Nicole Kidman's Nine Perfect Lives is coming to screens sooner than you think

It's safe to say, bingeing brilliant boxsets has been one of the main things to get us through this past year of staying at home.

With things officially opened back up now, as of July 19th, we have a light at the end of tunnel — but that doesn't mean our TV drama obsession will be slowing down any time soon! And luckily for us, it doesn't have to, as there are a whole host of brand new shows heading to the small screen this year.

Just the other week, it was announced that a brand new, hard-hitting drama based on the aftermath of the tragic murder of Stephen Lawrence would be arriving on ITV soon — with Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio at the helm — and now the TV channel have announced that LOD favourite Martin Compston is set to appear in a tense upcoming thriller, arriving on screens next year.

As for 2021, the long-awaited second season of Apple TV+'s The Morning Show — lead by Hollywood superstars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon — will arrive on screens this autumn, along with a viral true crime podcast-turned-captivating thriller, starring Paul Rudd and Katherine Hahn, and a new thriller starring Nicole Kidman, from the same team as Big Little Lies.

With all this incredible TV to look forward to over the next few months, we're almost okay with the fact a non-UK holiday is likely off the cards this summer, leaving us more time to plan our next TV binge.

Here's a snapshot of the best TV dramas set to become your new obsession in 2021 and beyond...

Release date: 18th August 2021 on Prime Video

Big Little Lies fans are in for a treat because another of Australian author Liane Moriarity's novels has been adapted for TV — and a brand new, Prime Video trailer has just dropped for the upcoming psychological thriller, starring a very creepy-looking Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy.

Just like BLL, Kidman will feature as executive producer — as well as starring in the show — and BLL creator David. E. Kelley will be at the helm of the miniseries, which has been filmed in Australia.

Nine Perfect Strangers is set in a wellness retreat, where we are introduced to nine city dwellers who are also strangers to each other. The story focuses mainly on middle-aged romance writer, Frances (Melissa McCarthy) who has lost her spark, before later being introduced to ethereal and dangerous-looking retreat leader Masha (Kidman).

After months of teasers and anticipation, Prime Video recently announced that the upcoming series will arrive on screens as soon as this summer — which is very exciting news for fans.

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Release date: 2022 on ITV

Fresh from the roaring success of Line of Duty season 6, star Martin Compston will be gracing screens soon in upcoming thriller Our House, ITV has confirmed.

Adapted from the 2018 bestselling novel of the same name by Louise Candlish, the four-part series will tell the story of a woman who arrives home one day to find strangers moving into her house…

As well as Compston, Downton Abbey's Tuppence Middleton will also star, alongside Whitechapel's Rupert Penry-Jones.

The ITV synopsis says: 'Fiona Lawson (Middleton) arrives home one day to find strangers moving into her house. With all her family’s possessions and furniture nowhere to be seen, Fi believes there’s been a huge mistake and insists her home isn’t for sale. With events spiralling beyond her control, her panic rises as she can’t reach her estranged husband, Bram (Compston).

'As she reflects upon the safe space in which she and her family had made a life together, Fi begins to peel back the layers of her relationship and discovers her husband has disappeared. With her life shattered, she realises the secrets and lies have only just begun.'

Filming has only just started on the series, so it’s likely this won't land on screens until 2022.

Release date: 2022 on ITV

A brand new, tense 4-part thriller is coming to ITV, starring Sheridan Smith, in what is essentially the holiday from hell.

Penned by the same team behind the Netflix adaption of Harlan Coben’s The Stranger, No Return tells the story of married couple Kathy and Martin, who jet off on an all-inclusive luxury break to reconnect and spend some quality chilled time with their children.

But when their 16-year-old son Noah accepts a seemingly innocent party invitation, their holiday — and world — gets turned upside down.

'An arrest, an expensive and alien legal system, looming media coverage and resistance from fellow holidaymakers to come to their aid leaves the distraught parents fighting for Noah’s freedom when ironically he should be at school sitting his latest exams,' according to the official synopsis.

Filming is due to begin soon on the series but sadly won't be arriving on screens until next year.

Release date: Late 2021 on ITV

A hard-hitting true-life drama is headed to screens later this year, starring Sharlene Whyte (Small Axe), Steve Coogan and Hugh Quarshie.

The series — which has been described as a sequel to ITV’s 1999 drama The Murder Of Stephen Lawrence — continues to portray the ongoing struggle of the Lawrence family in their quest to achieve justice for the unlawful and racially motivated killing of their son back in 1993.

The official synopsis reads: 'The drama tells the story of the ongoing struggle by Doreen and Neville Lawrence to achieve justice and how a detective, DCI Clive Driscoll – working closely with the Lawrences – puts together an investigation that finally secures the convictions of two of the gang who committed the murder of Stephen.'

Steve Coogan will play DCI Clive Driscoll in the upcoming drama, which is being co-executive produced by Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio.

A teaser trailer for the series can be found on Twitter here.

Release date: 12th November 2021 on Apple TV+

Apple TV+ recently released a first look trailer for this upcoming thriller series starring Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell — which is based on the viral true crime podcast of the same name — and it’s safe to say, we’re completely obsessed.

The official synopsis says: ‘Inspired by true events, The Shrink Next Door details the bizarre relationship between psychiatrist to the stars Dr. Isaac ‘Ike’ Herschkopf (played by Paul Rudd) and his longtime patient Martin ‘Marty’ Markowitz (played by Will Ferrell).

‘Over the course of their relationship, the all-too-charming Ike slowly inserts himself into Marty’s life, even moving into Marty’s Hamptons home and persuading Marty to name him president of the family business. The series explores how a seemingly normal doctor-patient dynamic morphs into an exploitative relationship filled with manipulation, power grabs and dysfunction at its finest.’

Also starring the brilliant Katherine Hahn as Marty’s sister Phyllis and Gone Girl’s Casey Wilson as Ike’s wife Bonnie — we’ve found our next TV obsession. Now, if only we didn’t have to wait until November for its release…

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Release date: TBC late 2021 on ITV

If Line of Duty reignited your love for all things Vicky McClure, then you're in luck — for she has a brand new crime thriller on the way, with none other than Bodyguard, Bloodlands and LOD creator Jed Mercurio.

Co-starring Hustle's Adrian Lester, the six-part high-octane thriller, written by Daniel Brierley (Graceland), will focus on the Met Police Bomb Disposal Squad in contemporary London.

McClure plays Lana Washington, a front-line officer and bomb disposal expert who's pushed to breaking point as she risks her life everyday, as part of the counter terrorism unit known as 'expo.'

Since the first photos of McClure and Lester filming on set have just been released, work is clearly well underway for the series, meaning hopefully we might be able to catch this on screens before the end of the year. Until then we'll just have to contend with re-watching LOD or these other crime dramas...

Release date: 17th September 2021 on Apple TV+

The award-winning show executive produced by and starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon is back on screens later this year.

The 10-episode second season will premiere on 17th September and pick up where the dramatic season one cliffhanger left off.

For those who haven't yet stumbled across this gripping watch — The Morning Show follows lead news anchor Alex Levy (Aniston) battle with her new controversial co-host (Bradley Jackson (Witherspoon) amongst the drama and politics of a morning newsroom, after her co-anchor Steve Carrell is fired amidst a sexual harassment scandal.

Season one's must-watch ending saw the two women join forces to expose the network’s creation of a toxic culture, live on air — and from the looks of the thrilling trailer, we're in for a lot more drama and tense showdowns in season 2.

We can hardly wait until September for this to hit screens, so until then we'll have to contend with watching the teaser trailer over and over again...

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Catch up now on All4

Though this highly-anticipated fourth instalment of the Margaret Atwood adaptation dropped in April in the US, we've had to wait a little longer here in the UK.

And there’s a lot to look forward to from this new season. Picking up from season three's dramatic cliffhanger, season four looks to be packed with dramatic moments of its own — from June’s evasion of the authorities to her apparent escape to Canada.

If you need to reacquaint yourself with what happened in previous seasons, you can also catch series one to three in full on 4OD right now.

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Release date: TBC on HBO

Sophie Turner is set to star in this brand new HBO true-crime drama, based on the real story of novelist Michael Peterson, who was accused of murdering his wife, Kathleen in 2001.

Fans of the genre will already be familiar with the infamous story, known one of the most compelling cases of all time, which was previously made into a a docu-series — released between 2004 and 2018, as well as a Netflix documentary in 2018.

After Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of the stairs of her home in 2001, suspicions arose that her husband Michael had orchestrated the murder and staged her death to look accidental.

HBO's 8-episode version will be an adaptation of the existing docu-series and will star Colin Firth and Toni Colette as Michael and Kathleen Peterson, Sophie as one of their adoptive daughters — as well as Juliette Binoche, Rosemarie DeWitt and Parker Posey.

Since the show was only picked up by HBO in March, we imagine it will be some time before this hits screens, but it's safe to say, we're already very excited...

Release date: Late 2021 or early 2022

A brand new ITV four-part thriller is heading to screens later this year or early next, starring Anna Maxwell Martin (Line of Duty) Rachael Stirling and Finding Alice's Rhashan Stone.

Martin and Stirling will play supposedly close suburban sisters Teresa and Helen. When Theresa invites Helen and her family over for a barbecue, everything seems normal for the two families, until
Theresa’s 10-year-old son asks to play in the nearby park with his cousin.

'When the children don’t return on time, Theresa goes in search… [and] finds the children on the edge of a woodland area, where they appear to be fighting. Immediately her instincts tell her something terrible has happened.'

After a neighbour's child goes missing, it seems as though the two incidents may be connected...

We're already hooked!

Release date: Late 2021 on BBC One

From the brains behind LOD and Bodyguard comes Vigil — starring Doctor Foster's Suranne Jones and Game of Thrones' Rose Leslie — comes this six-part thriller.

Jones takes the lead as DCI Amy Silva, who is tasked with getting to the bottom of both the mysterious disappearance of a Scottish fishing trawler and a death on board a submarine. However, it soon becomes clear that a conspiracy is at play, leading the police force into conflict with higher forces — and dangerous consequences.

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Release date: 2021 on BBC Three

The creative masterminds behind Normal People are in the midst of developing Sally Rooney's first novel, Conversations with Friends, for the BBC — and recently announced some very exciting cast members.

Jemima Kirke (aka Jessa from Girls — pictured above) will take the role of Melissa in the adaption, while Joe Alwyn (The Favourite) will play Nick, following up with newcomer Alison Oliver as Frances and American Honey star Sasha Lane as Bobbi.

Conversations with Friends is also set in Dublin and explores the nuances and complexities of relationships. Following the four main characters – Frances, Bobbi, Nick and Melissa – as their lives and loves become intertwined with devastating results.

Acclaimed Room director Lenny Abrahamson — who also co-directed Normal People — will be at the helm of the production again; which will consist of 12 half-hour episodes

Release date: 2022 on Amazon Prime Video

Fans of Fleabag rejoice! For a brand new Phoebe Waller-Bridge series is in the works.

Starring Waller-Bridge and Community star Donald Glover, the pair will be putting a modern-day spin on the 2005 film Mr and Mrs Smith starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt — as married assassins sent to kill each other.

Variety reports that the stars will also executive produce the series, and Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke confirmed the exciting news with an Instagram post showcasing the two actors getting into character for their roles.

In an Instagram Stories video, she also said: 'Talk about the dream team! Donald and Phoebe are two of the most talented creators and performers in the world. It’s truly a dream for us, as it will be for our global audience, to have these two forces of nature collaborating as a powerhouse creative team'.

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Release date: TBC on Alibi (Sky TV)

We've been treated to must-watch series like The Serpent and It's A Sin this year— and now brand new crime drama Annika has officially started filming, featuring Spooks star Nicola Walker.

Walker voiced the lead character DI Annika Strandhed in the Radio 4 drama, on which the series is based, and the show will follow the detective as she heads up a new specialist Marine Homicide Unit in Scotland.

Th official synopsis reads: 'This specialist unit is tasked with investigating the unexplained, sometimes brutal, and seemingly unfathomable murders that wash up in the waterways of Scotland.

'Throughout the series, Annika makes the audience her confidante by breaking the fourth wall and sharing her wry observations on the case and her life, as she manages her brilliant yet unconventional team, and her equally brilliant yet complex teenage daughter.'

Walker will be joined by some other familiar faces, like Katie Leung (Cho Chang from Harry Potter— recently in Roadkill), Ukweli Roach (Blindspot) and Jamie Sives (Guilt).

Release date: 2021 on BBC One

Following on from the success of Hugh Grant's turn as disgraced MP Jeremy Thorpe in A Very English Scandal, the anthology series now moves on to focus on the messy 1963 divorce of Margaret Campbell, the Duchess of Argyll, from her second husband – with the new script being penned by Agatha Christie writer Sarah Phelps.

Catch up on NOW

Coping with grief, a recent divorce and the gossiping of nosy neighbours leaves former hometown basketball hero turned Pennsylvania detective Mare Sheehan feeling downtrodden — until the unsolved mystery of a small-town murder relights her fire.

Kate Winslet is at the helm of this gripping miniseries – and it's one of the best dramas we've watched in a long time.

If you didn't catch it weekly on Sky, now's the time to binge the series in its entirety on NOW.

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Catch up now on ITV Hub

Chernobyl's Emily Watson stars as Dr Emma Robertson in this psychological thriller — a seasoned forensic psychiatrist who, after years of working with dangerous criminals, deems herself unshockable. Until she meets Connie Mortensen, a woman accused of committing a terrible crime, but who claims she can't remember anything.

ITV says: 'When Dr Robertson is sent to assess Connie for trial, the two women become dangerously close... But as Emma tries to uncover the truth and learn what triggered Connie’s despicable behaviour, it seems that her attempts to see justice done may destroy her instead.'

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Catch up now on Sky or NOW

Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston takes the lead in this legal thriller that arrived on Sky earlier this year.

Cranston stars as Michael Desiato, a respected New Orleans judge, who's forced to walk on the wrong side of the law when his son is involved in a hit and run accident.

Deceit, high stakes and impossible choices are the running themes of this gripping ten-part drama, adapted from Israeli TV series Kvodo.

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Catch up now on Sky or NOW

Not content with bringing us gripping thriller The Undoing at the end of last year, Sky also provided a brand-new high-stakes financial drama earlier this year — and best of all, it stars none other than Grey's Anatomy's Patrick Dempsey (aka McDreamy).

Dempsey plays Dominic Morgan - a powerful financial trader at a London Investment Bank - who's been mentoring the head of trading as he makes his way up in the business. However, their relationship takes a dark turn after a worldwide financial conspiracy is uncovered, and loyalties are thrown into question.

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Catch up now on My5

After months of snippets and sneak previews, Jodie Turner-Smith's reimagining of Anne Boleyn, Henry VII's second wife, finally dropped this week.

The three-part psychological thriller recounts the panic-filled final months of of her life, and has been airing nightly, with the third and final episode showing last night.

The series begins with a pregnant Anne convinced that she will bear Henry an heir, yet when his adviser Thomas Cromwell shuts her out of an important political conversation, she realises her position in the royal household is growing more and more tenuous.

As reported by Deadline, the plot line of the drama shines 'a feminist light on the final months of Boleyn’s life, re-imagining her struggle with Tudor England’s patriarchal society, her desire to secure a future for her daughter, Elizabeth, and the brutal reality of her failure to provide Henry with a male heir.'

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Catch up on 4OD

A thrilling new crime drama has landed on Channel 4 recently — and it has serious Scandi Noir vibes.

Based on the Swedish TV series of the same name, the story focuses on seemingly unflappable detective Hannah Laing (Afterlife's Lesley Sharp), who finds herself seriously conflicted when she discovers her son is acting as an undercover informant at the heart of a gruesome murder investigation.

Catch up on all episodes on iPlayer

Lily James stars in this BBC adaption of Nancy Mitford's classic novel of the same name, which is now available to watch in full on iPlayer.

The three-part period comedy-drama has been adapted to the small screen by Emily Mortimer (who also stars in the series) and follows headstrong cousins Linda (Lily James) and Fanny, who travel across Europe between the two world wars, in the pursuit of finding perfect husbands.

The Affair's Dominic West plays Linda's father and Fleabag's Andrew Scott delights in the role of aristocratic neighbour Lord Merlin.

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Release date: 2021 on BBC Two

Colin Farrell, Jack O'Connell and Stephen Graham star in this hard-hitting BBC drama, based on Ian McGuire's novel of the same name.

O'Connell plays disgraced ex-army surgeon Patrick Sumner, who signs up to be the ship doctor on a whaling expedition to the Arctic, and is joined on board by amoral killer and harpooner Henry Drax (played by Colin Farrell).

As Sumner struggles to escape the demons of his past, he grapples with survival amongst the harsh Arctic wasteland.