High-seas suspense, small-town secrets and punk-rock rebellion. This week’s lineup of crime and drama series offers a bit of everything plus powerhouse female performances.

The Woman in Cabin 10 kicks off the week with Keira Knightley leading this Netflix thriller based on the bestseller. I always thought the TV version would actually be better than the book, which was hard to follow at times. We’ll see! The premise: A travel journalist who sees someone thrown overboard—only to be told it never happened. Also starring Guy Pearce and Hannah Waddingham, the series keeps the tension high as she digs for the truth no one wants uncovered.

After the Hunt stars Julia Roberts as a college professor whose past resurfaces when a student threatens to expose a dark secret, unraveling her personal and professional life. She’s joined by Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, and Michael Stuhlbarg in a tightly wound psychological drama.

Frauds on ITV brings together Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker as two conwomen with a tangled history who reunite under fraught circumstances. The Guardian says co-creator Jones gives her “best-ever performance”.

Murder Before Evensong offers a charming but deadly mystery set in 1980s England, where Matthew Lewis plays a rector whose church renovations stir up more than just parish gossip. When a body is discovered, his quiet village life is upended in this cosy Acorn TV and Channel 5 drama featuring Amit Shah, Tamzin Outhwaite, and Amanda Redman.

A few of our favourite crime drama queens reunite for Riot Women with Joanna Scanlan, Tamsin Greig, and Lorraine Ashbourne who channel midlife chaos into punk rock fury. It’s loud, raw, and unexpectedly uplifting as they find new power in old frustrations.

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The Woman in Cabin 10 (Netflix, 10 Oct.)
A luxury cruise turns into a nightmare when a travel journalist believes she witnesses a woman being thrown overboard — but no one believes her. Keira Knightley stars in this tense adaptation of Ruth Ware’s bestselling novel, with Guy Pearce and Hannah Waddingham rounding out the cast in a slow-burn thriller soaked in paranoia and ocean mist.

After the Hunt (In Cinemas, 10 Oct.)
A college professor’s life begins to unravel after a student levels a disturbing accusation against a colleague, threatening to expose her own buried secrets. Julia Roberts leads a powerhouse cast including Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, and Michael Stuhlbarg in this psychological drama that explores guilt, memory, and power.

Frauds (ITV, 5 Oct.)
Two conwomen — one freshly out of prison — reunite when old scams and unresolved tensions resurface. Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker team up for this gritty, character-driven thriller about deception, redemption, and survival, co-created by Jones herself.

Murder Before Evensong (Acorn TV, 29 Sept. / Channel 5, 7 Oct.)
A rural rector’s plan to renovate his church ends with a body in the pews and a murder investigation in full swing. Matthew Lewis leads this cosy whodunit set in a 1980s English village, with support from Amit Shah, Tamzin Outhwaite, and Amanda Redman.

Riot Women (BBC One/BBC iPlayer, 12 Oct.)
Five women in midlife chaos find release — and rebellion — by forming a punk band in the face of everyday pressures. Joanna Scanlan, Tamsin Greig, Amelia Bullmore, Lorraine Ashbourne and Rosalie Craig shine in Sally Wainwright’s new series that’s equal parts loud, funny, and full of heart (but no bodies in this one).

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