My TV Show Recommendations, Part 1

Meaty, murky succession drama (and dragons!) This hotly anticipated GOT prequel opens 200 years before Game of Thrones and tells the story of House Targaryen, from which the Mother of Dragons herself, is descended.

Watch for: Martinian references and a refreshing, if bleak, female perspective.

Arguably made too soon for anything other than a tense hate-watch, this reconstruction of the British government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic might prove too bruising for some. For more on this and the incident that ended Boris Johnson’s time as prime minister, check out Channel 4’s Partygate.

Watch for: Kenneth Branagh’s uncomfortable feat of vocal mimicry as Johnson.

Just in time for Halloween, this anthology of eight stories runs the gamut from gothic horror, hauntings and slasher-film fun. It’s also worth checking out Guillermo’s notes and sketches, collected into a beautiful volume of the same name.

Watch for: Spooky, grown-up tales from creators with wide-ranging genre pedigree.

A swaggering Goth take on the life of Catherine de Medici, adapted from the biography by Leonie Frieda.

Watch for: a cast teeming with talented British character actors, supporting a sardonic, highly charismatic turn from Samantha Morton in the title role.

A glossy, Insta-ready reimagining of Strangers on a Train, in which two high-schoolers victimized in different ways join forces to exact revenge on each other’s tormentors.

Watch for: a hyper-real version of no one’s high school years and Sarah Michelle Gellar’s scene-stealing principal.

An important drama on why and how fascism takes hold. You’ll watch the descent of an unhappy young man into Neo-Nazism through your fingers – think American History X with a contemporary British flavour.

Watch for: Stephen Graham, compelling as a reformed extremist, based on real-life activist Matthew Collins, of anti-racist group Hope Not Hate.

A series for which stars aligned – with Tim Burton in the director’s chair and a stellar cast including Catherine Zeta Jones, Gwendoline Christie, and the uber-Wednesday herself, Christina Ricci. Based, of course, on the cartoons of Charles Addams, whose life occasionally mirrored his distinctive art.

Watch for: escapist supernatural sleuthing, perfect for dark nights.

Splicing a touch of Goosebumps, with a dash of Stranger Things and adapted from the Christopher Pike novel, the Club of the title meets each night to exchange scary stories. Though now ended after just one season, it’s much missed, with a mysterious ending that’s worth investing a little time.

Watch for: a John Hughes-esque reckoning with mortality that’s more fun than the premise should be.

Though well-trodden in film, television and literature, this rendering of the most notorious espionage story in Cold War history benefits from prestige gloss and an irresistible double-cross. Update for July 2023: now showing weekly on terrestrial TV in the UK, Sundays at 09.00pm, as well as on streaming service ITVx.

Watch for: clipped, cerebral bromance and a cheeky cameo from one Ian Fleming.

A sprawling, brutal western, powered by a classic revenge quest and a perfectly cast Emily Blunt stars alongside Chaske Spencer, as plucky aristocrat Cornelia Locke, who seeks to avenge her lost son.

Watch for: Wild landscapes and imaginative deaths from Hugo Blick, a director with form for stories of complex women.