Perry Mason, Sky Atlantic review - low life and hard times in Depression-era LA

★★★★  PERRY MASON, SKY ATLANTIC What Perry did before he became a courtroom superstar

What Perry did before he became a courtroom superstar

Rather like David Suchet’s Poirot, the world will always think of Raymond Burr as the doughty defence lawyer Perry Mason, whom he played in nine TV series and 26 TV movies between 1957 and 1993. But Burr’s Mason existed before the age of the prequel, which now brings us HBO’s impressively-mounted back story of the battling attorney (showing on Sky Atlantic).

The Woods, Netflix review - missing-person mystery reveals a heart of darkness

★★★ THE WOODS, NETFLIX Missing-person mystery reveals a heart of darkness

Harlan Coben adaptation isn't profound but it keeps viewers hooked

After the success of the sci-fi crime drama 1983 (2018), another Polish original series has landed at Netflix. The Woods, directed by Leszek Dawid and Bartosz Konopka, is a six-part mystery thriller adapted from Harlan Coben’s novel, set in two main time spans: 1994 and 2019.

The Salisbury Poisonings, BBC One review - the Cold War comes to Wiltshire

★★★ THE SALISBURY POISONINGS, BBC ONE The Cold War comes to Wiltshire

TV drama not the perfect medium for the Skripal spy story

The poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal with the nerve agent novichok in 2018 was one of the more bizarre episodes in recent memory, a kind of delayed-action echo of the Cold War.

Das Boot, Series 2, Sky Atlantic review - multi-layered war drama goes from strength to strength

★★★★★ DAS BOOT, SERIES 2, SKY ATLANTIC Multi-layered war drama goes from strength to strength

Divided loyalties and moral dilemmas in the heart of Hitler's Reich

Das Boot made an impressive debut early last year with its entwined narratives of war by land and sea.

Little Fires Everywhere, Amazon Prime review - in every dream home a heartache

★★★★ LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, AMAZON In every dream home a heartache

Mother and daughter duo shatter the calm of affluent Ohio

Reese Witherspoon has evolved into a growth industry on the new frontier of Big Television. Her production company Hello Sunshine has a heap of projects on the go with a range of networks, and following her success with Big Little Lies (for HBO), Little Fires Everywhere comes to you courtesy of Hulu (in the US) and Amazon Prime.

Unprecedented, BBC Four review - perspectives on the pandemic

★★★★ UNPRECEDENTED, BBC FOUR Perspectives on the pandemic

Playwrights find different ways to approach an unfathomable crisis

This short series of new dramas (on BBC Four) by a group of leading playwrights was commissioned by Headlong and Century Films, a week before the virus lockdown was announced on 23 March, and represents an artistic first response to a situation nobody can fully comprehend.

Blood, Series 2, Channel 5 review - expertly-crafted thriller turns the screw

★★★★★ BLOOD, SERIES 2, CHANNEL 5 Expertly-crafted thriller turns the screw

Examination of family values under extreme duress

Veterans of the first series of Blood will be familiar with writer Sophie Petzal’s fondness for leading the viewer up the garden path and round the mulberry bush as the story develops. Get ready to go through it all again.

Westworld, Season 3, Sky Atlantic review – a cyberpunk triumph

★★★★ WESTWORLD, SEASON 3, SKY ATLANTIC A cyberpunk triumph 

It's still rich and intricate, but now stripped down and ready for action

In the time since the show’s inception four years ago, arguments have raged as to whether Westworld is a dud or a cult classic. For every dedicated fan, there’s someone out there crying, "The Matrix did it first!" and complaining that the plot didn’t make sense (it did).  

Gangs of London, Sky Atlantic review - bloody terrifying

★★★★ GANGS OF LONDON, SKY ATLANTIC Bloody terrifying

Gripping and brutal crime epic gets off to an explosive start

You might consider equipping yourself with a shotgun and kevlar body armour before you start watching Gangs of London (Sky Atlantic), because this is a bruising, hair-raising ride. Created by Gareth Evans and Matt Flannery, it began with the televisual equivalent of being thrown from a fast-moving vehicle, as we saw a terrified man dangling on a rope over the edge of a high-rise building.