James R | On 03, Nov 2015

It’s all about The Last Panthers this month on NOW, as those with an Entertainment Membership (£6.99 a month) look forward to a European crime thriller starring Samantha Morton, Tahar Rahim and John Hurt. The return of Elementary for a fourth season and Amy Schumer’s comedy show as a box set on catch-up are a welcome bonus – not to mention the premiere of new female-led thriller Blindspot.

For NOW Cinema Membership subscribers (£9.99 a month), a month of equally strong women awaits, as Alicia Vikander stars in robotic thriller Ex Machina and Reese Witherspoon travels the road less taken in the uplifting drama Wild.

TV / Entertainment Membership

The Last Panthers: Season 1 – 12th November (Sky Atlantic)

Sky’s latest original crime drama is a six-part pan-European production with CANAL+ in France, with a cast as epic as its ambition. Samantha Morton, Tahar Rahim and John Hurt star in the six-part thriller about a shadowy alliance of gangsters and banisters that rule the continent – kicking off with a daring diamond heist. As if that weren’t enough, the show’s opening credits feature a brand new song by David Bowie.

After Hours – 2nd November (Sky 1)

Jaime Winstone, Ardal O’Hanlon and John Thomson star in this comedy drama about a young music fan, Willow (James Tarpey), who stays in his own town of Shankly after his friends leave for university. O’Hanlon plays his dad, while Winstone plays the disc jockey Lauren, who broadcasts the titular local radio show from a barge – the only thing that keeps Willow going.

Trollied: Season 5 – 2nd November (Sky 1)

Jane Horrocks, Stephanie Beacham and Mark Addy star in Sky 1’s hit supermarket comedy series, which is set in the fictional budget supermarket of Valco. Seasons 1 to 4 are already available, with new episodes arriving each Monday.

Tyrant: Season 2 – 4th November (Sky Living)

The political series from Homeland’s creators returns for a second season, starring Adam Rayner as Barry, the son of a Middle East dictator who returned home in Season 1 after two decades in exile.

Sky Arts Sessions: Season 2 – 7th November (Sky Arts)

Sky’s music series features a host of artists performing in an intimate setting with no presenter to take time or attention away from the music. Season 1, which is already available, includes concerts by Twin Atlantic, Young Guns, James and The Kooks. Season 2 starts on Saturday 7th November with Django Django and Lucy Rose, followed by Everything Everything and Katzenjammer the following week.

The Frankenstein Chronicles: Season 1 – 11th November (ITV Encore)

ITV’s paid channel, which is included in NOW’s line-up, has acquired this six-episode series from A&E, which re-imagines the Frankenstein myth for 19th Century London. Sean Bean plays Inspector John Marlott, who investigates a series of crimes that may have been committed by a scientist keen to re-animate the dead. Anna Maxwell Martin co-stars as Mary Shelley.

Elementary: Season 4 – 19th November

CBS’ modern take on Sherlock Holmes returns once more with Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as Holmes and Watson, which features John Noble as Sherlock’s father, Morland Holmes, who arrives in New York to help his son following his violent behaviour.

Blindspot: Season 1 – 24th November (9pm, Sky Living)

Sky Living’s latest acquisition is the new NBC hit Blindspot, which stars Jaimie Alexander (Thor) as Jane Doe, who wakes up to find herself tattooed and without any memories in the middle of New York. One of them? The name of FBI agent Kurt Weller (Sullivan Stapleton), who uncovers a larger conspiracy at work.

Here’s a sneak peek:

Inside Amy Schumer: Season 1 and 2 – Available Now

Missed the comedian’s second season of sketches, interviews and stand-up? Good news: you can now stream both Season 1 and 2 on demand.

Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD: Season 1 and 2 – Available Now

Marvel’s small screen spin-off from its cinematic universe sees Agent Coulson lead a team of agents investigating weird and alien occurrences. Tuned out when it was first on TV? It takes a while to find its groove, but after The Winter Soldier has hit, the beats get stronger.

Falling Skies: Seasons 1 to 5 – Available Now

After Falling Skies wrapped up its final run, all five seasons return as a box set, so you can binge-watch Noah Wyle all you want. For the uninitiated, he plays a college professor who becomes the leader of a group of soldiers following an alien invasion of Earth.

Wayward Pines: Season 1 – Available Now

This series from M. Night Shyamalan sees two FBI agents go missing in the titular town of Wayward Pines. Missed the whole of the first run? Catch up on the mystery.

Movies

Wild – Friday 6th November

Reese Witherspoon gives a career-best performance in this drama about Cheryl Strayed, who decides to hike all the way up America’s 1,100-mile Pacific Crest Trail – from Mexico to Canada – on her own. Her reason? To get away from it all. It all, we discover through a series of flashbacks, consists of everything from unwanted pregnancies and deceased relatives to failed marriages. While this litany of mistakes could be cheesy or trite, though, Nick Hornby’s script (based on Cheryl’s own memoirs) ensures that Wild’s tale become one not of self-penitence but self-appreciation. The decision to approach her sins of the past as part of what makes her who she is in the present makes for a positive and uplifting journey.

Jingle All the Way 2 – Friday 6th November

Larry the Cable Guy inherits Arnold Schwarzenegger’s role in this sequel to the festive comedy.

Ex Machina – Friday 6th November

“If you’ve created artificial intelligence, that isn’t the history of man. It’s the history of gods.” That’s programmer Caleb to his boss, Nathan, after winning a prize to spend a week on a private work retreat – only to discover it’s really to put a top secret robot through the Turing test. The robot in question? Ava, a female with enough self-awareness to know what she is, and enough smarts to do something about it. Domnhall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac are excellent as the programmers – but Alicia Vikander steals the show.

Inherent Vice – Friday 13th November

A stoner crime comedy drama by Paul Thomas Anderson? Breathe it in.

50 Shades of Grey – Friday 20th November

Sam Taylor-Johnson directs this adaptation of E.L. James’ erotic drama about the sadomasochistic relationship between college graduate Anastasia (Dakota Johnson) and businessman Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan).

Jupiter Ascending – Friday 20th November

The Wachowskis direct this epic space opera about Jupiter (Mila Kunis), a cleaner who discovers she is actually a princess on another planet – something that prompts an invasion of aliens, fought off by Channing Tatum’s soldier Caine, who wears magical hovering boots.

Taken 3 – Friday 27th November

Liam Neeson returns once again as the dad with a plan for a second sequel.

Blackhat – Friday 27th November

The word “cyber-thriller” sounds as dated as it can get, but Michael Mann’s film, which stars Chris Hemsworth as a hacker released from jail by the FBI to help track down another, more dangerous, keyboard-baser, feels grippingly modern thanks to its cool, digital direction.

Other new releases

Friday 6th November
Assassin

Friday 13th November
Montana
The 3 Dogateers
The Wedding Ringer

Friday 20th November
The Opposite Sex
Jupiter Ascending

Friday 27th November
13 Sins
Shelby

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