been so troubled james mottrampeaky blinders season 6881093watch at apple tv13 the sandmanimage credit netflixnetflixs adaptation of neil gaimans apparently unfilmable comics masterpiece proved that dreams do sometimes come true despite his zoolanderesque pout tom sturridge was perfectly cast as morpheus an imperious immortal who rules over the realm of the unconscious while tricksy sibling desire plots his undoing gaimans direct involvement has ensured the series remains faithful to the original material with stories taking us from the blasted plains of hell to a far scarier roadside diner although its production values sometimes left a little to be desired the sandman surprised and enthralled audiences william salmon12 the lord of the rings the rings of powerimage credit amazonamazon lavished a fortune on its lord of the rings tv show and from the huge cast to the spectacular visuals it was money well spent using tolkiens extensive appendices for inspiration firsttime showrunners john d payne and patrick mckay explored middleearths second age playing fastandloose with canon as they teased the origins of sauron and those infamous rings we werent interested in a retread or a prequel said payne we wanted to tell a story that would stand on its own feet the result was epic fantasy that could hold its own against anything on the big screen richard edwards11 guillermo del toros cabinet of curiosities image credit netflixanthology shows can often be a mixed bag episode to episode but this netflix series fronted by monster master guillermo del toro delivered a consistently high standard of nightmare fodder the fanciful filmmaker did his best alfred hitchcock presents impression introducing stories featuring curiosities ranging from wickedly designed demons to a mutant rat king and while his cabinet boasted stars such as tim blake nelson and kate micucci del toro was really showcasing the directing talent who all fittingly for one of the shows key influences clearly love their craft matt looker10 derry girls season 3image credit channel 4the final season of lisa mcgees spiky sitcom gave a fitting sendoff for her teen heroines even if it was hard to ignore the bridgertonenforced sidelining of nicola coughlans clare one reason perhaps for the outofnowhere flashback episode with the girls mothers that liam neeson fatboy slim and chelsea clinton were persuaded to make cameos was a testament to the shows impact while a closing special on the good friday agreement referendum was a perfect example of its facility for marrying the personal with the political it always felt like thats where i should naturally end the show said mcgee neil smith9 station elevenimage credit hbopatrick somervilles adaptation of emily st john mandels 2014 novel dared to make changes tweaking relationships and transposing the action from canada to america everything worked resulting in a smart sincere affecting series there are hints of bergmans the seventh seal as travelling players make their living 20 years after a flu pandemic has ravaged civilisation the production started before covid but came out during the pandemic fortunately