The 75 best new and returning TV shows in 2023: The Last of Us, Sex Education, The Rig and Gladiators

We can guarantee you that 2023 is going to be a phenomenal year for TV, because we already have a list of 75 new and returning TV shows that deserve to go straight on your must-watch list.

There's something for everyone with new series such as HBO’s epic and terrifying The Last of Us in January and the BBC’s moving drama Best Interests. Alongside returning favourites such as Netflix’s You and Sex Education, and on Prime Video, the return of Clarkson’s Farm.

Feast your eyes on the bumper selection of upcoming shows on your favourite streaming services and channels - and they're all available on BT TV.

• Top TV shows on Netflix in 2023
• Top TV shows on NOW in 2023
  
• Top TV shows on Prime Video in 2023
• Top TV shows on BBC in 2023
• Top TV shows on ITV and ITVX in 2023

Netflix

1. Sex Education season 4

Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa, Aimee-Lou Wood, Emma Mackey, Connor Swindells, Kedar Williams-Stirling and Mimi Keene will all return in 2023 for more outrageous antics and coming-of-age drama.

It is expected to be the last season of the acclaimed teen drama (*sobs*), but it will have the added bonus of Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy joining the cast as Thomas Molloy, Maeve’s new Ivy League tutor.

2. Lockwood & Co

Nobody does teen dramas quite like Netflix and this Young Adult supernatural series from Joe Cornish (Attack the Block) looks like it could be one of their best.

Set in a London where teenage ghost hunters battle deadly spirits, Lockwood and Co focuses on a gifted trio who must unravel a mystery that will change the course of history.

Watch Lockwood & Co now on Netflix.

3. You season 4

Everyone’s favourite sinister and obsessive serial killer Joe Goldberg is coming to Europe for season 4 after his life went up in flames last season.

Penn Badgley will be joined by Charlotte Ritchie (Fresh Meat, Feel Good), Adam James (Vigil) and Ed Speelers (Downton Abbey), as Joe becomes a reluctant detective in London when he discovers that he may not be the only killer in town.

Watch You season 4 part 1 on Netflix from February 10.

4. Obsession

Based on Josephine Hart’s hit erotic novella Damage, this series - which has been re-named Obession - about forbidden desire centres on an intense and scandalous affair between Anna Barton and her fiancé’s father William.

Richard Armitage (The Stranger) will play William, Charlie Murphy (Peaky Blinders) plays Anna and the cast will also include Rish Shah, Indira Varma and Pippe Bennett-Warner.

5. Bodies

High concept crime drama Bodies is based on a 2015 graphic novel by Si Spencer and follows four different detectives trying to solve the same crime in different time periods – the 1890s, the 1940s, 2010s and a post-apocalyptic 2050.

The cast includes Shira Haas (Unorthodox), Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (The Queen’s Gambit), Amaka Okafor (The Sandman) and Stephen Graham (The Irishman). Anything with Graham automatically becomes a must-watch, so we have high expectations.

6. Cheat

An unusual detour from Netflix into the world of quiz shows, which will be hosted by Strictly Come Dancing contestant Ellie Taylor and EastEnders geezer Danny Dyer.

Cheat is a high-stakes quiz, which gives contestants the chance to win £50,000 through general knowledge questions. But the twist is that you can still win if you don’t know the answer – this is the one quiz show where it pays to cheat!

Watch Cheat on Netflix from 1 March

7. Heartstopper season 2

The coming-of-age drama about teenagers Charlie and Nick became a global phenomenon in 2022 and two more seasons have already been confirmed by Netflix.

Based on Alice Oseman’s graphic novels, season 2 will be released in 2023 and there is unlikely to be a show with more fevered anticipation from its passionate fanbase.

8. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

A prequel to Netflix’s steamy period drama Bridgerton, this series zooms in on Queen Charlotte’s rise to prominence and power and the love story between the Queen and King George.

Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte) and India Amarteifio (Young Queen Charlotte) share the title role.

9. Top Boy season 3

The final part of Dushane and Sully’s journey from Summerhouse to worldwide drug gang is one of the most highly-anticipated returning series in 2023.

“For those that have followed the journey from the start, you will know how much this show means to everyone on our team and we wholeheartedly know how much it means to you,” said Top Boy stars Ashley Walters and Kane Robinson.

“Every story must have an ending and so season three will be our finale. A chance to come full circle and end the journey in the right way.”

10. The Crown season 6

Netflix’s award-winnning smash hit is expected to bow out in late 2023 with one final run from Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II.

The final series is expected to cover Princess Diana’s death, Tony Blair’s relationship with the Queen, the death of the Queen Mother, 9/11 and the Golden Jubilee in 2002 – so there’s no shortage of intriguing storylines.

All you need to know about The Crown season 6

11. The Witcher season 3

Henry Cavill will bow out as Geralt of Rivia with a third season of The Witcher, before being replaced by Liam Hemsworth in season 4.

But before the casting changes, fans can expect more battles and beasts as Geralt takes Ciri of Cintra into hiding, determined to protect his newly-reunited family against those who threaten to destroy it.

12. Pamela, A Love Story

Pamela Anderson opted to keep her silence over 2021's Pam & Tommy series starring Lily James and Sebastian Stan, but in this Netflix documentary film, the Baywatch star will finally speak out over her traumatic experiences in the 90s.

First look at Pamela, A Love Story >

Watch Pamela: A Love Story now on Netflix 

13. At Home with the Furys

The heavyweight champion Gypsy King and mental health advocate invites the Netflix cameras into his family home for a multi-part fly-on-the-wall series.

The series originally planned to explore Fury’s return to family life after retiring from boxing, but the fighter has backtracked on those plans, so the series will feature a few significant twists.

14. David Beckham documentary series

Netflix promised that this documentary series would take us behind Beckham’s stardom and explore his beginnings in East London with never seen before archive footage and interviews with friends and family.

It will be intriguing to see if the documentary picks up on criticism thrown at the former England football captain in 2022 over his involvement with the Qatar World Cup.

15. Robbie Williams documentary series

British pop superstar Robbie Williams is the latest musician to give Netflix's cameras intimate access to his life as he looks back at his incredible career for a documentary series.

It promises to be a candid, covering Robbie’s struggles to handle adulation and addiction, professional and personal break-ups, reunions, recovery, and the impact they have all had on his mental health.

16. Our Planet II

David Attenborough and the Emmy-Award winning crew from Silverback Films return for a second season of breathtaking footage around planet Eath.

Our Planet II promises to unravel the mysteries of how and why animals migrate to reveal some of the most dramatic and compelling stories in the natural world.

17. Squid Game: The Challenge

The global phenomenon becomes real life as Netflix take the high-stakes gameshow at the centre of their drama series and build it.

It will have the largest cast and lump sum cash prize in reality TV history with 456 players competing for $4.56 million. But quite how the reality series will match the dramatic peril of the original Korean series remains to be seen.

18. Kaleidoscope

Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito and Rufus Sewell star in the format-breaking drama series Kaleidoscope, which breaks traditional TV rules by having no episode order.

Netflix are encouraging viewers to watch the different episodes of this heist crime drama in any order they choose – they won’t be numbered – meaning viewers will have a different journey depending on the order they watch the episodes.

Watch Kaleidoscope now on Netflix.

19. White Stork

This one has been in development for a while, but with Tom Hiddleston lined up to play the lead role, this political drama will be worth the wait.

Hiddleston will play James Cooper, an ambitious British politician running for parliament, who has secrets in his past that could destroy is campaign.

20. Break Point

From the team behind F1: Drive to Survive, Break Point follows a select group of top tennis players on and off the court as they compete in gruelling Grand Slams and tournaments all over the world.

Break Point gets up close and personal with these players over a year competing across the globe in the ATP and WTA tours. From career-threatening injuries and emotional heartbreak, to triumphant victories and personal moments off the court, viewers will get a behind the scenes look at the pressure-tested lives of some of the best tennis players in the world.

Watch Break Point now on Netflix.

NOW

21. The Last of Us

Computer game adaptations have a mixed success rate, but expectations are sky high for HBO’s telling of the Naughty Dog post-apocalyptic survival story The Last of Us.

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will play Joel and Ellie, the two heroes heading out on a brutal and heartbreaking journey across the US.

Stream The Last of Us weekly on Sky Atlantic with NOW.

22. M. Son of the Century

BAFTA-winning director Joe Wright (Darkest Hour, Atonement, Cyrano) will  direct M. Son of the Century, a series based on the Premio Strega-winning and international bestselling book by Antonio Scurati, which chronicles the birth of fascism in Italy and the Duce Benito Mussolini’s rise to power.

23. A Town Called Malice

Described as “if Dallas made love to Pulp Fiction to the sounds of Duran Duran”, this 80s-set crime thriller and family saga will star Jason Flemyng (Save Me), Jack Rowan (Born to Kill), Tahirah Sharif (The Haunting of Bly Manor), Martha Plimpton (The Good Wife) and Dougray Scott (Mission: Impossible 2).

A high-octane, neon Western and a musical love letter to the ’80s – A Town Called Malice is bursting with romance, obsession, violence, deceit, and swagger.

Stream A Town Called Malice on Sky Max with NOW in 2023.

24. Funny Woman

Gemma Arterton plays Barbara Parker in this Nick Hornby adaptation about a young woman from Blackpool finding her voice in the world of showbiz in the 1960s.

Her journey from Blackpool beauty queen to comedy superstar and nation’s sweetheart is set during the cultural explosion of the swinging 60s.

Stream Funny Woman on Sky Max with NOW from 9 February.

25. Romantic Getaway

Romesh Ranganathan and Katherine Ryan play an ordinary couple who find themselves caught up in a high-octane adventure after they steal £500k from their dodgy boss.

The couple’s plans quickly unravel and they find themselves caught up in the criminal underworld of… Reading.

Stream Romantic Getaway on Sky Comedy with NOW.

First look at Romantic Getaway

26. Django

Loosely based on the Sergio Corbucci feature film Django, the highly-anticipated, prestigious English-language series stars is set in the Wild West in the 1860s and 1870s.

Award-winning actor Matthias Schoenaerts is in the title role, with Noomi Rapace, Nicholas Pinnock and Lisa Vicari also set to star.

Watch Django on Sky Atlantic with NOW in 2023.

27. The Lovers

The series follows Janet (Roisin Gallagher), a foul-mouthed, hilarious, Belfast supermarket worker who couldn’t give a s**t about anything much at all, including her life.

Seamus (Johnny Flynn) a handsome, self-centred, political broadcaster with what looks to be a perfect London life and a celebrity girlfriend.

So when Seamus unexpectedly drops into Janet’s world they instantly clash – and yet also find themselves inextricably drawn to each other…

Stream The Lovers on Sky Atlantic with NOW in 2023.

28. Then You Run

Adapted by Ben Chanan (The Capture), Then You Run follows a close-knit group of rebellious London teenagers on a getaway in Rotterdam.

When the estranged father of Tara (Leah McNamara) is discovered dead, they find themselves on the run across Europe with three kilos of heroin and a host of deadly criminals snapping at their heels.

Stream Then You Run on Sky Max with NOW in 2023.

29. The Idol

From the minds of Sam Levinson and The Weeknd, and starring Lily-Rose Depp; The Idol is set against the backdrop of the music industry and will focus on a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult who enters into a complicated relationship with a rising pop idol.

If you’re not already excited, check out the dark and twisted teaser trailer, above.

Stream The Idol on Sky Atlantic with NOW in 2023.

30. Succession season 4

Probably the most anticipated TV return in 2022 by quite a large margin, will see the return of TV’s greatest foul-mouth Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and his four children as the battle for the future of media conglomerate Waystar Royco gets even more intense.

Who will triumph in the seismic power struggle? We can’t wait to find out.

Stream Succession season 4 on Sky Atlantic with NOW from 27 March.

Everything you need to know about Succession

31. Dreamland

Lily Allen and Freeman Agyeman lead the cast of this seaside comedy, which was inspired by Sharon Horgan’s 2018 award-winning short film of the same name.

Dreamland is a multi-generational comedy about a dysfunctional family, set in Margate.

Stream Dreamland on Sky Comedy with NOW in 2023.

32. The Diplomat

From World Productions (Line of Duty, Vigil) comes The Diplomat, a six-part thriller starring Sophie Rundle (Peaky Blinders).

The Diplomat follows Laura Simmonds (Rundle) and her Barcelona Consul colleague Alba Ortiz (Serena Manteghi) as they fight to protect British nationals who find themselves in trouble there.

Stream The Diplomat on Alibi with NOW in 2023.

Amazon Prime Video

33. The Rig

Martin ‘Line of Duty’ Compston, Iain ‘Game of Thrones’ Glen and Emily ‘Schitt's Creek’ Hampshire are among the star-filled cast of this North Sea oil rig thriller.

Blending the supernatural with high intensity and claustrophobic drama, this series is a must-watch in January.

Watch The Rig season 1 on Prime Video.

Exclusive: The Rig cast interview

34. Good Omens season 2

Good Omens fans had to wait 30 years for the classic Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman novel to be turned into a TV series, but they won’t have to wait anywhere near that long for season 2.

Good Omens season 2, which will take the TV show beyond the source material, will reunite Michael Sheen and David Tennant on screen as the unforgettable Aziraphale and Crowley.

35. Clarkson’s Farm season 2

Clarkson, Kaleb, Gerald, and ‘Cheerful’ Charlie have all been busy on Diddly Squat Farm cooking up a second season of Prime Video’s smash hit.

The “love letter to farming” became a surprise phenomenon in 2021 and fans are eager for more farming adventures from Clarkson, who surprisingly made agriculture addictive viewing.

Watch Clarkson’s Farm season 2 from 10 February.

All you need to know about Clarkson's Farm season 2 >

36. Fake Sheikh

A three-part documentary series about the controversial and maverick reporter Mazher Mahmood, whose exposés generated headlines by his use of false identities to ensnare royals, sports stars, politicians, celebrities and members of the public.

The series will cover his rise through the ranks to winning Reporter of the Year at the British Press Awards to his downfall and imprisonment. It will also give a voice to those who were stung by his well know tabloid stories.

37. The Grand Tour season 5 special

Clarkson, Hammond and May will be back on the road in 2023 with a new adventure across Eastern Europe.

Travelling from Poland to Slovenia, the season 5 special is expected to have an emotional story as the trio were spotted filming at a prisoner of war camp.

All you need to know about The Grand Tour special

38. Fifteen Love

A story about trust, power and obsession, set in the world of elite tennis, Fifteen Love follows the story of an young tennis prodigy (Ella Lily Hyland) and her maverick coach (Aidan Turner).

Anna Chancellor (The Crown), Jessica Darrow (Encanto), Tom Varey (Ridley Road) and Steffan Rhodri (House of the Dragon) are also in the cast of this bold and original story, from the makers of Line of Duty.

39. KSI: In Real Life

YouTube superstar KSI and BAFTA-winning documentary maker Louis Theroux have collaborated on this series about KSI, aka Olajide Olatunji, and his rise to fame.

One of the most influential stars of his generation, the documentary will explore how a tenacious 13-year-old amassed a global following online through gaming, sport and music.

40. The Marvelous Mrs Maisel season 5

It’s going to be emotional, but we can’t wait for the fifth and final season of the comedy series about Jewish stand-up Midge Maisel.

We’re expecting tears, joy and more glorious outfits from Rachel Brosnanhan, as Midge gets ready to take her final bow. After various romantic entanglements in the first four seasons, fingers crossed for a happy ending this time around.

41. The Power

The Power has been top of everyone’s reading list – including Barack Obama’s – since it was published in 2016, and now the science fiction tale is coming to TV with an international cast.

British author Naomi Alderman’s bestselling novel is about a huge global power shift that sees women able to electrocute people with a touch of their fingertips.

The impressive cast includes Leslie Man, Auli’l Cravalho, John Leguizamo, Rob Delaney, Alice Eve and Eddie Marsan.

Watch The Power from 31 March on Prime Video.

42. Wilderness

A dark twisted psychological thriller starring Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who, The Sandman) and Oliver Jackson-Cohen (The Haunting of Hill House), which is being compared to Gone Girl and Behind Her Eyes – sign us up please.

Based on the novel of the same name, we’re pretty pumped for twisted love story Wilderness.

43. The Wheel of Time season 2

If you’re longing for the return of Rings of Power or House of the Dragon, the return of Wheel of Time should fill an epic fantasy series shaped hole in your life.

Season 1 was Prime Video’s most watched original in 2021, so expectations are high for the return.

44. Hunters season 2

The provocative and highly-stylised drama series about a group of Nazi hunters in the 1970s returns for its final season and a new international mission for the central characters – find and kill Adolf Hitler (Udo Keir).

Logan Lerman, Lena Olin, Josh Radnor, Tiffany Boone, Carol Kane, Louis Ozawa, Kate Mulvany, Dylan Baker, Jerrika Hinton, and Greg Austin all return for season 2.

Watch Hunters season 2 now on Prime Video.

45. 007’s Road to a Million 

A high stakes gameshow where contestants get to live out their James Bond fantasies and compete for a £1million prize.

Filmed in many of the historic locations featured in the James Bond films, this cinematic format is described as “a true test of intelligence and endurance”.

46. Daisy Jones & The Six

Riley Keogh and Sam Clafin play the two leads in this 1970s musical drama about the ruse and fall of a renowned rock band.

Based on the best-selling novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, the series explores how an iconic band imploded at the peak of their powers after performing a sold-out show at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

Best book-to-TV adaptations >

47. Gen V

Not enough blood and guts for you in The Boys? The superhero spinoff series Gen V is here to fill that gap, taking us to a Supe college.

Described as Euphoria meets The Boys, expect plenty of bodily fluids, sex, violence and to be shocked.

48. Carnival Row season 2

After a long break, Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne reunite as Philo and Vignette in a final 10-episode season of this fantasy series.

With humans and fae folk divided and freedom on the line, each hero will face impossible dilemmas and soul-defining tests in the epic conclusion of Carnival Row.

Watch Carnival Row season 2 from 17 February on Prime Video.

49. Star Trek: Picard Season 3

Sir Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard bows out with a third and final season of Picard.

Amanda Plummer (The Fisher King) has also joined the cast in a recurring role as Vadic, the mysterious alien captain of the Shrike, a warship that has set its sights on Jean-Luc Picard and his old crewmates from his days on the Enterprise.

Watch Star Trek: Picard season 3 on 17 February on Prime Video.

50. Anansi Boys

Neil Gaiman has been plotting a TV adaptation of this book for a decade and with the help of Lenny Henry has finally turned it into a reality.

Malachi Kirby (Roots) and Whoopi Goldberg will lead the cast in the six-episode adaptation, which takes in an adventure across the UK,  Florida, the Caribbean, and the mythical World Before Time.

51. Mr and Mrs Smith

Yes, this is a TV series based on the same idea as the 2005 Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie movie.

Yes, it is going to star Donald Glover (Atlanta) and Maya Erskine (PEN15) as the titular couple. And yes, it will also star Michaela Cole (I May Destroy You).

So yes, you should be very excited about this.

52. Invincible season 2

Details about the highly-anticipated return for the animated adult superhero series are scarce, but we expect Mark Grayson to return to action at some point in 2023.

The Image Comics series celebrates its 20^th anniversary this year so it would be good timing for the subversive and transfixing series.

53. My Lady Jane

Dominic Cooper, Rob Brydon, Jim Broadbent and Emily Bader are among the star-studded cast for this fantastical comedic drama about an alternate history to Lady Jane Grey – the Queen of England for nine days in 1552.

The satirical series imagines a different rise and reign for Jane and is described by Prime Video as a “sharp-tongued, warm-hearted story full of romance, adventure and fantasy”.

BBC

54. Race Across the World season 3

There were obviously very many more serious impacts of the global pandemic, but that doesn’t stop us despairing at the long break we’ve had to endure for the return of British TV’s most heartwarming and joyous reality series Race Across the World.

Finally back for a third series in 2023, we can’t wait to see the latest bunch of contestants trekking across the globe.

55. This Town

Created by Steven ‘Peaky Blinders’ Knight, and starring Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) and Nicholas Pinnock (Marcella) this family drama is set in the Midlands in the early 80s with the backdrop of the exploding ska and two-tone music scene.

Set during the period of huge social unrest in the UK, This Town sounds unmissable.

56. Doctor Who 60th anniversary

It will be a bumper year for Doctor Who fans with David Tennant and Catherine Tate reuniting for three specials to mark the show's anniversary.

Tennant will play the 14th Doctor, before handing over the baton to newcomer Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education) at Christmas.

Gatwa's 15th Doctor will be joined by Coronation Street actress Millie Gibson, who will play new companion Ruby Sunday.

57. Survivor

Following on from the success of Claudia Winkleman’s The Traitors, one of the world’s most successful TV formats gets another long-awaited go in the UK.

Described as the ultimate physical and psychological gameshow, Survivor is a compelling test of brains, brawn and betrayal.

20 people, carefully selected from across the UK will be marooned in a tropical location. They will be divided into two tribes and go head-to-head in a series of challenges filled with drama, tension and action.

58. A Good Girls Guide To Murder

An adaptation of Holly Jackson's New York Times bestselling novel, this compulsive teen crime thriller is coming to BBC Three and iPlayer in 2023.

Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. Case closed. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it. But Pippa Fitz-Amobi - our insatiably smart, slightly square heroine - isn't so sure and she’s determined to prove it.

59. Queen of Oz

Catherine Tate returns to the BBC for a royal comedy, where she plays Princess Georgiana, the black sheep of a fictional British Royal Family

A PR disaster, she’s spent her spoilt, party-girl life plastered over the tabloids. On the back of her latest scandal her father, the King, makes the unprecedented move of abdicating his Australian throne in favour of his daughter.

Accompanied by a useless entourage, Queen Georgiana of Australia goes kicking and screaming to a country she has zero interest in beyond the Hemsworth Brothers.

60. Gladiators

Awooga! In the most surprising TV comeback of the year, Gladiators is returning to Saturday nights in 2023.

It will have a new home on BBC One, but you can expect the usual mix of muscle-filled silliness as contestants show off their speed and strength and take on The Eliminator to win prizes.

61. Undoing Martin Parker

Conleth Hill (Game of Thrones) plays Martin Parker – an electric store impresario in the 90s, who appears to have it all, but is keeping one big secret. He’s swimming in debt and his private life is a mess.

This comedy series follows Martin’s downfall at the hands of everyone he’s screwed over and the cast includes Sian Gibson, George Costigan and Sheila Reid.

62. Starstruck season 3

Rose Matafeo’s feel-good romantic comedy Starstruck will return in 2023 for a joyous third series.

If you haven’t already watched the story of an East London millennial who becomes romantically involved with a Hollywood film star (Nikesh Patel) after a one-night stand, now would be the perfect time to catch up on the first two seasons on iPlayer.

63. The Woman In The Wall

A sensitively crafted new drama examining the legacy of one of Ireland’s most shocking scandals – the inhumane institutions known as The Magdalene Laundries.

A gothic thriller starring Ruth Wilson (Luther) and Daryl McCormack (Good Luck to You, Leo Grande).

64. Champion

Champion is the first TV project for Candice Carty-Williams, author of Sunday Times bestselling novel Queenie, and the new hit novel People Person.

The show tells the explosive story of what happens when fame collides with family.

Rap sensation Bosco Champion is home from prison, and ready to dominate the music industry once more.

But when his dutiful younger sister Vita’s own talent is discovered by Bosco’s rival, Bulla, she steps out of her brother's shadow to become a performer in her own right, setting the Champion siblings against one another and tearing apart the whole family in the process.

65. Beyond Paradise

Death in Paradise continues to remain loved by millions worldwide and the sunny detective series gets its first spinoff in 2023, bringing back Kris Marshall as DI Humphrey Goodman

Humphrey and Martha (Sally Bretton) have relocated to the British countryside, where they expect a quiet life, but quickly find themselves solving a weekly murder case. What are the chances?

66. Ten Pound Poms

Danny Brocklehurst (Brassic) has assembled a brilliant cast including Michelle Keegan (Our Girl), Faye Marsay (Game of Thrones) and Warren Brown (Luther) for a drama about a group of Brits who leave post-war Britain for a better life on the other side of the world.

The series will follow the adventurers who are promised a better life and sunshine in Australia, but soon discover life is a challenge as an immigrant.

67. The Following Events Are Based On A Pack Of Lies

This is the story of two very different women (Alice Newman and Cheryl Harker) and the conman (Dr Rob Chance) they have in common; a dark, funny, and unpredictable thriller about three remarkable characters trapped in a tangled triangle of complexly layered half-truths and lies of epic proportions.

Marianne Jean-Baptiste (In Fabric), Alistair Petrie (Sex Education) and Rebekah Staton (Raised by Wolves) lead the cast as Cheryl, Rob and Alice respectively.

68. The Gold

On the 26 November 1983, six armed men broke into the Brink’s-Mat security depot near London’s Heathrow Airport, and inadvertently stumbled across gold bullion worth £26m.

What started as 'a typical Old Kent Road armed robbery' according to detectives at the time, became a seminal event in British criminal history.

Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) leads the cast in the gripping new real-life drama.

69. Best Interests

Written by Jack Thorne (Enola Holmes, The Swimmers, The Virtues), Best Interests is one of the most highly anticipated series in 2023.

A story of a family driven apart by having to make choices no parent would ever want to make. Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe, Together) and Michael Sheen (Good Omens, Quiz) play married couple Nicci and Andrew, and they have two daughters: Katie and Marnie.

Marnie has a life-threatening condition. The doctors believe it is in her best interests to be allowed to die, but her loving family disagree.

And so begins a fight that will take them through every stage of a legal process, as they struggle to contemplate this huge decision. Who decides? And in whose best interests will it be?

70. Better

Set and shot entirely in Leeds, Better explores the complex and powerful bonds of loyalty and family.

Examining the power of human conscience, we follow DI Lou Slack’s (Leila Farzad) epic battle towards redemption, by bringing down Col McHugh (Andrew Buchan); the man she has come to love like a brother and the man she has helped place at the head of Leeds criminal underworld.

ITV and ITVX

71. Unforgotten

While Line of Duty season 6 grabbed most of the headlines in 2021, over on ITV, cold case drama Unforgotten was stealing the show.

Writer Chris Lang has crafted a classic crime drama and the shock demise of Cassie Stuart (Nicola Walker) means that season 5 will have a new-look as BAFTA-winner Sinead Keenan plays the new detective joining Sanjeev Bhaskar’s Sunny Khan.

All you need to know about Unforgotten season 5

72. Nolly

After the phenomenal success of It’s A Sin and ahead of his highly-anticipated return to Doctor Who, Russell T Davies looks set to continue his hot streak with Nolly - a drama about the inimitable Noele Gordon – starring Helena Bonham Carter in the title role.

Forty years after Gordon’s shock sacking from ITV's Crossroads, the network and Davies are lifting the lid on the events surrounding her fall from grace.

The series will explain how the establishment “betrayed” the TV legend and Queen of the Midlands and the real reasons she was axed.

73. Stonehouse

Succession star Matthew Macfadyen will return to UK TV in 2023 in new ITV drama Stonehouse – the true story of disgraced Labour minister John Stonehouse.

Macfadyen will be joined in the series by his real-life wife Keeley Hawes, who will play Stonehouse’s wife Barbara.

The incredible events of the 1970s have been dramatised by John Preston (A Very English Scandal) and BAFTA-nominated director Jon S. Baird (Stan & Ollie, Vinyl, Filth).

Watch Stonehouse now on ITVX.

74. Maternal

Parminder Nagra (DI Ray, Blacklist), Lara Pulver (The Split, The Alienist) and Lisa McGrillis (King Gary, Mum) star in this six-part drama about three female doctors returning to the post-pandemic frontline after maternity leave.

The series will explore the workload of motherhood and an overstretched NHS – and the people who hold everything together.

Watch Maternal now on ITVX.

75. The Masked Singer

Take it off! Take it off! We've got to be allowed at least one guilty pleasure in 2023 and the return of The Masked Singer fills that slot nicely.

What better way to bring in the New Year than arguing with friends and family about which celeb is dressed up as a singing jacket potato.

Watch The Masked Singer on Saturdays on ITV and ITVX.