Autumn 2016 TV preview: UK air dates and where to watch online
David Farnor | On 17, Sep 2016
Autumn means one thing. Ok, it means many things. Red leaves. School. Chilly winds. Rainy nights. Halloween. But the most important thing? Television. This month marks the point at which all the good TV shows return – or, in some cases, start – to steal away your evenings.
But while we all know that, there’s one question that often goes unanswered: where can you can watch these TV shows online in the UK legally? And when do they premiere?
So we’ve produced a handy guide to this autumn’s best new and returning UK and US series. From UK air dates on Freeview to watching Sky, Universal and FOX without a pay-TV contract, here’s our round-up of what’s coming soon to the small screen:
September
Poldark: Season 2
How many minutes until Aidan Turner takes his kit off? That’s likely to be the main question facing fans of Poldark, as the Beeb’s period drama returns for a second run. Picking up immediately after Season 1, Poldark is now preparing for trial, Demelza, is in mourning, and former flame Elizabeth is still cheering on her often-topless beau. The Cornish scenery is as stunning as ever, but it’s the series ability to flesh out its supporting cast that give this show an unexpected and welcome depth. That, and Aidan Turner’s chest.
Poldark Season 2 UK air date:
When? Sundays, 9pm
What channel? BBC One
Watch Poldark Season 2 online:
BBC iPlayer
Stream live and catch-up on-demand.
Victoria
Jenna Coleman as Queen Victoria. As soon as those words were put together, ITV must have known they were on to something special. Coleman is sensational in the spotlight, bringing us a young Victoria as we haven’t really seen her before. Rufus Sewell, meanwhile, is the show’s secret weapon: his Lord Melbourne is the second half of a couple that crackles with chemistry.
Victoria UK air date:
When? Sundays, 9pm
What channel? ITV 1
Watch ITV’s Victoria online:
ITV Hub
Stream live and catch-up on-demand.
Cold Feet
“Have you lost weight?” “No. Have you got more hair?” “No.” When ITV are bringing back the cast of a TV show 13 years after it ended, you know this reboot business has gotten out of control. But Season 6 of Cold Feet is as smashing as ever. Written once again by Mike Bullen, he catches up with Adam (James Nesbitt), Pete (Robert Bathurst), Jenny (Fay Ripley), David (John Thomson) and Karen (Hermione Norris) like they’ve never been away. Except, of course, they have – and those five seasons can be felt behind each gesture and glance.
Cold Feet UK air date:
When? Mondays, 9pm
What channel? ITV 1
Watch Cold Feet online:
ITV Hub
Stream live and catch-up on-demand.
The Night Of
Based on BBC drama Criminal Justice, this HBO remake stars Riz Ahmed as a man accused of a brutal murder and follows the police investigation and legal proceedings in New York City. Gripping stuff.
The Night Of UK air date:
When? Available now as a box set
What channel? Sky Atlantic
Watch The Night Of online:
NOW (£6.99 a month)
Stream live and catch-up on-demand.
American Horror Story: Season 6
Ryan Murphy’s horror anthology returns for an understated, but still spooky, sixth run – and, rather impressively, kept its subject hidden right up until its premiere. We won’t spoil it here.
American Horror Story Season 6 UK air date:
When? Fridays, 10pm
What channel? FOX UK
Watch American Horror Story Season 6 online:
NOW (£6.99 a month)
Stream live and catch-up on-demand.
Inspector Borowski
This 11-episode German crime drama sees the titular brooding lone-wolf solve a series of cases – the most disturbing and unsettling crimes in Germany – with his young colleague, Sarah Brandt.
Inspector Borowski UK air date:
When? Available now as a box set
What channel? Walter Presents (All 4)
Watch Inspector Borowski online:
Walter Presents (All 4)
Watch on-demand and download offline.
National Treasure
Robbie Coltrane, Julie Walters, Andrea Riseborough and Tim McInnerny star in Jack Thorne’s four-part drama
National Treasure UK air date:
When? Tuesday 20th September, 9pm
What channel? Channel 4
Watch National Treasure online:
All 4
Stream live and catch up on-demand.
Paranoid
Bill Gallagher’s eight-part conspiracy drama stars Neil Stuke, Indira Varma, newcomer Dino Fetscher and Robert Glenister. It tells the story of a female GP who is murdered in a rural children’s playground with an abundance of eyewitnesses. A group of detectives embark on what seems to be a straightforward murder investigation, but as they delve deeper into the case they are quickly drawn into the twists and turns of an ever-darkening mystery, which takes them unexpectedly across Europe. Netflix has already signed up as co-producer.
Paranoid UK air date:
When? Thursday 22nd September
What channel? ITV 1
Watch Paranoid online:
ITV Hub
Stream live and catch up on-demand.
Transparent: Season 3
Amazon’s flagship Golden Globe winner returns for a third season of heartwarming family drama and poignant comedy. The cast all reprise their roles as the Pfeffermans, with the theme of coming out of your shell taking us all the way back to the teenage years of Jeffrey Tambor’s Maura.
Transparent Season 3 UK air date:
When? Friday 23rd September
What channel? Amazon Prime Video
Watch Transparent: Season 3 online:
Amazon Prime Video (£5.99 a month)
Watch on-demand and download offline.
Easy
Joe Swanberg’s comedy anthology explores diverse Chicago characters as they fumble through the modern maze of love, sex, technology and culture. The cast includes Orlando Bloom, Malin Akerman, Jake Johnson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and more.
Easy UK air date:
When? Friday 23rd September
What channel? Netflix
Watch Easy online:
Netflix (£7.49 a month)
Watch on-demand.
The Level
ITV’s fast-paced six-part drama follows Detective Sergeant Nancy Devlin, a good cop with a dark secret – a loyalty to haulier and drugs trafficker Frank Le Saux, to whom she has been close since childhood. When a clandestine meeting ends in murder and Nancy is caught in the cross fire, her link to Frank suddenly risks being exposed…
The Level UK air date:
When? Friday 30th September, 9pm
What channel? ITV 1
Watch The Level online:
ITV Hub
Stream live and catch up on-demand.
Once Upon a Time: Season 6
The fantasy series returns for a sixth run, with the town of Storybrooke threatened by Mr. Hyde (Sam Witwer), along with his fellow inhabitants from the Land of Untold Stories, and Regina’s other half declaring war on the Heroes.
OUAT S6 UK air date:
When? Monday 26th September
What channel? Netflix
Watch OUAT S6 online:
Netflix (£7.49 a month)
Watch on-demand.
The Fall: Season 3
Picking up at the moment where the heart-stopping Season 2 finale left off, Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan return to BBC Two in their iconic roles as the battle between Detective Superintendent Gibson and Paul Spector reaches its conclusion in Allan Cubitt’s intense psychological thriller.
The Fall Season 3 UK air date:
When? Thursday 29th September, 9pm
What channel? BBC One
Watch The Fall Season 3 online:
BBC iPlayer
Watch on-demand.
Crisis in Six Scenes
Woody Allen’s first ever TV series is a comedy that takes place in the 1960’s during turbulent times in the United States and a middle class suburban family is visited by a guest who turns their household completely upside down.
Crisis in Six Scenes UK air date:
When? Friday 30th September
What channel? Amazon Prime Video
Watch Crisis in Six Scenes online:
Amazon Prime Video (£5.99 a month)
Watch on-demand.
Luke Cage
Mike Colter reprises his role from Jessica Jones in Marvel’s latest Netflix series. After a sabotaged experiment leaves him with super strength and unbreakable skin, Cage becomes a fugitive trying to rebuild his life in modern day Harlem, New York City. But he is soon pulled out of the shadows and must fight a battle for the heart of his city – forcing him to confront a past he tried to bury.
Luke Cage UK air date:
When? Friday 30th September
What channel? Netflix
Watch Luke Cage online:
Netflix (£7.49 a month)
Watch on-demand.
October
Ash vs Evil Dead: Season 2
The STARZ Original comedy returns to continue the tale of Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) fighting the dark forces from beyond the grave. The 10-episode series roars back into action with Ash leaving his beloved Jacksonville and returning to his hometown of Elk Grove, Michigan. There, he confronts Ruby. The former enemies have to form an uneasy alliance as Elk Grove soon becomes the nucleus of evil.
Lucy Lawless will reprise her role as Ruby, joined by Ray Santiago (Meet the Fockers) as Pablo Simon Bolivar and Dana DeLorenzo (A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas) as Kelly Maxwell. Also joining the series this year are Michelle Hurd (Law & Order: SVU) as Linda B., Ash’s high school love, Ted Raimi (Xena: Warrior Princess, Spider-Man) as Chet Kaminski, Ash’s childhood best friend, and Lee Majors (The Six Million Dollar Man, The Fall Guy) as Brock Williams, Ash’s father.
Available to all Mix TV, Fun TV and Full House TV customers, as well as existing M+ and above subscribers.
Ash vs Evil Dead Season 2 UK air date:
When? Monday 3rd October, 6am
What channel? Virgin Media On Demand
Watch Ash vs Evil Dead Season 2 online:
Virgin Media
Watch on-demand.
Westworld
HBO’s dark odyssey from JJ Abrams (Star Trek Beyond, Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Jonathan Nolan (Interstellar, The Dark Knight) and Lisa Joy (Pushing Daisies, Burn Notice) is inspired by Michael Crichton’s 1970s sci-fi movie, which sees a hedonistic theme park staffed by artificially intelligent hosts go horribly, violently wrong.
Westworld UK air date:
When? Tuesday 4th October
What channel? Sky Atlantic
Watch Westworld online:
NOW (£6.99 a month)
Stream live and catch-up on-demand.
Divorce
Jessica Sarah Parker stars as Frances, a woman who suddenly begins to reassess her life and her marriage, and finds that making a clean break and a fresh start is harder than she thought.
Divorce UK air date:
When? Tuesday 11th October, 10.10pm
What channel? Sky Atlantic
Watch Divorce online:
NOW (£6.99 a month)
Stream live and catch-up on-demand.
Framed (Bellicher)
Dutch software executive Michael Bellicher’s life turns into a living nightmare in this 10-episode thriller, when he’s framed for a murder and a spate of other crimes by the well-connected goons of the mysterious Mr. Miller. To find out who wants him dead, and why, he gets to the heart of a big international virtual conspiracy.
Bellicher UK air date:
When? Friday 14th October (TBC)
What channel? Walter Presents (All 4)
Watch Westworld online:
Walter Presents (All 4)
Watch on-demand and download offline.
The Ranch: Season 1, Part 2
Netflix’s comedy, which is set on a present-day Colorado ranch, stars Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Sam Elliott and Debra Winger. It follows Colt’s (Kutcher) return home after a brief and failed semi-pro football career to run the family ranching business with his older brother Jameson “Rooster” (Masterson) and father Beau (Elliott), whom he hasn’t seen in 15 years. Winger stars as Colt’s and Rooster’s mother, Maggie, who runs the local town bar.
The Ranch Part 2 UK air date:
When? Friday 7th October
What channel? Netflix
Watch The Ranch online:
Netflix (£7.49 a month)
Watch on-demand
Haters Back Off
Netflix’s original series, based on the character created by YouTube star Colleen Ballinger-Evans, delves into the oddball family life of Miranda Sings, an incredibly confident, totally untalented star on the rise who continues to fail upward by the power of her belief that she was born famous, it’s just no one knows it yet.
Haters Back Off UK air date:
When? Friday 14th October
What channel? Netflix
Watch Haters Back Off online:
Netflix (£7.49 a month)
Watch on-demand.
Tutankhamun
Sam Neill and Max Irons star in ITV’s four-part drama, set against the great sweep of ochre sands, looming cliffs and baking heat of Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. The story unfolds in 1905, when Carter, an hotheaded British archaeologist in his early 20s, is leading an expedition. But when tempers fray, Carter puts the dig, and his career, in jeopardy.
Tutankhamun UK air date:
When? Sunday 16th October, 9pm
What channel? ITV 1
Watch Tutankhamun online:
ITV Hub
Stream live and catch-up on-demand.
Crazyhead
From Misfits creator Howard Overman, Crazhead follows Amy and Raquel, as they attempt to navigate their way through the choppy waters of their early twenties while simultaneously kicking the ass of some seriously gnarly demons. What could possibly go wrong? Netflix has already snapped up the streaming rights for the US and overseas.
Crazyhead UK air date:
When? Wednesday 19th October, 9pm
What channel? E4
Watch Crazyhead online:
All 4
Stream live and catch-up on-demand.
Black Mirror
Charlie Brooker’s dystopian sci-fi anthology makes a new home on Netflix with a new batch of cautionary technology tales. Expect bleak, brilliant things. You can catch up with the first two seasons and Christmas special on Netflix from 1st October.
Black Mirror Season 3 UK air date:
When? Friday 21st October
What channel? Netflix
Watch Black Mirror online:
Netflix (£7.49 a month)
Watch on-demand.
Class
Created by Patrick Ness, this new Doctor Who spin-off is set in contemporary London, in Coal Hill School, part of the Doctor Who universe since its very first episode. But all that time-travelling has worn down the walls of space and time and something is pressing in on the other side, waiting to kill everyone. BBC Three has previously promised the show will be “scary, funny, and as painful and sharp as youth” and that it will “shine a light on a whole new corner of the Whoniverse”.
Class UK air date:
When? Saturday 22nd October
What channel? BBC Three
Watch Class online:
BBC Three / BBC iPlayer
Stream live and catch-up on-demand.
The Walking Dead: Season 7
Eeny, meant, miny… who? AMC’s zombie smash hit returns to answer the question that’s been plaguing everyone since Season 6.
The Walking Dead: Season 7 UK air date:
When? Monday 24th October
What channel? FOX UK
Watch The Walking Dead online:
NOW (£6.99 a month)
Stream live and catch-up on-demand.
Supergirl: Season 2
Melissa Benoist returns for another season of female-drive heroics as Superman’s cousin, Kara Zor-El – with the Man of Steel himself set to make his first appearance. If this is half as entertaining as Season 1, we’re in for some super fun.
Supergirl Season 2 UK air date:
When? Monday 24th October, 8pm
What channel? Sky 1
Watch Supergirl Season 2 online:
NOW (£6.99 a month)
Stream live and catch-up on-demand.
The Flash: Season 3
Grant Gustin reprises his role of Barry Allen, aka. The Flash, as the show picks up the threads from the darker second season.
The Flash Season 3 UK air date:
When? Tuesday 25th October, 8pm
What channel? Sky 1
Watch The Flash Season 3 online:
NOW (£6.99 a month)
Stream live and catch-up on-demand.
Arrow: Season 5
Sky 1 completes its returning trio of The CW comic book series with the fifth season of Arrow. With Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) guiding him from the bunker, Oliver (Stephen Amell) is forced to deal with a city that has become overrun with both criminals and a slew of new, inexperienced vigilantes.
Arrow Season 5 UK air date:
When? Wednesday 26th October, 8pm
What channel? Sky 1
Watch Arrow Season 5 online:
NOW (£6.99 a month)
Stream live and catch-up on-demand.
The Young Pope
Oscar winning director Paolo Sorrentino creates this TV series about Lenny Belardo, the youngest and first American Pope in the history of the Church, who must establish his new papacy and navigate the power struggles of the closed, secretive Vatican. Jude Law takes the lead, supported by Diane Keaton.
The Young Pope UK air date:
When? Thursday 27th October
What channel? Sky Atlantic
Watch The Young Pope online:
NOW (£6.99 a month)
Stream live and catch-up on-demand.
Humans: Season 2
Set in a parallel present, Channel 4’s series explores what happens when the lines between humans and machines are blurred. The first season tapped into society’s preoccupation with and mistrust of advancing technology and artificial intelligence. What does it mean to be human? Can the very traits through which we define humanity (love, trust, loyalty, friendship, sacrifice) be taught? What really is family? The series will return for eight brand new episodes.
Humans Season 2 UK air date:
When? Sunday 30th October, 9pm
What channel? Channel 4
Watch Humans Season 2 online:
All 4
Stream live and catch-up on-demand.
November
Legends of Tomorrow: Season 2
The CW’s small-screen Avengers of the DC world returns for a second run of time-hopping hijinks and amusing superhero banter. With Season 1’s finale rejigging the show’s line-up, Season 2 is pointing in a promising new direction.
Legends of Tomorrow Season 2 UK air date:
When? Thursday 3rd November, 8pm
What channel? Sky 1
Watch Legends of Tomorrow Season 2 online:
NOW (£6.99 a month)
Stream live and catch-up on-demand.
The Crown
One of the most iconic French thrillers of all time, Mafiosa stars Hélène Fillières as Sandra Paoli, whose uncle is the head of a crime clan. After he’s murdered, the young lawyer finds herself deep in the underworld of the wild and enchanting island of Corsica.
The Crown UK air date:
When? Friday 4th November
What channel? Netflix
Watch The Crown online:
Netflix (£7.49 a month)
Watch on-demand and download offline.
Mafiosa: Season 2 and 3
One of the most iconic French thrillers of all time, Mafiosa stars Hélène Fillières as Sandra Paoli, whose uncle is the head of a crime clan. After he’s murdered, the young lawyer finds herself deep in the underworld of the wild and enchanting island of Corsica.
Mafiosa UK air date:
When? Friday 4th November
What channel? Walter Presents (All 4)
Watch Mafiosa online:
Walter Presents (All 4)
Watch on-demand and download offline.
Damilola, Our Loved Boy
Written by award-winning screenwriter and playwright Levi David Addai, Our Loved Boy is a feature-length drama for BBC One telling the story of Damilola Taylor from the point of view of the Taylor family, exploring their journey from Lagos to London, the emotional repercussions of Damilola’s death and the family’s quest for justice.
Our Loved Boy UK air date:
When? Monday 7th November, 8.30pm
What channel? BBC One
Watch Our Loved Boy online:
BBC iPlayer
Stream live and catch-up on-demand.
The Grand Tour
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May reunite after the end of Top Gear for a new, 12-episode series that sees the trio continuing their motoring escapades around the world, combining filmed segments with sessions filmed in front of an audience inside their giant touring tent.
The Grand Tour UK air date:
When? Friday 18th November
What channel? Amazon Prime Video
Watch The Grand Tour online:
Amazon Prime Video (£5.99 a month)
Watch on-demand and download offline.
The Affair: Season 3
Showtime’s romantic drama, about a couple whose affair is told from multiple perspectives, remains as gripping, twisting and moving as ever. Ruth Wilson and Dominic West return as the unfaithful lead duo, but our quartet of complex characters will be joined by a fifth perspective for Season 3: that of Irène Jacob’s Juliette Le Gall, Noah’s new love interest.
The Affair Season 3 UK air date:
When? Monday 21st October
What channel? Sky Atlantic
Watch The Affair online:
NOW (£6.99 a month)
Stream live and catch-up on-demand.
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
Netflix gets the Gilmore Girls and creator Amy Sherman-Palladino back together for a four-part event, which takes us back to Stars Hollow for four 90-minute chapters, each spanning a season: Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.
Gilmore Girls UK air date:
When? Friday 25th November
What channel? Netflix
Watch Gilmore Girls online:
Netflix (£7.49 a month)
Watch on-demand.