What to watch on TV this week Our pick of the best television shows The Long Song, BBC1 Novel’s TV adaptation stars Tamara Lawrance who combines fiery spirit and heart-wrenching pathos in the role of July Monday, 17 December, 2018 Passions, Sky Arts: a survey on the life and afterlife of Judy Garland The programme finds some rewarding interviewees, and some glamorous backdrops against which to set them Monday, 17 December, 2018 The Innocent Man, Netflix — devastating true-crime series for those unsated by Making a Murderer Six-part documentary series, adapted from a John Grisham book, probes two Oklahoma cases whose ripples were far-reaching Monday, 17 December, 2018 Daredevils and Divas, BBC4 — wonder, sequins and shouty men in top hats Documentary celebrating circus arts stresses recent developments in the form Monday, 17 December, 2018 Kipling’s dark side emerges in Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle on Netflix Despite a clunky script and distracting visuals, there are fascinating questions at the heart of this Jungle Book adaptation Monday, 17 December, 2018 Love, BBC2 — a Dickensian Christmas tale without the optimism Families struggle in the limbo of temporary accommodation in Alexander Zeldin’s moving play Monday, 17 December, 2018 More from this Series Secrets of British Animation, BBC4 — an eccentric world of painstaking creations The stories behind Gromit, Roobarb, Morph and the movie that was secretly funded by the CIA Monday, 17 December, 2018 Gun No 6, BBC2 — a biography of UK’s most deadly weapon Documentary that draws on reformed gang members to explore how it feels to shoot and be shot Monday, 17 December, 2018 The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Amazon Prime — a second helping of pastiche screwball comedy Rachel Brosnahan is effervescent as a 1950s New York housewife working her way up the stand-up circuit Monday, 17 December, 2018 Jim Carrey is horribly watchable as a children’s TV star in Kidding The Showtime/Sky Atlantic series queasily combines a tot-show aesthetic and decidedly dark adult humour Monday, 17 December, 2018 Lemn Sissay’s Superkids — can poetry help troubled minds? The poet puts a group of young people in care through intensive writing therapy Monday, 17 December, 2018 Truth is stranger than fiction in BBC’s Mrs Wilson Ruth Wilson stars in a dramatisation of her grandparents’ story of secrecy and the corrosive effect of lying Monday, 17 December, 2018 Trans Kids: It’s Time to Talk, Channel 4 — a step in the right direction Compassion meets controversy in Stella O’Malley’s documentary Monday, 17 December, 2018 My Brilliant Friend, Sky Atlantic — looks and feels wonderfully authentic HBO’s eight-part adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s novels charts the changing role of women over the decades Monday, 17 December, 2018 The Kominsky Method, Netflix — Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin excel in a comedy of ageing Sitcom about the travails of an acting coach and his grouchy agent has earthy humour and a host of star cameos Monday, 17 December, 2018 The Little Drummer Girl — Florence Pugh in beigey 1970s John le Carré Acting, lying and spying seem moral equivalents in a BBC thriller that hopes to repeat the success of The Night Manager Monday, 17 December, 2018 The second series of Netflix’s ‘The Sinner’ has a sinister edge A 13-year-old boy confesses to committing double parricide in a motel — but then a woman claiming to be his mother turns up Monday, 17 December, 2018 Sean Penn keeps the story grounded in Mars drama The First The Channel 4/Hulu series delivers sumptuous visuals, stirring music, thousand-yard stares — and an emotional punch too Monday, 17 December, 2018 Julia Roberts sparkles in Amazon Prime’s Homecoming The stylish 10-part amnesia thriller has been adapted from a hit podcast Monday, 17 December, 2018 House of Cards, post-Kevin Spacey — season six reviewed The final series acknowledges the behind-the-scenes drama in meta fashion Monday, 17 December, 2018 Doctor Who — a sex change, a new look and an alien invasion in Sheffield The BBC series’ first female lead Jodie Whittaker makes her much-anticipated debut Monday, 17 December, 2018 The Romanoffs, Amazon — vivid morality sketches from the creator of Mad Men Matthew Weiner’s eight-part series examines what it might feel like to have — or believe you have — imperial blood in your veins Monday, 17 December, 2018 A Dangerous Dynasty: House of Assad, BBC2 — a kaleidoscopic view of Syria’s recent history How did a mild-mannered eye doctor end up being responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands? Monday, 17 December, 2018 The Man in the High Castle, Amazon Prime — a beautifully detailed alternate history A head-scramble of a series depicts a rigorous world wherein the Axis powers won the war Monday, 17 December, 2018 Killing Eve, BBC1 — immensely stylish Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s new series puts a distinctive spin on the spy genre Monday, 17 December, 2018 Atlanta, BBC2 — frank and blisteringly surreal drama-comedy The plot is minimal, but this tale of the highs and lows of an aspiring rapper and his cousin/manager is mesmerising Monday, 17 December, 2018
