Autumn TV shows: what to watch in 2016
Poldark's back and two queens are on screen: the best Autumn TV shows 2016 has to offer. These will get you through the darkening days
Victoria: Jenna Coleman
Does the thought of yet more baking and crispy sequins leave you colder than a November Rain? Luckily, there's more to the Autumn schedule than Mary Berry and Strictly.
Times are changing for English television series and we're not watching the way we used to. Are you looking forward to ITV or Netflix this month?
Will you binge-watch or settle for a weekly viewing slot? Topping all this, BBC license changes are coming.
Tell boring programming to bake off and watch these instead. Here are the best Autumn TV shows announced so far.
The Collection, Amazon Prime
2 September
An original fashion drama! Clothes! Hats! Paris! Meryl Streep's daughter Mammie Gummer (The Good Wife) stars. The Collection is set in a Paris fashion house just after WW2- a little bit Mr Selfridge, a little bit Dior New Look, with the war and its horrors always in the shadows. Let's hope that Gummer has all of the talents, but none of the talons of eagle-eyed fashion-bitch Miranda Priestly.
Poldark, BBC
4 September
Returning for a second season comes Cornish drama Poldark, based on and yet far greater than, the 1940s series of books. Will this season draw as many viewers as the 9.5 million who watched Season 1's finale? Star Aidan Turner has been the subject of much debate about the practicalities of going shirtless with a pitchfork. If you ask us, he's our favourite from the rumour mill about who will play the new James Bond- he's less craggy than Craig, after all.
Westworld, HBO
October
A real romp featuring robot cowboys in the badlands, by the writer of Jurassic Park. Thandie Newton and Anthony Hopkins are in the cast, proving that series really are trumping films for the best actors and plots. The pilot's been directed by Jonathon Nolan, younger brother of Christopher, and, outrageous headline alert, there have already been heavy hints that actors might be involved in graphic sexual scenes.
Victoria, ITV
28 August
Watchable Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who) stars as a young Victoria alongside Rufus Sewell in this sumptuous ITV 8-part series by Daisy Goodwin. The trailer mixes high drama, beautiful costume and a throbbing pop anthem that, for all our cynicism, makes us root for the diminutive young Vic as she ascends the throne and courts a young Albert. The first episode was filled with promise, but whilst ITV searches for its Downton moment, there's another queen competing for our attention...
The Crown, Netflix
4 November
Can Victoria compete with Netflix's most expensive drama ever (costing upwards of £100 million to date)- a biopic of Elizabeth II featuring British acting favourites, including Matt Smith, crowns and corgis? Peter Morgan created the 6-season series and we're in good hands- he was also the writer behind The Queen. This time, Claire Foy is our monarch, following the famous footsteps of Helen Mirren in the 2006 film. Season 1 charts a young Elizabeth's relationship with Sir Winston Churchill and some oversized headgear. The Royal Family are reportedly 'nervous' about the upcoming drama. One's rather excited.
Gilmore Girls
25 November
A highly anticipated revival of the noughties show about a single mother and her daughter in small-town Connecticut which is full of affectionate wisecracks and crackpot characters. The previous seven seasons are available on Netflix and people are rewatching in their droves before four new episodes are realised over the coming year- and not only because the characters talk so fast it's impossible to catch all their clever culture references first time around. The first episode airs on November 25th. Call your Mum.
Amanda Knox, Netflix
Autumn
Four new documentaries will be released by Netflix for the upcoming Toronto Film Festival. The highlight will tell the story of Amanda Knox. A tricky subject: the woman who was convicted and subsequently acquitted of the murder of her roommate, Meredith. Gripping, raw and still very fresh, considering she was only aquitted earlier this year and the murder was in 2007. In a story where Knox spent four years in an Italian prison and all over the papers, don't expect any easy answers.
The Witness for the Prosecution
December
Last year's BBC hit, And Then There Were None
Following the success of their murder mystery And Then There Were None last year, the BBC is continuing the tradition of 'a Christie for Christmas' (better title than 'a murder for Christmas') with this exciting two-part adaptation of The Witness for the Prosecution, Agatha Christie's short story, a courtroom drama where a wife testifies on her husband's trial after the murder of a wealthy woman. The great cast includes Kim Cattrall, Toby Jones and Andrea Riseborough. And you thought your Christmas family feud was big...
Times are changing for English television series and we're not watching the way we used to. Are you looking forward to ITV or Netflix this month?
TRY CULTURE WHISPER
Receive free tickets & insider tips to unlock the best of London — direct to your inbox
Tell boring programming to bake off and watch these instead. Here are the best Autumn TV shows announced so far.
The Collection, Amazon Prime
2 September
An original fashion drama! Clothes! Hats! Paris! Meryl Streep's daughter Mammie Gummer (The Good Wife) stars. The Collection is set in a Paris fashion house just after WW2- a little bit Mr Selfridge, a little bit Dior New Look, with the war and its horrors always in the shadows. Let's hope that Gummer has all of the talents, but none of the talons of eagle-eyed fashion-bitch Miranda Priestly.
Poldark, BBC
4 September
Returning for a second season comes Cornish drama Poldark, based on and yet far greater than, the 1940s series of books. Will this season draw as many viewers as the 9.5 million who watched Season 1's finale? Star Aidan Turner has been the subject of much debate about the practicalities of going shirtless with a pitchfork. If you ask us, he's our favourite from the rumour mill about who will play the new James Bond- he's less craggy than Craig, after all.
Westworld, HBO
October
A real romp featuring robot cowboys in the badlands, by the writer of Jurassic Park. Thandie Newton and Anthony Hopkins are in the cast, proving that series really are trumping films for the best actors and plots. The pilot's been directed by Jonathon Nolan, younger brother of Christopher, and, outrageous headline alert, there have already been heavy hints that actors might be involved in graphic sexual scenes.
Victoria, ITV
28 August
Watchable Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who) stars as a young Victoria alongside Rufus Sewell in this sumptuous ITV 8-part series by Daisy Goodwin. The trailer mixes high drama, beautiful costume and a throbbing pop anthem that, for all our cynicism, makes us root for the diminutive young Vic as she ascends the throne and courts a young Albert. The first episode was filled with promise, but whilst ITV searches for its Downton moment, there's another queen competing for our attention...
The Crown, Netflix
4 November
Can Victoria compete with Netflix's most expensive drama ever (costing upwards of £100 million to date)- a biopic of Elizabeth II featuring British acting favourites, including Matt Smith, crowns and corgis? Peter Morgan created the 6-season series and we're in good hands- he was also the writer behind The Queen. This time, Claire Foy is our monarch, following the famous footsteps of Helen Mirren in the 2006 film. Season 1 charts a young Elizabeth's relationship with Sir Winston Churchill and some oversized headgear. The Royal Family are reportedly 'nervous' about the upcoming drama. One's rather excited.
Gilmore Girls
25 November
A highly anticipated revival of the noughties show about a single mother and her daughter in small-town Connecticut which is full of affectionate wisecracks and crackpot characters. The previous seven seasons are available on Netflix and people are rewatching in their droves before four new episodes are realised over the coming year- and not only because the characters talk so fast it's impossible to catch all their clever culture references first time around. The first episode airs on November 25th. Call your Mum.
Amanda Knox, Netflix
Autumn
Four new documentaries will be released by Netflix for the upcoming Toronto Film Festival. The highlight will tell the story of Amanda Knox. A tricky subject: the woman who was convicted and subsequently acquitted of the murder of her roommate, Meredith. Gripping, raw and still very fresh, considering she was only aquitted earlier this year and the murder was in 2007. In a story where Knox spent four years in an Italian prison and all over the papers, don't expect any easy answers.
The Witness for the Prosecution
December
Last year's BBC hit, And Then There Were None
Following the success of their murder mystery And Then There Were None last year, the BBC is continuing the tradition of 'a Christie for Christmas' (better title than 'a murder for Christmas') with this exciting two-part adaptation of The Witness for the Prosecution, Agatha Christie's short story, a courtroom drama where a wife testifies on her husband's trial after the murder of a wealthy woman. The great cast includes Kim Cattrall, Toby Jones and Andrea Riseborough. And you thought your Christmas family feud was big...
