Let’s face it, this summer has been a bit of a washout. I can’t be the only one who is glad to see the back of it and instead turn attention to the best part of the year: cosy evenings snuggled in front of the telly.
The good news is that autumn TV season is officially upon us. Here, we list the 20 best shows, from dramas and comedies to thrillers and documentary series, to enjoy in the coming months.
You would be forgiven for doing a double take. Based on the now-notorious BBC Newsnight interview between Prince Andrew and Emily Maitlis, A Very Royal Scandal follows hot on the heels of Netflix’s Scoop, which was released earlier this year.
Michael Sheen, who has previously won plaudits for his portrayals as David Frost in Frost/Nixon, Brian Clough in The Damned United and Chris Tarrant in Quiz, takes on the role of Prince Andrew in this new three-part drama.
Ruth Wilson plays Maitlis with Joanna Scanlan, Alex Jennings, Eanna Hardwicke and Claire Rushbrook rounding out the cast as the main players in the saga.
Coming to Prime Video from September 19
Buckle up for a white-knuckle ride as the UK railway network comes under attack from hackers in a “real-time thriller” about an overnight train hurtling towards catastrophe.
The suspense-packed drama, filmed in Glasgow last year, features a strong ensemble cast with Scots acting talent including Alex Ferns, Sharon Small, James Cosmo, Lois Chimimba, Katie Leung, Sharon Rooney and Daniel Cahill.
Watch on BBC One, Sundays and Mondays at 9pm, all episodes available on BBC iPlayer The Tower The stabbing of a teenager finds DS Sarah Collins at cross purposes with a covert operation involving her old partner, now deep undercover.
Gemma Whelan leads the cast as Collins, with Emmett J Scanlan as DI Kieran Shaw, Jimmy Akingbola as DC Steve Bradshaw and Tahirah Sharif as PC Lizzie Adama. Based on the books of Kate London, this third series draws from the novel Gallowstree Lane.
Watch now on STV Player
Read more on Nightsleeper
Rivals
Anyone who spent their teenage years devouring the “bonkbuster” novels of Dame Jilly Cooper will be familiar with her Rutshire Chronicles, whose racy plots were set in a fictionalised version of the Cotswolds populated by the aristocracy and posh horsey types.
This eight-part adaptation of Rivals centres on the cut-throat world of independent television, circa 1986. David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Danny Dyer and Katherine Parkinson all star, with Alex Hassell as Cooper’s much lusted after anti-hero Rupert Campbell-Black.
Coming to Disney+ on October 18
Only Child
Between them Gregor Fisher and Greg McHugh have brought us countless hours of laughter. The pair team up to play father and son in this upcoming comedy about a budding author who goes home to look after his strong-willed, technophobe dad.
Coming to BBC this autumn
Only Murders in the Building
If you enjoy the Thursday Murder Club novels by Richard Osman, then comedy-mystery Only Murders in the Building should be right up your alley. A shared passion for true crime podcasts sees neighbours Charles, Oliver and Mabel - played by Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez - forge an unlikely friendship while investigating suspicious deaths in their affluent New York apartment block.
The fourth series promises a glittering list of guest stars including Meryl Streep, Zach Galifianakis, Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria, Richard Kind, Jane Lynch, Melissa McCarthy, Kumail Nanjiani, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Molly Shannon.
Watch now on Disney+, with new episodes weekly
Shrinking
Co-created by and starring How I Met Your Mother actor Jason Segel, Shrinking centres on a grieving therapist who dispenses with the usual softly-softly approach and imparts some harsh home truths to his clients.
The comedy-drama isn’t short of pedigree with Harrison Ford as Paul, a father figure and fellow therapist attempting to help Segel’s character Jimmy get his life on track.
Another of the show’s co-creators is Brett Goldstein, who played curmudgeon footballer Roy Kent in Ted Lasso. He is billed to appear in Shrinking’s soon-to-air second series.
Coming to Apple TV+ from October 16
Historical drama fans rejoice. Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light - based on the final novel in Hilary Mantel’s trilogy - is headed for our screens, with the familiar faces of Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell, Damian Lewis as King Henry VIII and Kate Phillips as Jane Seymour.
Coming to BBC this autumn
Industry
It has been a two-year wait for fans of this high-stakes drama set in the pressure-cooker environment of an international investment bank. Game of Thrones star Kit Harington joins for the third series, playing the hilariously named Lord Henry Muck.
Coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer from October 1 In Vogue: The 90s Celebrating fashion and pop culture moments from the 1990s, this six-part documentary series shines a spotlight on some of the most revered names to grace the Vogue masthead, including Anna Wintour, Edward Enninful, Hamish Bowles and Tonne Goodman.
Not to forget a star-studded line-up synonymous with the decade, such as Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Linda Evangelista and Kate Moss, as well as Liz Hurley, Victoria Beckham and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Watch now on Disney+ Before Another Apple TV+ series, another grieving husband dealing with other people’s problems. Billy Crystal stars as a child psychiatrist whose work with a troubled young boy, leads to the discovery of a haunting connection to his own past.
The psychological thriller and supernatural mystery is variously described as “chilling” and “atmospheric”. Perfect for a dark, autumn evening.
Coming to Apple TV+ from October 25
Nicholas Ralph has become a viewer favourite as James Herriot in the Channel 5 reboot, which launched in 2020. The heart-warming period drama about a Scots veterinary surgeon plying his trade in the Yorkshire Dales during the 1940s is back for a fifth series.
Samuel West plays mercurial mentor Siegfried Farnon, with Anna Madeley as matriarch housekeeper Mrs Hall, Rachel Shenton as James’s beloved wife Helen Herriot and Callum Woodhouse as Tristan Farnon, who returns from serving in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps.
Watch on Channel 5 on Thursdays, catch up on My5
The Devil’s Hour
The debut series of this mind-bending fantasy ended on something of a cliffhanger, with the answers to life’s myriad mysteries seemingly within reach.
Jessica Raine and Peter Capaldi are back for series two as Lucy Chambers, an insomniac social worker plagued by terrifying night-time visions, and Gideon Shepherd, an enigmatic criminal who “remembers” the future.
Coming to Prime Video on October 18
Sweetpea
Adapted from CJ Skuse’s “coming-of-rage” novel, Sweetpea is one that Scottish screenwriter Kirstie Swain has been keen to bring to TV for some time. Yellowjackets and Fallout star Ella Purnell plays “a quiet wallflower on a darkly comedic and intoxicating journey of self-discovery.”
Coming to Sky Atlantic and NOW in October
A contemporary reimagining of the classic political thriller sees Eddie Redmayne in the titular role with Lashana Lynch as the tenacious MI6 agent in global pursuit. The 10-part adaptation is based on the novel by Frederick Forsyth and award-winning 1973 film.
Coming to Sky Atlantic and NOW on November 7
Nobody Wants This
Kristen Bell and Adam Brody join forces in a comedy about the unlikely relationship that blossoms between an agnostic woman and unconventional rabbi. The plot is loosely drawn from the real-life experiences of writer and showrunner Erin Foster.
Coming to Netflix from September 26
Matlock
What’s not to love about a septuagenarian with a razor-sharp brain who eschews retirement, joins a law firm and uses her unassuming demeanour and wily tactics to win cases? Kathy Bates plays the eponymous lead in this new drama, inspired by the 1980s series of the same name.
Coming to Sky Witness and NOW in October
A case may prove a little too close to home for DS Alison “Tosh” McIntosh as she sees the line between personal and professional stretched to the limits when her friend goes missing.
The ninth series of the popular BBC Scotland murder mystery drama will see regulars Ashley Jensen, Alison O’Donnell and Steven Robertson joined by a guest cast that features Stuart Campbell, Robert Jack, Nalini Chetty, Jimmy Yuill and Lesley Hart.
Coming to BBC this autumn
The Hardacres
A period drama from the makers of All Creatures Great and Small, The Hardacres follows the changing fortunes and rags-to-riches tale of an 1890s working-class Yorkshire family as they swap life on a grimy fish dock for a sprawling country estate.
Coming to Channel 5 this autumn
Moonflower Murders
A sequel to mystery drama Magpie Murders, this six-part BBC drama is penned by Anthony Horowitz, based on his best-selling novel. Lesley Manville and Timothy McMullan reprise their roles as book editor-turned-sleuth Susan Ryeland and literary detective Atticus Pund.
Coming to BBC this autumn
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here