and gets in deeper with extremists, Sara is faced with the terrible truth - and neither of them will come out of it unscathed. It's all handled very carefully and subtly, with Jonas a thoughtful, intelligent young man through whom we can better understand the process of radicalisation. (Seven episodes)
Migration
Brisk and fun animated adventure about a family of ducks who leave their pond for the first time
Year: 2023
Certificate: u
Watch now on NOW
Watch now on Sky
Illumination is the animation studio that brought us Minions, and they have a talent for making family entertainment that hits the spot and does so without outstaying its welcome.
The main characters in Migration are a family of mallards who never leave their pond, because the dad is afraid of risk and can't bear the idea of what might happen to his family if they left their cosy New England home - despite the fact that they're all, clearly, desperate to do just that.
The movie follows what happens when they suddenly embark on an epic trip to Jamaica, meeting all kinds of scary characters who may or may not prove dad Mack (Kumail Nanjiani) right in his fears.
With a surprisingly relatable script from Mike White (The White Lotus) and a voice cast that includes Elizabeth Banks as the mum, Danny DeVito as a shambling uncle and Carol Kane as a hilariously sinister heron, it's a ride that won't disappoint if you're after a big, sunny slice of family fun with jokes that everyone can enjoy.
Some of the gags may even remind you of the odd actual human summer family holiday, too, which just makes them all the funnier. Listen out for David Mitchell's voice along the way. (83 minutes)
The Supremes At Earl's All-You-Can-Eat
US drama movie telling the story of three female friends across a lifetime
Year: 2024
Certificate: 12
Watch now on Disney+
Dubbed The Supremes while they were still in high school, close-knit best friends Odette, Clarice and Barbara Jean seem to have everything waiting for them as they start out on life as teenagers in 1960s America. The decades that follow, though, see them facing tragic love affairs, unfaithful husbands and shattered dreams. But the trio's connection remains strong despite it all.
Directed by Tina Mabry, this is a warm-hearted film about female friendship that segues between gentle humour and stark drama and back again with real confidence. The friendship between the core trio feels strong and believable, with fine performances from Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Uzo Aduba and Sanaa Lathan (as the grown-up Odette, Clarice and Barbara Jean respectively) stitching it all together. The supporting cast's not bad either: look out for Mekhi Phifer, Julian McMahon and Vondie Curtis-Hall among the men in the ladies' lives. (124 minutes)
Live Comedy From The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (ITVX & NextUp Comedy)
How to watch live comedy from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2024
Year: 2024
Watch now on NextUp Comedy
If you want to sample comedy from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe but can't stomach the crowds or the cost, well then - you've got options. This year, there's coverage from ITVX in the form of four, hour-long shows presented by Judi Love, from 21-24 August. The comedians taking part are: Jason Byrne, Huge Davies, Larry Dean, Sophie Duker, Ivo Graham, Josh Jones, Judi Love and Chloe Petts, with more names to be confirmed for the 'breakthrough' slots depending how everyone's festival unfolds. This ITVX coverage is a partnership with the streaming service NextUp Comedy which, if you want to take a deeper - and earlier - dive into the Fringe, is a great place to go.
From 12 August, NextUp will be presenting a steady stream of live shows direct from the Fringe but, beware, 'live' is very much the word. If you miss the show, you can't be certain it'll be made available for catch up again later - that's down to the individual act and their ticket sales to decide, although the majority certainly were last year, albeit later into the festival.
Kicking it all off at 8pm on 12 August is Lauren Pattison with her show Big Girl Pants, while later highlights include Harriet Kemsley (15 August), Newsrevue (10pm, 18 August), Larry Dean (23 August), Dan Tiernan (23 August) and Jessie Cave (24 August). If you want to see the next generation of talent, tune in for the Chortle Student Comedy Awards (10pm, 13 August) and, if you'd like something a little edgy, try the Monkey Barrel Big Show (11.20pm, 17 August). It'll give you a little of that late night festival feel, that's for sure.
For a full calendar of NextUp shows, look here.For information on how to sign up to NextUp, look here.
Beetlejuice
Michael Keaton stars as the madcap 'bio-exorcist' in Tim Burton's dark comedy
Year: 1988
Certificate: 12
Watch now on Prime Video
Watch now on Netflix
In 1988, Michael Keaton already had several feature films under his belt, but he was still better known for his TV work. Beetlejuice would change all that - and bring about a fruitful period of collaboration with director Tim Burton.
Here, he's almost unrecognisable as self-styled bio-exorcist Betelgeuse, a consultant of sorts helping the recently deceased Maitlands (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) to rid themselves of the ghoulish (but very much alive) family who have bought their beloved home - and plan to change it beyond all recognition.
Betelgeuse is a last resort, a visit to the bureaucratic nightmare of the afterlife having proven frustratingly unsuccessful. But, we all know there's no such thing as a free meal, and Betelgeuse's price is particularly high...
Developed from a script given to him by the studio, the film would also prove the perfect springboard for Burton's many talents, cleverly rolling gallows humour, sly references and inventive effects into one bankable package - and giving him the leverage to create his dark, phantasmagoric vision of Batman (which would also star Keaton).
Gratifyingly Gothic-tinged, it provides a teasing foretaste of Burton's future output - well, we couldn't let a review of a Tim Burton film slip by without at least one gratuitous mention of the 'G' word, could we? The long-awaited sequel, with Keaton returning in the lead and Burton as director, arrives in cinemas this year. (92 minutes)
Operation Mincemeat
Colin Firth and Kelly Macdonald star in this superb, based on truth Second World War drama
Year: 2021
Certificate: 12
Watch now on Prime Video
Fighting Hitler in the dark days of 1943, the Allied forces faced a dilemma. How could they distract the Nazis' attention away from their real objectives for long enough to stage an invasion of Sicily? It felt like an impossible challenge, at least until two intelligence officers cooked up a seemingly barmy plan involving a bunch of faked secret papers and a dead body.
This bizarre, real-life scheme translates into an exceptionally enjoyable and very tense wartime drama that rattles along like the best fiction. The cast is superb, with Colin Firth, Kelly Macdonald, Matthew Macfadyen and Jason Isaacs all featuring. It was also the last film featuring the brilliant Paul Ritter of Friday Night Dinner fame, and the movie is dedicated to him. (122 minutes)
How To Rob A Bank (TV series)
How ordinary Americans, including teachers, lawyers, college students and soldiers, are committing bank robberies
Year: 2019
Certificate: 12
Watch now on U (UKTV)
This TV series tells the stories behind infamous US bank robberies. The motivations aren't as interesting as movies like Point Break (surfers steal to ride the waves) or Dog Day Afternoon (Al Pacino wants to fund his partner's sex-reassignment surgery), but the robbers are often motivated by more than simple greed.
From family-run heists and inside men to feeding drug and gambling addictions, it's an opportunity to hear from the thieves themselves, talking about how and why they did it. (Eight episodes)