The head of scripted at NCIS: Sydney producer EndemolShine Australia selects a classic British period drama and a comedy sensation from down under among her half-dozen top picks.
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Series to Watch: February 2025
DQ checks out the upcoming schedules to pick 10 new series to catch this February, from a Jane Austen-inspired period drama and a trip to 1880s Victorian London to an AI thriller and a new stay at The White Lotus.
Northern highlights
As the winner of the Nordic Series Script Award 2025 is announced, read DQ’s interviews with all five nominees, whose work includes Families Like Ours, Money Shot, Quisling, Pressure Point and The School of Housewives.
Feeling the heat
Based on true events, Swedish drama Smärtpunkten (Pressure Point) tells the story of a writer and producer who partner with some dangerous prisoners to create a new play – with tragic consequences. Series writer Pelle Rådström explains how he brought this story to the screen.
Born again
Rebirth artistic director Gustavo Fernandez breaks down his role on this Brazilian telenovela, his approach to remaking a hugely successful series from the 1990s, and how its themes have been updated for modern audiences. Brazilian telenovela Renascer (Rebirth) first debuted on Globo in 1993, written by Benedito Rui Barbosa and directed by Luiz Fernando Carvalho. Now, more than 30 years later, a remake of the series has aired on the same network, telling the story of José Inocêncio, who becomes a mythical figure thanks to a pact he makes with a jequitibá tree that leads him to become the most successful cocoa farmer in the region. He falls in love with and marries Maria Santa, and they have four children together. But when their youngest son João Pedro is born, Maria dies in childbirth, fuelling a lifetime of resentment against him. Years later, the arrival of the mysterious Mariana puts José and João Pedro’s relationship further to the test when father and son fall for the same woman. Adapted by Bruno Luperi and artistic director Gustavo Fernandez, the series debuted in January 2024 and ran until September with a cast that includes Marcos Palmeira, Humberto Carrão, Juan Paiva, Theresa Fonseca, Sophie Charlotte, Vladimir Brichta, Guilia Buscacio and Duda Santos. The 197-part series is produced and distributed by Globo. Ahead of the Rose d’Or Latinos Awards in Miami as part of Content Americas tomorrow, Fernandez speaks to DQ about his role on the show, his concerns about remaking a popular series … Continue reading Born again
Battle for the crown
King & Conqueror star James Norton joins fellow executive producers Kitty Kaletsky and Lindsey Martin to preview the epic historical drama, which explores the friendship and rivalry between Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy that led to the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
Fact File: Dangerous Truth
OneGate Media CEO Tania Reichert-Facilides and Bravado chief Eric Welbers share the key details of this German political thriller inspired by true events surrounding the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Series to Watch: January 2025
DQ checks out the upcoming schedules to pick 10 new series to watch this January, from the latest Harlan Coben Netflix drama and a dark crime series starring Eve Myles to a Sherlock Holmes spin-off that puts Watson centre-stage and Law & Order creator Dick Wolf’s first procedural to land on a streamer. Missing You From: UK Original broadcaster: Netflix Producer: Quay Street Productions Starring: Rosalind Eleazar, Ashley Walters, Jessica Plummer, Richard Armitage, Lenny Henry, Steve Pemberton, Marc Warren, Samantha Spiro, Lisa Faulkner, Mary Malone, James Nesbitt and Matt Jay-Willis Launch date: January 1 The latest Harlan Coben adaptation from the team behind Stay Close and Fool Me Once begins 11 years ago, when detective Kat Donovan (Eleazar)’s fiancé Josh (Walters) – the love of her life – disappeared. Now, swiping profiles on a dating app, she suddenly sees his face and her world explodes all over again. Josh’s reappearance will force her to dive back into the mystery surrounding her father’s murder and uncover long-buried secrets from her past. Watch trailer Queen of Fucking Everything From: Finland Original broadcaster: YLE Additional broadcasters: ZDF (Germany), NPO (Netherlands), VRT (Belgium), NRK (Norway) and RUV (Iceland) Producer: Rabbit Films Distributor: Rabbit Fillms Starring: Laura Malmivaara, Jussi Nikkilä Launch dates: January 1 (YLE Areena), January 5 (YLE1) The first project from the NEW8 collaboration of European public broadcasters in Scandinavia, Benelux and Germany, this is the story of leading Helsinki real-estate agent and high-society fixture Linda Saarniluoto (Malmivaara), who wakes up one morning … Continue reading Series to Watch: January 2025
Series to Watch: 2025
DQ checks out the upcoming schedules to pick 20 new series to watch in 2025, from a Victorian-era boxing epic and an ambitious one-shot Netflix drama to the first high-end Gaelic drama and feature franchises IT and Alien on the small screen.
Series to Have Watched: 2024
DQ looks back over the past year of television to pick out the shows that were worth tuning in for, from a Post Office scandal and a Welsh crime drama to a stellar spy thriller and a stalker series that proved to be the surprise hit of the year. Baby Reindeer From: UK Original broadcaster: Netflix Producer: Clerkenwell Films Starring: Richard Gadd, Jessica Gunning, Nava Mau and Tom Goodman-Hill They say: Baby Reindeer follows struggling comedian Donny Dunn (Gadd)’s warped relationship with his female stalker (Gunning) and the impact it has on him as he is forced to face a deeply buried trauma. We say: Based on Gadd’s Edinburgh Fringe one-man play, this was the surprise hit of the year, with superlative performances across the board in a compelling, darkly comedic drama that is bound to add more awards to the haul of Emmys the series received earlier this year. Watch trailer Cleddau (The One That Got Away) From: Wales Original broadcaster: S4C Producer: Blacklight TV Distributor: Banijay Rights Starring: Elen Rhys, Richard Harrington They say: A psychologically driven thriller that sees DI Ffion Lloyd (Rhys) partnering up with her ex-lover DS Rick Walters (Harrington) to find out who is responsible for murdering a nurse in a Welsh coastal town. We say: Continuing the trend for stellar crime dramas from Wales, this one comes with a twist – the cold case isn’t the murder investigation at hand but the relationship between the two lead detectives on the trail of a … Continue reading Series to Have Watched: 2024
Fact File: Borderline
Borderline executive producers Larry Bass and Steve November join series producer Mary Callery to tell DQ about this character drama about two mismatched detectives, set on the Irish border. Coproduced by Shinawil and Further South for Germany’s ZDF in association with Lionsgate, Borderline is an investigative drama where character and story take precedence over procedure. Two detectives, Aoife Regan (Amy De Bhrún) and Philip Boyd (Eoin Macken), work in a community populated by idiosyncratic people typical of the Irish borderlands – an area steeped in history, tradition and long memories. Here, Shinawil executive producer Larry Bass and series producer Mary Callery join Further South EP Steve November to reveal more about this series, which comprises three feature-length episodes with stories all impacted by the border and its history, present instability and uncertain future. The Irish border is the United Kingdom’s only land border with the EU For years, geographical borders have fascinated viewers. They beg so many questions: how does a border define its community in terms of family, friends, cultures and economies? What do people living on either side of a border have (or not have) in common? How do attitudes towards a border shift over years with differing political and judicial administrations? The Irish border has always been a neglected ‘backwater,’ not least when it comes to TV drama. Many people outside of Ireland are unaware a border even exists. But creator and writer John Forte grew up with the border and travelled across it many times. He … Continue reading Fact File: Borderline
Six of the Best: Elin Kvist
The CEO of Swedish scripted producer Jarowskij/Yellow Bird compiles a list that includes a “gripping” police thriller, a legal drama about a family of divorce lawyers and one US series described as her “forever favourite.”
Sealing the deal
Director and producer David Stubbs transports DQ to the New Zealand set of this family adventure series to reveal how his “old school” approach to special effects helped him to achieve a climactic final sequence featuring an animatronic seal.
DQ100 2024/25 – Part four
In the final part of the DQ100 2024/25, DQ picks out a range of shows to tune in for and the actors, directors and writers making them, as well as some of the trends and trailblazers worth catching up with.
Finding Lost Boys
Lost Boys & Fairies creator and writer Daf James reveals how the BBC series – following a gay couple’s journey to adoption – was inspired by his own life, and discusses one key scene “people always want to talk about.”
Five Minutes With… Bruno Gascon
The writer-director behind Irreversível (Irreversible) gives DQ the inside story on this Portuguese crime series, explaining how he was inspired by Nordic noir and why the show pairs a detective with a psychiatrist.
In too deep
As Silo returns to Apple TV+ for a second season, DQ speaks to showrunner Graham Yost and stars including Tim Robbins, Common and Harriet Walter about the success of the sci-fi series and the practicalities of filming a drama set a mile underground.
Five Minutes With… Alex Hassell
The Rivals star talks Disney+’s Jilly Cooper adaptation, playing the “intimidating” showjumper-turned-politician Rupert Campbell-Black and why actors should be brave enough to take on challenging roles.
Series to Watch: November 2024
DQ checks out the upcoming schedules to pick 10 new series to watch this November, including two TV spin-offs from blockbuster movies, a fast-paced Brazilian biopic, a US crime drama and a new take on The Day of the Jackal.
Five Minutes With… Nathalie Armin
The actor tells DQ about filming the second season of BBC drama Showtrial and how the series plays with moral ambiguity.