All the compelling new dramas on TV in 2024
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Autumn is just around the corner and with it comes lots of gripping TV dramas to enjoy this September – such as Nicole Kidman's murder mystery The Perfect Couple and the upcoming new psychological drama Dead and Buried, starring The Split's Annabel Scholey.
There's also plenty to look forward to over the next few months, too. Earlier this year, ITV announced a new factual drama starring Sheridan Smith called I Fought the Law, and James Norton's psychological thriller Playing Nice. Keeley Hawes' star-studded drama, Miss Austen, an adaptation of Gill Hornby's bestseller, is also coming to the BBC later this year.
BBC and Netflix also announced the casting for upcoming factual drama Lockerbie, which will star Peter Mullan, Emmy-winner Merritt Wever and Suits star Patrick J. Adams, and Tom Hiddleston will be reprising his iconic role as Jonathan Pine for two more series of The Night Manager.
And if you're anything like us, we're already looking forward to all the new dramas the rest of the year has to bring as ITV, BBC, Netflix and many more channels fight for our attention by bringing us the biggest and best storylines for us to indulge in.
Whether you love dramas, thrillers or police procedurals, there's something for everyone to get gripped by this year.
Here's a look at some of the upcoming TV series set to launch later this year, from adaptations of popular novels, factual dramas to brand-new stories, featuring stellar acting talent...
Dead and Buried
Channel: BBC One
Release date: 2 September
The anticipated four-part psychological thriller Dead And Buried, written by Colin Bateman, stars The Split's Annabel Scholey and Belfast's Colin Morgan.
It follows Cathy (Annabel Scholey), a young mum who unexpectedly comes face to face with Michael (Colin Morgan) 20 years after he killed her sibling. She later learns of the successful career and family unit he's built following his release from prison, while she grieved for her brother.
The BBC synopsis reads, "Unable to comprehend that he's now a free man, teacher Cathy goes against the advice of her best friend Sally Bowman (Kerri Quinn) and creates an online alias in order to befriend Michael, instigating a clandestine relationship with the man she despises and embarking on a campaign of harassment and deceit.
"As Cathy’s obsession grows, dark fantasies of revenge and reality blur as she sets out on a campaign of psychological warfare to destroy Michael’s life."
Director, Laura Way, says: “Dead And Buried entertains and compels but Colin’s script also explores bigger issues unique to past and present Northern Ireland and its border counties, which gives the show more depth and layers than your typical thriller, exploring themes of cyclical violence and forgiveness.”
The Perfect Couple
Channel: Netflix
Release date: 5 September
Starring Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber and Eve Hewson, The Perfect Couple is an adaptation of Elin Hilderbrand’s bestselling murder mystery, from Oscar-winning director Susanne Bier.
The show follows Amelia (Eve Hewson) who is about to marry into one of the wealthiest families on Nantucket. Her disapproving future mother-in-law (Nicole Kidman) has spared no expense in planning what promises to be the premiere wedding of the season — but a shocking death derails the event.
Joan
Channel: ITV1 and ITVX
Release date: 2 October 2024 (TBC)
Sophie Turner stars as notorious real-life jewel thief Joan Hannington on ITV's upcoming thriller, Joan.
The series opens with Joan, a fiery and uncompromising woman in her twenties who is deeply scarred and vulnerable. She is a devoted mother to her six-year-old daughter, Kelly, but is trapped in a disastrous marriage with a violent criminal named Gary. When Gary goes on the run, Joan seizes the opportunity to create a new life for herself and her daughter.
Adopting new identities and making new acquaintances along the way, Joan becomes a masterful jewel thief. She embarks on a thrilling, high-stakes journey that challenges her every limit, driven by her desire to care for her daughter and create a secure home for them both.
Through her sharp intelligence, charm, and talent for impersonation and performance, we follow the twists and turns in Joan’s life, the ups and downs, the heartache and the joy that makes this story so compelling to follow.
Joan is coming to ITV1 and ITVX in October.
Industry – season 3
Channel: BBC1
Release date: October 2024
Game of Thrones star Kit Harington will be joining the cast of BBC One's acclaimed banking drama, Industry.
The high-octane drama gives an insider's view of the blackbox of high finance following a group of young bankers as they forge their identities within the pressure cooker environment and sex and drug-fuelled blitz of international bank Pierpoint & Co’s London office.
Kit will join the cast as Henry Muck, the CEO and Founder of Lumi, an exciting green tech energy company about to go public.
In series three, as Pierpoint looks to the future and takes a big bet on ethical investing, the desk find themselves front and centre in the splashy IPO of Lumi, a green tech energy company – in a story that runs all the way to the very top of finance, media and government.
Apples Never Fall
Channel: BBC One
Release date: TBC
Apples Never Fall is the latest series adapted from Liane Moriarty's novels (Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers). Starring Annette Bening and Sam Neil as retired couple Joy and Stan, who are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. But when Joy suddenly disappears, her children are forced to re-examine their parents' so-called perfect marriage as their family’s darkest secrets begin to surface.
Sue Deeks, head of programme acquisition at the BBC says: “Suspenseful and sinister, Apples Never Fall is a compelling mystery drama that will keep BBC viewers intrigued until its riveting final episode.”
Miss Austen
Channel: BBC One
Release date: 2024 (TBC)
Keeley Hawes stars in the BBC's adaptation of Gill Hornby’s best-selling and much-loved novel of the same title.
Miss Austen takes a literary mystery – Cassandra Austen notoriously burning her famous sister Jane’s letters – and reimagines it as a fascinating, witty and heart-breaking story of sisterly love, while creating in Cassandra a character as captivating as any Austen heroine.
The drama begins in 1830, a while after Jane has died. Cassandra (Keeley Hawes) races to see her young friend Isabella (Rose Leslie) who is about to lose her home following her father’s death.
Cassandra is ostensibly there to help her friend, but her real motive is to find a stash of private letters which, in the wrong hands, could destroy Jane’s reputation. On discovering them, Cassandra is overwhelmed as she is transported back to her youth. In flashback, we meet Young Cassy and Jane (Patsy Ferran) as they navigate the infatuations, family feuds and dashed hopes which shaped their lives and laid the foundations for Jane’s unforgettable stories.
Cassandra’s re-evaluation of her past eventually leads her to realise how blind she has been to the real cause of Isabella’s heartache and distress. Finding a way to guide Isabella towards true happiness, Cassandra is finally able to understand and celebrate the sacrifices she chose to make for her brilliant sister, Jane.
Ruth
Channel: ITV1 and ITVX
Release date: 2024 (TBC)
Lucy Boynton will star as Ruth Ellis, the last woman to hang in Britain, in ITV's upcoming drama based on Carol Ann Lee's acclaimed biography, A Fine Day for Hanging: The Real Ruth Ellis Story.
Set in 1955, Ruth is will be told over two parallel timelines, exposing secret truths about the case which have remained hidden for decades, and posing tantalising questions about what really happened in the months before Ruth killed her lover David Blakely, shedding light on the life of one of Britain’s most infamous murderesses.
The drama depicts Ruth's entry into a dizzying upper class London world that promises so much, but ultimately delivers treachery. We follow her glamorous lifestyle as a young nightclub manageress, her abusive relationship with the man she later gunned down in cold blood, her arrest, trial and the subsequent legal fight to reprieve her before she was hanged by infamous hangman, Albert Pierrepoint, in Holloway Prison, aged just 28.
Boynton said: "Ruth Ellis' story is a fascinating one. Both she and this complex case have always evoked a strong reaction, and with Kelly’s insightful scripts I’m looking forward to bringing a new perspective to both familiar audiences as well as those who are unaware of her mark on British history."
Additional cast members include Toby Jones as Ruth's solicitor John Bickford, who gradually realises the extent of Ruth's abuse at the hands of David Blakely – and who takes on the fight to make the case for provocation.
Laurie Davidson takes on the role of Ruth's abusive lover and victim, David Blakely.
Mark Stanley plays Desmond Cussen, Ruth's devoted admirer and sometime lover, a regular at the Little Club who becomes caught up in Ruth's toxic love triangle alongside Blakely.
Playing Nice
Channel: ITV1 and ITVX
Release date: 2024 (TBC)
James Norton, stars in ITV's adaptation of JP Delaney's best-selling novel Playing Nice.
Set against a sweeping Cornish landscape, two couples discover that their toddlers were switched at birth in a hospital mix-up, and face a horrifying dilemma: do they keep the sons they have raised and loved or reclaim their biological child?
Living a waking nightmare, Pete (James Norton) and Maddie (Niamh Algar) are jettisoned into the world of the other couple; Miles (James McArdle) and Lucy (Jessica Brown Findlay). At first it seems all four are agreed on a solution, but it soon becomes clear that hidden motives are at play. How far can each couple trust the real parents of their child – or even each other? As Pete and Maddie are stretched to breaking point, they realise they will stop at nothing to keep their family together.
Lockerbie
Channel: BBC1 and Netflix
Release date: 2024 (TBC)
The BBC and Netflix have announced casting for Lockerbie, their forthcoming factual drama. The six-part series is based on the real events surrounding the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and the joint Scots-US investigation which sought to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The cast includes Scoop's Connor Swindells (SAS Rogue Heroes, Sex Education), Patrick J. Adams, Merritt Wever, Peter Mullan, Tony Curran and Eddie Marsan. Lauren Lyle, Andrew Rothney Phyllis Logan, Parker Sawyers, James Harkness, Khalid Laith, and Amanda Drew.
On 21 December 1988, flight Pan Am 103 was en route from Heathrow to JFK when a bomb exploded in its hold over the small Scottish town of Lockerbie, killing 270 people, including 43 British citizens and 190 Americans. It was the worst ever terror attack on British soil and the first major one on US citizens.
Lockerbie will focus on the investigation into the crash on both sides of the Atlantic and the devastating effect it had on the small town and the families who lost loved ones. From the initial exhaustive search for evidence on the ground in Scotland, via the US and Malta to the trial at Camp Zeist in 2000, the drama takes us right up to the most recent indictment at the end of 2022.
The Night Manager - series 3 & 4
Channel: BBC One and Prime Video
Release date: TBC
Tom Hiddleston will be returning as ex-British soldier Jonathan Pine for two more series of the critically-acclaimed Night Manager.
Inspired by the characters in John le Carré’s best-selling novel, The Night Manager will pick up with Jonathan Pine eight years after the explosive finale of season one.
Tom said in a statement: "The first series of The Night Manager was one of the most creatively fulfilling projects I have ever worked on. The depth, range and complexity of Jonathan Pine was, and remains, a thrilling prospect. I’m so looking forward to reuniting with Simon and Stephen Cornwell, David Farr and Stephen Garrett, and to working with Georgi Banks-Davies to tell the next chapter of our story. I can’t wait."
I Fought the Law
Channel: ITV
Release date: 2024 (TBC)
Sheridan Smith plays a courageous and determined mother named Ann Ming, who took on the Criminal Justice System to change the Double Jeopardy Law and see her daughter’s murderer brought to justice, in ITV's dramatisation of Ann's book For the Love of Julie.
I Fought the Law recounts how tenacious mum of three, Ann, battled for 15 years so that her daughter's murderer could finally face justice, having been controversially acquitted following two mistrials.
Ann, who will act as consultant throughout the production process, said of the television adaptation: "I am very pleased that Hera Pictures will tell the story of my campaign to overturn the Double Jeopardy Law. My daughter’s killer was wrongfully acquitted, and a number of years later confessed to her murder, for which he could only be prosecuted for perjury due to the 800-year-old Double Jeopardy Law. I wasn’t going to let this stand in my way of getting justice for Julie.
"I’m overwhelmed that Sheridan Smith will be playing me. Having such an iconic and talented actress portray me is truly wonderful.”
Sheridan added: "I am so honoured to have been asked to play the role of Ann Ming, a mother so determined to fight for justice for her murdered daughter that she spent 15 years campaigning for the Double Jeopardy Law to be changed. She is a truly courageous and remarkable woman to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude."
The four-part series has been commissioned for ITV by Head of Drama, Polly Hill and Senior Drama Commissioner Helen Ziegler, who will oversee production of the drama on behalf of the channel. I Fought The Law will air on ITV1 and ITVX.
The Change - Series 2
Channel: Channel 4
Release date: 2024 (TBC)
Channel 4 has announced that Bridget Christie's critically acclaimed comedy series, The Change will be returning for a second series.
At the start of series two, Linda (Bridget Christie) has got some explaining to do. Faced with the repercussions of the lies she’s told the forest community, along with losing the Mother Tree and the arrival of husband Steve who has come to bring her home, Linda's future in the forest looks uncertain. But she’s already come a long way since being mother/wife/homemaker Linda Jane Jenkins of Swindon and her journey is far from over.
She may have only been Eel Queen for a day, but something's changed in Linda which means she’s not done yet – in fact she’s only just started. But little does she realise what a huge impact this decision will have on the town.. and Steve.
Bridget Christie said: "What??? I've got a SECOND series?! What was the first one about?"
Casting for series two will be announced soon.
The Listeners
Channel: BBC1
Release date: 2024 (TBC)
Bringing to life Jordan Tannahill's novel, The Listeners stars Rebecca Hall as Claire, an English teacher who can hear a low humming sound that no one else can.
Slowly, the hum begins to disrupt Claire's day to day life, starting by increasing the tension at home with her husband and daughter. With multiple doctors dismissing her worries and concerns, Claire finds comfort in a group of neighbours who also claim they can hear 'The Hum'. Charamatic couple Jo and Omar explain their beliefs that the noise is a gift, only heard by a 'chosen few'.
The BBC has described it as: "Enigmatic, provocative, and haunting, The Listeners explores the seduction of the wild and unknowable, the human search for the transcendent, the rise of conspiracy culture in the West, and the desire for community and connection in our increasingly polarised times."
Nightsleeper
Channel: BBC1
Release date: TBC
An edge-of-your-seat drama guaranteed to have you watching from behind a pillow is this real-time thriller from the BBC.
Two strangers, Abby Aysgarth (Alexandra Roach) and Joe Roag (Joe Cole), must work together to save the lives of a train full of passengers after the hacking of a sleeper train from Glasgow to London.
The BBC says: "Can two people who’ve never met, one on the train and one not, work together to save the lives of its disparate group of passengers as the Heart of Britain overnight service hurtles towards what might quite literally be its final destination?"
Abby is about to take a well-earned holiday when she receives the phone call that will change everything – the UK railway network is under attack and she has just hours to stop one train from hurling into London.
Joe is an off-duty officer on board the train who planned to rest but instead is given the duty of a lifetime.
The BBC added: "Joe and Abby battle both their own distrust and the unpredictable behaviour of the person or persons now in control, desperate to try and stop the Heart of Britain from reaching the end of the line, in more ways than one…"
Black Doves
Channel: Netflix
Release date: 2024 (TBC)
Keira Knightly is back on our TV screens and this time she's playing Helen Webb, a quick-witted, down-to-earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy.
Set in London at Christmas, Helen has spent the last 10 years of her life passing on her politician husband's secrets to the shadowy organisation she works for: the Black Doves.
However, things start to go wrong for the spy and her group when her secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated, leaving her spymaster (Sarah Lancashire) to call in an old friend Sam Young (Ben Whishaw) to protect her.
Directed by Joe Barton, this is an action-filled story full of heart, friendship and sacrifice.
Out There
Channel: ITV1 and ITVX
Release date: 2024 (TBC)
Martin Clunes returns to our smalls screens after bidding farewell to Doc Martin – but his new series is offering something a little darker.
County lines drug dealing and an escalating, insidious crime wave sweeping the British countryside is the subject of this six-part ITV and ITVX drama, with Martin starring as a farmer confronted with dark forces seeping into his rural community.
The drama will depict the stealthy, surreptitious invasion of the land our farmer cherishes, with devastating consequences, as his livelihood, homestead and family life are threatened by local county lines drugs dealers, essentially urban gangs using the British countryside as a field of operations, moving drugs and money between their inner-city hubs and provincial areas
Martin told ITV: "I’m very happy to be working with Marc Evans and Ed Whitmore again after the success of Manhunt. Out There couldn’t be more different from Doc Martin. It’s pretty dark, but definitely a story worth telling."
Written by screenwriter Ed Whitmore (Manhunt, Silent Witness) and director Marc Evans (Steeltown Murders, Manhunt, The Pembrokeshire Murders, the series is set in the beautiful Welsh countryside with filming currently underway.
Grenfell
Channel: BBC1
Release date: 2024 (TBC)
The BBC has announced Grenfell, a forthcoming factual drama about the 2017 fire at Grenfell Tower in West London which killed 72 people, impacted the lives of thousands more and left a community grieving in its wake. The drama will draw on over five years of research – taking in public sources, the inquiry hearings and extensive interviews conducted by writer-director Peter Kosminsky and associate producer Ahmed Peerbux – to give a comprehensive account of the events leading up to, during, and after the devastating fire which took place on 14 June 2017.
The BBC says: "Told from multiple perspectives, the three-part series will shine a light on the human stories of those caught up in the tragedy, exploring the profound impact of Grenfell on survivors, the families and loved ones of those whose lives were lost, the firefighters on duty that night, and the wider community.
"The shockwaves of Grenfell were felt all over the country. This drama will ask not only how this terrible tragedy was able to occur, but also what we can learn to ensure that the events at Grenfell can never happen again elsewhere."
Writer and director Peter Kosminsky says: "Occasionally, events occur in our national story which touch us all. The fire at Grenfell Tower is such an event. We remember what we were doing when we heard about it, remember the pictures, the saturation coverage. And yet, despite this, despite the many newspaper pages and TV hours devoted to the story, we may be left with a less than clear sense of exactly what happened, what went wrong. In our drama, we attempt to pick our way through hours of public testimony, as well as original interviews conducted by our team, to reach the heart of this catastrophe: how such a thing can have happened; how we can avoid it ever happening again."
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