There’s a new drama called The Rising, another star-studded Late Late Show, a Freddie Mercury tribute night, a new documentary about Magic Johnson, and the return of reality show Selling Sunset . . .
Pick of the Day
The Rising, 9.00pm, Sky Max
Streaming on NOW
This promising eight-parter starts with the death of 19-year-old Neve Kelly (Clara Rugaard).
But she doesn’t realise it until she gets home and no one can see her.
Understandably, she’s scared and confused by this new (non) existence - but when she realises she has been murdered, she’s furious.
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Determined to find her killer and get justice, she takes advantage of her new supernatural abilities to go where the police can’t and investigate her own death.
She then uncovers deeply buried secrets and is forced to re-examine everything about her life and the people she cared about – including her longstanding boyfriend Joseph Wyatt (Solly McLeod), and his enigmatic cousin Alex Wyatt (Nenda Neururer).
Don’t Miss
The Late Late Show, 9.35pm, RTÉ One
Streaming on RTÉ Player
Podcasters The Two Norries, DJ Annie Mac and comedian Alison Spittle (below) will be among the guests on this week’s show.
Cork men Timmy Long and James Leonard, otherwise known as The Two Norries, will join host Ryan Tubridy to share their personal stories of addiction and recovery, and what inspired them to start a podcast.
DJ and former top BBC Radio host Annie Macmanus aka Annie Mac will talk about bringing clubbing back to life, and her new career as an author.
Ahead of her support slot with mentor EX SXXXXXX in Croke Park this weekend, Maisie Peters will perform her single Psycho live in studio.
Westmeath comedian Alison Spittle will be live in studio to talk about the very unexpected inspiration behind her new show, and ventriloquist Nina Conti will be surprising members of the audience with her hilarious match-making skills.
Ryan will also be joined by the cast of Conor McPherson’s musical Girl from the North Country, based on the music of Bob Dylan. Might be a good time to put the kettle on.
The Imitation Game, 10.45pm, BBC One
Cracking biopic of mathematician Alan Turing, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley and Charles Dance.
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Turing’s work during the Second World War translated seemingly unbreakable Nazi codes as well as pioneering the development of computer technology.
In the years following the war, his life would be destroyed as his homosexuality was discovered, leaving him facing criminal charges.
What a world, eh?
Not Going Out, 9.30pm, BBC One
This week the long-running sitcom takes a rare trip away from the surrounds of Lee and Lucy’s sofa.
Lee does jury service and joins 11 other jurors in the jury room to debate whether the accused is guilty or not.
It may seem simple enough, until Lee decides to put the other jurors on trial.
Freddie Mercury: The Final, 9.00pm, BBC Four
Here’s a Freddie Mercury/Queen night, beginning with a documentary exploring the last years of the Queen frontman's life, as well as following the preparations for the concert staged in his memory at Wembley Stadium in 1992.
The film features interviews with Queen bandmates Brian May and Roger Taylor, sister Kashmira Bulsara and friends Anita Dobson and David Wigg.
Then at 10.30pm there’s Queen: The Legendary 1975 Concert, a performance at London's Hammersmith Odeon on Christmas Eve in 1975, featuring early singles including Liar, Keep Yourself Alive, Now I'm Here and Bohemian Rhapsody.
Finally, at 11.35pm there’s The Story of Bohemian Rhapsody, where Richard E Grant narrates the story of the faux-operatic Queen song.
Band members Brian May and Roger Taylor returning to Rockfield studios to discuss how the music and lyrics came together, while friends and family as well as Abba's Bjorn Ulvaeus and the Darkness reveal their thoughts on the song.
New or Returning Shows
The The: The Comeback Special Live at the Royal Albert Hall, 9.00pm, Sky Arts
Streaming on NOW
When my mates and I started our first band back in the late 1970s, I suggested the name 'The The’ and was laughed at. That – as they say – is showbiz.
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After 20 years of absence, Matt Johnson’s The The celebrated their comeback with a UK and US Tour in 2018, topped by a sold-out performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the so-called Comeback Special.
New to Stream
Heartstopper, Netflix
In this adaptation of Alice Oseman’s graphic novel, teens Charlie and Nick discover their unlikely friendship might be something more as they navigate school and young love.
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Selling Sunset, Netflix
It’s season 5 of the reality show that revolves around the Oppenheim Group, a high-end real estate brokerage firm in Los Angeles, and follows a group of agents as they navigate their personal and professional lives.
It’s a new season that offers new loves, old foes, and an exciting fresh face. And with the luxury market on fire (like pretty much everything else in this part of the world), competition comes to a boiling point at the brokerage.
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Stillwater, Sky Cinema & NOW
Unemployed roughneck Bill Baker (Matt Damon) travels from Oklahoma to Marseille to visit his estranged daughter Allison (Abigail Breslin). Imprisoned for a murder she claims she did not commit.
Allison seizes on a new tip that could exonerate her and presses Bill to engage her legal team – but he’s eager to prove his worth and regain his daughters trust, so takes matters into his own hands.
Bill is frustrated by language barriers, cultural differences, and a complicated legal system until he meets French actress Virginie (Camille Cottin), mother to eight-year-old Maya (Lilou Siauvaud).
They Call Me Magic, AppleTV+
This documentary charts the cinematic life of one of the USA's biggest sporting icons, with unprecedented access in what’s set to be a definitive four-part series.
Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, Johnson played 13 seasons for the LA Lakers and was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996 and selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
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He won a championship and an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his rookie season, and won four more championships with the Lakers during the 1980s.
Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had contracted HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award.
After protests from his fellow players, he retired again for four years, but returned in 1996, at the age of 36, to play 32 games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time.
