‘Tis the season for political / spy thrillers! Season 2 of Lioness (and what a thrilling opener complete with creator Taylor Sheridan himself playing a bad ass!) is streaming and is joined this week by season 2 of The Diplomat. And heads up — on 29 November we’ve got The Agency with Michael Fassbender and Richard Gere, and Black Doves with Keira Knightley and Happy Valley’s Sarah Lancashire is coming out in December.

As if your watch list is not already jam-packed – a heads up that Shetland is returning for a ninth season. Alas, Lerwick remains without beloved good guy DI Jimmy Perez (Douglas Henshall), who left for good a couple seasons ago. But female duo Ashley Jensen as DI Ruth Calder, and Alison O’Donnell as DS Alison ‘Tosh’ McIntosh team up once again, this time on an investigation that blurs lines between personal and professional. 

But let’s get to this week first shall we. Highly promising detective series set in Ireland, Ellis, premieres on 31 October 2024.

Ellis

Tenacious police woman DCI Ellis (Sharon D. Clarke) and her assistant DS Harper are sent in to help solve cases that have gone cold. The three-part series is filmed in various locations in Ireland. A cozy one for sure.

31 October. Channel 5 and Acorn TV.

The Diplomat

The hit political thriller series starring Keri Russell as career diplomat Kate Wyler, returns for a second season, after the shock ending of season 1 left us wondering about the fate of her husband, Hal (Rufus Sewell), also a career diplomat.

31 October. Netflix.

Shetland

An investigation becomes personal for Tosh when her friend goes missing, pulling her and DI Ruth Calder into a new case in the remote but breathtaking Shetland Isles. It looks like DI Calder is sticking around despite her early misgivings.

6 November. BBC One.

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Also Streaming/catch-up in October:

Lioness.October 27. Paramount+

SPOILER ALERT: RECAP-REVIEW

Whitstable Pearl. 21 October. Acorn TV

Before. 25 October. Apple TV+

Whitstable Pearl. 21 October. Acorn TV

DI Ray. 20 October. ITV1

SPOILER ALERT: RECAP-REVIEW

Blackshore. 19 October. RTÉ One and RTÉ Player

SPOILER ALERT: RECAP-REVIEW

The Lincoln Lawyer. 19 October. Netflix

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. 1 August. Netflix.

The Cate Blanchette thriller Disclaimer. She is really good in it, but it’s Kevin Kline (remember him in The Big Chill, French Kiss – yes it’s really him) who really steals the show.

18 October Apple TV+

SPOILER ALERT: RECAP-REVIEW

Showtrial Series 2. 20 October. BBC One/BBC iPlayer

SPOILER ALERT: RECAP-REVIEW

Sweetpea. 17 October. Sky Atlantic

SPOILER ALERT: RECAP-REVIEW