180 Best TV Programmes Movies to Watch

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1. Wild Wild Country, 2018

Wild Wild Country follows the relocation of a hippie cult from India to Oregon in 1981. You haven't heard of Wasco Country? Nor had anybody else back then. This ghost town with a handful of god-fearing inhabitants, soon became Rajneeshpuram, the cult's new homestead, home to a thousand disciples, and the subject of nationwide media attention. Spoiler: the town's old residents did not think much of it.

Will there be debaucherous orgies, long-haired drop-outs, preaching and chanting? Yes. But, through historical footage and interviews with contemporaries, including Ma Anand Sheela, the power-hungry secretary of the orange-clad guru, you will also be absorbed by chemical weapons and attempted murder, one of the biggest immigration fraud case in US history, and, of course, the mysterious and not-so-mysterious ways that a charismatic cult attracts and manipulates its followers. Across six one-hour episodes, this Netflix miniseries by brothers Maclain and Chapman Way gives a captivating, exhaustive, and powerful account of one of the stranger moments in American media history.

Genre: Crime, Documentary

Actor: George Meredith, Ma Anand Sheela, Osho, Philip Toelkes

Director: Chapman Way, Maclain Way

Rating: Not Rated, TV-MA

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2. Atlanta, 2022

American “dramedy” Atlanta is the work of mastermind Donald Glover, who you may already know without knowing – as a stand-up comedian, Troy Barnes from Community, or two-time Grammy nominated rapper Childish Gambino. It's easy to tell from this list that Glover is a man of many talents. And Atlanta indeed feels like a complete use of his multifarious arsenal, he directs, writes, and plays the lead character.

Earnest "Earn" Marks Earn (Glover) is a 30-something, a highly intelligent, de facto homeless Princeton dropout striving to redeem himself in the eyes of his ex-girlfriend and mother of his baby. He reconnects with his cousin after learning that he is finding fame as the up-and-coming rapper “Paper Boi”.

The show is full of moments of absurdity and hilarious characters (look out for Darius, played by LaKeith Stanfield), but also offers a genuine look at modern life. A fun, sharp and unique show that can digress at any moment.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Actor: Brian Tyree Henry, Donald Glover, Keith Stanfield, Lakeith Stanfield, Zazie Beetz

Rating: TV-MA

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3. Lovesick, 2018

Why unlikely? Because, despite all the romance, its plot is fully based on a sexual transmitted infection. Hopelessly romantic twenty-something Dylan (Johnny Flynn) suddenly discovers he has chlamydia and is advised to contact all his (read: many) sexual encounters. Pair this plot summary with the fact that the show was originally called “Scrotal Recall” when it aired on British TV and you can be forgiven for looking the other way.

Underneath its awkward previous moniker, Lovesick is actually very funny, charming, and heavily romantic. Dylan is chaperoned by Luke (Daniel Ings, who you may know from Sex Education and The Crown), a seemingly confident but insecure business-school type, and Evie, Dylan's smart and cynical best friend, played by Antonia Thomas from Misfits. It soon becomes apparent that Evie and Dylan could be much more than just friends if only their timelines were to align.

Lovesick is a charming little series that homes in on the heart-breaking romance of failed relationships. Something you can easily find yourself watching many episodes in one take.

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Actor: Aimee Parkes, Antonia Thomas, Daniel Ings, Hannah Britland, Jessica Ellerby, Johnny Flynn, Joshua McGuire, Richard Thomson

Rating: TV-MA

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4. Shōgun, 2024

With plenty of classics being remade, many have cried about Hollywood playing it safe, not matching up to the source material, and at worst, being unoriginal. After 40 years, the groundbreaking 1980 Shogun miniseries now has a new adaptation, but unlike its fellow remakes, this new series goes beyond expectations to deliver a mesmerizing, epic political drama that we’ve been hoping for. The 2024 remake still maintains plenty of the jawdropping firsts that shocked America then, but it also decentralized its perspective, expanding past the English outsider Blackthorne, and prioritizing the perspective of its Japanese characters, particularly Lord Yoshii Toranaga and Lady Toda Mariko. Hulu’s Shogun may be another remake, but their takes provides something new, with its spectacular production and its epic storytelling.Genre: Drama
Actor: Anna Sawai, Cosmo Jarvis, Hiroyuki Sanada
Rating: TV-MA

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5. Monster, 2004

At first glance, Monster doesn’t seem like the typical anime of the 2000s. With its muted colors, realistic action, and Eastern European setting, it seemed like a more subdued series compared to other thrillers. But because it feels so realistic, Monster is one of the most thrilling psychological series that happens to tackle the value of a human life, as the compassionate doctor Kenzo Tenma grapples with the weight of having saved a boy who grows up into a manipulative psychopath. Mangaka Naoki Urasawa and showrunner Masayuki Kojima directly challenges their respective philosophies through excellently paced investigations, well-developed characters, and the thorough examination of the different ways humanity has failed each other, and it’s downright beautiful to see how this anime adapts Urasawa’s complex, sophisticated story so faithfully.Genre: Animation, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Actor: Hidenobu Kiuchi, Hideyuki Tanaka, Hisayoshi Suganuma, Ichirō Nagai, Junko Takeuchi, Kazuo Kumakura, Kyoko Hikami, Mami Koyama, Mamiko Noto, Nobuo Tanaka, Nozomu Sasaki, Ryusuke Obayashi, Shuichi Ikeda, Takayuki Sugo, Tomokazu Seki, Tsutomu Isobe
Rating: R, TV-14

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6. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, 2023

In fantasy worlds, races with different lifespans are a given, but rarely does a work actually contemplate how these variations would affect relationships between them. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End starts after a great war, at the moment of peace, and to the titular elf, her shared journey with the human Himmel and their party feels like a blip in her life, their ten years of friendship blurred amongst her thousand years… until Himmel dies, which shifts her perspective on mortality. Frieren won’t have that much extravaganza we’re used to in other fantasy shows, but the way Frieren tries to reconnect with her former comrades, and the way she remembers their memory through flashbacks, all become a gentle and moving meditation on purpose, meaning, and connection, all paired with outstanding art and some of the best worldbuilding we’ve seen in anime.Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Atsumi Tanezaki, Chiaki Kobayashi, Hiroki Touchi, Kana Ichinose, Nobuhiko Okamoto
Rating: TV-14

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7. The Honourable Woman, 2014

If you watched Homeland, you might recall that the central question was whether the main character was good or bad. In The Honourable Woman, the question is whether anybody is good or bad.

With Maggie Gyllenhaal in the Golden-Globe-winning leading role, this Netflix/BBC production centers in on Nessa Stein, the heiress to a large arms company involved in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. When her father is assassinated, Stein aims to keep the business alive by diversifying it, essentially moving it away from the war business, and is met with fierce opposition. Her life becomes even more dangerous when a secret from her past comes to haunt her.

Created by the multi-talented actor/writer Hugo Blick, the writing of this British miniseries effortlessly dodges stereotypes and easy answers and builds a balanced complexity that's never boring. With extremely well-crafted characters, you will find yourself on the edge, never feeling completely safe with any one of them. The perfect ingredients for a top-level political thriller.

Genre: Drama, Mystery

Actor: Andrew Buchan, Eve Best, Genevieve O'Reilly, George Georgiou, Igal Naor, Janet McTeer, Katherine Parkinson, Lindsay Duncan, Lubna Azabal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Martin Hutson, Nicole Lopes, Paul Herzberg, Philip Arditti, Reeve Fletcher, Stephen Rea, Tobias Menzies

Rating: N/A, Not Rated

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8. Luther, 2019

Ok, two words: Idris Elba. This 11-time Emmy-nominated detective series is his show. He leads the action as DCI John Luther, a Serious Crime Unit detective, who is as smart as he is self-destructive. A committed policeman but frequently in over his head and prone to be consumed by the darkness of the criminals he pursues. And, finally, a main role where Elba can legitimately use his thick East London accent, innit.
Creator and writer Neil Cross (Doctor Who) has said to be inspired by Sherlock Holmes and Columbo. While this is a pretty apt description of Luther's ambivalence, this detective delves into even darker territory than his cultural predecessors. In addition to Elba, Ruth Wilson is one of many amazing actors that grace the show, playing the seductive and completely psycho character Alice. Luther will routinely have you on the edge of your seat screaming “No, why did you do that?”, rooting for the DCI even when he's taking all the wrong turns. This gritty BBC drama is British television at its nail-biting best.
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Actor: David OHara, Dermot Crowley, Enzo Cilenti, Idris Elba, Indira Varma, John Heffernan, Michael Smiley, Neil Cross, Patrick Malahide, Paul McGann, Ruth Wilson, Saskia Reeves, Sienna Guillory, Warren Brown, Wunmi Mosaku
Director: Jamie Payne
Rating: TV-MA

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9. Happy Valley, 2023

While the BBC is famous for making some great understated drama series about the dark side of detective work (Luther, Line of Duty, Broadchurch), it has raised the bar with Happy Valley. It's so good, it successfully breathes new life into the middle-aged but strong-willed small-town police officer trope, taking it to some uncomfortable and difficult places with exceptional writing.
Said small-town police officer is Catherine Cawood from West Yorkshire, impressively portrayed by Sarah Lancashire. Cawood has a hard time coming to terms with the release of a man from prison, who she is connected to in a fateful way and whose comeback coincides with a kidnapping attempt by a local drug kingpin. These events reveal the criminal underbelly of a seemingly quaint small town. Hidden behind its ironic title, Happy Valley will keep you on your toes with understated suspense, dry humor, and a quietly devastating storyline.Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Actor: Adam Long, Amit Shah, Charlie Murphy, George Costigan, James Norton, Jill Baker, Joe Armstrong, Karl Davies, Katherine Kelly, Mark Stanley, Matthew Lewis, Mollie Winnard, Rhys Connah, Rick Warden, Sally Wainwright, Sarah Lancashire, Shane Zaza, Siobhan Finneran, Steve Pemberton, Vincent Franklin
Rating: TV-MA

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10. Fruits Basket, 2021

On-screen, we’ve seen downtrodden Cinderella-esque leads, we’ve seen humans transform into animals, and we’ve seen whole families cursed, but Fruits Basket takes all these plot devices and transforms them into something completely different. As Tohru Honda gets to learn about the mysterious Sohma family, and she and friends gets into fun and wacky hijinks with the curse, the series takes the legend of the Chinese zodiac as a unique and effortless means to discuss systemic, generational abuse and resulting trauma that can occur within a family. The classic shoujo manga was first adapted into anime in 2001, but we’re recommending the later 2019 adaptation, which goes more in depth and depicts the complete story.Genre: Animation, Comedy, Drama
Actor: Ai Kakuma, Aki Toyosaki, Atsumi Tanezaki, Kazuyuki Okitsu, Kengo Kawanishi, Maaya Sakamoto, Makoto Furukawa, Manaka Iwami, Megumi Han, Miyuki Sawashiro, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Reina Ueda, Rie Kugimiya, Satomi Sato, Takahiro Sakurai, Takuya Eguchi, Toshiyuki Morikawa, You Taichi, Yuichi Nakamura, Yuma Uchida, Yuuichirou Umehara
Rating: TV-14

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11. Departures, 2008

In 2009, Departures surprised everybody by winning the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, instead of everyone's favourite, Ari Folman's Waltz of Bashir. This is even more surprising since this Japanese comedy almost never saw the light of day because many distributors refused to release it at first for its humorous treatment of a very human, but weirdly taboo subject: what happens when you die. Daigo Kobayashi (played by former boyband member Masahiro Motoki) just bought an expensive cello when he learns that his Tokyo-based symphony orchestra is going bankrupt. Daigo and his wife Mika, played by Ryôko Hirosue, decide to move back to his hometown, where he applies for an opening at what he thinks is a travel agency, hence the departures. You might have guessed by now that what he was applying for was, in fact, the job of an undertaker—a profession considered unclean in Japan. It's one of those rare movies that will make you laugh, to making you cry, and laugh again. It's dead-on!
Genre: Drama
Actor: Justin Lukach, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Kimiko Yo, Maisie Williams, Masahiro Motoki, Nina Dobrev, Ryoko Hirosue, Ryosuke Otani, Sanae Miyata, Scott Wilson, Takashi Sasano, Taro Ishida, Tatsuo Yamada, Tetta Sugimoto, Tōru Minegishi, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Tyler Hoechlin, Yukari Tachibana
Director: Yōjirō Takita
Rating: PG-13

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12. Dark (2017-2020), 2020

If you liked Netflix’ Stranger Things gloomy suspense, sit tight because there is a lot more of where that came from in Dark. Here is what they have in common: the aesthetic, great music, and they’re both about the disappearance of a child. Other than that, it is very difficult to compare Dark to anything else I’ve seen before.

This German show is about a town with a long and dark history, which is brought to the forefront of the collective conscious when a child goes missing. The plot twists and turns through decades of history – and that’s as much as I will share without ruining the show for you.

Dark uses beautiful aesthetic, both visually and musically, to be compelling and painfully tension-ridden.

Season two has more bouncing between timelines and more dark and inexplicable events, as now six people are missing.

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Science Fiction

Actor: Anatole Taubman, Andreas Pietschmann, Angela Winkler, Anne Ratte-Polle, Jördis Triebel, Karoline Eichhorn, Lisa Vicari, Louis Hofmann, Maja Schone, Mark Waschke, Michael Mendl, Oliver Masucci, Sebastian Rudolph, Stephan Kampwirth

Rating: Not Rated, TV-MA

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13. People Just Do Nothing, 2018

A hilarious BBC/Viceland comedy about an underground hip-hop station and the unique characters that run it. Kurupt FM is lead by MC Grindah, a disillusioned but dedicated DJ. He is introduced in the first episode by his wife as someone who has been arrested before, but only for “silly little things” like “drug dealing and hate crimes”. His friend and manager is Chabuddy G, a “business” man who lives in the cybercafé he runs with his Eastern European wife he can’t communicate with, all while trying to start a company to import “peanut dust” (the last bits of peanut that remain at the end of a peanut pack). People Just Do Nothing is legitimately funny with quick episodes and even quicker seasons. The first one only has four episodes, so it’s a guilt-free yet amazing binge.

Genre: Comedy

Actor: Allan Mustafa, Asim Chaudhry, Dan Sylvester, George Keywood, Hugo Chegwin, Lily Brazier, Maria Louis, Olivia Jasmine Edwards, Ruth Bratt, Steve Stamp

Rating: N/A

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14. Trial by Fire, 2023

Tragedy can strike at any time, but some instances are preventable, and rare is the instance where people do seek justice for it. After all, after losing so much, it would be awful to fight and lose again. But these instances do still exist, and one such incident is the Uphaar cinema fire. Trial by Fire depicts this tragedy, but rather than focusing on the fire itself, it focuses on the fight the victims’ families took in order to seek justice. The show doesn’t play out as a courtroom drama, it takes an intimate look into their day-to-day actions, faithfully portrayed by the excellent Rajshri Deshpande and Abhay Deol. And while the industrial giants depicted tried to file an injunction against this show’s screening, thankfully, Trial by Fire is still able to make its stand. It’s solemn and grim, but it’s a potent reminder of the power we hold as a collective.

Genre: Crime, Drama

Actor: Abhay Deol, Ashish Vidhyarthi, Rajesh Tailang, Rajshri Deshpande, Shilpa Shukla

Director: Avani Deshpande, Prashant Nair, Randeep Jha

Rating: TV-MA

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15. Steven Universe, 2017

Steven’s earnestness in his attempts to be one of the Gems, as well as his search for his mother, are some of the most compelling story arcs you can get from this show. The nature of story arcs, however, means that the show isn’t balls to the wall crazy or fast-paced, but its emotional foundation has certainly been cared for. Everything about this show points in a starry-eyed direction. Episode to episode, Steven Universe is about self discovery and protecting your friends, but anyone who makes it through a major story or season will be forever bonded with this series.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Deedee Magno, Estelle, Michaela Dietz, Rebecca Sugar, Tom Scharpling, Zach Callison

Rating: TV-PG

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