This week’s crime drama lineup sees John Krasinski return to the world of crime and espionage in Jack Ryan: Ghost War, Tatiana Maslany lead Apple TV+’s darkly comic conspiracy thriller Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, and Timothy Spall back solving murders in Wales in the second season of fan fav Death Valley. There’s also a buzzy new BBC drama, starring Bergerac’s Damien Molony. Is it the British White Lotus?

Death Valley – Season 2 (BBC iPlayer, 17 May 2026)
Welsh comedy-crime hit Death Valley returns with Timothy Spall back as eccentric retired actor John Chapel, who once again finds himself pulled into real-life murder investigations alongside local detective Janie Mallowan, played by Gwyneth Keyworth. Set and filmed in Wales, the series became one of the BBC’s biggest successes, blending sharp humour with classic whodunnit storytelling.

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed (Apple TV+, 20 May 2026)
Darkly comedic thriller Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed stars Tatiana Maslany as recently divorced mum Paula, who becomes convinced she has witnessed a crime while juggling a custody battle and personal crisis. As she launches her own investigation, the series spirals into blackmail, murder and conspiracy, with a cast that includes Jake Johnson, White Lotus’ Murray Bartlett and Brandon Flynn.

Jack Ryan: Ghost War (Prime Video, 20 May 2026)
John Krasinski returns as Jack Ryan in Jack Ryan: Ghost War, which sees the former CIA analyst dragged back into espionage after uncovering a covert black-ops conspiracy linked to psychological warfare and assassination. The action thriller also stars Wendell Pierce, Michael Kelly and Sienna Miller as an MI6 officer drawn into the dangerous mission.

Two Weeks in August (BBC One / iPlayer, 23 May 2026)
Two Weeks in August follows a group of university friends reuniting for a holiday in Greece, only for long-buried tensions and secrets to quickly surface. The series stars Jessica Raine, Antonia Thomas, Hugh Skinner and Nicholas Pinnock, and Damien Molony, swapping Jersey for a sun-soaked Greek island. As relationships begin to fracture, the drama explores jealousy, resentment and the cracks hidden beneath decades-long friendships.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder – Season 2 (Netflix, 27 May 2026)
Emma Myers returns as teen sleuth Pippa Fitz-Amobi in the second season of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, with the new mystery picking up after Pip and Ravi solved the Andie Bell case. Joined again by Zain Iqbal, the “bigger and badder” new season promises higher stakes, and darker twists for the determined young investigator.

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