THE WHITE LOTUS S1-3 | Mondays from 17 February
Winner of 15 Emmys, The White Lotus returns for a third instalment following a new group of guests at another White Lotus hotel, this time in Thailand.
Once again written and directed by Mike White, the new season returns Natasha Rothwell to her Emmy-nominated Season 1 role as Belinda alongside a star-studded new cast. This includes Emmy nominees Carrie Coon, Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, and Walton Goggins, BAFTA winner Aimee Lou Wood, Teen Choice nominees Leslie Bibb and Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Critics Choice nominee Michelle Monaghan.
As TimeOut says, “Much as we’ll all miss Jennifer Coolidge – RIP Tanya – the third run of White Lotus should be February’s most talked-about telly.”
While you wait, rewatch the first two seasons on Showmax.
Watch the trailer:
SUITS: LA S1 | Mondays from 24 February
NBC’s Suits was the most streamed series in the world in 2023, so it’s no surprise we’re now getting a spinoff from the original series creator, Aaron Korsh, or that it’s in the top 10 on IMDb’s Most Anticipated New TV list for 2025.
Teen Choice winner Stephen Amell (Arrow) stars in Suits: LA as Ted Black, a former federal prosecutor from New York who has reinvented himself representing the most powerful clients in Los Angeles. His firm is at a crisis point, and in order to survive, he must embrace a role he held in contempt his entire career.
Gabriel Macht returns to the franchise to guest star as Harvey Specter, while the new cast includes Josh McDermitt (Eugene in The Walking Dead).
While you wait, binge all nine seasons of the original Suits on Showmax.
Watch the trailer:
YELLOWJACKETS S1-3 | First on Showmax | Saturdays from 15 February
The third season of the Emmy-nominated series continues to explore the harrowing survival story of the high school women’s soccer team that crashed in the wilderness in 1996.
Two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby) and Critics’ Choice nominee Joel McHale (Community) join the cast this season, which also sees Melanie Lynskey and Christina Ricci return to their Emmy-nominated roles.
Yellowjackets S1 was the second-most streamed series in Showtime’s history.
While you wait, binge the first two seasons on Showmax.
Watch the trailer:
COLIN FROM ACCOUNTS S1-2 | Binge from Tuesday, 18 February
Rotten Tomatoes’ second-best romance series of last year, and third-best returning series overall, Season 2 of Australian comedy series Colin from Accounts picks up with Ashley and Gordon needing to work out whether they want a relationship … or if they just wanted a dog.
With Season 2, real-life couple Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall (who created, wrote and star in the show) have cracked a rare 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes for a second time, with the critics’ consensus saying it’s “as cranky, funny, and delightful as ever.”
In their 5/5-star review, The Guardian calls the show “an absolute joy to watch,” praising its “perfect blend of hard-edged laughs and genuine emotion,“ reiterating their Season 1 review that called it “unfailingly funny, honest, acute, kind and really rather wonderful”, adding that it’s “better than ever” in Season 2.
The hit series has already won three Logie Awards – Most Outstanding Comedy, and both Most Outstanding Actress and Actor for its leads – as well as the 2024 Australian Writers’ Guild Comedy Award.
While you wait, binge Season 1 on Showmax.
Watch the trailer:
POWER BOOK IV: FORCE S1-2 | Binge from Friday, 31 January
Force follows Power fan-favourite character Tommy Egan (Screen Actors Guild nominee Joseph Sikora from Ozark) as he starts over in Chicago. In a city divided by race, Tommy is ready to rewrite all the rules in his quest to become Chicago’s biggest drug dealer.
Force has a 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.1/10 score on IMDb, with Variety saying: “By taking the time to unpack the very real racial tensions in Chicago, permitting Tommy to do what he does best and illustrating the varied characters more intimately, Force has hit its stride.”
Already renewed for a third season, Force is created by Emmy nominee Robert Munic (The Cleaner), with Power creator Courtney A Kemp exec producing alongside Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. The ensemble cast includes Lili Simmons (Banshee) and Tommy Flanagan (Sons of Anarchy, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2).
Watch the trailer:
THE DAY OF THE JACKAL S1 | Mondays at 8:30pm
Nominated as Best Drama Series at both the 2025 Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, The Day of the Jackal follows a ruthless, mysterious assassin known as the Jackal, who makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee. He meets his match when a tenacious British intelligence officer starts to track him down in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe.
Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything, Fantastic Beasts franchise) has earned Golden Globe, Critics Choice and Screen Actors Guild nominations for his shape-shifting performance as The Jackal.
BAFTA winner Lashana Lynch (The Woman King, No Time to Die) plays Bianca, the British intelligence office hot on his heels.
Written and adapted by Ronan Bennet (Top Boy), The Day of The Jackal is the biggest Sky Original ever and has an 84% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Variety calls it “exhilarating… a breathless adventure until the very end.”
The Day of the Jackal is a modern-day reimagination of Frederick Forsyth’s classic novel, which earned the 1972 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America.
Watch the trailer:
SAS ROGUE HEROES S1-2 | First On Showmax | Binge from Friday, 31 January
SAS Rogue Heroes returns for its second season, picking up with the regiment in the Spring of 1943, as they face their next battle on a whole new terrain: mainland Europe.
Originally inspired by Ben Macintyre’s bestselling book of the same name, the BAFTA-nominated BBC drama is a “mostly true” account of how arguably the world’s greatest special forces unit was formed under extraordinary circumstances in the darkest days of World War II.
Once again written by Oscar nominee and Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, Season 2 brings back BAFTA winners Jack O’Connell and Dominic West as Paddy Mayne and Dudley Clarke, as well as Algerian actress Sofia Boutella as Eve Mansour and Sex Education’s Connor Swindells as David Stirling.
Both seasons have a 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In their five-star review, The Guardian calls the series, “air-punchingly good… An utterly thrilling romp of a watch.”
Watch the trailer:
BOOKIE S2 | First on Showmax | Fridays from 21 February
From Emmy-nominated creators Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men) and Nick Bakay (Young Sheldon, Mom), Bookie follows veteran LA bookie Danny as the potential legalisation of sports gambling in California threatens to upend his business for good. Danny must contend with his increasingly unstable clients as he tries to settle their debts – all while making plenty of risky bets of his own.
Award-winning comedian Sebastian Maniscalco (The Super Mario Bros. Movie, The Irishman) stars as Danny. Returning cast includes NAACP winner Omar J Dorsey (Queen Sugar) as his best friend Ray, a former NFL player; NAACP nominee Vanessa Ferlito (CSI:NY) as his sister, Lorraine; and Jorge Garcia from Lost as the reluctantly reformed drug dealer Hector.
Bookie holds a 90% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Season 2 guest stars include triple Emmy winner Ray Romano and nominees Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men) and Zach Braff (Scrubs), as well as 2025 Critics Choice nominee Asher Grodman (Ghosts).
Watch the trailer:
RED EYE S1 | Binge from Tuesday, 25 February
Red Eye begins with British surgeon Dr Matthew Nolan extradited to China to face murder charges, accompanied by Detective Sergeant Hana Li. When their flight from London to Beijing is rocked by a series of unexplained deaths, Li must untangle a web of political and criminal intrigue that places all passengers at risk.
The six-part series stars Critics Choice nominee Richard Armitage (The Hobbit, Hannibal) and Jing Lusi (Crazy Rich Asians) as Nolan and Li, with BAFTA nominee Lesley Sharp (Scott & Bailey) as MI5 Director-General Madeline Delaney.
Directed by BAFTA nominee Kieron Hawkes (Power Book IV: Force, Fortitude), Red Eye was up for Best New Drama at the National Television Awards in the UK. The show attracted over 8 million viewers, and ITV has already ordered a second season.
Watch the trailer:
IT’S FLORIDA, MAN S1 | First On Showmax | Binge from Monday, 24 February
“Too stupid not to be true,” It’s Florida, Man brings to life unbelievable, ripped-from-the-headlines tales of the Sunshine State.
Featuring interviews with everyday Floridians and playful recreations starring a rotating cast of actors and comedians – including Oscar nominee Juliette Lewis, Emmy nominees Lauren Lapkus and Stephen Root, People’s Choice nominee Anna Faris, and Critics’ Choice nominee Jake Johnson – this hilarious and outrageous series sheds light on the viral, wacky, and weird.
From the producers of The Righteous Gemstones, the six-part series has an 86% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Summing it up as “Florida’s Craziest Tales of Cannibalism, Gator Attacks, and Mermaid-Witches,” The Daily Beast calls the show “a crazy companion piece to Drunk History… [recounting] some of the most moronic chapters in America’s recent past.”
One of the Top 3 most watched series on Max during its run, HBO has already renewed It’s Florida, Man for a second season.
Watch the trailer:
THE ROOKIE S5-6 | Binge from Friday, 21 February
In Season 6 of The Rookie, the LAPD’s oldest rookie, John Nolan (multiple People’s Choice Award winner Nathan Fillion from Castle and Firefly), is preparing to say “I do”, while the team works to understand why they were targeted in the explosive events of Season 5’s finale, and whether there is a bigger plan in place.
Nominated for three Emmys for its stunts, The Rookie holds an 8/10 score on IMDb and has already been renewed for its seventh season.
Alyssa Diaz (Ray Donovan) is back as Angela Lopez this season, alongside the likes of People’s Choice winner Richard T Jones (Judging Amy), Melissa O’Neil (Dark Matter), Eric Winter (The Mentalist), Teen Choice winner Jenna Dewan (Superman and Lois) and Mekia Cox (Chicago Med’s Robin Charles).
Watch the trailer:
S.W.A.T. S1-7 | Binge from Monday, 10 February
Emmy winner Shemar Moore (Criminal Minds) stars in S.W.A.T. as Hondo, who leads an elite tactical team in LA law enforcement. Torn between loyalty to his community and his brothers in blue, he works to bridge the divide between both worlds as he grapples with parenthood.
Created by Emmy nominee Shawn Ryan (The Shield) and Aaron Rahsaan Thomas (The Get Down), S.W.A.T. has been nominated for Critics Choice Super Awards for Best Action Series and Best Actor in an Action Series (for Shemar Moore), as well as four Emmys for its stunt coordination.
Deacon (Jay Harrington) and Nichelle Carmichael (Rochelle Aytes) are back this season, with Anna Enger Ritch (The Haunting of Hill House) joining the cast as Zoe Powell.
This was billed as the seventh and final season – but was so popular that CBS ordered an eighth.
Watch the trailer:
THE FRANCHISE | First on Showmax | Binge from Monday, 10 February
HBO’s satirical comedy The Franchise follows a film crew on an unloved franchise movie fighting for their place in a savage and unruly cinematic universe. Is this Hollywood’s new dawn or cinema’s last stand?
Emmy nominee Himesh Patel (Station Eleven, Yesterday) and Critics Choice Super winner Aya Cash (The Boys) lead the cast, which includes 2024 International Emmy nominee Jessica Hynes, Screen Actors Guild nominee Katherine Waterston (Fantastic Beasts franchise) and Eswatini-born Oscar nominee Richard E Grant.
Emmy-winning series creator Jon Brown (who worked on Veep and Succession) produces alongside Oscar-nominated Veep creator Armando Iannucci and Oscar winner Sam Mendes (1917, Skyfall, American Beauty), who also directed the pilot episode.
Watch the trailer:
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT – LATE ADDITION TO JANUARY
POWER BOOK II: GHOST S1-4 | First on Showmax | Binge now
Starz says its subscribers have now watched over 1.6 billion hours of the Power universe.
The first spin-off series in the award-winning crime drama franchise, Ghost stars Critics Choice Rising Star winner Michael Rainey Jr as Tariq St Patrick, the son of drug dealer James “Ghost” St Patrick. Tariq must reconcile his past in order to rise to the top of the food chain and become who he needs to be to protect those he loves most.
Golden Globe nominee Michael Ealy (Barbershop, Think Like A Man) joins the cast this season as detective Don Carter.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the fourth and final season became the most-watched show ever on Starz, averaging 10.5m viewers across all platforms, measured for 90 days post-premiere. The Season 4 premiere was also the highest-rated cable programme among Black households in the USA.
Ghost won 13 awards during its run, including the 2024 Impact award from the African American American Film Critics Association, directing prizes from the 2024 NAACP Image Awards and Telly Awards for Dawn Wilkinson, and the editing prize at the 2024 Black Reel Awards for Spenser Reich. Previous seasons earned Mary J Blige and Method Man multiple NAACP Image Supporting Actress and Actor Awards.
Watch the trailer:
CLASSICS ON THE COUCH:
DAWSON’S CREEK S1-6 | Binge from Friday, 28 February
Dawson’s Creek follows the lives, loves, and heartbreaks of four teenagers: Dawson, an aspiring filmmaker; his lifelong best friend, Joey; their rebellious friend Pacey; and city girl Jen, who shakes up their small-town world.
Created by Kevin Williamson (Scream), the show launched multi-award-winning careers for James van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams, who has gone on to earn five Oscar nominations. Even decades after its 1998 debut, fans are still debating whether Joey should have ended up with Dawson or Pacey.
Collider named Dawson’s Creek one of its 10 Most Rewatchable Teen Dramas, saying: “From the show’s idea of finding your platonic soulmate in your best friend, to the awakening that the first person you date may not actually be the person you end up with, a rewatch of Dawson’s Creek is a must.”
Watch the trailer:
FRASIER S1-11 | Binge from Friday, 28 February
Premiering in 1993 as a spin-off of the iconic NBC sitcom Cheers, Frasier continues the story of the witty but pretentious psychiatrist Frasier Crane (Emmy winner Kelsey Grammer).
After dealing with a divorce, Frasier leaves Boston for his hometown of Seattle to get a new lease of life and begin a career as a radio talk show host. While he is always ready and willing to provide wisdom to his talk show callers, he often finds it hilariously impossible to deal with his own obstacles.
The Daily Mail hails Frasier as “one of the funniest, cleverest, most perfectly drawn and hilariously scripted television shows of all time.” The sitcom earned 107 Emmy nominations, winning 37, a record it held until 2016 when Game of Thrones won 38.
In 2023, Frasier returned in a reboot of the same name, with Grammer reprising his role as Dr Frasier Crane.
AWARDS UPDATES
HACKS WINS TWO GOLDEN GLOBES – AND A GOLDEN TOMATO
Named Best Comedy Series at the 2024 Emmys, Hacks keeps picking up awards, taking home:
• Golden Globes for Best Comedy and Best Female Actor: Comedy (Jean Smart)
• A Golden Tomato for Rotten Tomatoes’ Best Comedy Series of 2024
The HBO series is also nominated for four Critics Choice Awards next Friday, 7 February 2024:
• Best Comedy Series
• Best Actress (Jean Smart)
• Best Supporting Actress (Hannah Einbender)
• Best Supporting Actor (Paul W. Downs)
THE PENGUIN WINS GOLDEN GLOBE FOR COLIN FARRELL – AND A GOLDEN TOMATO TOO
At the Golden Globes, Colin Farrell won Best Male Actor: Limited Series for The Penguin, which recently won the Golden Tomato for Best Anthology or Limited Series at the Rotten Tomatoes Awards.
HBO’s The Batman spinoff series is also nominated for four Critics Choice Awards next Friday, 7 February 2024:
• Best Limited Series
• Best Actor (Colin Farrell)
• Best Actress (Cristin Milioti)
• Best Supporting Actress (Deirdre O’Connell)
In the Best Anthology or Limited Series category at the Rotten Tomatoes Awards, content on Showmax also placed #3 (Fantasmas), #4 (Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist), #9 (The Sympathizer) and #10 (True Detective: Night Country).
WISE GUY: DAVID CHASE AND THE SOPRANOS: BEST DOCUSERIES OF 2024
HBO’s Wise Guy: David Chase & The Sopranos won the Golden Tomato for Rotten Tomatoes’ Best Docuseries of 2024.
Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show was ranked #3 in the category.
BUT THAT’S NOT ALL FOLKS
Other recent wins for content on Showmax include:
• At the Golden Globes, Jodie Foster won Best Female Actor: Limited or Anthology Series for True Detective: Night Country. At next week’s Critics Choice Awards, the HBO series is also up for Best Limited Series, Actress (Foster) and Supporting Actress (Kali Reis)
• At the Rotten Tomatoes Awards for the best-reviewed content of 2024, Hysteria! was ranked the #2 Best Horror Series; House of the Dragon the #3 Best Fantasy Series of 2024; Industry the #3 Best Drama Series; and Somebody Somewhere the #10 Best Returning Series.
• At Monday morning’s Grammy Awards, Kings From Queens: The Run DMC Story is nominated for Best Music Film. It’s up against the documentary Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple, coming to Showmax on 26 February 2025.
• At next Friday’s Critics Choice Awards, additional nominees on Showmax include:
• Somebody Somewhere is up for Best Comedy Series and Best Actress (Bridgett Everett)
• The Day of the Jackal is up for Best Drama Series and Actor (Eddie Redmayne)
• Industry is up for Best Drama Series
• My Brilliant Friend is up for Best Foreign Language Series
• A Gentleman in Moscow is up for Best Actor: Limited Series (Ewan McGregor)
• Nicole Kidman is up for Best Supporting Actress: Drama for Special Ops: Lioness
• Robert Downey Jr is up for Best Supporting Actor for The Sympathizer
• Hugh Grant is up for Best Supporting Actor for The Regime
• Found’s Shanola Hampton and Mark-Paul Gosselaar are up for Best Actress: Drama and Supporting Actor
