Locked down and bored, or just dreading the prospect? Our top team of TV writers has chosen 50 of the most enjoyable binge-watches to see you through self-isolation. Here are numbers 11 to 50, with the top 10 to come tomorrow by Rachel Aroesti, Scott Bryan, Stuart Heritage, Toby Moses, Hannah J Davies, Rebecca Nicholson, Dylan B Jones, Ellen E Jones, Lucy Mangan, Phil Harrison, Jack Seale, Sarah Phillips, Ann Lee, Jenny Stevens Thu 19 Mar 2020 12.42 GMT First published on Wed 18 Mar 2020 16.25 GMT Shares 63 Comments 500 Over the coming weeks more and more of us will find ourselves unable to leave home. With live TV shutting down, no sport, and even the soaps likely to shut up shop, here is our writers’ guide to the top 50 shows to get your teeth into – today we have added 11 to 30. These may not be the most intellectually demanding programmes of all time, but they are the ones you won’t be able to tear yourself away from. Let us know your favourites to binge in the comments, and come back tomorrow for the final instalment. Whenever I talk to people about Lost, which is all the time, people tell me that they never got around to finishing the series. Well, guess what? You are out of excuses. Start watching Lost straight away. Watch the early seasons, where it was a tightly wound mystery series starring a small band of compelling characters. Watch the middle bit, where the show treaded water with episodes that had no larger bearing on the overall series. Watch the end, where the wheels came off and it turned into a genuinely absurd sci-fi about time travel and nuclear explosions. Then watch the finale, and tell me that you didn’t enjoy it. Stuart Heritage This is regularly lauded as one of the finest serial dramas in TV history. Plenty of shows have tried to do what this one did, but none have come close. Beginning in 1964, Peter Flannery’s series follows four friends (sublimely played by Christopher Eccleston, Gina McKee, Daniel Craig and Mark Strong) as they navigate lives in the context of the British political upheavals of the late 20th century. But while their personal dramas are punctuated by the economic crises of the 70s, the dawning of Thatcher in 1979 and the miners’ strike of the mid-80s, the political elements never feel heavy-handed. Instead, they feel like functions of the individual personalities, part of the accumulation of their lived experiences, their hopes and dreams. The politics matter. But not as much as the people. Phil Harrison This devastating docu-series is not an obvious binge, with its themes of murder, sexual abuse and a potential decades-long coverup by the Catholic church. However, its hugely intimate portraits of a group of retired women hunting for justice for their former schoolteacher is completely absorbing. Over seven episodes, we discover the rumours and suspicions that abound regarding Sister Cathy Cesnik’s disappearance in Baltimore in 1969. The bravery that the women display, combined with the chilling nature of the case and the care in its presentation – devoid of voyeurism – combine to make something that is extraordinarily moving and troubling. Unlike so many other true-crime tales, this is one series where its victims are treated as people. Hannah J Davies 14 Parks and Recreation Sky/Now TV; Amazon What better way to spend your time at home than watching a set of people going out of their way to help each other and improve their community? Focusing on local government workers in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana, Parks and Rec (as it is known by fans) began as a kind of faux documentary, an Office rip-off – but swiftly developed into so much more. It is the sheer, radiant positivity of its main character, Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), that enables the ensemble of quirky, likable faces to shine. It is also funny as hell, launching the careers of Chris Pratt (nearly unrecognisable from the action hero he has become), Aubrey Plaza and Nick Offerman. Scott Bryan Remember the 00s, when we smoked in the office, wore sleek double-breasted suits and were constantly half-cut after downing a bottle of bourbon before lunch? No, wait, that was TV – when half the world was caught up in Mad Men fever and the abusive, adulterous, drunkard Don Draper (Jon Hamm in a career-best performance) somehow became the man every woman wanted to bed and the lothario every man wanted to be. This slice of mid-century nostalgia set in the advertising industry perhaps has not retained the same sense of awe as other TV greats of that era – but it is littered with acting talent (Elisabeth Moss! John Slattery! Christina Hendricks!) and, in his examination of Draper’s descent, Matthew Weiner wrote one of the most fascinating character studies ever put to screen. The clothes are fabulous, too. Toby Moses 16 Seinfeld Advertisement All4 Along with The Simpsons, Seinfeld is patient zero of modern comedy. If you were to watch it for the first time now, you might not get a sense of how revolutionary it was at the time, but that is because every other comedy made in the past two decades has absorbed its sensibility. Even if you have not seen it, you talk the way you talk because of Seinfeld. In one sense, bingeing Seinfeld in 2020 is an act of historical exploration. Then again, it remains one of the funniest shows ever made. Watch the shaky beginning, before it perfected its tone. Watch the locomotive years, when nothing else on television could touch it. It is just a shame about the finale. Stuart Heritage 17 The Office (UK) Netflix Sure, Ricky Gervais now spends his days making sub-par jokes about how the world has gone PC mad and only he – a very wealthy, successful comedian – can see the light, but the world has much to thank him for. Not least The Office, a titan of a mockumentary, which plumbed new depths of cringe. As David Brent, Gervais was a trailblazer of the self-obsessed, megalomaniacal boss before such people ended up on reality TV (see: The Apprentice) and even running the world. As a progenitor of the sadcom that has, from Fleabag to Transparent, dominated TV ever since, in many ways The Office is one of the saddest shows you can watch. But it is also a total joy to behold – especially those Christmas specials. Hannah J Davies 18 Call My Agent Sign up for the Guardian documentaries update Read more Netflix Buckle in for a riot of showbiz ego in this French comedy about the disastrous personal lives and glittering careers of the staff of one of Paris’s leading talent agencies. As they struggle to keep afloat amid various financial and creative crises, the agents veer through personal melodramas from ill-advised trysts to infidelities, paternity tests and even – if you stick with it – a birth on the office floor. Such is the show’s genius, and genuine adoration for the art of film, that many stars – even Juliette Binoche – play themselves in it. An additional bonus is that it is a great way to brush up on your rusty French. I started dreaming in French after ploughing through all three series in a matter of days. Jenny Stevens 19 The People vs OJ Simpson Advertisement Netflix Ryan Murphy had already established himself as the king of the anthology series with American Horror Story by the time this strand of the series, American Crime Story, rolled around. His shows worked on a brilliant formula – hire a bunch of actors too tremendous to agree to multiple seasons, tell a single story and then get out again. With The People vs OJ Simpson, the formula hit paydirt. Cuba Gooding Jr was electric as Simpson; John Travolta was an excellent Robert Shapiro; and David Schwimmer was a surprisingly convincing Robert Kardashian. Its greatest trick, though, was how it walked the line between journalism and flashy exploitation with such incredible ease. This is the perfect way to set yourself up for Impeachment, the American Crime Story series about the Clinton/Lewinsky affair, coming whenever we are allowed out of the house again. Stuart Heritage Sally Wainwright’s pitch-black police drama puts Sarah Lancashire front and centre – which is always a good thing. She excels as a plain-speaking sergeant, grieving over the suicide of her daughter while patrolling her North Yorkshire town – a hotspot of rape, murder and drug dealing. It had a star-making turn from James Norton, now one of the favourites to be the next Bond, but here playing a thoroughly nasty piece of work. It is certainly not an easy watch, and Lancashire’s brutal assault in the first series leaves its mark – on both the character and the viewer – but there are few British dramas of the past decade than can match this. Toby Moses 21 The Killing Advertisement Available to buy on Amazon Here is the original Scandi drama, or “Nordic noir”, for anyone still wondering what all the fuss was about. Copenhagen-based detective inspector Sarah Lund (Sofie Gråbøl) is finishing her final days on the job before joining her fiance in Sweden, when a 19-year-old woman is found raped and murdered. Lund delays her transfer and gets to work, eventually teaming up with her replacement, Jan Meyer (Søren Malling), for an investigation that moves slowly by comparison with traditional case-of-the-week crime dramas. Each episode represents 24 hours of police work, but the series also explores a family’s grief and political corruption to gripping effect. You will come for the famous knitwear, but stay for the peerless storytelling. Ellen E Jones 22 This Life BBC iPlayer The upbeat and moving account of a group of budding lawyers living in a houseshare just south of the Thames in London has recently been fondly re-appreciated thanks to its arrival on BBC iPlayer. Although at first it looks quite different from the precarious lives of today’s twentysomethings, themes of entering the world of work, figuring out who you are and getting trashed still resonate. As do the lovably flawed characters, particularly Anna (Daniela Nardini) and Miles (Jack Davenport). The sexual tension is so electrifying it is amazing that the house did not burn down. A backdrop of 90s club culture (most memorably when Anna takes Egg’s dad clubbing) and a soundtrack deeply ingrained in the era only adds to the nostalgia. Sarah Phillips 23 End of the F**king World All4; Netflix This may sound a little too close to home, given current events, but the joy in Charlie Covell’s graphic novel adaptation is how it spins away from its dark premise and your initial expectations towards a modern, youthful take on Bonnie and Clyde. Student and social outcast James (Alex Lawther) is convinced that he is a psychopath with a hunger to kill, setting his sights on fellow oddball Alyssa (Jessica Barden). It may not seem like the ideal start point for a touching romance, but the road trip that ensues offers a tender and thought-provoking exploration of adolescence, a rallying cry for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider. Its minimalist style and stark, western-inspired visuals are immediately striking – but the sparkling dialogue is what will keep you coming back. The response of Alyssa to a shopkeeper who is dissatisfied with his life stays with me to this day: “Then do something.” Scott Bryan 24 Search Party All4 Best known as Arrested Development’s plucky Maeby, Alia Shawkat came into her own in this full-throttle black comedy about a young woman who goes missing and the egotistical Brooklynites who have to find her (among them, the dangerously narcissistic Elliott (John Early) and Portia (Meredith Hagner), who is entirely devoid of self-awareness. While the first run is a perfect, self-contained whodunnit, a couple of huge twists allowed it to stretch into a second series, with another on the way. A show that is as scary as it is entirely ludicrous (watch out for the cult operating from under a luxe jewellery store), Search Party has a way of hooking you in, even if, invariably, you will end up in a love/hate relationship with its central clique and Shawkat’s backbone-free Dory. Hannah J Davies 25 The L Word Available to buy on Amazon Once upon a time, a same-sex storyline on a TV show was such a rarity that even a hint of gayish subtext was enough to guarantee a queer audience. These days, it does not feel like the unicorn rarity it once did. In part, that is thanks to The L Word, which arrived in 2004 (and was recently rebooted). Elements of this brilliantly soapy saga have aged about as well as you would expect of a show that asked questions about gender and sexuality more than 15 years ago, but it remains a total hoot, offering high-stakes drama with a campy flair that becomes more pronounced as it progresses. You can have a ball just wondering exactly how any key character’s personality is going to be dramatically overhauled from one season to the next. Rebecca Nicholson The Royle Family Advertisement Netflix What you need now, more than anything, is warmth. And The Royle Family has warmth in spades. This is a show so warm that, in one episode, two adults sing No Surprises by Radiohead to a sleeping baby and it seems like the most tender act in all of history. Let The Royle Family act as your surrogate family in the coming weeks. A bunch of familiar faces, sitting on well-worn sofas, aimlessly trading affectionate insults for half an hour at a time sounds like an absolute balm at the minute. This is comfort TV at its most comfortable. Stuart Heritage 27 Catastrophe A raucously funny romantic comedy for grownups. Over four snappy seasons, Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney depict how messy relationships can be with unflinching honesty. The show follows the romance between a middle-aged couple played by the co-creators. What starts as a holiday fling moves into a long-term relationship when Horgan gets pregnant. What follows is a poignant, hilarious look at the difficulties facing all couples. Each episode is crammed with brilliantly filthy and at times downright savage one-liners that get to the heart of sex, marriage, parenthood and the sheer hard work it takes to stay in love, especially when life and all its troubles get in the way. This is a believable love story between two very likable but flawed individuals portrayed with warmth and acidic charm. Ann Lee 28 Better Things BBC iPlayer Although she has been in showbiz since childhood, Pamela Adlon was once best known for her Louis CK collaborations (she played a love interest on his sitcom, Louie, and he co-wrote Better Things’ first season). But while Louis CK’s reputation took a #MeToo-related dive (Adlon described his behaviour as “abhorrent”), her star has continued her rise. She stars here as Sam Fox, a working actress and single mother to three teenage daughters, living in a languid, sometimes dreamlike Los Angeles. Sure, everyone has their own semi-autobiographical comedy-drama these days, but Better Things has undersold itself. This is the best of all possible things: a feminist Curb Your Enthusiasm with more heart – and more womb – than all the other pretenders put together. Ellen E Jones 29 Queer as Folk All4 The word “iconic” is too often thrown around, but never has it felt more apt than to describe Queer as Folk. The series did not just introduce the British public to queerness; it confidently bludgeoned them with it – with the opening episode alone featuring underage sex, threesomes and rimming. Try explaining that to your mum. As well as being unapologetic, it was joyful, explicit – euphoric, even – in its depiction of queer (male) life. Written and created by Russell T Davies, it follows three gay men living and loving on Manchester’s gay scene. It launched the careers of Charlie Hunnam (now of sub-par Hollywood fare) and Aidan Gillen from The Wire and Game of Thrones, but more importantly it put gay sex on terrestrial TV – and for that a whole generation of teenage boys will be for ever grateful. Dylan B Jones 30 Friday Night Lights Amazon Based on the HG Bissinger book about Texan high-school football culture, the show begins with an accident that paralyses Dillon High’s star quarterback, Jason Street (Scott Porter). It is left to eager new coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) and his wife, Tami Taylor (Connie Britton), a guidance counsellor, to pick up the pieces, while handling other crises – from absent parents to addiction – that afflict the town’s teenagers. You need not like (or even understand) American football to enjoy the show; in no time at all, the wonderfully captured drama on the field will captivate you just as much as the drama off it. Through five seasons of agonising twists and turns – perhaps most dramatically with Tyra and Landry’s devastating storyline in the second (even if the ramifications were quickly brushed under the carpet) – the team’s motto burns brightly: “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.” Sarah Phillips 31 The Thick of It Netflix/BBC iPlayer You shouldn’t need an opportunity to rewatch The Thick of It. You could watch it a million times in a row and Armando Iannucci’s political satire would still maintain its bite. If you haven’t seen it since the altogether more slick Veep, you might be taken aback by how joyously ramshackle this cheap little no-risk BBC Four sitcom feels. But that is part of its charm. When Malcolm Tucker bares his teeth for the first time in the first scene of the first episode, it is like stumbling across a found-footage horror film. It’s nightmarish. You might not think now is a good time to watch a show about the incompetent failings of national government. But, if you have the stomach for it, there’s nothing better. Stuart Heritage 32 They’re here, they’re queer, and they’re about to get you a whole new wardrobe (and house!). The Queer Eye reboot – helmed by the fab five of Jonathan, Antoni, Karamo, Tan and Bobby – saw the 00s makeover show get a whole new lease of life, via questionable avocado recipes and incredible interior design. By focusing more closely on the inner struggles of its participants, helping people who had seemingly fallen through the cracks to regain their confidence, and rectify the areas which needed fixing in their lives – from broken relationships to coming out – it became “more than a makeover”. If the Japanese spinoff felt like overkill, there are still four other series to blitz through. Hannah J Davies 33 Twin Peaks Sky/Now TV Given what it was – a mystery show with no real intention of answering its own mystery, made by a figure who specialises in deliberately oblique storytelling – the original Twin Peaks was a blockbuster of a show, with an old-school riddle at its heart. A girl died. A good-hearted stranger comes to town to investigate. Then weirdness ensues. But, at least to my mind, the 2017 sequel has now become the definitive Twin Peaks. Aggressively avant garde in places, and truly terrifying in others, it is like nothing else that has ever been on television. It is not an easy watch by any means. In fact, sometimes it is downright maddening. But nevertheless, it will affect you in ways you didn’t think you could be affected. Stuart Heritage 34 Deadwood Ever wanted to see Lovejoy scream “cocksucker” at a procession of bemused cowboys? Then this is the show for you. Set in the “hey!”-day of the wild west, with a host of real-life historical figures such as Wyatt Earp and Calamity Jane popping in and out of its small South Dakota town, Deadwood’s stellar reputation never translated into viewing figures, leading to its premature cancellation after three seasons. Luckily, the storylines were rounded out in a feature-length special last year, making now the perfect time to appreciate this thoroughly modern western. Ian McShane chews the scenery as the saloon owner Al Swearengen, but it is Timothy Olyphant, playing the long-suffering sheriff, who holds it all together. If you are not hooked after the first four episodes, culminating in the depiction of the real-life murder of Wild Bill Hickok (an all-too-brief turn from Keith Carradine), there is something wrong with you. And if all else fails, just count the F-bombs; there are 43 in the first hour alone. Toby Moses 35 Arrested Development Advertisement Netflix It may have been created for a pre-streaming world, but there are few sitcoms as binge-friendly as the Bluth family’s madcap saga. Stuffed to the gills with callbacks and inter-show references, Arrested Development benefits hugely from back-to-back (and repeat) viewing – and the impressive gag-rate and endlessly ridiculous narrative accelerations mean the episodes simply fly by. Masterminded by The Ellen Show co-creator Mitchell Hurwitz, Arrested Development began airing in 2003, with three near-peerless seasons before it was cancelled, only to be resurrected for two more disappointing outings on Netflix. Nonetheless, we will always have those early years tracing the many trials (sometimes literally) of the extremely rich, extremely entitled and extremely eccentric Newport Beach crew. Cue layers of cartoonish plotlines, catchphrases galore and a veritable labyrinth of addictively quotable in-jokes; not to mention some of greatest slapstick that television comedy has ever seen. Rachel Aroesti 36 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Netflix A true millennial phenomenon. The idea of a feminist musical sitcom that majors on mental health issues might cause eyes to roll. But don’t switch over to Friends just yet. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is hilarious, pioneering and eminently watchable. It has caused controversy since first being aired in 2015, chronicling the life struggles of its main character Rebecca (played wonderfully by its writer-creator Rachel Bloom) – from her obsessive fixations and borderline personality disorder, to suicide attempts and abortions – all with a sunny musical theatre soundtrack. What could be heavy, dramatic fare, is dealt with confidently, accompanied by a righteous wink; the Cats special is a thing to behold, and Period Sex will be stuck in your head for weeks. Bloom has been nominated for multiple Emmies, Glaad awards and Golden Globes for her performance, and rightly so – she shines. But the supporting cast are beautifully played, too, with one of the most authentic portrayals of bisexuality ever put to screen in Pete Gardner’s Darryl Whitefeather. Dylan B Jones 37 Next in Fashion All dressed up with nowhere to go? Then try Next in Fashion, the Netflix reality show in which already competent and semi-established designers, stuck in the shadows of their big-name bosses, get to compete in front of an impressive array of fashion insiders, from Christopher Kane to Phillip Lim. Better still, its focus on bringing people up rather than putting them down offers a welcome reprieve from the more typically brutal world of TV talent competitions, and presenters Alexa Chung and Tan France provide warm, supportive, well-tailored shoulders to cry on. Plus, you don’t have to wait 10 weeks to find out who the winner will be; the duo very much urge you to binge this, with a reminder to press “next episode” at the end of every episode. Rebecca Nicholson 38 Shameless All4 Between 2004 and 2013 the writer Paul Abbott embedded us in Manchester’s Chatsworth council estate, with the sprawling, chaotic Gallagher family, headed up – nominally – by their drunkard dad Frank (David Threlfall) and, actually, by his eldest daughter Fiona (Anne-Marie Duff). So much good came from the Gallaghers: Fiona’s unutterably sweet on-screen romance with Steve led to the real-life marriage of Duff and co-star James McAvoy; Maxine Peake built her reputation as fearsome neighbour Veronica, and stories were told about British working-class life without condescension or judgment. Are the Gallaghers the type of family to have a coat of arms? Probably not. But if they were, its motto would read: “Honi soit qui mal y pense” – Shame on those who see shame in it. Ellen E Jones 39 First Dates All4 Masterful matchmaking is what makes First Dates stand out. It sometimes feels like the only dating show on television with producers who actually care, as proven in a 2015 special episode First Dates: The Proposal, which welcomed back couples who had found love on the show and offered a second chance to those who had not. Not everyone who presents themselves at Fred the maître d’s famous check-in desk will find romance. But the 42 cameras placed around the restaurant mean we miss none of the tragic chat-up lines, awkward silences, tear-jerking backstories and uplifting moments. After a few episodes, even the most hardened cynic is guaranteed to find themselves whooping like the drunkest guest at a wedding. Ellen E Jones 40 Sex Education Netflix There are so many things about Sex Education that may irritate at first. Why does the school look so American – right down to the lettered bomber jackets – despite being set (and filmed) in rural Britain? For that matter, why film in Wales yet feature no one with a Welsh accent? And let’s not forget that hardy perennial: why do most of its teenagers look about 30? (Answer: because they are.) But be patient; get past that. The show may attempt to lure you in with Inbetweeners-style crudeness, but it unfolds into a thoughtful, well-paced comedy drama, with an almost public-service zeal for exploring the issues around sex and relationships with sensitivity and warmth. There is, of course, the show’s breakout star too, Ncuti Gatwa (real age 27). He has become a meme as lead character Otis’s out-and-proud gay best friend, Eric, and is now a rather unexpected spokesperson for the coronavirus pandemic, with his line after spotting another character leaving the toilets without washing their hands doing more to stop the spread of the virus than any Boris Johnson press conference: “Wash your hands, you detty pig.” Scott Bryan 41 The Blue Planet iPlayer There are few voices more soothing than David Attenborough’s, and here he narrates what must be one of the greatest nature documentaries of all time, and certainly the most visually stunning. While its 2017 sequel (also on iPlayer) played a vital role in shifting attitudes towards plastic pollution around the world, it started here, with the the original Blue Planet in 2001, which took five years to make and is still one of Attenborough’s career highlights. The sheer beauty of all that it uncovered is wonderfully escapist in itself (episode two, The Deep, is a psychedelic wonder), and at a pinch, it may also provide just a little of what’s needed in times like these: travel without travelling, education without crowds, and a reminder of the respect we must have for the unforgiving power of nature. Rebecca Nicholson 42 Noughts + Crosses Malorie Blackman’s hit young adult series arrived earlier this month, its tale of star-crossed lovers separated because of their races and backgrounds seeming more urgent as bigotry continues its worrying resurgence. Over six episodes – all of which are available to stream now – this Romeo and Juliet in a race-reversed society draws you into a world where the microagressions and discrimination frequently suffered by people of colour are drawn into sharp relief, and the lines between rich and poor are more pronounced than ever. Besides this, it is also a gripping tale of families with hidden secrets, changing allegiances and, of course, love. Peaky Blinders’ Jack Rowan and newcomer Masali Baduza are captivating as the leads, while Paterson Joseph is among its strong ensemble. Hannah J Davies * * * 43 Modern Family Sky Go/NowTV/Amazon Prime Video Modern Family is a show you can bond with, settling into and going the distance with its 10 series. Those 200-plus episodes, along with the ongoing 11th and final series, make the story of various factions of the Pritchett clan – including a gay couple with a daughter, introduced to a mainstream American audience as part of the happy warp and weft of normal suburban life – one of the longest running sitcoms in television history. Of course there have been peaks and troughs in that time, but it has always been of standout quality, with laugh-a-line scenes, some of which are so light and fleet that you barely catch them skimming past you, making every episode ripe for rewatching. Lucy Mangan 44 Dirty John As podcasts become ever more popular, so the number of pods that have been made into TV series continues to grow, from Homecoming (Amazon Prime Video) to Limetown (Facebook Watch). Chief among them is Dirty John, adapted from the hit Wondery show about a devious, bedraggled conman who wormed his way into the life of a moneyed businesswoman, Debra Newell, by posing as a successful anaesthesiologist (he was in fact a former nurse anaesthetist who had spent time in prison for fraud). The total gall displayed by John Meehan – as he attempted a Parasite-esque takeover of Newell’s life – would be enough to stun most people. But, combined with a helping of Netflix melodrama, it makes for a particularly shocking, if knowingly cheesy, watch. Hannah J Davies 45 New Girl Amazon Prime Video This Zooey Deschanel vehicle has two main things going for it. First, it is funny. Second, there are a lot of episodes. I adopted New Girl as my back-up binge show a couple of years ago, dropping in and out when there wasn’t anything exciting on, and I still haven’t made it to the finale. The best thing about an ensemble sitcom such as New Girl is that – if you hang in there for long enough – all the characters have their time to shine. Schmidt is the breakout character, but then he is eclipsed by the ornery Nick. And then, out of nowhere, Winston becomes the absurdist one who holds the whole show together. This is a series so egalitarian that even Megan Fox is able to become its funniest thing for a decent stretch of episodes. Stuart Heritage 46 Years and Years Increasingly, you can just stroll down to your local supermarket to achieve an effect comparable to watching Russell T Davies’s 2019 future-shock family saga. With its grim projections about rampant populism, accelerating climate crisis, the madness of crowds and the bewildering pace of technological change, Years and Years felt worryingly on the nose when it aired last year. Suffice to say, its vision hasn’t got much more comforting in the meantime. But as horrifying – and frequently plausible – as the travails of the Lyons family were, the show does, eventually, speak to resilience and continuity. By the skin of their teeth, and not without a couple of casualties, the family keeps it together. And so, just about, does the country. Phil Harrison 47 Lovesick Netflix The sitcom previously known as Scrotal Recall was always far better than a show with that painful pun as a name had any right to be. But with a new moniker, and a shift to Netflix, fresh life was breathed into the tale of four twentysomethings navigating friendship, relationships and STIs post university. The laughs may be gentle, but the writing by Tom Edge is subtle and the characters well drawn, with Johnny Flynn (brother of Jerome) leading the cast as the chlamydia-infected Dylan tracking down his previous conquests to break the news. It’s a neat conceit, and the will they/won’t they romance with Antonia Thomas’s Evie is in the greatest of sitcom traditions – and far less frustrating when watched in one go. Toby Moses 48 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Advertisement All4 The cop comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a feelgood proposition on every level. It is a properly funny comedy. It is undemanding moreish fare. It has charm, it has warmth, it has heart. Its characters are fundamentally united, chafing and rubbing together enough to strike comic sparks but essentially hanging together in the fight against the villainry. True antipathy or hostility has no place here. But best of all, and most valuably perhaps in our current times, it also shows every sign of the ensemble cast being free of it, too. It is impossible to know for sure, of course – the set may be a hotbed of hatred and warring egos – but one feels that the easy camaraderie on display is impossible to fake entirely. Add to that the joy of seeing Andre Braugher – Frank freaking Pembleton from Homicide: Life on the Streets, people! – in a light comic role and all that it left to say is, of course, NOICE! Lucy Mangan 49 Brideshead Revisited Amazon Prime Video/BritBox They don’t, in so many senses, make them like this any more. ITV’s 1981 version of Evelyn Waugh’s 1945 novel was, with its 11-hour running time, not far off granting the wish of those viewers who like dramatisa