10 British TV shows we’re excited about in 2021

TV was something of a saviour when we were all stuck indoors last year, and — with coronavirus-related restrictions tightening across the globe yet again — it looks like we’re going to relying on it for a while longer yet.

Fortunately, just as the 2020 TV offering was a strong one, 2021 is already shaping up well too. 

British TV is no exception. From the joyous, deeply moving Channel 4 drama It’s a Sin to big returners like Sex Education, here are some of the shows we’re most looking forward to this year, and where you can watch them — with some of these so far ahead, we’ll add where you can watch in the U.S. as those details come to light. 

1. It’s a Sin (Jan. 22)

Written by Queer as Folk creator Russell T. Davies and directed by Peter Hoar, It’s a Sin follows five friends — Ritchie, Jill, Ash, Roscoe, and Colin — living together in London amid the AIDS epidemic in the ’80s. “Over 10 years, the characters grow up, fall in love, have sex, throw parties, get heartbroken, read the paper over breakfast together, get jobs and promotions, and generally just live their lives as bright, ambitious, young people,” writes Mashable’s Shannon Connellan in her review. “But as systemic homophobia runs relatively unchecked and state-sanctioned discrimination continues in the UK, the AIDS epidemic makes its way from the U.S. — without the necessary information or government and medical support to combat it, and with every last drop of social stigma attached.”

How to watch: Streaming weekly on Channel 4 and from Jan. 22.

2. Behind Her Eyes (early 2021)

Image: Josh Barratt/Netflix

With the ongoing adaptations of author Harlan Coben’s novels (Safe, The Stranger, The Five), Netflix has been leaning quite heavily into the world of British-set psychological thrillers of late. Behind Her Eyes, based on the Sarah Pinbrough novel of the same name, looks set to tread similar ground, telling the story of a single mother who becomes caught in a love triangle between her boss and his wife. Starring Eve Hewson, Tom Bateman, and Simona Brown, expect twists and turns aplenty in this six-episode series.

How to watch: Streaming on Netflix early 2021 (exact date TBC).

3. Bloodlands (early 2021)

Image: BBC/HTM Televison/Steffan Hill

When you hear the name Jed Mercurio in relation to a new TV show, you typically know to expect great things. The creator of Line of Duty and Bodyguard is executive producer on this new Northern Ireland-set crime drama, which follows a detective’s search for the mysterious figure behind a series of disappearances. James Nesbitt (star of shows like The Missing and no stranger to a bit of dark crime) takes the lead as veteran detective Tom Brannick.

How to watch: Streaming on BBC One (UK) and Acorn TV (U.S.) in early 2021 (exact date TBC).

4. Intergalactic (spring 2021)

A drama set in space? A group of prisoners seizing control of a ship in a bid for freedom? Sign. Us. Up. Julia Gearey’s new series, led by galactic pilot Ash Harper (Savannah Steyn) sounds like a really fun bit of escapism complete with a large cast of awesome British actors (there’s Bend It Like Beckham‘s Parminder Nagra, Peaky Blinders‘ Natasha O’Keefe, Poldark‘s Eleanor Tomlinson, and Sex Education/Rogue One: A Star Wars Story star Sharon Duncan-Brewster). We don’t know where this ship will end up, but we’ll certainly be hopping on board.

How to watch: Streaming on Sky and NOW TV spring 2021 (exact date TBC).

5. Frank of Ireland (late spring 2021)

Along with all the excellent dramas and crime thrillers coming out this year, we’re also going to need some light relief. Frank of Ireland, a production from Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford’s company Merman, could well tick that box. Written by and starring acting brothers Domhnall and Brian Gleeson, this six-episode series follows a 32-year-old musician who lives in Dublin with his mother.

How to watch: Streaming/airing on Channel 4 and Amazon Prime, date TBC.

6. Lady Parts (TBC)

More laughs, this time from Doctor Who director Nida Manzoor. Lady Parts started life as a 2018 comedy short for Channel 4 and it’s now been made into a six-party music comedy, following a PHD student who joins a Muslim female punk band. Anjana Vasan, who’s previously appeared in Spider-Man: Far From Home and Mogul Mowgli, takes the lead role.

How to watch: On Channel 4, date TBC.

7. ZeroZeroZero (TBC)

This one makes the list because it’s a Sky Studios production, but really it’s way more global than it is simply a British show. Filmed in six languages across three continents, ZeroZeroZero (based on Roberto Saviano’s novel of the same name) is an eight-episode thriller about the world of cartels and drug trafficking. The Death of Stalin‘s Andrea Riseborough stars alongside The Usual Suspects‘ Gabriel Byrne, and Gomorrah‘s Stefano Sollima and True Detective‘s Janus Metz are in the directors’ chairs.

How to watch: On Sky and NOW TV (date TBC)

8. Landscapers (TBC)

Image: Samir Hussein / WireImage

Two words: Olivia. Colman. At this stage we’d pretty much watch anything with her in, but it doesn’t hurt that Landscapers also sounds like an intriguing (if disturbing) concept. Based on the real-life Mansfield murders, the show tells the story of British couple Susan and Christopher Edwards, who murdered Susan’s parents in 1998 and buried their bodies in the garden. The show is based on real-life interviews and access to the couple, with Colman set to take the lead role as Susan. We don’t know too much else at this stage (and Christopher Edwards is still to be cast), but this will definitely be one to keep an eye on.

How to watch: On Sky and NOW TV (date TBC).

9. Domina (TBC)

Fans of Game of Thrones will want to keep an eye out for this Ancient Rome-set drama, which follows the rise of real-life Empress Livia (Kasia Smutniak) in the wake of Julius Caesar’s assassination. We’re anticipating plenty of political back-stabbing, double-crossing, and struggles for power in this eight-part historical drama from Fortitude‘s Simon Burke.

How to watch: On Sky and NOW TV (date TBC).

10. Sex Education, Season 3 (TBC)

Sex Education is the gift that keeps on giving. After a first season that brilliantly subverted teen sex comedy tropes and a second season that explored the intimate bonds of friendship while offering a powerful exploration of sexual assault, Laurie Nunn’s Wales-set dramedy is coming back for a third outing in 2021. Asa Butterfield, Ncuti Gatwa, and Emma Mackey will reprise their role as troubled teens Otis, Eric, and Maeve, while Gillian Anderson will be back as Otis’ mother Jean Milburn. We can’t wait. 

How to watch: Streaming on Netflix, date TBC.

Honourable Mention: Help (TBC)

Image: Steve Granitz/WireImage

Okay, so this one’s technically a TV movie rather than a show, but anything with this much talent involved simply had to make the list. Starring Killing Eve‘s Jodie Comer opposite This is England‘s Stephen Graham, Help — a story about a carer forming a bond with a patient during the coronavirus pandemic — is written by Jack Thorne (the writer behind Enola Holmes and His Dark Materials) and directed by Utopia‘s Marc Munden. Expect some poignant, gritty drama as well as the chance to hear Comer speaking in her authentic Liverpudlian accent.

How to watch: Streaming/airing on Channel 4 (date TBC).