This week, political thrillers The Diplomat and Lioness both gear up for series two, while Anna Maxwell Martin plays a woman who falls in love with a murderer. Olivia Rodrigo is also here to add a bit of cheer.
Olivia Rodrigo: Guts World Tour
Tuesday
Netflix
Olivia Rodrigo is the rare example of a TikTok-friendly artist who manages to break through the algorithm and become a pop phenomenon in her own right. Who else could have men in their 30s screaming “I’m so sick of seventeen, where’s my f***ing teenage dream?”
The Californian released her second album Guts in 2023, putting any fears of a sophomore slump to rest. The album’s world tour was filmed in the 18,000-seater Intuit Dome, showcasing an artist at the height of her powers.
The Diplomat
Thursday
Netflix
The political thriller returns for a second series, after series one ended on a car-bomb being detonated on the streets of London.
Kate Wyler (Keri Russell, The Americans) is the US ambassador to the UK, and is grappling with the fallout in more ways than one. The Prime Minister (Rory Kinnear, Years and Years) is acting suspicious, and Wyler’s husband and fellow diplomat Hal (Rufus Sewell, The Man in the High Castle) has been injured in the blast. As tensions escalate, can cool heads prevail?
The Palace
Friday
Channel 4
This drama takes place in 1980s Germany, the year before the Berlin Wall fell.
While the Cold War trudges on to its bitter end, Marlene encounters her long-lost twin, from whom she was separated at birth. Christine (Svenja Jung, Deutschland 89) is a dancer who grew up in East Germany, whereas Marlene (also Jung), an entrepreneur, was raised in the capitalist West.
The two are identical, and decide to switch places to see how the other side lives. Questions soon arise about their family’s past and country’s future.
Until I Kill You
Sunday
ITV1, 9.00pm
Anna Maxwell Martin (Motherland) stars in this drama about a woman trapped in a relationship with a killer.
In 1991, Delia Balmer (Martin) is swept off her feet by John Sweeney (Shaun Evans, Vigil). Convinced she’s finally met the person who’s been missing from her life, their romance quickly turns sour. Scared for her life, Balmer is left with nowhere to turn.
Based on a true story, the show adapts Balmer’s memoir, Living with a Serial Killer.
Lioness
Sunday
Paramount+
Zoe Saldaña (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) stars in this war-on-terror thriller.
Back for a second series, the Lionesses – an all-female group of US special forces operatives – have their work cut out for them. A congresswoman has been kidnapped, and Washington wants her back. They also want to know about the extent of China’s involvement in terrorism. Cue guns, car chases and a lot of dialogue about sacrifices for your country.
