The Watchlist: what our UK team is watching right now
Can't think what to watch? We're here to help with all the shows we're enjoying right now...
Here's our latest edition of The Watchlist, an exciting new feature on What To Watch, updated weekly, which sees our team pick the very best TV shows.
It might be a new series that's landed on BBC iPlayer or a hidden gem on Netflix, but we promise our picks will have you hooked. This week we have the new season of a binge-worthy crime drama on iPlayer, a comedy thriller on Netflix and much, much more.
Check out all of our Watchlist picks right here... plus we have our best TV shows streaming this week guide with all the shows we're looking forward to.
Murder Mindfully (Netflix)
If you're looking for something a little bit different, this fun German comedy thriller could be just the thing. Based on a bestselling book, it's like Breaking Bad but a lot more light-hearted. Björn Diemel (Tom Schilling) is a frustrated mafia lawyer whose life is ruled by his irrational gangster client. His family life is falling apart but then he discovers mindfulness! The new calmer Björn finds that murder and mindfulness work perfectly together and sets about killing his enemies while spending more quality time with his daughter! — David Hollingsworth
Shetland season 9 (BBC One)
Shetland season 9 sees Ashley Jensen return as DI Ruth Calder as she is once again thrown into another dark and distressing case that she fights to solve with her colleague and friend Tosh (Alison O’Donnell). This season sees the pair drawn into a deeply personal investigation for Tosh when her friend, Annie Bett, and her young son go missing and Tosh suspects something is seriously wrong. Soon two crimes that the police are working on seem to collide and the plot thickens as the body count on the eerily remote island of Shetland starts to stack up. This crime drama is leagues above the rest and will not only have you gripped from start to finish, but all that stunning scenery will have you searching holiday breaks to the Shetland Islands in no time! — Claire Crick
Rivals (Disney Plus)
Rivals on Disney Plus is a racy eight-part adaptation of the bestselling Dame Jilly Cooper novel that delves into the world of 1980s independent television in the UK. But, don't be fooled into thinking this is just a lusty drama because there is so much more heart to this show. Set in the fictional British county of Rutshire, the story centers around a long-term rivalry between ex-Olympic rider turned politician Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and TV station controller Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant), who, along with their friends, family and neighbours, drip with ambition, desire and power. And if you watch for just one thing, make it the amazing 80s clothes and hairstyles, you won't regret it! — Claire Crick
Showtrial season 2 (BBC iPlayer)
Showtrial season 2 has arrived on BBC One and BBC iPlayer - three years after the first season aired - with a fresh cast and a new case, and it was definitely worth the wait. This season follows the story of a high-profile climate activist named Marcus Calderwood, who names a serving police officer as his killer just moments before he dies. Soon a quest for the truth gets underway as the trial of the decade begins, but not everyone is being entirely honest about what really happened the night of Marcus's hit and run. With a lead cast of Adeel Akhtar (Fool Me Once, Sherwood), Nathalie Armin (Unforgotten), and Michael Socha (This Is England) this is a crime drama not to be missed. — Claire Crick
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Ludwig (BBC iPlayer)
I love Death in Paradise and Ludwig is basically Death in Paradise in Cambridge. Funnily enough star David Mitchell was actually lined up to star in the first series of Death in Paradise, before pulling out leaving Ben Miller to take the role. Mitchell stars as John "Ludwig" Taylor, a man who lives a quiet, lonely life setting puzzles. But then his identical twin cop brother James goes missing and his sister-in-law Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin) pleads with him to help find him. In order to find James, John impersonates him at the police station and soon discovers he's rather good at solving murders. If you want a show that just puts a smile on your face this is for you. — David Hollingsworth
Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Nobody Wants This is the perfect binge-worthy show that all fans of an easy-to-watch romcom have been waiting for. The Netflix original follows Kristen Bell as Joanne, an agnostic podcaster who has a knack for being rather unfiltered about her personal life. But when Joanne falls for a guy that she wouldn't necessarily label as her type, their whirlwind romance comes with more baggage than a transatlantic flight. But what makes Noah so different from the other men she's dated? Well, for starters, he's a rabbi. And, if that wasn't tricky enough for atheist Joanne, add in a tricky ex and an interfering family from hell and this is a romance that shouldn't work, but somehow really, really does. — Claire Crick
Slow Horses season 4 (Apple TV Plus)
James Bond they are not, but I love the team of spies at the center of Apple TV Plus’ Slow Horses season 4 and am stoked that they are back for an all-new season. Slow Horses season 4 episode 1 got the ball rolling in exciting fashion, with a bomb going off in London that puts everyone on high alert, but the motives behind the attack may not be as simple as they appear. While Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb, Jack Lowden’s River Cartwright and the rest of Slough House are back, there are also a number of new faces this season that I’m excited to learn more about and see how they fit into all of this, including Ruth Bradley’s Emma Flyte. Slow Horses will be appointment viewing for the next few weeks. — Michael Balderston
The Perfect Couple (Netflix)
The Perfect Couple is a new crime thriller on Netflix that follows Amelia Sacks, a bride marrying into one of Nantucket's wealthiest families. But, when a dead body appears on the beach just before the big day, secrets are revealed and everyone is a suspect. Nicole Kidman stars as mother-of-the-groom Greer Winbury along with Liev Schreiber as Tag, her husband of 30 years. But as the police swarm their picture-perfect home, cracks soon start to show and not everything is as it seems. With six episodes to enjoy, each one reveals new clues and fresh twists — so just when you think you have the killer all worked out, the whole thing turns on its head and you're left guessing right up until the last moment. Binge-worthy drama at its very best. — Claire Crick
Only Murders in the Building season 4 (Disney Plus)
The mystery of who killed Sazz is underway and Only Murders in the Building season 4 is already operating in high gear. A trip to Hollywood about a movie being made from the podcast (including Zack Galifianakis, Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria playing our three beloved podcasters in it) should be a fun subplot, but as always deciphering who killed Sazz is going to occupy my mind for some time (keep up with my list of OMITB season 4 suspects right here). Only Murders is still one of the best shows on TV, so I can’t have too many complaints when we’re being treated to new episodes every week. — Michael Balderston
Kleo season 2 (Netflix)
If you've not caught this excellent series set at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall then you should give it a whirl. Kleo season 2 has just landed and we again follow the adventures of former East German assassin Kleo Straub, who's aiming for revenge on the people who betrayed her. There's more than a hint of Killing Eve in the thriller, but I'd argue that it's better. German star Jella Haase is just incredible as Kleo and she brings a real depth to the character. While Dimitrij Schaad is a joy as Sven, a bumbling cop who starts off trying to catch Kleo before ending up helping her. Throw in weird and wonderful Thilo, a man convinced he's been beamed down from space to bring techno to Berlin, and you have the makings of a great series. — David Hollingsworth
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (BBC iPlayer)
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is a teen drama series based on the hugely successful mystery thrillers by Holly Jackson. The show follows Pip Fitz-Amobi who becomes determined to solve the murder of a local schoolgirl after growing convinced that the police had pinned the case on the wrong person. But, as Pip's case takes a series of shocking twists and turns she unearths secrets far darker than she could have thought possible, and as more lives are put at risk it seems there's nothing Pip won't do to get her hands on the truth. But, the question remains, who killed Andie Belle? This is a binge-worthy box set you definitely don't want to miss. — Claire Crick
Rebus (BBC iPlayer)
Rebus is a cracking crime drama that seems to have gone under the radar. Based on Ian Rankin's quite brilliant books, this update follows the Scottish cop as a younger man. Played by Richard Rankin with real wit and brutish charm, we join Rebus at a car crash he's been in caused by his gangster enemy Cafferty. Soon Rebus finds himself dragged into a story of police corruption and drug dealers which threatens to tear his whole family apart. It might sound grim but there's a surprising amount of humour in the six-part series. — David Hollingsworth
Claire is Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch and has been a journalist for over 15 years, writing about everything from soaps and TV to beauty, entertainment, and even the Royal Family. After starting her career at a soap magazine, she ended up staying for 13 years, and over that time she’s pulled pints in the Rovers Return, sung karaoke in the Emmerdale village hall, taken a stroll around Albert Square, and visited Summer Bay Surf Club in sunny Australia.
After learning some tricks of the trade at websites Digital Spy, Entertainment Daily, and Woman & Home, Claire landed a role at What’s On TV and whattowatch.com writing about all things TV and film, with a particular love for Aussie soaps, Strictly Come Dancing and Bake Off.
She’s interviewed everyone from June Brown — AKA Dot Cotton — to Michelle Keegan, swapped cooking tips with baking legend Mary Berry backstage at the NTAs, and danced the night away with soap stars at countless awards bashes. There’s not a lot she doesn’t know about soaps and TV and can be very handy when a soapy question comes up in a pub quiz!
As well as all things soap-related, Claire also loves running, spa breaks, days out with her kids, and getting lost in a good book.
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