Best Channel 4 dramas in December 2024
Top drama picks currently available to watch on Channel 4, chosen by us - including the brilliantly bonkers Misfits, heartbreaking Covid drama Help, and Sarah Lancashire in gripping mini-series Kiri, focusing on the abduction of a young girl in Bristol.
The West Wing
Drama
Summary:This seven-season classic, which originally aired on NBC in the States, swishes through the corridors of the White House's West Wing. There, rafts of senior political personnel aid newly-elected president Jed Barlet (Martin Sheen) in the crunch decisions that shape their country and the world at large.
Why you should watch: Created by the master of 'walk and talk' Aaron Sorkin, The West Wing simmers with a level of authenticity that was applauded by real White House workers at the time. It was also crowned Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmy Awards for four years running. If it's good enough for cameo stars Amy Adams, Nick Offerman, J.K. Simmons, Glenn Close, Laura Dern and Christopher Lloyd, then it's good enough for us!
Available now
The X Files
Crime | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Summary:FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) investigate unsolved cases connected to the paranormal. The dynamic between them being their opposing beliefs - Mulder is a staunch believer in supernatural phenomena, whereas the scientifically-minded Scully runs a sceptical eye over their subjects. Oh, and their will-they-won't-they relationship kept viewers guessing for 11 years.
Why you should watch: The X Files took its hair-raising cues from fellow TV favourites The Twilight Zone and Twin Peaks before supplanting both at the zenith of pop-culture royalty. The show, which boasted Breaking Bad's Vince Gilligan as an occasional writer/director, employed a thrilling "monster of the week" blueprint for much of its run while the first four series never dipped below 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. The theme music alone still gives us the chills six years after it ended.
Available now
Misfits
Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Drama | Comedy
Summary:While undertaking their community service, a group of young offenders - Curtis, Simon, Kelly, Alisha and Nathan - are bestowed with strange powers when they're caught in the middle of an electrical storm. They include time control, invisibility and telepathy.
Why you should watch: In a four-star review of the opening series, The Times hailed "a new union" on screen between "salty British street humour" and "whizz-bang special effects". The Evening Herald went on to compliment Misfits' "uniformly superb" central cast too, which changed after series three when Joseph Gilgun, Karla Crome and Nathan McMullen replaced Iwan Rheon, Antonia Thomas, Lauren Socha and Robert Sheehan.
Available now
The Americans
Crime | Drama
Summary:Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell) and her husband Philip (Matthew Rhys) are not the couple they seem. Contrary to appearances as parents to daughter Paige and son Henry – they're actually Soviet spies inside Washington DC during the Cold War, and live next door to FBI counterintelligence guy Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich).
Why you should watch: The Americans is a carefully-crafted, paranoid, period spy drama. Since it wrapped up after six superb seasons, Rolling Stone ranked it as the 14th greatest show of all-time. Meanwhile, Insider included it in a list of '50 TV shows everyone should watch in their lifetime'. However, Rotten Tomatoes says it best: "One of the best spy thriller shows out there, The Americans delivers tension, action, drama and sometimes humour while keeping it smart and grounded. The main characters make you care a lot about them despite being cold-blooded killer threatening America."
Available now
This Is England '86
Drama
Summary:A spin-off series of the unforgettable Shane Meadows 2006 film This Is England. The four-episode run skips to three years later as the skinhead subculture slowly dies out and World Cup fever grips the nation. Shaun is finishing high school exams while his estranged mates Woody, Lol, Smell, Gadget and Meggy coast around town searching for love and income. This Is England '86, was later followed by This Is England '88, and This Is England '90.
Why you should watch: Vicky McClure might be more widely recognised for her turn in Line of Duty but she first found fame playing Lol in the This is England film, and subsequent series (three of them). In This Is England '86, she summoned a career-best performance laced with rage and devastating vulnerability as her character's abhorrent father Mick returned home. The soundtrack kills, as you'd expect, while critics praised its humour and scrappy ensemble. The sublime cast includes Stephen Graham, Joe Gilgun, and Michael Socha. It's not an easy watch at times, but it's well worth it.
Available now
Humans
Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Drama | Mystery
Summary:This remake of the Swedish drama entitled Real Humans presents a parallel present where the latest must-have gadget for any busy family is a 'Synth'. They are highly-developed robotic servants that are perhaps dangerously similar to real humans. The plot focuses on parents Joe and Laura Hawkins, who discover that their robotic maid has a buried consciousness.
Why you should watch: A brilliant cast - including Gemma Chan, Katherine Parkinson, Colin Morgan, Neil Maskell and Baby Reindeer's Tom Goodman-Hill - all shine in their respective roles. Digital Spy expressed an appreciation for the "fearlessness and creativity" flowing through the series. Fans were in uproar when it didn't come back for a fourth season. As one fan wrote on IMDb: "Plenty of food for thought, and more straightforward than something similar like the big budget Westworld."
Available now
It's a Sin
Comedy | Drama
Summary:Five heavy-hitting episodes chronicle the lives of gay men and their friendship circles during the devastating HIV/AIDS crisis in Britain between 1981 and 1991.
Why you should watch: Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies bagged a ridiculously impressive cast - including popstar Olly Alexander, and actors Keeley Hawes, Neil Patrick Harris and Stephen Fry) for his emotionally-charged magnum opus. It's a Sin was nominated for 12 British Academy Television Awards and quite rightly. The BFI said it "stands as a passionate, beautifully gay tribute to all the smalltown boys, everywhere". Although not quite a true story, creator Russell T Davies drew on his own experiences as a young, gay man growing up during the Eighties.
Available now
Screw
Drama | Comedy | Crime
Summary:British prison drama revealing the reality of life as a prison officer in a 21st century male prison. Rose Gill (Derry Girls' Jamie-Lee O'Donnell) is a new member of staff in Long Marsh Prison's C-Wing... But she's quickly entangled in a gun-smuggling operation due to a debt held by her brother.
Why you should watch: This is one of the better prison dramas out there. The six-part mini-series from Channel 4 stars Nina Sosanya, Stephen Wight, Laura Checkley and Ron Donachie as prison guards in this "impeccably observed show about life on the wing" (The Guardian). Sabrina Barr of Metro commended Screw's mastery of balancing danger and humour. Meanwhile, The Telegraph called it "Porridge played straight". Like BBC One's Time, this series proves once again that the prison environment is ripe for a drama, only Screw has more laughs.
Available now
The Virtues
Drama
Summary:When his ex-girlfriend emigrates to Australia with their nine-year-old boy, a crestfallen Joseph (Stephen Graham) sails off to Ireland to confront painful childhood trauma.
Why you should watch: After This is England, Shane Meadows and Stephen Graham team up once again to unrelentingly brutal effect in hard-hitting drama The Virtues. The Independent called the series "deeply disturbing" yet "deeply impressive" as this four-parter ascended to a flawless 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating. The series also starred the great talent that is Niamh Algar (Malpractice). It's not an easy watch, but the performances are masterful.
Available now
Empire
Drama | Soap
Summary:Empire - which originally aired on Fox between 2015 and 2020 - charts the behind-the-scenes intricacies of a New York hip-hop and entertainment firm. We follow the members of its founders' family as he attempts to seize control when he’s diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
Why you should watch: From acclaimed filmmaker Lee Daniels and Dopesick's Danny Strong, this musical drama's secret weapon is actress Taraji P. Henson. She collected a Golden Globe Award for her work as Cookie Lyon. Sitting on an 84% Rotten Tomatoes score after five seasons is no small matter, either. Lee Daniels denies Empire is based on the lives of P. Diddy or Jay Z, but admits that much of the show came from his own life and his obsession with the hit show Dynasty.
Available now
Blade Runner: Black Lotus
Animation | Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Action & Adventure
Summary:An animated series that takes place 17 years before the film Blade Runner 2049. It introduces an amnesiac named Elle, who wakes up with extraordinary - and deadly - skills. She sets off on a mission to track down the people responsible for her violent past in order to crack open the truth about her identity.
Why you should watch: It’s the Blade Runner universe rendered through anime, with high-profile names such as Brian Cox, Jessica Henwick, Stephen Root and Barkhad Abdi lending their voices to the English-language version (the original is Japanese). According to Polygon it's an "engrossing, sci-fi, neo-noir revenge story", which the publication singled out for its "atmospheric composition".
Available now
Deadwater Fell
Crime | Drama
Summary:Horrors unfold in a remote Scottish village when it's discovered that Dr. Tom Kendrick, his wife and their three young kids were drugged during a house fire that killed everyone but him.
Why you should watch: Radio Times slapped four stars on Deadwater Fell when it first aired in 2020. Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter noted David Tennant's dead-eyed fulfilment of portraying a "seemingly admirable town pillar" in this mystery series. 88% on Rotten Tomatoes confirms guaranteed entertainment. There's a cracking supporting cast, too, including Cush Jumbo, Matthew McNulty, and Anna Madeley. You won't forget this one.
Available now
Help
Drama
2021 | Marc Munden | 98 mins | 15
Summary:This television film features Jodie Comer as healthcare assistant Sarah, who is working in a care home when the coronavirus pandemic first strikes. Stephen Graham stars as Alzheimer's patient Tony in the heartbreaking series.
Why you should watch: Directed with frenetic style to devastating effect by Utopia's Marc Munden and written by Jack Thorne. Help took home the prestigious Rose d'Or on the international awards circuit while Comer and co-star Cathy Tyson each bagged British Academy Television Awards. The Standard argued it would "be remembered as one of the best" pandemic pieces. It will break you, but it's a necessary and truthful piece of work.
Available now
National Treasure
Drama | Crime
Summary:Perhaps uncomfortably reminiscent of the infamous Jimmy Savile scandal and Operation Yewtree, National Treasure finds the late Robbie Coltrane in the role of Paul Finchley. He's a comedy icon accused of raping a number of young women in the early ‘90s.
Why you should watch: For starters, National Treasure has a cast of talented actors, including Julie Walters, Tim McInnerny and Andrea Riseborough. Of course, the late Robbie Coltrane in the leading role adds extra heft to the proceedings. The four-part series was celebrated by Variety for its "intelligent and unsentimental observations about the costs of fame and the routine concessions made to celebrity". Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter gave a shoutout to Coltrane for his "skillfull shifting of moods and manners, keeping you guessing as to whether he's just a lout or a real predator".
Available now
The Great
Drama | Comedy
Summary:In screenwriter Tony McNamara's warped (and highly fictionalised) historical satire, Elle Fanning portrays a fictionalised incarnation of Russian empress Catherine the Great in her youth. Nicholas Hoult stands beside her as her husband, the Emperor Peter III of Russia. The story focuses on Catherine's plot to kill her depraved and dangerous husband...
Why you should watch: This period comedy-drama is great, bawdy fun. As well as the two leads, it stars an impressive cast - including Gillian Anderson, Jason Isaacs, Sacha Dhawan, and Douglas Hodge. Matt Shakman of Fargo, WandaVision and Game of Thrones directed the pilot, and iNews claimed it "should have never been cancelled" after three riotous seasons.
Available now
Ultraviolet
Drama | Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Summary:Jack Davenport portrays a detective who discovers a secret government vampire-hunting unit while investigating the disappearance of his partner. With the growing threat of viral epidemic, humanity has an unprecedented ability to destroy itself - so vampires take control of their threatened food source. CIB, an elite government force, has been formed to combat the vampire threat. But, when eternal life is offered, no one is beyond temptation... The six-episode series first aired in 1998.
Why you should watch: Before reaching the heights of The Wire and Luther, Idris Elba appeared in Ultraviolet as a cool hunter of neck-biters. The great British cast also includes TV favourites including Jack Davenport, and Stephen Moyer (who coincidentally went on to star as vampire Bill Compton in True Blood). Despite being axed after just six episodes, The Guardian's review said its "establishment of a consistently downbeat tone becomes almost hypnotic". If you like vampire dramas, then this short-but-sweet series will give you your fix.
Available now
The Killing
Drama | Crime | Mystery
Summary:AMC's remake of Scandi-noir Forbrydelsen (The Killing) is available to watch on Channel 4. The 13-part first series chronicles the first fortnight of the Rosie Larsen murder investigation whilst exploring three separate narrative threads: the police side of things, the Larsen clan's grief, and a local political campaign that manages to intersect with the horrific case.
Why you should watch: The Killing has been compared to David Lynch's seminal Twin Peaks, and hyped up by The Hollywood Reporter who said: "When each episode ends, you long for the next - a hallmark of great dramas." Publications such as Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide and The Vancouver Sun were equally positive. Although arguably not as brilliant as the original Danish version, this is great viewing for crime fans. All four series are available on Channel 4 now.
Available now
Scandal
Drama
Summary:Ex-media consultant to the US president, Olivia Hope (Kerry Washington) struggles to unshackle herself from the past after opening her own crisis management company. Now a professional 'fixer', she soon realises that her staff might be keeping even darker secrets.
Why you should watch: From Bridgerton and Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes, Scandal was named one of the Top 10 Television Programmes of the Year in 2013 by the American Film Institute. Its leading star Kerry Washington garnered acting nominations at the Golden Globes, Primetime Emmys and SAGs. Its Rotten Tomatoes ranking is 93%, so it's a must for fans of political thrillers. There are seven series to watch in total, which originally aired from 2012 to 2018.
Available now
Kiri
Drama | Crime
Summary:Set in Bristol, this four-part drama from Jack Thorne centres on the devastating abduction of nine-year-old Kiri Akindele. She lived with her middle-class foster parents and their son before mysteriously disappearing. Was her incompetent (and often drunk) social worker Miriam Grayson partly to blame? Happy Valley's Sarah Lancashire puts in yet another mind-blowing performance as Grayson.
Why you should watch: With Jack Thorne (National Treasure, Wonder, His Dark Materials) at the helm, you're in good hands. Kiri received the thumbs-up from Den of Geek, which stated in its review: "However painful this particular story, his words coming from the mouth of an actor as charismatic as Sarah Lancashire make for a rare and compelling combination." The Guardian's Chitra Ramaswamy labelled Kiri "beautifully observed", too.
Available now
Skins
Drama | Comedy
Summary:In this cult teen anthology, the wild ride of sixth-form unfolds before our eyes. The dark themes include drug abuse, eating disorders, bullying, and mental illness. The lively ensemble of characters - which change every two years - include actors Nicholas Hoult, Dev Patel, Jack O'Connell, and Kaya Scodelario.
Why you should watch: Skins launched the careers of future big-hitters - including Daniel Kaluuya, Luke Pasqualino, Joe Dempsie and Hannah Murray - who would go on to win Oscars, appear in Game of Thrones, and mix with Hollywood's elite. It's a refreshing, entertaining and worthy series, which The Guardian described as "hedonism with consequences, comedy with tragedy".
Available now
The Undeclared War
War & Politics | Drama | Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Summary:During the run up to a British general election, a group of Government analysts attempt to stopping a cyberattack on the electoral system. The staff includes work-experiencer Saara, who finds herself on the frontlines of a data war with Russia on her first day.
Why you should watch: With a cast including Simon Pegg, Mark Rylance, and Adrian Lester, this political thriller is a no-brainer. Wolf Hall director Peter Kosminsky supplies the goods for a "truly clever" (The New Statesman) TV event split across six episodes. The Undeclared War is also an "intelligent, chilling drama" according to The Telegraph.
Available now
My Mad Fat Diary
Comedy | Drama
Summary:Lincolnshire, 1990s. Overweight teenager Rae Earl returns to society after a four-month spell in a psych ward. She reconnects with her best friend Chloe, who is oblivious to Rae's recent issues and thought she'd simply been holidaying in France. The British teen comedy-drama originally debuted on E4 in 2013.
Why you should watch: Leading lady Sharon Rooney took home the Best Actress prize at the Scottish BAFTAs in 2015, but the show is also known as the calling card for Jodie Comer pre-Killing Eve. In a glowing review, The Stage pointed to My Mad Fat Diary's "unique and uncompromising perspective on adolescent angst that distresses and delights by turns".
Available now
With a mix of recent and older celebrated dramas on the list, you're sure to find something to seek your teeth into when it comes to streaming on Channel 4.
