Pilot TV Podcast

Christina Hendricks couldn't stay away and is back on the podcast this week, talking this time about the return of The Buccaneers to Apple TV+ (28:59-50:14). And speaking of Apple, the new show from Dennis Lehane, Smoke, goes under the Pilot TV microscope this week as we follow Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett in tracking down a serial arsonist (1:19:07). Plus we join Jordan Gray and Nick Frost in ITV's supermarket comedy Transaction (59:54), and go undercover with Jensen Ackles in Countdown on Prime (1:11:03). (Episode 342)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 17 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+!

We bounce from balls to benefits this week as we hang out with a lot of very rich people in YA adaptation We Were Liars on Prime (1:00:45), and Mitford sisters miniseries Outrageous on U&Drama (48:19), then explore the life of a woman taking a creative approach to government welfare cutbacks in Rosie Jones' comedy Pushers on Channel 4 (38:41). Plus Kay makes her triumphant return and uses the opportunity to quiz us on our (TV-themed) summer holiday plans. All that and James manages to coin an upsetting new phrase for overtly YA TV dramas. (Episode 341)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 17 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+!

Kay is still on holiday this week, but that's okay because standing in for her is true crime maven Steph Seelan, plus Cynthia Nixon — although she's less a Kay stand-in and more a guest, here to talk about the new season of And Just Like That (1:02:13-1:16:13). On this week's show we have a trio of half hour wonders, specifically Channel 4's Beth (1:33:57), ITV's The Consultant (1:25:25), and BBC1's St Denis Medical (1:42:43). What's more, we take the opportunity not only to get the latest true crime recommendations from Steph, but to grill her on the genre's appeal as a whole and try to discover why James wasn't invited to her wedding. (Episode 340)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 17 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+!

Matthew Goode is on this week, chatting all things Dept Q on Netflix (41:02-57:30). Plus, we take up our 9 irons for a spot of golf with Owen Wilson in Stick on Apple TV+ (1:09:52), explore the boundaries of sibling rivalry with Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks in The Better Sister on Prime (1:01:15), and hut for missing bullion with Hugh Bonneville in series 2 of The Gold on BBC1 (1:17:43). All that, and for the maths geeks among you, a special treat as James breaks down the finances of epic fantasy series in a painful attempt to explain why The Wheel Of Time didn't deserve to be cancelled. (Episode 339)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 17 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+!

We're all off to Scribbly Gum Island this week for BBC1's adaptation of Liane Moriarty's The Last Anniversary (58:20), solving crimes with Timothy Spall in Death Valley, also on the Beeb (1:07:31), and pushing the boundaries of sisterly love alongside Meghann Fahy and Millie Alcock in Sirens on Netflix (1:00:04). (Episode 338)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 17 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+!

We're back on the wellness beat with Nicole Kidman in Nine Perfect Strangers season 2 on Prime (1:16:15), Facing off against a machine with chess wizard Gary Kasparov in Rematch on Disney+ (1:26:03), and re-examining the Lockerbie disaster with The Bombing Of Pan Am 103 on BBC1 (1:06:32). Plus Rian Johnson drops by to discuss Poker Face (36:44-53:00) and we even manage to slip some Star Wars questions in there as well. (Episode 337)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 17 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+!

If you've been looking for an update on the marvel that is new Who then we have just the man for you because Russell T Davies is our guest on this week's show, delivering the first part of a very in-depth chat with Boydy about all things TARDIS-related (32:08). Plus, we hop over to apple to spend time with Alexander Skarsgard's homicidal cyborg in Murderbot on Apple TV+ (58:14), launch ourselves into the mosh pit of satanic metal horror/teen/comedy Hysteria! on Paramount+ (1:09:21), and try to sniff out a serial killer in The Game on 5 (1:18:16). (Episode 336)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 17 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+!

Alan Alda's The Four Seasons gets a modern glow-up with Steve Carell, Tina Fey and Colman Domingo on Netflix this week (40:53), plus Rian Johnson's Poker Face comes crashing back with its second season on Sky (51:04), and Malpractice returns with more embattled medics on ITV (1:00:05). Meanwhile, Kay manages to completely hijack the listener question with a stealthy soap query. It's okay to be disgusted.(Episode 335)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 17 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+!

On program! Yes, Andor has returned and while we had to wait a week for James to get back from holiday before we were all allowed to discuss it, we review Season 2 in full this episode (58:12). Plus, following on from our review of the final season of You in last week's Pilot+, Charlotte Ritchie joins us on this week's podcast to talk about the series' swansong (28:59). Elsewhere, we're going all French this week with Prime video's ballet drama Étoile (1:17:01) and Napoleonic baking/espionage series Carême (1:30:46).(Episode 334)

With James away this week, it's down to Boyd and Kay to take the helm and bang on about the week's big TV but in a shock move, they admit James rewatching shows he's seen thousands of times before is actually, dare we say it, a GOOD thing. More importantly, David Oyelowo is our guest, chatting all things Government Cheese (that's the title of his new Apple TV+ show, not a dietary preference), and we review Fake, an Aussie true-life drama which triggers Kay's dating experience memories, the whodunnit I, Jack Wright from Chris Lang of Unforgotten fame, and in a final twist, Boyd does a mini-spoiler special review of Doctor Who series 2, ep 2 ‘Vox' because it deserves special treatment!(Episode 333)

Yes, it's time for James to bang on about The Last Of Us again (sorry) but that's okay, because we have Charlie Brooker and Jessica Rhodes on the show to balance things out by talking Black Mirror Season 7 (37:05). Aside from forcing Kay to watch more ‘zomzies' in The Last Of Us (on Sky Atlantic), we also head over to Disney+ to watch Denise Gough take part in the playdate from hell in The Stolen Girl (1:28:19) and take a slightly surreal look at the world of self-sharpening drill bits (stay with us) in Government Cheese on Apple TV+ (1:39:46). Also, we'd love to get your feedback on the podcast so do head over and fill out our little questionnaire here: https://tinyurl.com/ms9u3z22(Episode 332)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 17 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+!

Our friend and neighbour Jon Hamm is this week's guest (36:36)as we chat burglary and anti-heroes for Apple's new comedy drama (1:06:10). Plus we take a look at the BBC's Deaf-centric revenge drama Reunion (1:27:15), and have the novel experience of being able to watch a series of Hacks (1:17:12)when it actually comes out instead of months down the line. Hooray!(Episode 331)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 17 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+!

Tom Hardy is with us this week (18:08), going full gangster for MobLand, and Kaitlin Olson also stops by to chat High Potential and Hacks (59:37). Elsewhere, we accompany Michelle Williams on a voyage of sexual discovery in Dying For Sex on Disney+ (1:26:37), head Down Under with Sally Philips and Ben Miller in Austin on BBC1 (1:10:30), and embark on a mission for Satan with Kevin Bacon in The Bondsman on Paramount+ (1:17:56). (Episode 330)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 17 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+!

We are blessed by Canadian comedy royalty this week as Seth Rogen and Catherine O'Hara join us on the podcast to talk all about The Studio on Apple TV+ (30:06), which we also review on this week's show (54:27). Plus, we discuss the finer points of tree surgery (don't watch and chop, kids) as well as take a look at Mythic Quest anthology spin-off Side Quest (1:05:38), as well as Liverpudlian crime drama This City Is Ours with Sean Bean on BBC1 (1:12:50).(Episode 329)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 17 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+!

Gangs Of London star Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù is our guest on this week's show (32:20) as we suit up for another instalment of bloody murder on the streets of the capital in Season 3 (1:20:55). Plus, we're testing the boundaries of paternal relations in Happy Face on Paramount+ (1:12:59), in which Annaleigh Ashford stars as the daughter of Dennis Quaid's serial killer, and going on the lam with Siobhan Finneran in protective custody thriller Protection on ITV (1:28:52).(Episode 328)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 17 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+!

We're giving out gnomes this week, specifically to Brian Tyree Henry, who joins us to chat all things rip and run with crime thriller Dope Thief (19:58) on Apple TV+. And while she didn't get a gnome, the excellent Faye Marsay stopped by as well (1:02:54), to talk mind-blowing one-shot drama Adolescence on Netflix. And if reviewing both of those shows (1:23:00, 1:33:34) wasn't enough for you, we also roll out the red carpet for the main event that is The Au Pair on Channel 5 (1:46:10), a show that is…. well, we wouldn't want to spoil the surprise. Listen and find out!(Episode 327)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 17 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+!

This week's show sees us dealing with industrial pollution alongside Jodie Whittaker and Aimee Lou Wood in Toxic town on Netflix (46:06), being terrorised by Martin Compston and Anjli Mohindra's neighbour from hell in Fear on Prime Video (1:06:24), and heading to Kingston with Tamara Lawrance in Get Millie Black on Channel 4 (58:37). Plus Boydy lays down the law with regard to The White Lotus, James reveals a bold new era for Pilot+ subscribing, and Kay asks which shows should have stopped after a single season and put us all our of our misery.(Episode 326)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 12 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+ at empire.supportingcast.fm.

Chris O'Dowd and Christina Hendricks join us this week (25:10) to talk Small Town, Big Country on Sky and NOW (which we also review - 1:17:30), Plus Jason Isaacs drops by to chat The White Lotus (1:02:38). Elsewhere, Boydy undertakes a scintillating digression about the vagaries of TV magazine publication dates and how they relate to embargoes (bear with us) and we not only take a look at the BBC's Dope Girls (1:27:27, but head back to the Yellowstoniverse with Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren for 1923 (1:37:11).(Episode 325)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 12 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+ at empire.supportingcast.fm.

Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight heads to the mean streets of Victorian London for A Thousand Blows on Disney+ and what better way to celebrate than with a special Pilot TV/Empire crossover podcast? Chris Hewitt, James Dyer and Kay Ribeiro get under the skin of Knight's latest period piece, which combines bare-knuckle boxing with organised crime as all-female gang The Forty Elephants rampage through the East End. Plus, Kay speaks to Knight himself about the origins of the series and to stars Stephen Graham and Malachi Kirby about facing off in the ring.

We have a gaggle of guests for you this week as Jesse Plemons joins us to talk Netflix's Zero Day (51:21) and the three stars of Apple's Surface — Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Millie Brady — also drop by (17:43). Elsewhere, we strip down and buff up for a bit of bare-knuckle boxing in Victorian London with A Thousand Blows on Disney+ (1:31:15), and take a trip to Thailand for the latest instalment of Mike White's jamboree of misery, The White Lotus, on Sky and NOW (1:09:17).(Episode 324)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 12 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+ at empire.supportingcast.fm.

Dodgy influencers are the order of the day on this week's show as we take a look at Netflix's wellness drama Apple Cider Vinegar (39:12). Plus, we join three hapless boys (and one plastic swan) in BBC comedy Funboys (51:04), and head up to the mean streets of Bradford for the Beeb's adaptation of the DCI Virdee novels (59:48). Plus, the team chew over television's most fiendish cliffhangers and James attempts to explain the significance of the impending Buffy reboot to Kay.(Episode 323)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 12 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+ at empire.supportingcast.fm.

We have a trio of brilliant British shows for you this week as Chris Lang's Unforgotten reunites Sunny with his famous backpack for its sixth series on ITV (52:22), Jack Rooke's Big Boys gets a last hurrah as its third and final series hits Channel 4 (59:40), and Lucy Punch starring Motherland spinoff Amandaland makes its debut on BBC1 (1:07:26). Plus we take a deep dive look at this week's Next On Netflix presentation and Ben Travis gets called at home to answer for his ridiculous question. (Episode 322)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 12 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+ at empire.supportingcast.fm.

This week, we're on the hunt for the president's killer with Sterling K. Brown in Paradise on Disney+ (1:04:01), heading back to the ‘80s to re-live one of the final interviews with Margaret Thatcher in Brian And Maggie on Channel 4 (44:49), and catching up with Rob McElhenney's gamemasters in season 4 of Mythic Quest on Apple TV+ (1:18:55). All that, and James does his level best to make Kay break her 2025 no swearing rule, with mixed success.(Episode 321)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 12 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+ at empire.supportingcast.fm.

We're chatting Prime Target with Leo Woodall and Quintessa Swindell this week (34:16), before hand-picking a single pair of shows to review this week — which has a lot more to do an array of embargoes than an indicator of special quality. Still, we're back in procedural land for High Potential (54:53) and back in the ‘80s for a bit of geopolitical wrangling with submarines in Swedish miniseries Whiskey On The Rocks (1:03:21) — both on Disney+. Plus we get a small assortment of listener questions from Kay and Boyd reveals his unnatural love of the big light. (Episode 320)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 12 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+ at empire.supportingcast.fm.

We're back! it's 2025 and to kick things off, James Norton and Niamh Algar join us to chat all things Playing Nice on ITV (26:05). But that's not all, because ITV also brings us this week's Wales-set drama Out There (1:00:48) with Martin Clunes. We hop back both to the birth of the Wild West and to last week, when American Primeval debuted on Netflix (51:32), but none of that can possibly match the excitement surrounding the return of Severance (1:11:19), which finally returns to Apple TV+ for a second season three years in the making. Can it live up to the show's critically acclaimed debut? Listen and find out. (Episode 319)Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 12 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+ at empire.supportingcast.fm.

Merry Christmas! and welcome to Pilot TV's festive round-up of the year that was. Over the course of two glorious hours, we break down the last 12 months in television, sifting through the good, the bad, and the ugly of 2024. From our official best shows list, to honourable mentions, listener questions, some of our favourite moments and an extended (and excruciating) blooper reel from our editor, Darren, we send the year out in style and pave the way for an even better 2025. So kick back, listen up and enjoy!

In our final regular podcast of the year, we speak to the legendary Nicola Walker (26:53) about The Split: Barcelona, as well as Harlan Coben and Nicola Shindler (1:28:19) for Netflix's Missing You. Plus, we go all festive and sift through some of the great telly coming your way over the Christmas period, including A Ghost Story For Christmas (1:44:29), The Christmas episode of Doctor Who (1:49:06), and the latest season of Steven Knight's SAS: Rogue Heroes (1:55:26). We also find time to open Santa's sack and answer your questions in a bumper Christmas postbag, before signing off for a little chocolate-assisted R&R. Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 12 hours early, with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+ at empire.supportingcast.fm.

In an unexpected turn of events, Pilot TV's set visit to the new third (and fourth) season of Apple TV+'s Silo resulted in a sit down interview with both Rebecca Ferguson and the big Apple himself, Tim Cook (27:24). Never one to miss a chance to wax lyrical about Foundation, James cornered the Apple CEO to discuss the streamer's penchant for brilliant nerdy sci-fi. Elsewhere, we review BBC1's latest Strike instalment, The Ink Black Heart (1:19:03), and speak to star Holliday Grainger while we're at it (1:00:45), plus we catch up with Kaley Cuoco's serial killer podcast in the second season of Based On A True Story on Sky (1:31:19). Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 12 hours early, with a second weekly show, and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+ at empire.supportingcast.fm.

We were delighted to be joined in the studio this week by friend of the pod and Black Doves creator Joe Barton, who heroically braved Euston traffic and his post-premiere hangover to make a triumphant return to the podcast, sitting in with us this week as we chatted everything from animation to comedy and the creative powers of the ‘Merrineum'. Elsewhere, we dabble in Tim Miller's new video game inspired Prime animation Secret Level, and Netflix's adaptation of Gabriel García Márquez's 100 Years Of Solitude.

We're back in side the Agency this week as the stars of that show, Michale Fassbender and Jeffrey Wright, stop by to chat covert action (26:07). Plus, we continue the espionage theme with Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw in Netflix's Black Doves (57:24), steal a monstrous amount of maple syrup with Margo Martindale in The Sticky on Prime (1:10:40), and end up watching Dalgliesh on Channel 5 (1:18:41) because everything else was embargoed. Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 12 hours early, with a second weekly show, and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+ at empire.supportingcast.fm.

We have a quartet of brilliant guests for you this week as Billy Bob Thornton and Ali Larter join us to talk Taylor Sheridan's new show, Landman, on Paramount+ (18:01), and Bene Gesserit sisters Olivia Williams and Emily Watson also drop by to chat Dune Prophecy (45:43). Elsewhere, we head deep undercover with Michael Fassbender for star-studded espionage thriller The Agency on Paramount+ (59:47), head up North for Middlesborough set sitcom Smoggie Queens on BBC3 (1:13:56), and experience the cuckoobong extravaganza that is Mrs Davis on ITVX (1:23:51), which almost defies description. All that as we attempt to dodge Kay's lurgy as she spreads germs liberally around the studio.Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 12 hours early, with a second weekly show, and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+ at empire.supportingcast.fm.

It's absolute anarchy this week as we manage to begin the podcast first with a debate about proper podcast nomenclature and then with Kay and Boyd fighting over what does and does not constitute and illegal review. But bear with us and we promise the podcast proper does start eventually. And a good thing too, because Aldis Hodge and Ben Watkins join us to talk Cross (22:16) — though not to get cross — and Rebecca Hall drops by to talk The Listeners (49:12). Elsewhere, we give BBC1's The Listeners the full review treatment (1:06:36), plus spice things up with Dune: Prophecy on Sky Atlantic (1:15:48) and discover whether Michael Schur and Ted Danson's new comedy, A Man On the Inside (1:31:22), can hold a candle to The Good Place. Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 12 hours early, with a second weekly show, and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+ at empire.supportingcast.fm.

The Dude himself, Mr Jeff Bridges is one of our guests on this week's show (27:27), talking about the return of The Old Man on Disney+. He's joined by Steve Zahn, who drops by to talk about Silo (1:39:49) as its second season drops on Apple TV+. And speaking of which, we dig beneath the surface of that show (1:20:49) to find out whether its encore performance can live up to its sparkling debut, plus we take a trip back to the Troubles for IRA drama Say Nothing on Disney+ (1:31:23). But that's not all, because in a rare convergence of the spheres, we actually review…. an animation (1:06:19). But not just any animation, because Netflix's Arcane is back, back, back and even James is excited about this one.Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 12 hours early, with a second weekly show, and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+ at empire.supportingcast.fm.

Comedy legend Billy Crystal is our guest this week, not to talk about comedy, though, but rather psychological thriller Before on Apple TV+. Plus, we have an espionage triple bill for you this week as we delve into the world of assassination with Eddie Redmaybe and Lashana Lynch — both of whom are also guests on this week's show — in Sky's The Day Of The Jackal, heading to Afghanistan with Jeff Bridges — a guest on next week's show — for season 2 of The Old Man on Disney+, and getting another dose of Prime's Citadelverse in Indian regional spinoff Citadel: Honey Bunny.

Richard E. Grant joins us on the show this week (1:00:00) to talk about The Franchise, which we reviewed last week, plus Ben Wheatley joins drops by to talk about his satirical back comedy Generation Z (00:24:58), which made its debut on Channel 4 on the weekend and which we also review (1:17:01). We head off to France to battle terrorists in Paris Has Fallen on Paramount+ (1:25:51), and we take a harrowing look at life with a serial killer alongside Anna Maxwell Martin in Until I Kill You on ITV (1:35:29). Plus there's talk of hanging out at Robbie Williams' house, getting the bejesus scared out of us by Sean Harris, broken penises, interviews derailed by football and an awful lot of zomzies (sic).Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and would like the podcast entirely ad-free (as well as 12 hours early, along with a second weekly show and spoiler specials) then sign up to Pilot+ at empire.supportingcast.fm.

Captain Nemo himself, Shazad Latif, joining us this week to chat Nautilus on Prime Video, and Felicity Ward is also a guest on this week's show, chatting about her role at the forefront of Australia's take on The Office. Elsewhere, we head behind the scenes of a blockbuster superhero movie in Sky Comedy's The Franchise, and recline on Jason Segel's couch in season 2 of Shrinking on Apple TV+. But don't ask Kay about any of that as there's a significant chance she's not listening.

Eighties bonkbuster Rivals arrives on Disney+ this week and our very own Kay Ribeiro gets under the covers with star Aidan Turner to talk all about it. Plus, Lennie James takes on a decades-spanning role in Mr Loverman on BBC1, as a septuagenarian finally coming out of the closet, and Boydy got to chat with Lennie all about that. We also take a look at series 2 of The Devil's Hour on Prime, which proves a delightful surprise to James and manages to utterly destroy Kay. Listen and find out why.

We invite Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal onto this week's show to talk about Spanish-language boxing drama a Máquina on Disney+. But that's not all, as we pillory Kay for daring to take some time off, James is lambasted for his egregious (if entirely oblivious) queue-jumping, and there's some seasonal spooky chat about the best TV-based horrors. As well as reviewing La Máquina, though, we also take a look at starry Apple drama Disclaimer with Cate Blanchett, and Sweetpea on Sky Atlantic, in which Ella Purnell gets in touch with her inner sociopath.

It's a crime special this week as not only do we delve into Ryan Murphy's latest bowl of depravity in crime drama Grotesquerie on Disney+ but we also have Crime Monthly editor Steph Seelan standing in for Kay, who's still on her meditation retreat (if you worked with James and Boyd, you'd need one too). And while we have Steph among us, we take the opportunity to delve into the best British crime shows and get her professional take. Elsewhere, we return to Pierpoint with Industry series 3, which finally makes its way to BBC1, and catch up with the second series of Showtrial, which does likewise.

There's an ever-so-slight mix-up this week over whether a prestige BBC drama about tennis coaches should be masquerading as a Spanish language show about pirate ambulances, but that particular wrinkle thankfully gets ironed out in time for us to tackle Apples Never Fall on BBC1, in which Sam Neill may or may not have murdered Annette Bening. Plus David Mitchell and David Mitchell star as a pair of twins in Ludwig, also on the Beeb, and Sophie Turner takes a turn as godmother of crime Joan Hannington in Joan on ITV1. Also, now that the embargo has lifted, Boyd and Kay are able to review A Very Royal Scandal and James once again gets into the reasons why he wasn't bewitched by Agatha All Along.

Ruth Wilson is our guest on the show this week, talking about A Very Royal Scandal, which comes to Prime Video this week but is also heavily embargoed so we can't tell you about it on this week's show. Luckily, she can! Plus, we're all up in The Penguin's business this week as that spinoff from Matt Reeves' The Batman lands on Sky Atlantic and Now. Agatha All Along… is also embargoed, so we'll be tackling that on this week's Pilot+, but that does mean we have the bandwidth to return to Channel 5 for The Wives and, to properly send James off the deep end, we give the Frasier reboot another chance over on Paramount+. It doesn't go well. All that and we also find the time for an emergency Emmys drop-in, discussing this year's winners.

It's a special quarantine version of the pod this week as James, still struck down with Covid, feebly attempts to host the podcast while Boyd and Kay stay as far away from his lurgy as humanly possible. But despite a minor case of plague and an absolute dearth of telly this week, the team manage to hit the tracks for real-time train-based thriller Nightsleeper on BBC1, shagtastic educator drama The Teachers on Channel 5, and a trés Français fashion drama La Maison on Apple TV+. All that and you also get to hear how Kay's boozy leaving drinks went and why Boyd now wears a t-shirt with her face on.

James returns from his Taycation this week, but don't fret because to make up for that we have Gary Oldman on the show this week discussing the joy of Jackson Lamb in Slow Horses, and Eve Hewson chatting The Perfect Couple on Netflix. And speaking of Slow Horses, the arrival of Season 4 on Apple TV+ is cause for much celebration and is one of three triumphant returns this week, alongside Colin From Accounts, which finally makes its way to BBC2, and ITV's The Tower.

James is still absent while he devotes every waking hour to recovering from the Taylor Swift concert, so Boyd and Kay are joined by all-round legend Sophie Butcher, who recently compared Dating Naked UK and Love Island to Claire Denis' masterpiece Beau Travail. Up for review this week are season 4 of Only Murders In The Building on Disney+ (we will not be doing a spoiler special for this season, though, due to public demand), plus French series Sambre: Anatomy Of A Crime on BBC4, and the new fourth series of ITV1 crime drama Grace, starring John Simm. And yes, Grace episodes are 90 minutes long. Apologies all round. As for the guests we have the lovely comedians Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan discussing their Rob & Romesh Vs series on Sky Max and NOW. Just to underline that James is away this week…

We made it! 300 episodes (not counting the many episodes of Pilot+ or the spoiler specials) feels like quite the milestone, even if we weren't able to do a live show because James has tickets to see Taylor Swift. He did manage to drag himself away from Eras Tour prep (those friendship bracelets don't make themselves) to drop in and join Boyd and Kay for the 300th show, though, despite being on holiday. Could it be because Boyd and Kay both refused to watch yet another Walking Dead show? No comment. We do, however, get a run down of Dead City on Sky, as well as round two of Pachinko on Apple TV+, We Might Regret This on BBC2, and the return of Sherwood on BBC1, and on the subject of Sherwood, the creator and writer of the show, James Graham, is this week's guest. Plus we have a few of you on as Well, leaving us testimonials to mark our threehundredieth birthday. Hooray!

We can't review Paramount+'s Stags this week as it's embargoed, but that didnt' stop star Nico Mirallegro dropping by the pod to talk about the stag do from hell. Elsewhere, we can't lie, this week is somewhat anarchic. Kay and James are sleep deprived to the point of delirium and even a well-rested and thoroughly perky Boyd can't stop the good ship Pilot from taking on water and coming perilously close to capsizing completely. Still, between bickering about the olympics, exploring the etymology of Strictly Come Dancing and some minor controversy about how to pronounce a rather important name, we still manage (somehow) to review Vince Vaughn's crime adventure Bad Monkey on Apple, Aimee Lou Wood and David Morrissey's dysfunctional family drama Daddy issues on BBC3, and Sam Neill's Aussie legal drama The Twelve on ITVX. Frankly, it's a miracle we got through it all!

Like an episode of 24, we're racing against the clock on this week's show. But the imminent threat of being thrown from the studio by Jack Bauer didn't stop us from dimension hopping with ITVX's Slip, digging up a relic with Company You Keep on Alibi and heading up to Scotland for some criminal shenanigans with Irvine Welsh's Crime, now on ITV1. Plus Boyd waxes lyrical about the Olympics, Kay asks about Summer shows and the practice of ‘raw dogging' gets a full examination — not the kind you think!

We have vampires AND zombies this week in an undead double bill (Kay was thrilled) as well as people hurling themselves to a watery doom. More specifically, we tackle the second season of Interview With The Vampire on BBC2, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon on Sky Max, and Totally Completely Fine on ITVX. But that's not all, because we pull out some Paramount+ recommendations for those looking to drop into that streaming service (assuming you've forgiven them for cancelling Halo!), reel off some comfort watches for maternity leave and crunch some stats over recent streaming figures. All that while Boyd beams in from his holiday in NYC. Now that's dedication.

Champion of the green team Ser Gwayne Hightower aka Freddie Fox joins us on the show this week to fill us in on the latest developments in House Of The Dragon, plus we dissect this year's Emmy nominations, which saw Shōgun and The Bear (*cough* not a comedy *cough*) leading the pack. Elsewhere, we take a look at Apple's Gilliam-esque reimagining, Time Bandits, head into police training with ITV's Piglets, and experiment with the latest spin-off in The Good Wife franchise with Elspeth on Sky Witness.

Stars of Apple's Lady In The Lake Natalie Portman and Moses Ingram join us on this week's show despite a few technical hiccups. Plus we end up unearthing a cold case in BBC1's very pointed Jenna Coleman police drama The Jetty, welcoming Danny Dyer back into the family with Mr. Bigstuff on Sky Max and getting our sandals on for some gladiatorial action in Those About To Die on Prime Video. All this despite Kay being stuck at home and having to beam into the studio via the wonder of modern technology, braving the sweltering heat of her office to do so (there's a whole window drama, you have no idea).

Most films and TV shows are shot entirely out of sequence, so we went full Method on this week's podcast and decided to record the entire show out of sequence to see what it's like (and because we had an appointment with Rapman, but that's another story). The result? Anarchy. And possibly madness. Still, amidst the carnage, the discussion of a Pilot OnlyFans, and the cancellation of another of James' beloved shows, we still found time to tackle Apple's darkly comedic robot drama Sunny, and two BBC2 shows: Michelle de Swarte's Spent and Istanbul set police drama The Turkish Detective.