Shivoncarla

THE STRANGER - SEASON ONE

It's your typical Coben yarn, with multiple and seemingly unrelated threads going on at once, characters who have dark secrets that are alluded to but not mentioned outright until enough tension is drawn out, and mysteries upon mysteries.

MESSIAH - SEASON ONE

The show is much more compelling for the fact that it doesn't tell you what to believe one way or another, and generally lets viewers make up their own minds about whether the mysterious cult-like leader is miraculous or a myth.

SECRET DIARY OF A CALL GIRL - SEASON FOUR

As it is, it's just a tale of one woman, which doesn't pretend to tell us anything universal about the world's oldest profession. After seeing the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Jane Fonda and Julia Roberts portray call girls, we frankly need a little more than Belle's unsurprising double life to keep us hooked.

ATYPICAL - SEASON ONE

Gilchrist, who isn't on the spectrum, is persuasive and thoughtful enough to avoid making Sam feel like a stereotype, even in more mawkish or predictable moments.

TOP BOY - SEASON THREE

It has been six years since Top Boy was last on our screens. Like Black Mirror, it enjoyed cult success for two series when it originally aired on Channel 4, before having to be rescued by Netflix – in this instance with the help of Drake, who was enough of a fan to push for its return and has executive-produced its new incarnation.

It is not a flattering portrait of our times, but as a TV drama, it is up there with the best – tense, gripping and relentless. By the end of the first four episodes, the characters have been manoeuvred into place. The war, Top Boy tells us, is about to begin.

On the whole this was a well-made, convincing drama, with an excellent ensemble cast. Well-acted, well-written television like this don't come round that often.

WEIRD CITY - SEASON ONE

What matters is that the world-building is fast and funny; jokes about this dystopian culture pop up in the background or get tucked into spare seconds of dialogue, but they’re never ignored. Weird City is very funny, but it puts story and characters above commentary all the way through.

ON MY BLOCK - SEASON ONE

On My Block is ambitious and working to take risks in youth sitcom and drama. It is an accurate depiction of the emotionality in friendships and how it affects our decisions, sense of urgency and direction.

GRIMM - SEASON SIX

Over time, it's turned into a much better example of the show it wants to be. Grimm is an example of how untethered fantasy can be successfully mixed in with TV's clay.

THIS IS US - SEASON THREE

Please take this as a warning. One moment you could be chuckling with joyful abandon. The next sucker punched in the left ventricle with some heart-wrenching scene. And it bloody hurts.

ACKLEY BRIDGE - SEASON TWO

Ackley Bridge is Waterloo Road meets Shameless. The parallel-communities thing gives it something else, as well as ringing true about Britain today, asking questions about whether total integration is possible, even necessary, both in school and out of school. That side of things is handled carefully and sensitively. Real issues aren’t avoided, cultural differences aren’t denied; at the same time, obvious and boring stereotypes are avoided. As well as boobs, Ackley Bridge has balls. And a heart.