Top 15 TV shows to watch now that Love Island 2021 has finished
WE’VE had six fun weeks of watching a load of bronzed beauties lie around a pool hoping to find love and now there’s a gaping hole in our evenings.
But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
If you want a gear change and want something serious, we’ve got some options for you too.
Or if you fancy more of the same - there’s some more dating shows starting from Monday.
There’s also some rib-tickling comedies and some gripping new dramas to see you through the next few weeks as the nights start to drawn in.
Dating shows
MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT UK
(E4 – from Monday)
THE dating show has been given a huge makeover, replicating the format of its Aussie counterpart, which was a cult hit in lockdown.
Historically, the show followed two couples tying the knot on their first-ever meeting.
But now eight pairs of newlyweds are the focus and they all get to mix with each other – living in the same Brighton apartment block after getting hitched.
So expect plenty of Love Island-style drama . . . and the potential for a bit of partner swapping.
READY TO MINGLE
(ITV2 – September)
COMEDIAN Katherine Ryan, above, hosts this new programme following a single woman in her search for the perfect man.
She has 12 to choose from but not all the blokes are single – and they will be telling plenty of fibs as they battle to win the cash prize. In a further sneaky twist, the phony suitors will be given tips and advice from their own real-life partners on how to win the affections of the single girl.
THE LOVE TRAP
(Channel 4 – later this year)
CREATED by the team behind Netflix dating show Too Hot To Handle, this eight-parter is hosted by The Masked Singer’s Joel Dommett.
A dozen ladies will be aiming to win the heart of one single man over a number of dates. But only half of them are looking for love. The rest are hunting for cash.
Those who raise his suspicions will be shown the dreaded trapdoor of the title.
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Dramas
NINE PERFECT STRANGERS
(Prime Video – out now)
NICOLE KIDMAN stars in this drama, which is based on Liane Moriarty novels – like Kidman’s earlier Big Little Lies.
She plays the host of a wellness retreat where all is not what it seems. Episodes drop each Friday.
THE WHITE LOTUS
(Sky Atlantic – out now)
THIS imported US comedy-drama has won rave reviews on both sides of the Pond. Set in a swanky Hawaiian resort, the show follows hotel guests on a week’s stay.
But each has a dark side, while staff similarly struggle to cope with their personal issues despite the idyllic surroundings.
THE MORNING SHOW
(Apple TV+ – September 17)
JENNIFER ANISTON and Reese Witherspoon return for a second run of the drama set at a US telly network.
The Hollywood stars play a pair of female news anchors but unlike in season one, they are no longer daytime TV’s dream team.
Their split is played out across ten episodes and the Covid pandemic is woven into the storyline when Reese’s character, Bradley Jackson, is asked to spearhead the network’s coverage.
Serious show
STEPHEN
(ITV – August 30)
THIS three-part follow-up to 1999’s landmark drama The Murder Of Stephen Lawrence, focuses on the investigation of the teen’s death in 1993. Steve Coogan plays DCI Clive Driscoll, who worked closely with Stephen’s parents Doreen and Neville to win finally get some justice for their son.
VIGIL
(BBC1, August 29, 9pm)
LINE Of Duty’s Martin Compston has another plum Sunday-night role. But this time he’ll be using his natural Scottish tones.
He, Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie play cops investigating a suspicious death on a nuclear sub.
Suranne, right, suffered whiplash and heavy bruising doing her own stunts.
SCHUMACHER
(Netflix – September 15)
IN a one-off doc in which the F1 legend’s wife Corinna and kids Gina and Mick speak about his near-fatal skiing accident.
Details of his recovery and condition have been kept closely guarded secrets while doctors give him round-the-clock care at his home in Switzerland.
The film charts Schumacher’s rise to the top of his fiercely competitive sport as well.
Comedy
GHOSTS
(BBC2 – out now)
THE Bafta-nominated comedy, now in its third season, is a gem in the Monday-night schedules.
Fresh Meat’s Charlotte Ritchie and Kiell Smith-Bynoe (Death In Paradise) play the landlords of a crumbling mansion haunted by a bunch of needy spirits from various historical periods.
The new episodes delve into the ghosts’ pasts while a mysterious visitor plays havoc with dead and non-dead alike.
THIS IS GOING TO HURT
(BBC – this autumn)
BEN WHISHAW stars in the hotly anticipated adaptation of former doctor Adam Kay’s bestselling memoir. The 2017 book was based on his diaries working on a NHS labour ward, revealing the toll taken by working 97-hour weeks.
Harriet Walter, star of The Crown, Killing Eve and Succession, plays his mum.
NEVER MIND THE BUZZCOCKS
(Sky Showcase – autumn)
A WELCOME return for the music panel show, now with a new home.
Greg Davies is in charge and team captain Noel Fielding brings some familiarity from the show’s BBC2 days. Daisy May Cooper comes on board.
Getting saucy
FOOTBALLERS WIVES
(BritBox – out now)
THE Noughties hit comes to streaming service BritBox, exposing a new audience to some of the silliest plots in telly history. Inspired by the lavish lifestyles of Premier League stars and their partners, it is not very PC . . . and should probably come with a health warning.
SEX EDUCATION 3
(Netflix – September 17)
A TOUGH watch with your parents, the Netflix hit returns with more awkward tales.
Otis (Asa Butterfield), Eric (Ncuti Gatwa), Maeve (Emma Mackey) and Ruby (Mimi Keene, right) are back but Moondale has a new headteacher in Hope Haddon (Jemima Kirke) with some controversial ideas. And Otis’s mum, sex therapist Jean Milburn (Gillian Anderson) is pregnant with her ex’s baby.
KEVIN CAN F**K HIMSELF
(Prime Video – out today)
READ MORE SUN STORIES
ANNIE MURPHY is rewarded for her standout in Schitt’s Creek with the lead here.
She plays Allison in an innovative hybrid of sitcom and crime drama, in which she seeks revenge on her sexist husband by any means necessary.