The best TV shows to watch this Autumn and Winter 2016, from Atlanta and the Grand Tour to Gilmore Girls

Avoid the cold weather and wrap up warm with the best of the box in the coming weeks
Multi-talented: Donald Glover - aka rapper Childish Gambino - stars in and writes Atlanta
Guy D'Alema/FX
Ellen E. Jones18 November 2016

November makes us want to rush home, close the door on the elements and binge on a box-set — but what to watch?

Happily, it seems broadcasters have risen to the yearly channel-hopping challenge with an enticing slate of new and returning shows.

Here’s what we’ve got to look forward to over the coming months.

The Grand Tour

Amazon Prime, starts today

Amazon has got the old gang back together again for a new show that is Top Gear: The Return in all but name.

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May will resurrect their motoring monster from a different worldwide location each episode. The question is whether this iteration will be better than Matt LeBlanc et al back at the Beeb? The answer is: probably.

Watch this if: You can’t help but admire the defiant pose J-Clark and pals have struck since leaving the BBC

A.Dot’s Story of Grime

BBC/Ray Burmiston

BBC Three, November 21

Britain’s home-grown music is now established enough as a genre to warrant the arts documentary treatment — though, admittedly, Alan Yentob is nowhere in sight. This look back at the past 15 years is instead fronted by 1Xtra Breakfast Show host A.Dot, aka Dotty. She’s perfectly placed to organise her own clash, Grimeaggedon, filmed and recorded in the BBC’s historic John Peel Studio in Maida Vale. But even she comes up against some opposition.

Watch this if: You’ve been fronting as a grime aficionado for a while and it’s time to arm yourself with some actual knowledge.

The Affair

Sky Atlantic, November 21

If you thought season two’s quadrupled perspectives were perplexing, then hold on to your hats. Season three of this superior, Hamptons-set psychological drama adds one more — that of Juliette Le Gall (Irène Jacob), yet another new love interest for Noah (Dominic West). However, since this season picks up three years after Noah admitted responsibility for Scott’s death, perhaps he’s not the only one who’s moving on.

Watch this if: You wisely recognise that any show featuring the combined talents of Dawson’s Creek’s Pacey, The Wire’s McNulty and ER’s Abby Lockhart must be watched in its entirety.

Grand Designs: House of the Year

Channel 4, November 24

Good old Kevin McCloud is back on the box, counting down the Royal Institute of British Architects’ longlist of the UK’s best new houses. In McCloud’s company this guided tour of the cutting edge of British architecture is not so much “property porn” as a sweeping, epic romance. The shortlist will be announced during the course of the programme, with the overall winner crowned on Thursday, December 15.

Watch this if: You’ve exhausted Zoopla, Rightmove and the Evening Standard’s Homes & Property section in your tireless search for the perfect fantasy abode.

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life

Netflix, November 25

If this year has got you hiding under the duvet, here’s the perfect piece of escapism to see you through your seclusion. Ditch 2016 altogether and instead spend a fantasy 12 months in Stars Hollow, Connecticut, with wisecracking mother and daughter duo Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel). Each 90-minute episode follows familiar characters through a different season, starting in winter.

Watch this if: You always appreciated Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s pop culture banter but don’t want to be stressed out with any vampire carnage.

Atlanta

Fox, December 3

The multi-talented Donald Glover — aka rapper Childish Gambino — has been one to watch since Tina Fey hand-picked him to join the 30 Rock writing team when he was just 21. Subtle in tone and confident in execution, this comedy-drama series marks the moment when Glover made good on his abundant promise. Tune in to the double-bill finale to discover the fates of wannabe music manager Earnest Marks (Glover) and his cousin-turned-client Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry).

Watch this if: You watch Entourage or Insecure or Girls or Transparent and fancy a show that’s a little bit like all of them while being entirely its own thing.

Mariah’s World

E!, December 5

No ordinary reality show would make it onto this list, but then Her Royal Divaness, Mariah Carey, is no ordinary reality TV star. Forget the collected sad-sacks of Towie, Made in Chelsea and Keeping Up With the Kardashians — here is a woman who was born to be on camera, sharing wisdom and dispensing shade like a parasol salesman on a private beach.

Watch this if: You still fondly remember that time Mariah was on MTV’s Cribs and showed us all how to work out on a treadmill while wearing stilettos.

Westworld

Sky Atlantic, December 6

Westworld, set in a futuristic Wild West theme park, is the new Game of Thrones (only better), and it reaches its first season finale early next month. Who is the Man in Black? What is this maze? What happened to Arnold!? Fans hope some of these mysteries will be resolved while leaving enough loose strands for season two and beyond.

Watch this if: You enjoy Game of Thrones but feel it could benefit from more robot-based ethical dilemmas.

Barry

Netflix, December 16

Still traumatised by the US election results? Netflix is betting that by mid-December you’ll have recovered enough to remember the good times. This film imagines the life of 20-year-old Barack Obama (played by Australian actor Devon Terrell) when he was a student in New York. The future US president glides easily between black and white worlds, gets into debates about democracy and plays spontaneous games of basketball, all set to a soothing soundtrack of jazz, soul and funk.

Watch this if: You’ve emerged blinking from your West Wing box-set binge and are ready to get (slightly) more real about politics.

Apple Tree Yard

Ben Chaplin and Emily Watson in Apple Tree Yard
BBC/Kudos/Nick Briggs

BBC1, December TBC

The best-selling courtroom thriller by Louise Doughty has been adapted into a four-part BBC drama. Emily Watson and Ben Chaplin star as two strangers who share a moment of passionate connection, which then turns out to have consequences both tragic and irreversible. The supporting cast is top-notch too, including Mark Bonnar (Catastrophe, Line of Duty) and Adeel Akhtar (Capital, Utopia).

Watch this if: You enjoyed BBC thriller Doctor Foster and have missed seeing Emily Watson on TV.

Captive

Netflix, December 9

Last year it was Making a Murderer, but this December Netflix has a new crime documentary for us all to talk about. Captive consists of eight episodes, each telling a different story of a kidnapping or hostage situation from around the world. This isn’t just victims telling their stories, however, but the perpetrators too.

Watch this if: You need an all-consuming streaming obsession to get you through the festive season.

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency

Netflix, December 11

Douglas Adams’s seriously unconventional private investigator gets another screen outing, only this time the action has been relocated from north London to Seattle, and from the late 1980s to the present day. Erstwhile History Boy Samuel Barnett plays the eponymous investigator while Elijah Wood is his sidekick and the show’s real star, Todd Brotzman.

Watch this if: Eccentric detective shows are your bag — think Sherlock, Elementary, Monk and the lesser-known Damian Lewis vehicle, Life.

In Plain Sight

ITV, December TBC

ITV is well established as the home of quality true-crime drama (see The Widower, The Secret, Code of a Killer) and this one looks to be a worthy addition to the catalogue. It gives Line of Duty’s Martin Compston the chance to traverse the thin blue line as he plays serial killer and scourge of the Lanarkshire police force Peter Manuel. Douglas Henshall (Shetland) is William Muncie, the detective who worked tirelessly to bring him to justice.

Watch this if: You take an interested in tales of true crime but not at the expense of great storytelling.

No Offence Series 2

No Offence: Shameless creator Paul Abbott returns to the small screen

Channel 4, December TBC

This enjoyably rambunctious cop series from Shameless creator Paul Abbott debuted last year to great acclaim, then tailed off towards the end of its run. Happily, Channel 4 has given it a second chance, which means more time to marvel at the comedy genius of Joanna Scanlon (The Thick of It, Getting On) as madcap matriarch DI Vivienne Deering, and Paul Ritter (Friday Night Dinner) as forensics expert Miller.

Watch this if: You can forgive a few incidents of first-season nerves.

This is Us

Channel 4, December TBC

Channel 4’s latest US import is a long way from Homeland.

This is Us is a tear-jerker of a family drama (think Party of Five rather than Six Feet Under) in which the stories of four different characters are woven together by one seemingly insignificant detail — they are all marking their 36th birthday. It also offers another chance to see Emmy award-winning actor Sterling K Brown in action. You may remember him as prosecutor Christopher Darden in The People vs OJ Simpson.

Watch this if: You’re ready to put aside all cynicism and just enjoy a good cry.

Follow Ellen E Jones on Twitter: @MsEllenEJones

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in