Best TV shows 2021: What to watch this month

From Netflix to Amazon Prime, BBC dramas to cooking shows, we can always rely on our small screens to provide us with some much-needed escapism, laughter and insight.

From the return of Netflix favourite Sex Education, to season 2 of acclaimed Jennifer Anniston and Reese Witherspoon series The Morning Show — we’ve got a lot of brilliant TV on this weekend.

Elsewhere, comedian Sophie Willan’s brings a touch of obscurity to the BBC with her new sitcom, plus Jodie Comer delivers a stellar performance as care worker Sarah in a brand new Channel 4 drama (which sees the Killing Eve star speaking in her native Scouse tongue).

As for all the other incredible TV shows dropping this month? Keep scrolling...

Watch from Friday, October 15th on Netflix

Bookkeeper-turned-serial-killer Joe Goldberg is back, and this time he's had a baby with his sociopath partner Love.

Netflix says: 'The couple have have moved to the balmy Northern California enclave of Madre Linda, where they’re surrounded by privileged tech entrepreneurs, judgmental mommy bloggers, and Insta-famous biohackers.

'Joe is committed to his new role as a husband and dad but fears Love’s lethal impulsiveness. And then there’s his heart. Could the woman he’s been searching for all this time live right next door? Breaking out of a cage in a basement is one thing. But the prison of a picture-perfect marriage to a woman who’s wise to your tricks? Well, that’ll prove a much more complicated escape.'

Watch on Netflix now

The Leftovers actress Margaret Qualley stars opposite her real-life mother Andie MacDowell in Netflix's new life-affirming drama inspired by the New York Times best-selling memoir, Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land.

Netflix says: 'Maid follows the story of Alex, a single mother who turns to housecleaning to — barely — make ends meet as she escapes an abusive relationship and overcomes homelessness to create a better life for her daughter, Maddy. Seen through the emotional yet humorous lens of a desperate but determined woman, this series is a raw and inspiring exploration of a mother’s resilience.'

Watch on BBC One and iPlayer now

This timely and gripping thriller is airing on BBC One now, adapted from Jo Bloom's bestselling novel of the same name, by Him & Her actress and writer Sarah Solemani.

The four-part thriller tells the story of young Jewish Woman Vivien Epstein (played by newcomer Agnes O’Casey), who leaves her comfortable life in Manchester to stand up to the growing neo-Nazi movement in post-war Britain.

BBC says: 'When Vivien discovers her missing boyfriend Jack (Tom Varley) has been badly injured, she infiltrates a neo-Nazi movement that's becoming increasingly prominent in East London, risking everything for her beliefs and for the man she loves.'

Watch on Friday, October 15th on Amazon Prime Video

The iconic '90s slasher movie I Know What You Did Last Summer - which starred Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr - has been remade into a TV series for Amazon Prime.

Like the film (and its sequel), the horror is based on Lois Duncan's 1973 novel, which has been updated to for a contemporary and relevant reboot.

Amazon says: 'A group of high-school friends in a small American town are in for a terrifying time when they begin to be stalked by a mysterious killer a year on from a fatal accident that took place on the night of their graduation.

'What secrets are they hiding, how could the killer possibly know about them, and who could it be?'

Watch on October 11th on Sky Atlantic/NOW TV

Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain star in Sky Atlantic's mini series which re-examines Ingmar Bergman's original iconic depiction of love, hatred, desire, monogamy, marriage and divorce through the lens of a contemporary American couple.

Watch on October 13th on Star on Disney +

Taika Waititi and Sterlin Harjo's critically acclaimed comedy drama follows four Native American teenagers growing up on a reservation in eastern Oklahoma, and unleashing chaos as they try to get together enough money to make it to California.

Watch from October 18th on Sky Atlantic/NOW TV

The warring Roy family return for season 3 of the acclaimed drama from Peep Show's Jesse Armstrong, with Kendall and Logan locking horns after *that* finale.

HBO says: 'Ambushed by his rebellious son Kendall at the end of Season 2, Logan Roy begins Season 3 in a perilous position. Scrambling to secure familial, political, and financial alliances, tensions rise as a bitter corporate battle threatens to turn into a family civil war.'

The drama follows ailing Logan Roy (Brian Cox) running his powerful media conglomerate Waystar Royco, and pitting his children - the heirs to his fortune - off one another as he claims to want to retire.

The new cast includes Alexander Skarsgard and Adrian Brody.

Coming in to ITV in October

Joanne Froggatt stars as Angela Black in ITV's Hitchockian thriller, a woman seemingly living a charmed life with her charismatic husband and loving children in their impressive London home.

But Angela is being subjected to emotional and physical abuse perpetrated by husband Olivier (The Flight Attendant's Michael Huisman), which is being concealed from public view. One day she is approached by a stranger (Samuel Adewunmi) who claims to be a private investigator working on behalf of Olivier. Should Angela trust this mysterious man and do her own digging on Olivier?

Watch Mondays at 10pm on BBC Two

Based on comedian Sophie Willan’s award-winning stage show Branded, comes a brand new, hilarious BBC sitcom called Alma's Not Normal, created by and starring Willan.

'After a recent break-up, Alma tries to get her life back on track. But with no job, no qualifications and a rebellious streak a mile wide, it is not going to be easy,' says the BBC synopsis.

'A bitingly funny and unflinching take on class, sexuality, mental health and substance abuse, celebrating women dealing with the hand they were dealt while doggedly pursing their dreams.'

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Watch from October 21st in cinemas

Starring Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides, the brilliant and gifted son of a noble family, born into a great destiny beyond his understanding and entrusted with protecting the most valuable asset in the galaxy.

Also starring big names like Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård and Javier Bardem, this hotly-anticipated film was pushed way back to take no chances with the pandemic.

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Watch from Friday 17th in cinemas

Adapted from the Agatha Christie books about the famous Belgian detective, Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) is pulled into a murder investigation while he is trying to enjoy a holiday in Egypt. He is approached by socialite, Linnet, who wants to prevent her former friend Jacqueline from stalking now that she's married Jacqueline’s ex-fiancee.

After refusing her request, Linnet is shot dead whilst travelling on a steam train up the Nile, leaving Poirot (who is travelling on the same train) once again responsible for finding the culprit.

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Watch from 30th September in cinemas

Recruited to rescue a kidnapped scientist, James Bond (Daniel Craig) finds himself hot on the trail of a mysterious villain, who's armed with a dangerous new technology.

Also starring Rami Malek and Lea Seydoux

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