Are you on the lookout for a new mind-bending watch that might make you need to sit for a moment and contemplate life afterwards? Well, if like us, you've worked your way through most on offer, we've looked forward to the future and found a selection of beyond-brilliant psychological thrillers you won’t want to miss.
From Stephen Graham at his best, playing a cunning serial killer, and Ruth Jones’ rollercoaster psychological thriller to a drama about a radio show presenter turned hostage mediator – there’s so much television gold coming our way. So, get ready to take note, here are the 7 best shows coming soon to ITV, Netflix, the BBC and more.
Nocturne
The upcoming 10-part series Nocturne is based on the bestselling novels Lazarus and The Sandman by Lars Kepler, and we are taken to a quiet town in Western Philadelphia where we meet Jonah Lynn (Liev Schreiber), a former soldier turned homicide detective. After a long slog working the tough streets of Pennsylvania, he’s hoping to enjoy a quiet life – that is until Jurek Walter (Stephen Graham), a wily serial killer, decides to target Jonah, his family and the entire community. Nocturne will premiere on Apple TV on Friday 30 October.
The Truthers
After the sudden death of her mother, Ruth (Stéphanie Magnin) must return home to her family. But it’s not the comforting reunion you might envision – the 30-year-old has been estranged from her family for some time, and her father Martín (Jose Coronado), is acting very strangely – since retiring, he’s become aggressive and obsessed with a sinister conspiracy theory. The tension is almost unbearable, and the more time Ruth spends with him – the more she begins to suspect that her own father might be guilty of killing her mother… The Truthers is coming to Netflix on Friday 24 July.
The Rapture
Based on Liz Jensen's bestselling 2009 novel of the same name, this new series starring Ruth Jones and Ruth Madeley, introduces us to Gabrielle ‘Gabs’ Fox (Madeley), a new paraplegic who’s recovering from a car crash. When she starts working in a high-security centre for juvenile patients as a forensic psychologist, she meets Bethany, a 17-year-old who’s been incarcerated for killing her mother – and she also claims to have psychic powers. Bethany’s convinced she’s innocent, while her estranged father, Leonard (Sam Hazeldine), is the leader of a large religious movement. But is Bethany telling the truth? And who did kill her mother? The Rapture is coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 9pm on Sunday 26 July.
The Only Suspect
Based on the eponymous novel by Louise Candlish, the drama kicks off with Kevin McKidd (playing a man called Alex) frantically burying a body during a raging storm. Fast-forward 30 years, and he’s living the suburban dream with his wife, Beth. However, the secret he’s frantically tried to keep buried (quite literally) could be about to come out. Beth is spearheading a neighbourhood project to convert the disused rail track behind the couple’s street into a nature trail. But what lengths will the husband go to conceal his murky past? And, why was he burying a body? The Only Suspect is coming to ITV and ITVX soon.
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The Secret Woman
Introducing Louise Andersen (Natalie Madueño), a woman living an idyllic life running a café on the Norwegian island of Hidra with her partner, Joachim (Sverre Hagen). That is until one summer’s day, a stranger comes into her work to drop a bombshell – he claims that she’s not who she thinks she is, and that she’s Helene Söderberg, a woman who disappeared from Denmark three years earlier. Based on Anna Ekberg’s novel of the same name, The Secret Woman, Louise (or Helene) must grapple with the three-year time-blank as she tries to piece together what unfolded to her, and why she left her marriage, young son and wealth. The Secret Woman will premiere on Netflix on Friday 28 August.
Black Mirror
Sometimes it can feel like we’re living in a dystopian horror and Black Mirror is a series that makes sure we don’t forget it… The seminal show first aired on Channel 4 in 2011, and then moved over to Netflix for five further series. Rather than following a chronological pattern, standalone episodes tell mind-bending tales that tap into the collective unease of our technology obsessed modern world. Here’s a quick whistle top tour through some of the mind-boggling drama. In series 1’s 15 Million Merits, competitors must try and escape their confined lives of physical drudgery by performing in a talent show, in series 4’s Hang the DJ, a dating app puts an expiration date on all relationships, and in the latest series’ Common People, a husband signs up to a subscription service to keep his wife alive. The show’s writer Charlie Brooker confirmed series 8 will come to Netflix – but most information is still under wraps. As we wait for Black Mirror Series 8, you can catch up on the latest series on Netflix now.
American Hostage
Jon Hamm’s upcoming series is based on a podcast of the same name, American Hostage, and will take us back to the 1970s. The thriller is based on the true story of Fred Heckman, a popular Indianapolis radio reporter who was thrust into a life-or-death situation when Tony Kiritsis, a hostage-taker, demanded to be interviewed on his radio news show. American Hostage is coming to MGM+ via Prime Video this autumn.
