WONDERING WHAT TO WATCH NEXT? THESE ARE THE BEST TV DRAMAS COMING UP

2024 brought us a host of incredible dramas – from ITV's Joan starring Sophie Turner to the return of BBC's The Split, we were truly spoiled for choice. But, 2025 is here and with it comes even more gripping TV dramas for us to enjoy. Whether you love thrillers, forbidden romance or police procedurals, there's something for everyone to get gripped by.

Last year, ITV announced a new factual drama starring Sheridan Smith called I Fought the Law, and James Norton's psychological thriller Playing Nice has already had us captivated this 2025. Plus, Keeley Hawes' star-studded drama, Miss Austen, an adaptation of Gill Hornby's bestseller, is also coming to the BBC later on.

Not only that, but BBC has confirmed some truly wonderful dramas for later this 2025 including the hilarious and inspiring Riot Sisters and keen to not be left out, Channel 5 has also announced Jill Halfpenny's return to TV in The Feud.

There's even more to tune into as Tom Hiddleston will be reprising his iconic role as Jonathan Pine for two more series of The Night Manager this year too and of course, Netflix took over headlines everywhere with their ground-breaking Adolescence.

If you're anything like us, we're already looking forward to all the new dramas the rest of the year has to bring as ITV, BBC, Netflix and many more channels fight for our attention by bringing us the biggest and best storylines for us to indulge in. So, without further ado, here's Prima's picks of the biggest and best dramas of 2025.

Lockerbie

Release date: Available to watch now

Watch on: BBC1 and Netflix

This six-part series is based on the real events surrounding the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and the joint Scots-US investigation which sought to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The cast includes Scoop's Connor Swindells (SAS Rogue Heroes, Sex Education), Patrick J. Adams, Merritt Wever, Peter Mullan, Tony Curran and Eddie Marsan. Lauren Lyle, Andrew Rothney Phyllis Logan, Parker Sawyers, James Harkness, Khalid Laith, and Amanda Drew.

On 21 December 1988, flight Pan Am 103 was en route from Heathrow to JFK when a bomb exploded in its hold over the small Scottish town of Lockerbie, killing 270 people, including 43 British citizens and 190 Americans. It was the worst ever terror attack on British soil and the first major one on US citizens.

Lockerbie will focus on the investigation into the crash on both sides of the Atlantic and the devastating effect it had on the small town and the families who lost loved ones. From the initial exhaustive search for evidence on the ground in Scotland, via the US and Malta to the trial at Camp Zeist in 2000, the drama takes us right up to the most recent indictment at the end of 2022.

Playing Nice

Release date: Available to watch now

Watch on: ITV1 and ITVX

James Norton, stars in ITV's adaptation of JP Delaney's best-selling novel Playing Nice. Set against a sweeping Cornish landscape, two couples discover that their toddlers were switched at birth in a hospital mix-up, and face a horrifying dilemma: do they keep the sons they have raised and loved or reclaim their biological child?

Living a waking nightmare, Pete (James Norton) and Maddie (Niamh Algar) are jettisoned into the world of the other couple; Miles (James McArdle) and Lucy (Jessica Brown Findlay). At first it seems all four are agreed on a solution, but it soon becomes clear that hidden motives are at play. How far can each couple trust the real parents of their child – or even each other? As Pete and Maddie are stretched to breaking point, they realise they will stop at nothing to keep their family together.

Out There

Release date: Available to watch now

Watch on: ITVX

Martin Clunes returns to our small screens after bidding farewell to Doc Martin – but his new series offers something a little darker. County lines drug dealing and an escalating, insidious crime wave sweeping the British countryside is the subject of this six-part series, with Martin starring as a farmer confronted with dark forces seeping into his rural community.

The drama Out There depicts the stealthy, surreptitious invasion of the land the farmer cherishes, with devastating consequences, as his livelihood, homestead and family life are threatened by local county lines drugs dealers, essentially urban gangs using the British countryside as a field of operations, moving drugs and money between their inner-city hubs and provincial area.

Miss Austen

Release date: Available to watch now

Channel: BBC1

Keeley Hawes stars in the BBC's adaptation of Gill Hornby’s best-selling and much-loved novel of the same title.

Miss Austen takes a literary mystery – Cassandra Austen notoriously burning her famous sister Jane’s letters – and reimagines it as a fascinating, witty and heart-breaking story of sisterly love, while creating in Cassandra a character as captivating as any Austen heroine.

The drama begins in 1830, a while after Jane has died. Cassandra (Keeley Hawes) races to see her young friend Isabella (Rose Leslie) who is about to lose her home following her father’s death.

Cassandra is ostensibly there to help her friend, but her real motive is to find a stash of private letters which, in the wrong hands, could destroy Jane’s reputation. On discovering them, Cassandra is overwhelmed as she is transported back to her youth. In flashback, we meet young Cassy and Jane (Patsy Ferran) as they navigate the infatuations, family feuds and dashed hopes which shaped their lives and laid the foundations for Jane’s unforgettable stories.

Cassandra’s re-evaluation of her past eventually leads her to realise how blind she has been to the real cause of Isabella’s heartache and distress. Finding a way to guide Isabella towards true happiness, Cassandra is finally able to understand and celebrate the sacrifices she chose to make for her brilliant sister, Jane.

Toxic Town

Release date: Available to watch now

Channel: Netflix

Based on a true story and set in Britain, this mini series follows the journey of three mothers and their fight for justice in the wake of one of the worst toxic waste scandals in UK history.

We see lead actors Jodie Whittaker who plays Susa McIntyre, Aimee Lou Wood who plays Tracey Taylor and Brendan Coyle as Roy Thomas, tell this remarkable story in Toxic Town.

Ruth

Release date: Available to watch now

Watch on: ITV1 and ITVX

Lucy Boynton will star as Ruth Ellis, the last woman to hang in Britain, in ITV's upcoming drama based on Carol Ann Lee's acclaimed biography, A Fine Day for Hanging: The Real Ruth Ellis Story.

Set in 1955, Ruth is will be told over two parallel timelines, exposing secret truths about the case which have remained hidden for decades, and posing tantalising questions about what really happened in the months before Ruth killed her lover David Blakely, shedding light on the life of one of Britain’s most infamous murderesses.

The drama depicts Ruth's entry into a dizzying upper class London world that promises so much, but ultimately delivers treachery. We follow her glamorous lifestyle as a young nightclub manageress, her abusive relationship with the man she later gunned down in cold blood, her arrest, trial and the subsequent legal fight to reprieve her before she was hanged by infamous hangman, Albert Pierrepoint, in Holloway Prison, aged just 28.

Boynton said: "Ruth Ellis' story is a fascinating one. Both she and this complex case have always evoked a strong reaction, and with Kelly’s insightful scripts I’m looking forward to bringing a new perspective to both familiar audiences as well as those who are unaware of her mark on British history."

Additional cast members include Toby Jones as Ruth's solicitor John Bickford, who gradually realises the extent of Ruth's abuse at the hands of David Blakely – and who takes on the fight to make the case for provocation.

Laurie Davidson takes on the role of Ruth's abusive lover and victim, David Blakely.

Mark Stanley plays Desmond Cussen, Ruth's devoted admirer and sometime lover, a regular at the Little Club who becomes caught up in Ruth's toxic love triangle alongside Blakely.

Adolescence

Release date: Available to watch now

Channel: Netflix

It's the limited Netflix series that got everyone talking as Adolescence has taken over everyone's TV screens as well as values.

A family's world is turned upside down when 13-year-old Jamie Miller is arrested for murdering his school mate Katie.

The four-part series explores how the family copes with the arrest of their son and brother while looking into the influence of incel culture. Starring Owen Cooper, Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty, this has already become a must-watch.

The Change - Series 2

Release date: 25th March

Watch on: Channel 4

Bridget Christie's critically-acclaimed comedy series, The Change, will return for a second series. At the start of series two, Linda (Bridget Christie) has got some explaining to do. Faced with the repercussions of the lies she’s told the forest community, along with losing the Mother Tree and the arrival of husband Steve who has come to bring her home, Linda's future in the forest looks uncertain.

But she’s already come a long way since being mother/wife/homemaker Linda Jane Jenkins of Swindon and her journey is far from over. She may have only been Eel Queen for a day, but something's changed in Linda which means she’s not done yet – in fact she’s only just started. But little does she realise what a huge impact this decision will have on the town... and Steve.

Reunion

Release date: 7th April 2025

Watch on: BBC1 and BBC iPlayer

A four-part thriller ready to drop this spring, Reunion is a bilingual series which will feature both British Sign Language and spoken English.

Starring Matthew Gurney (Coffee Morning Club), Lara Peake (How To Have Sex), Anne-Marie Duff (Bad Sisters), Eddie Marsan (Sherlock Holmes) and Rose Ayling-Ellis (EastEnders), the story is described as an emotional thriller of revenge and redemption as it follows the journey of Daniel Brennan, a deaf man hoping to right his wrongs.

Unravelling the events that led him to his prison sentence, he faces a difficult time of fitting in with the hearing world, his friends and his estranged daughter.

Matthew Gurney said: “Reunion is an amazing storyline and is completely different from my previous work. My character Brennan is on a wildly different journey than that portrayed by normal deaf lives, this portrays a man who is hated within the deaf community.

"It shows how deaf people react and act on screen in an honest and authentic way. We are different to hearing actors, we are so much more visual storytellers, it's not about relying on sound it’s about using your eyes and seeing what is going on in the story."

The Feud

Release date: TBC

Watch on: Channel 5

A chilling drama, Jill Halfpenny and Rupert Penry-Jones play husband and wife Emma and John who, on the outside, seem to have the idyllic life.

Friends with their neighbours Sonia (Amy Nuttall) and Alan (Ray Fearon) and older couple Derek (James Fleet) and Barbara (Tessa Peake-Jones), relationships are put to the test when Emma and John want a house extension.

Testing what was believed to be strong friendships, the synopsis reads: "As objections to Emma’s plans are raised, life-threatening secrets start rising to the surface. Laced with menace, The Feud reveals how Emma’s aspirational dream turns sharply into obsession, paranoia, and fear.

"One decision sets in motion events that have unforeseeable consequences for both her and the people living on her street."

Larry Lamb, Jamie Lee-O'Donnell, Alex Macqueen and Chris Gascoyne also have roles in this upcoming drama.

Riot Women

Release date: 2025 (TBC)

Channel: BBC1 and BBC iPlayer

Written, directed and produced by BAFTA winning Sally Wainwright, Riot Women is a BBC drama that will boost your mood and have you feeling great.

With a brilliant cast including Joanna Scanlan (The Thick of It), Rosalie Craig (Serpent Queen), Tamsin Greig (Sexy Beast), Lorraine Ashbourne (Sherwood) and Amelia Bullmore (Vienna Blood), this story follows the journey of five mid-life women who start a rock band.

With the aim of winning their local talent competition, they must juggle their dreams and family life to be within a chance of winning.

The synopsis reads: "As they juggle demanding jobs, grown-up children, complicated parents, husbands who've buggered off, and disastrous dates and relationships, the band becomes a catalyst for change in their lives, and it's going to make them question everything."

The six-part series will explore themes of friendship, sisterhood, music and defying the norms as these women prove they won't let society tell them what they can and can't do.

The Walsh Sisters

Release date: TBC

Channel: BBC and BBC iPlayer

Based on one of Marian Keyes best-selling book series, this story focuses on the lives of the five Walsh sisters including their romances, secrets and challenges.

The BBC describes the show as "comedy about serious things — a pacey, brutally honest and uncompromisingly funny exposé of the realities of being an Irish sister".

Set in their hometown of Dublin, Anna, Rachel, Maggie, Claire and Helen are having to deal with a lot in their 20s and 30s which explores heartbreak, grief, addiction and parenthood.

The cast includes Louisa Harland (Derry Girls), Caroline Menton (Oddity), Danielle Galligan (Bone), Máiréad Tyers (Extraordinary) and Stefanie Preissner (How To Adult).

Honey

Release date: TBC

Channel: BBC and BBC iPlayer

Newly commissioned drama from the makers of Killing Eve, this has promised to be a "smart, playful and irresistible tale".

The story follows an MI6 agent in East Belrin in 1982. Undercover, Marta is surrounded by enemies and is constantly under threat of having her identity revealed.

Determined to not let Friedrich Bauman, the new Head of Counter Espionage for the Stasi discover who she is, she finds herself in a dysfunctional love triangle between him and CIA operative Aaron Neeland.

Writer Emma Moran has said: "I’m excited to dig into the sexy madness of our version of Cold War East Berlin. Romantic comedy plus espionage is a dream combination for me."

The Other Bennet Sister

Release date: TBC

Watch on: BBC1

If you're a fan of a period drama then the BBC has you covered with a new series based on Mary Bennet. Often described as the 'forgotten sister' in Pride and Prejudice, it's time for her to take centre stage in this book-adaption.

Speaking about the release, the BBC said: "The Other Bennet Sister is a fresh spin around the ballroom for one of Jane Austen’s most unassuming characters: Mary Bennet – the seemingly unremarkable and overlooked middle sister in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

"The series takes as its premise that – when it comes to the Bennet sisters – while we dream of being Lizzy, in reality most us are more like Mary..."

I Fought the Law

Release date: TBC

Watch on: ITV

Sheridan Smith plays a courageous and determined mother named Ann Ming, who took on the Criminal Justice System to change the Double Jeopardy Law and see her daughter’s murderer brought to justice, in ITV's dramatisation of Ann's book For the Love of Julie.

I Fought the Law recounts how tenacious mum of three, Ann, battled for 15 years so that her daughter's murderer could finally face justice, having been controversially acquitted following two mistrials.

Ann, who will act as consultant throughout the production process, said of the television adaptation: "I am very pleased that Hera Pictures will tell the story of my campaign to overturn the Double Jeopardy Law. My daughter’s killer was wrongfully acquitted, and a number of years later confessed to her murder, for which he could only be prosecuted for perjury due to the 800-year-old Double Jeopardy Law.

"I wasn’t going to let this stand in my way of getting justice for Julie. I’m overwhelmed that Sheridan Smith will be playing me. Having such an iconic and talented actress portray me is truly wonderful," she concluded.

Sheridan added: "I am so honoured to have been asked to play the role of Ann Ming, a mother so determined to fight for justice for her murdered daughter that she spent 15 years campaigning for the Double Jeopardy Law to be changed. She is a truly courageous and remarkable woman to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude."

The Night Manager - series 2 and 3

Release date: TBC

Watch on: BBC iPlayer

Tom Hiddleston will be returning as ex-British soldier Jonathan Pine for two more series of the critically-acclaimed Night Manager, it has been confirmed. Inspired by the characters in John le Carré’s best-selling novel, The Night Manager will pick up with Jonathan Pine eight years after the explosive finale of season one.

Tom said in a statement: "The first series of The Night Manager was one of the most creatively fulfilling projects I have ever worked on. The depth, range and complexity of Jonathan Pine was, and remains, a thrilling prospect. I’m so looking forward to reuniting with Simon and Stephen Cornwell, David Farr and Stephen Garrett, and to working with Georgi Banks-Davies to tell the next chapter of our story. I can’t wait."

Grenfell

Release date: TBC

Watch on: BBC1

The BBC announced Grenfell, a forthcoming factual drama about the 2017 fire at Grenfell Tower in West London which killed 72 people, impacted the lives of thousands more and left a community grieving in its wake. The drama will draw on over five years of research – taking in public sources, the inquiry hearings and extensive interviews conducted by writer-director Peter Kosminsky and associate producer Ahmed Peerbux – to give a comprehensive account of the events leading up to, during, and after the devastating fire which took place on 14 June 2017.

The BBC says: "Told from multiple perspectives, the three-part series will shine a light on the human stories of those caught up in the tragedy, exploring the profound impact of Grenfell on survivors, the families and loved ones of those whose lives were lost, the firefighters on duty that night, and the wider community.

"The shockwaves of Grenfell were felt all over the country. This drama will ask not only how this terrible tragedy was able to occur, but also what we can learn to ensure that the events at Grenfell can never happen again elsewhere."

Trespasses

Release date: TBC

Channel: Channel 4

Based on the best-selling book by author Louise Kennedy, Trespasses has become one of the most hotly-anticipated dramas for 2025.

Set in Northern Ireland, actors Gillian Anderson, Tom Cullen and Lola Petticrew have joined the cast to bring this forbidden romance story to life.

The story follows a young Catholic school teacher (Petticrew) who falls for Michael (Cullen, an older Protestant married man. The synopsis reads: "Worlds apart, Cushla knows a relationship like this spells all kinds of trouble, but they are irresistibly drawn to one another.

"In a place where loose lips cost lives and danger lurks in the shadows, amidst the fear and paranoia, this illicit affair between Cushla and Michael ignites and burns bright... "

Filming wrapped up in December 2024 so we're hoping for a release date soon.

2024-10-24T11:17:23Z