With temperatures dropping, the holidays approaching, and relatives preparing to invade the sanctity of our homes, November is the perfect time to find a little peace and quiet in front of the TV.
Fortunately, this month’s lineup of must-watch shows offers plenty of excuses to escape, including a dramatization of one of the biggest scandals in cryptocurrency history, a return to the dystopian world of Blade Runner, and a dark comedy about desperate parents who turn to surveillance technology to find their missing daughter.
There’s also a return to Middle-earth, a deadly game of international espionage, and a mysterious archaeological discovery that sets off a globe-trotting conspiracy. Plus, we’re revisiting two groundbreaking television series that helped shape our fascination with government secrets, surveillance, and conspiracy theories.
As always, we’re not just chasing the biggest names or the shows everyone is already talking about (as much as we do enjoy The Gilded Age). Instead, these picks reflect the kinds of stories WIRED covers every day, from technology and science to politics and culture, and the unexpected ways they often intersect.
Whether you’re in the mood for a mind-bending sci-fi thriller, a twisty international conspiracy, or a classic worth rediscovering, these are the TV shows worth making time for this month.
Black Doves
Ben Whishaw (Q in Daniel Craig’s Bond movies) is one of the finest actors working today, even if his name isn’t quite as recognizable as it should be. Fortunately, Black Doves gives him plenty of opportunities to remind us why.
The deliciously twisty British spy thriller stars Keira Knightley as Helen Webb, a seemingly ordinary wife and mother who just happens to be secretly passing government intelligence to a shadowy organization known as the Black Doves. Whishaw plays Sam, her longtime friend and a professional assassin who gets pulled back into her dangerous double life. Then there’s the always-brilliant Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley) as Helen’s formidable handler, Mrs. Reed.
Season 2, which arrived November 5, raises the stakes considerably as Helen’s husband prepares to become Britain’s prime minister, putting her at the very heart of government. It’s a wickedly entertaining mix of political intrigue, espionage, dark humor, and double-crosses, with a stellar cast that makes even the most murderous characters hard to resist.
