This week Jared Leto goes full AI in Tron: Ares and MrBeast returns with a Beast Games challenge. We’re treated to a second run of Steven Knight’s A Thousand Blows, there’s a tragic and twisted tale to be told in Girl Taken, and we bid farewell to the vampire show What We Do in the Shadows.
Girl Taken (Paramount+)
Based on the bestselling novel Baby Doll by Hollie Overton, this chilling and at times distressing psychological drama tells the story of a pair of teenage twins, Lily and Abby, played by the sisters Tallulah and Delphi Evans. Their life is thrown into turmoil when Lily is abducted by their English teacher, Rick, who is played by Alfie Allen. What follows is a twisting and affecting story of what happened when she escaped, and the trauma she and her family deal with knowing that Rick is still at large.
A Thousand Blows (Disney+)
Available to stream on Hulu in the US
Steven Knight’s Victorian boxing drama returns for a second series with the Jamaican immigrant Hezekiah Moscow (Malachi Kirby) still reeling from the events of the exciting first series. Meanwhile the dark criminal underworld of 1880s London is in full swing and Stephen Graham’s veteran boxer Sugar Goodson is not in the best way. But the backstreets are about to be shaken up when Mary Carr (Erin Doherty) arrives to reclaim her crown of queen of the Forty Elephants. More breathless British drama of the highest order awaits.
Beast Games: Strong vs Smart (Prime Video)
Not content with being the biggest YouTuber with more than 450 million subscribers on his main channel alone, Jimmy Donaldson (aka MrBeast) is back on Prime for a second series of his high-energy, huge-money gameshow. After giving away a record-breaking $10 million to the winner of the first series, the format returns with a twist, pitting brains against brawn. There are fewer competitors but just as many big-budget sets and ridiculously overblown games to enjoy as streaming meets YouTube once again.
What We Do in the Shadows (BBC iPlayer)
Available to stream on Hulu in the US
Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s genre-spanning vampire comedy, fantasy, horror mockumentary has reached its final series and the flatmates are as watchable as ever. The sixth chapter begins with Nandor, Nadja and Laszlo waking up a flatmate 30 years late, only for many questions to be asked of them — the most pressing being, why are they allowing a film crew to follow them around? Expect quirky, dark fun to the end.
Tron: Ares (Disney+)
The third instalment in the Tron franchise and a sequel to 2010’s Tron: Legacy, this sci-fi adventure starring Jared Leto and Greta Lee makes the short hop from the cinema to the small screen in double-quick time. The film grasps the zeitgeist of today, sending an AI entity, played by Leto, out of the cyberspace and into the real world. It marks humanity’s first time dealing with an AI of this kind and not everything goes to plan. Fans of the original film released in 1982 will be pleased to see more neon lights and action.
Love TV? Discover the best shows on Netflix, the best Prime Video TV shows, the best Disney+ shows , the best Apple TV+ shows, the best shows on BBC iPlayer, the best shows on Sky and Now, the best shows on ITVX, the best shows on Channel 4 streaming, the best shows on Paramount+ and our favourite hidden gem TV shows. Don’t forget to check our critics’ choices to watch and browse our comprehensive TV guide