The Must-Sees of 2016: Television from Fresh Meat to Cold Feet

The critics’ guide to the hottest tickets of the year ahead

The cast of ‘Fresh Meat’ from left: Joe Thomas, Zawe Ashton, Kimberley Nixon, Greg McHugh, Charlotte Ritchie and Jack Whitehall (Channel 4)

TELEVISION

Fresh Meat

The fourth and final series of Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong’s funny and (for many graduates) evocative comedy finds the end of university life beckoning. JP (Jack Whitehall) is expected to knuckle down if he wants to join the family firm, Vod (Zawe Ashton) is wrestling with student debt, Oregon (Charlotte Ritchie) is now president of the student union and planning her legacy, while Howard (Greg McHugh) is heading for a first-class degree.

5 January, Channel 4

The X-Files

Something of a coup for the increasingly ambitious Channel 5 as they won the bidding war to broadcast the return of FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully after 13 years away from the small screen. There will be only six episodes, which is a short run for a US show, but the deal also includes The X-Files Essential Collection, 20 episodes curated by creator Chris Carter.

January, Channel 5

The Night Manager

Tom Hiddleston stars in an adaptation of John le Carré’s novel about a British soldier who is recruited by M15 to infiltrate the inner circle of an arms dealer, played by Hugh Laurie. Also featuring Olivia Colman, Tom Hollander and Le Carré himself, who seems to be getting a taste for cameos after his appearance in the 2011 movie Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

February, BBC1

Doctor Thorne

Julian Fellowes follows the departing Downton Abbey with an adaptation of a 19th-century novel close to his heart, Anthony Trollope’s tale of “a girl blessed with every gift except money”. Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas stars, while Tom Hollander is the eponymous physician, joined by Ian McShane, Rebecca Front and Alison Brie, who played Trudy Campbell in Mad Men.

March, ITV

Love

A new addition to Netflix’s rom-com roster that also includes the terrific Master of None, this “excruciatingly honest take on modern relationships” is Judd Apatow’s first TV project in 10 years, and stars Paul Rust (Inglourious Basterds) and Community’s Gillian Jacobs. The online service is so confident that it has ordered two series in advance, something it hasn’t done since House of Cards.

Summer, Netflix,

National Treasure

Casting has yet to be announced for This Is England writer Jack Thorne’s new drama inspired by Operation Yewtree, in which a former half of a much-loved comedy double act is accused of rape in the 1970s. “Paul is a man who could be innocent or guilty,” says Thorne. “We’re going to examine him from all sides and ask – how well do we know the people closest to us?”

Summer, Channel 4

Flowers

From Cradle to the Grave to Raised by Wolves by way of The Kennedys, TV comedy has recently been well stocked with eccentric families, but The Flowers feels like a welcome new addition. The Mighty Boosh’s Julian Barrett plays an author of twisted children’s books, Olivia Colman is his wife (just about), a music teacher. Can they – should they – keep the family together?

Summer, Channel 4

Cold Feet: The ITV Studios Drama returned last year (ITV)

Cold Feet

Original cast members James Nesbitt, Hermione Norris, John Thomson, Robert Bathurst and Fay Ripley return to Mike Bullen’s relationship drama that first made their names, 13 years after ITV axed one of the biggest TV shows of the 1990s. The re-boot will see the characters, says Bullen, “tiptoeing through the minefield of middle age”.

Autumn, ITV