Event’s on-demand fab 50! | Daily Mail Online

Period drama

1. Peaky Blinders 

Mobsters of the Midlands Brummie gangster epic following the spiky Shelbys as they rise up like an angry phoenix from the ashes of World War One to rule the mean streets of Small Heath in the Twenties. 

Amazon, Netflix, iTunes (three series, 18 episodes) 

Sarah Parish and Poppy Corby-Tuech in The Collection. Two brothers feud and fume as they strive to make their Paris fashion house a success in the days after WWII

2. Versailles 

Saucy series on the Sun King Shenanigans among the Machiavellian movers and shakers in the opulent court of King Louis XIV, where intrigue and rumpy pumpy rule. Amazon, Google Play (two series, 20 episodes) 

3. Halt And Catch Fire 

PC nerds gone mad Mad Men meets the microchip  in a gripping period drama set in the early days of the PC revolution, as freaks and geeks battle it out at the birth of an industry. 

Amazon (four series, 40 episodes) 

George Blagden and Alexander Vlahos in Versailles. Shenanigans among the Machiavellian movers and shakers in the opulent court of King Louis XIV

George Blagden and Alexander Vlahos in Versailles. Shenanigans among the Machiavellian movers and shakers in the opulent court of King Louis XIV

Cillian Murphy in Peaky Blinders. Brummie gangster epic following the spiky Shelbys as they rise up like an angry phoenix from the ashes of World War One

Cillian Murphy in Peaky Blinders. Brummie gangster epic following the spiky Shelbys as they rise up like an angry phoenix from the ashes of World War One

4. Vikings 

This show won’t get axed Blood-and-thunder historical drama about the rise to fame of legendary Norse hero Ragnar Lothbrook. Imagine Game Of Thrones without the dragons and you’re getting  close. 

Amazon (four series, 39 episodes – series five begins Nov 29) 

5. Mindhunter 

Murder most fascinating Cracking partnership between Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany as FBI agents delving into the psychology of murder at the dawn of criminal science in 1979. 

Netflix (one series, ten episodes) 

Stranger Things. Spielberg-style fun

Stranger Things. Spielberg-style fun

6. Stranger Things 

Spielberg-style fun Shot through with Eighties nostalgia, this supernatural adventure follows a group of boys in a small Indiana town as they set out to find a missing friend. 

Netflix (two series, 17 episodes) 

7. Outlander 

Tartan time-travel tale Sweeping romance aplenty as a WWII nurse finds herself magically transported back to 18thcentury Scotland, where she falls in love with a dashing Highlander. 

Amazon (three series, 37 episodes) 

8. The Collection 

Family fashion fable Two brothers feud and fume as they strive to make their Paris fashion house a success in the days after WWII. 

Amazon (one series, five episodes) 

9. Godless 

The really wild West When outlaw Jack O’Connell, on the run from his ex-boss, is offered refuge by Michelle ‘Downton’ Dockery’s gun-toting widow in a mysteriously matriarchal mining town, the scene is set for the mother of all battles in this Steven Soderbergh western.

Netflix from Nov 22 (1 series, 7 episodes) 

10. The Get Down 

It’s a rap The rise of hip-hop and disco in Seventies New York is seen through the eyes of a group of teenagers in this vibrant drama from Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann. 

Netflix (one series, 11 episodes) 

WHERE TO GET YOUR TV ON DEMAND

Netflix 

From £5.99 per month, netflix.com 

The US subscription service has more than 900 box sets to stream, plus movies. The Netflix app is available on connected TVs, Bluray players and games consoles, or you can use a set-top box or streaming stick (around £40). 

BBC iPlayer Free with the BBC licence fee, bbc.co.uk/iplayer 

New shows are available to stream for 30 days and you can download to watch offline. It’s available on Freesat, Sky, Virgin Media, YouView, Smart TVs or, as with Netflix, via a set-top box or streaming stick. 

Apple iTunes From 99p, itunes.com 

For back-catalogue movies, Apple’s service is close to unbeatable. It is, however, relatively expensive, and it’s hard to get iTunes to your TV without buying an Apple TV. 

Amazon Prime Video From £5.99 per month, amazon.co.uk 

Amazon’s service is similar to Netflix and is also available as part of a bundle with its Prime service (for £79 per year, including free shopping deliveries). Get it on your TV in the same ways as Netflix. 

Now TV From £6.99 per month, nowtv.com 

With Sky’s offshoot service you buy monthly ‘passes’ to watch Sky channels, with packages of sport, entertainment or movies. Access in the same way as for the services above, or buy a Now TV box (from £14.99).

 Crime 

11. Billions 

Crooks, cops and millionaires Swaggering, high-stakes Wall Street thriller starring Damian Lewis as a slippery hedgefund king pursued by no-mercy attorney Paul Giamatti. Brashly entertaining. 

Now TV, Amazon, Google Play, iTunes (two series, 24 episodes) 

12. Ray Donovan 

Hollywood’s fixer Smartly written gem of a character-driven crime show starring the superb Liev Schreiber as a professional fixer for the great and good in LA. Jon Voight is even better as Ray’s dad. 

Now TV, Amazon (five series, 60 episodes) 

Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul. This prequel to Breaking Bad is almost as good as the original award-winning show

Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul. This prequel to Breaking Bad is almost as good as the original award-winning show

13. Ozark 

A Missouri escape Jason Bateman plays financial adviser Marty, who moves his family to the Missouri Ozarks after his business partner cheats a Mexican drug cartel. Engrossing and unpredictable. 

Netflix (one series, ten episodes) 

14. Mr Robot 

Hackers gone crackers A young computer programmer finds that nothing is what it seems when he joins the anarchist hacking group run by the mysterious Mr Robot (Christian Slater). 

Amazon, Google Play, iTunes (three series, 22 episodes) 

15. Better Call Saul 

A real legal eagle Filling in the back story of  shyster lawyer Jimmy McGill, aka Saul Goodman, this prequel to Breaking Bad is almost as good as the original award-winning show. 

Netflix, Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Sky Store (three series, 30 episodes) 

Christian Slater in Mr Robot. A young computer programmer finds that nothing is what it seems when he joins the anarchist hacking group

Christian Slater in Mr Robot. A young computer programmer finds that nothing is what it seems when he joins the anarchist hacking group

16. Good Behavior 

Girl in a whirl Michelle Dockery plays the polar opposite of Lady Mary as a smart-ass alcoholic American bad girl in this fast-moving crime caper. 

Virgin, Amazon (two series, 20 episodes) 

17. Sneaky Pete 

Identity crisis A conman assumes the identity of his former cellmate, Pete, to escape a vicious gangster (Bryan Cranston). 

Amazon (one series, ten episodes) 

18. Locked Up 

Spain is the new America Spanish drama set in a women’s prison – think Orange Is The New Black only grittier and with far more thrills. Taut and nicely over the top. 

All4 (two series, 35 episodes) 

19. How To Get Away With Murder 

Making a killing Oscar-winner Viola Davis (Fences) headlines this edgy murder-mystery that flashes backwards and forwards to reveal the truth behind the death of the husband of a law professor. 

Amazon, Google Play, iTunes (three series, 45 episodes – series four airing in America, yet to arrive here) 

Good behaviour. Michelle Dockery plays the polar opposite of Lady Mary as a smart-ass alcoholic American bad girl in this fast-moving crime caper

Good behaviour. Michelle Dockery plays the polar opposite of Lady Mary as a smart-ass alcoholic American bad girl in this fast-moving crime caper

20. True Detective 

Two heads are better Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson excel as the cops hunting a serial killer in series one of this haunting drama. Series two has a new case and new detectives, including Colin Farrell. 

Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Sky Store (two series, 16 episodes) 

21. The Night Of 

It’d be a crime to miss this Magnificent noir procedural starring John Turturro as a rumpled attorney and Riz Ahmed as his client accused of murder. An instant classic. 

Now TV, Amazon, Google Play, iTunes (one series, eight episodes) 

22. Bosch  

Something about Harry Michael Connelly’s noir thriller bestsellers about maverick LA detective Harry Bosch adapt brilliantly into a tight police procedural packed with character. 

Amazon (three series, 30 episodes) 

23. Narcos 

You’ll be addicted Gritty drama retelling the rise and fall of Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, seen through his eyes and those of the DEA agents desperate to bring him down. 

Netflix (three series, 30 episodes)

 

 Sci-fi / Fantasy

24. Westworld 

Like a robot cowboy Provocative, intelligent sci-fi western set in a futuristic theme park staffed by robots who start to develop minds of their own. Complex and seductive. 

Now TV, Amazon, Google Play, iTunes (one series, ten episodes) 

25. Sense8 

I know what you’re feeling If you miss Heroes, try this ambitious, slightly mad fantasy about eight strangers who telepathically experience each other’s lives and are soon seen as a threat to world order. 

Netflix (two series, 23 episodes) 

Rufus Sewell and Luke Kleintank in The Man In The High Castle. Ridley Scott adapts Philip K Dick’s novel into a chilling drama

Rufus Sewell and Luke Kleintank in The Man In The High Castle. Ridley Scott adapts Philip K Dick’s novel into a chilling drama

26. Riverdale 

Underneath the Archies Hot teen mystery drama based on the Archie comics. Moody and with a nod to Twin Peaks, season two is currently being drip-fed. 

Netflix (one series, 13 episodes) 

27. The Walking Dead 

Run from the humans Andrew Lincoln’s former sheriff fights to survive in a post-apocalyptic world  where the flesh-hungry zombies that walk the Earth are often less dangerous than the ordinary humans he encounters. 

Amazon, Now TV (Eight series, 102 episodes) 

28. American Horror Story 

American gothic Haunted houses, witch covens, freak shows and insane asylums abound in this superbly creepy anthology show that tells a different Grand Guignol horror tale each series. 

Amazon, Google Play, iTunes (seven series, 82 episodes)  

29. The Man In Th e High Castle 

If Hitler won the war Ridley Scott adapts Philip K Dick’s novel into a chilling drama about a world in which the Allies lost WW2 and America is ruled by the Japanese and Nazi forces. 

Amazon (two series, 20 episodes)  

30. Daredevil 

Blind as a bat-man Brit Charlie Cox stars as the blind superhero out to defend New York’s Hell’s Kitchen in the first of Marvel Comic’s surprisingly grown-up Netflix shows. 

Netflix, Google Play, iTunes (two series, 26 episodes)  

31. Jessica Jones 

Comic with a little tragedy Krysten Ritter is excellent as the hard-drinking, super-powered private eye of the title, but David Tennant’s mind-twisting villain steals the show in this dark and brutal comic book series. 

Netflix, Google Play, iTunes (one series, 13 episodes) 

Westworld. Provocative, intelligent sci-fi western set in a futuristic theme park staffed by robots who start to develop minds of their own

Westworld. Provocative, intelligent sci-fi western set in a futuristic theme park staffed by robots who start to develop minds of their own

32. Marvel’s The Defenders 

Superhero supergroup Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Daredevil and Iron Fist come together to bring down Sigourney Weaver’s immortal villain in Marvel Comics’ long-awaited team-up series. 

Netflix (one series, 8 episodes) 

33. American Gods 

Red, white and blue magic Neil Gaiman’s supernatural novel jumps from page to screen as Ian McShane’s Mr Wednesday takes a former jailbird on a hellish road trip through the US of A’s magical underbelly. 

Amazon, Google Play, iTunes (one series, 8 episodes) 

THE MULTI-MILLION POUND BOX-SETS BATTLE

When Amazon launched its Top Gear reboot, The Grand Tour, in a blaze of publicity, it seemed like this was the platform’s only piece of original programming worth shouting about. 

Securing the services of TV’s unholy trinity of Clarkson, Hammond and May didn’t come cheap. At a reputed cost of £4.5 million per episode, The Grand Tour snaffled a fair chunk of the Amazon TV budget in one fell swoop. 

But the video-streaming market is rapidly escalating. Netflix may be the leader, budgeting $7 billion for programming in 2018, but Amazon is now seriously involved and spending $4.5bn this year. 

Just a few of its latest commissions include Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner’s The Romanoffs, a show about the modern-day descendants of the Russian royal family, and Neil Gaiman’s Good Omens, with David Tennant and Michael Sheen. 

And it’s not just Amazon that is raising its game to stem the tide at Netflix. Apple is the latest to stick its hand up for some of the action, announcing its first big commission, Amazing Stories, a sci-fi series from Steven Spielberg. 

Just as Amazon uses Prime Video to piggy-back on to customers using its shopping services (‘When we win a Golden Globe it helps us sell more shoes,’ quips CEO Jeff Bezos), so Apple hopes to take advantage of its billion devices in active use around the world. 

Currently renting out shows through iTunes, Apple will now move to a subscription service. The holy grail for Amazon will be a juggernaut show that attracts significant new custom. 

That was partially achieved with The Grand Tour, which launches series two on December 8. After positioning itself with niche series such as Transparent, Amazon’s David is now ready to take on Netflix’s Goliath and push for mass-appeal dramas such as The Crown in the mother of all streaming battles. 

It’s clear that what Amazon needs most is the next Game Of Thrones. And with it a new company mantra: winter is coming for Netflix. 

Mark Wareham

 Comedy/comedy-drama  

34. Master Of None 

Making it in the Big Apple Aziz Ansari stars as a New York actor trying to juggle a showbiz career with his personal life. Sophisticated and funny Emmy-winner. 

Netflix (two series, 20 episodes) 

35. Curb Your Enthusiasm 

The king of sarcasm Seinfeld’s Larry David proves the master of cringe comedy in this heightened-reality improvised comedy. Just about as un-PC as it’s possible to be. Series nine has just returned after a six-year break. 

Now TV, Amazon (eight series, 80 episodes) 

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (above, six Emmys and counting) is superb in Armando Iannucci’s pacy political satire Veep

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (above, six Emmys and counting) is superb in Armando Iannucci’s pacy political satire Veep

36. Rick And Morty 

Very weird science Futurama fans should check out this unhinged, animated sci-fi comedy following the bizarre adventures of genius scientist Rick and his grandson Morty. 

Netflix, Comedy Central (three series, 31 episodes) 

37. Better Things 

Struggles of a single mum Louis CK and Pamela Adlon collaborate on this exceptional, intimate, under-the-radar sitcom about an actress raising her three kids. Season two is currently mid-run.

Amazon (one series, ten episodes) 

38. The Good Place 

Just like heaven Self-absorbed Eleanor (Kristen Bell) dies and, due to a clerical error, ends up in an afterlife paradise. Whimsical, absurd. Ted Danson co-stars. 

Amazon, Netflix, Google Play, iTunes (one series, 13 episodes) 

Award-winning Jeffery Tambor in Transparent. An LA family struggles with the news that their father  is transgender

Award-winning Jeffery Tambor in Transparent. An LA family struggles with the news that their father is transgender

39. People Just Do Nothing 

Tune in to Kurupt FM BBC3’s Bafta-winning mockumentary about a pirate radio station run by the delusional MC Grindah and his ‘krew’ of lovable layabouts. 

Amazon, Google Play (four series, 21 episodes), BBC iPlayer (series four only) 

40. Veep 

Pacy political gag-fest Julia Louis-Dreyfus (six Emmys and counting) is superb in Armando Iannucci’s pacy political satire that boasts a brilliant supporting cast and a script so gag-packed you’ll have to rewind. 

Now TV, Amazon, Google Play (six series, 58 episodes) 

41. The Grand Tour 

More four-wheeled frolics… In which Clarkson, Hammond and May continue their globetrotting  globetrotting, budget-blasting, controversy-chasing adventure series that occasionally even features cars. Brace yourselves, series two is imminent. 

Amazon (one series, 13 episodes) 

42. Archer 

The sleazy secret agent A gloriously rude and silly spy spoof, this grown-up cartoon tells the animated adventures of self-proclaimed super-spy Sterling Archer and the bumbling staff of the ISIS secret agency. 

Amazon, Netflix (eight series, 93 episodes) 

43. Broad City 

Girls just wanna have fun Freewheeling comedy about two chaotic young women (creators and stars Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson) as they try to make a life for themselves in New York city. 

Amazon (four series, 36 episodes) 

44. Brooklyn Nine-Nine 

Somebody call the cops! Andy Samberg stars in a fantastically funny and unapologetically silly sitcom about the misadventures of the detectives stationed at Brooklyn’s  99th Precinct. 

Amazon, Google Play, iTunes (four series, 90 episodes) 

45. Silicon Valley 

High-tech high jinks The trials and tribulations of getting a high-tech business up and running are played for raucous, wincing laughs in a comedy of endless energy and invention. 

Amazon, Google Play, iTunes (four seasons, 38 episodes) 

46. Transparent 

Cutting-edge laughs An LA family struggles with the news that their father (Jeffrey Tambor) is transgender in a groundbreaking show that became the first on-demand series to win an Emmy for Best Show. 

Amazon (four series, 40 episodes) 

47. Mozart In The Jungle 

What a way to conduct yourself Gael García Bernal plays zany conductor Rodrigo, whose outrageous escapades expose the thrilling, debauched underbelly of the New York classical music scene. 

Amazon (three series, 30 episodes)

    

Political 

48. Designated Survivor 

An unlikely President… 24 meets The West Wing as Kiefer Sutherland plays the low-level cabinet member who is thrown into the presidency after a catastrophic terror attack. Second season currently mid-run. 

Netflix, Amazon (one series, 21 episodes)  

Twisty and sexy drama follows PR Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington, above) as she tries to keep Washington’s darkest secrets under wraps

Twisty and sexy drama follows PR Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington, above) as she tries to keep Washington’s darkest secrets under wraps

Kiefer Sutherland finds himself US President. 24 meets The West Wing

Kiefer Sutherland finds himself US President. 24 meets The West Wing

49. Scandal 

A never-ending job Twisty and sexy drama follows PR Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington, above) as she tries to keep Washington’s darkest secrets under wraps. 

Now TV, Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Sky Store (six series, 106 episodes)    

50. Madam Secretary 

Politics and personal drama Téa Leoni stars as the US Secretary of State, dealing with international diplomacy, political conspiracies and her own convoluted family life in a West Wing-esque drama. 

Now TV, Amazon, Google Play, iTunes (three series, 68 episodes)  

 

 

 

 

 

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