“The BBC’s best police drama”: 7 “unmissable” shows coming to Netflix, ITV, the BBC and more this week

The dawn of a new week can only mean one thing: an abundance of brand-new shows to start binge-watching immediately… well, almost immediately! There’s heaps of great TV coming our way this week, and we’ve been busy binge-watching all of it to bring you the very best.

From a “creepy” new Lesley Manville drama to Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker's new heist drama, Frauds, there’s something to suit every taste. So, stop what you’re doing and take note, because these are the only 7 shows you need to watch this week.

Monster: The Ed Gein Story

If you’re not familiar with the name Ed Gein, you’ll no doubt know some of the hair-raising films he’s inspired, including Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs. The latest instalment of Netflix’s hit Monster anthology series, which he's now the subject of, follows some of history’s most abhorrent killers and, according to Netflix, this is the “most harrowing instalment yet”. Following Ed's life, beginning with upbringing in Wisconsin in a troubled household, the drama will portray how that - and an obsession with his mother - would later lead to him committing a string of crimes in the 1940s and ’50s including killing, grave-robbing, and fashioning household items out of his victims. It’s eerie stuff. Available to watch on Netflix from Friday 3^rd October.

Bay of Fires

It’s officially two months until Bay of Fires series 2 arrives on our screens, so this is your official sign to catch up on series 1 if you haven’t already. Set in remote Tasmania, high-flying CEO Stella Heikkinen (played by Marta Dusseldorp) is offered witness protection when she’s targeted by hitmen after dabbling in white collar crime. She accepts, relocating to a remote Tasmanian town named Mystery Bay. There - rather than a quiet life - she finds a hotbed of criminal activity, and the locals aren’t too keen on welcoming outsiders! Series 1 is available to watch on ITVX now.

Blue Lights

It’s been called the BBC’s best police drama, “BAFTA-worthy” and “edge-of-your-seat viewing” - so it’s only right that BBC crime drama Blue Lights is back for another series. Series 3 of the Northern Irish police drama welcomes back Grace (Siân Brooke), Annie (Katherine Devlin), and Tommy (Nathan Braniff), who are now two years into their jobs as response officers and this time round, their work takes them into a sinister world hidden behind the veneer of middle-class life. Boiling Point’s Cathy Tyson and Bad Sisters’ Michael Smiley also join the cast to shake things up. Series 3 premieres as a box set on BBC iPlayer on Monday 29^th September, with the first episode airing on BBC One at 9pm.

24

If you're new to Kiefer Sutherland's 24 or just fancy revisiting its brilliance, you'll be pleased to hear that all 9 series are set to land on ITVX on Thursday. The format of the show is pure genius, with each episode covering a single hour in the life of Counter Terrorism Agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), who spends his days saving his nation from disaster. Across nine series, there are assassination attempts, nuclear attacks, torture, traitors - and everything in between. Be warned though: the race-against-the-clock element makes for extremely addictive viewing! Series 1-9 will be available to watch on ITVX from Thursday 2^nd October.

Frauds

Name a better combination: Suranne Jones, Jodie Whittaker and a heist drama. Co-created by Suranne herself, the series follows con artists Bert (Suranne Jones) and Sam (Jodie Whittaker), who have been living in Spain for the last few years, Sam in the rolling hills and Bert in the slightly less idyllic setting of a prison cell. After a decade behind bars, a cancer diagnosis allows Bert to walk free on compassionate discharge - and she has a burning desire to pull off one final job that will prove her worth. All six episodes will be available to watch on ITVX from Sunday 5^th October, with the first episode also airing on ITV1 at 9pm.

How Are You? It’s Alan Partridge

Steve Coogan’s clueless broadcasting alter ego is returning for this mental-health special – and we can’t wait. He’s left Saudi Arabia behind, where he’s spent the last year working, and now he’s making a brave return to TV. What kind of TV? He’s making a documentary about mental health, of course. Alan Partridge commented: "The kingdom of Saudi Arabia enjoys extensive oil and natural gas reserves, but has also seen economic growth in other areas such as agricultural production, retail trade, construction, and transport. It directs some $69 billion to military expenditure each year. And yet despite all that, I somehow felt incomplete." Available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 9:30pm on Friday 3^rd October.

The Hack

If you missed series 1 of ITV’s new true story drama, do watch it on ITVX ahead of this week’s episode as it’s truly brilliant TV. The seven-part drama is penned by Adolescence writer Jack Thorne and stars David Tennant as real-life investigative journalist Nick Davies, who uncovered evidence of phone hacking at Murdoch’s now-defunct News of the World. Set between 2002 and 2012, the series interweaves two real-life stories, the intense - and important - investigative work of Davies, and running parallel, the story of the investigation into the unsolved murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan, led by former Met Police Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Cook (Robert Carlyle). If you enjoyed last year's Mr Bates vs The Post Office, this is one for you. Continues on Wednesday 1st October at 9pm on ITV1. All episodes are also available to watch on ITVX.