View all newsletters
Sign up to our newsletters

Support 110 years of independent journalism.

  1. Culture
  2. TV
11 December 2019

The best TV shows of 2019

By Rachel Cooke

Motherland (BBC Two)

Buggies at dawn: in which Liz, Julia and co did battle once again in the smug and competitive wastelands of west London mummy-dom.

Unbelievable (Netflix)

So, it can be done. A true crime drama about victims of rape that was gripping but never gave in to sensationalism.

Fleabag (BBC One)

All hail Phoebe Waller-Bridge. If the show that made her name began as a scabrous comedy, it ended as profound feminist philosophy.

Chernobyl (Sky Atlantic)

An exhaustively researched, fiercely intelligent drama about the 1986 nuclear disaster that was also riveting. And Jared Harris, to boot. 

Back to Life (BBC One)

Daisy Haggard’s wonderful, sui generis comedy about a woman coming home to Hythe having served an 18-year prison sentence.

The Uncivil War (Channel 4)

Benedict Cumberbatch turned in a bewitchingly peculiar performance as the Brexiteer prince of darkness, Dominic Cummings. 

Years and Years (BBC Two)

Last Tango in Halifax meets Black Mirror? Not quite, but close. Russell T Davies on exuberant and audacious form.

The $50m Art Swindle (BBC Two) 

Vanessa Engle, Britain’s best doc-maker, succeeded where the FBI failed and tracked down Michel Cohen, con man extraordinaire. 

Succession (Sky Atlantic)

Jesse Armstrong’s pitch-perfect drama about a Rupert Murdoch-like mogul and his rivalrous children returned better than ever.

Thatcher: A Very British Revolution (BBC Two)

So many talking heads, so much poison to drip. A mesmerising series that made Maggie seem both monstrous and strangely vulnerable.

Content from our partners
The promise of prevention
How Labour hopes to make the UK a leader in green energy
Is now the time to rethink health and care for older people? With Age UK

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU