The August bank holiday weekend has graced us with another day to do… absolutely nothing.
We’re sure you, as we have, have seen many a series drop across the streaming platforms that you’re only dying to sink your teeth into, but just haven’t had the time.
Well, never fear. Now that you have Saturday, Sunday, and Monday to relax, you can catch up on everything you’ve missed over the past few weeks.
With that in mind, here are 11 series we’ve heard people raving about that we’re planning to go back and watch this bank holiday weekend.
The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare
Where to watch: Netflix
Bethany Funke. Pic: Shutterstock
The Idaho Murders sent shockwaves around the world. Almost four years on, a Netflix series unpacks what happened, with some shocking revelations along the way.
In the early hours of November 13, 2022, four University of Idaho students- Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21- were stabbed to death in their off-campus accommodation – three women and a man.
The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare is giving viewers ‘unprecedented access to the victims’ families and police footage’. It also asks the question that ‘haunts everyone’: ‘How do you make sense of something so senseless?’
A Toxic Love Story
Where to watch: Netflix
A Toxic Love Story explores the 2016 criminal case involving Michelle Hadley, who was jailed after being accused of stalking and threatening her ex-fiancé, Ian Diaz, and his new wife, Angela Diaz
Its synopsis reads: ‘A sinister Craigslist catfish scheme unfolds between a US marshal, his new wife and his former girlfriend in this twisted true-crime documentary.’
Little House on the Prairie
Where to watch: Netflix
Little House on the Prairie, based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s bestselling books about growing up on a farm in the 1880s in Minnesota, was phenomenally popular, so much so that it has remained one of the most-streamed titles for Peacock in 2024.
Last year, it was confirmed that the beloved series was getting the Netflix treatment, and now it’s there for us to sink our teeth into.
Its synopsis reads: ‘The close-knit Ingalls family builds a new life on the Western frontier, where the joys of nature and the struggle for survival are deeply intertwined.’
The Bombing of Pan Am 103
Where to watch: Netflix
The Bombing of Pan Am 103 is based on a true story.
Its synopsis reads: ‘The tragic bombing of a transatlantic flight over Scotland in 1988 unites the local police and the FBI in a hunt for the attackers.’
It stars Sex Education’s Conor Swindells and Suits actor Patrick J. Adams.
Maternal Instinct
Where to watch: Netflix
Maternal Instinct will send a shiver down your spine.
The true crime series’ synopsis reads: ‘Police pull over a woman who claims she just gave birth. But the baby – and the blood – aren’t hers. Twisted lies unravel in this true-crime documentary.’
Pompeii: Out of Time
Where to watch: Disney+
Tom Hiddleston delves into the past in Disney+’s new series, Pompeii: Out of Time, right in time for August bank holiday viewing.
The three-part series combines cinematic scripted drama with investigative documentary storytelling as the Marvel actor seeks to uncover the final hours of Pompeii.
It reveals untold stories of survival, resilience, and human choices during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD.
The Bear S5
Where to watch: Disney+
Season 5 of The Bear follows Sydney, Richie, Sugar, and the crew as they attempt one last high-stakes service, set over a single day, to save the restaurant, earn a Michelin star, and move forward after Carmy quits the industry.
It boasts eight episodes and picks up the morning after Carmy announces his exit, leaving Sydney, Richie, and Natalie (Sugar) in charge.
The restaurant is broke, threatened with sale, and hit by a severe storm, forcing the team to pull together one last service.
Elle
Where to watch: Prime Video
A Legally Blonde spin-off, Elle, landed on Prime Video at the beginning of July.
OG Elle Woods, Reese Witherspoon, is behind the new project through her production company Hello Sunshine, and she’s found the perfect actress, Lexi Minetree, to step into her pink heels.
It’s giving us all the 00s feels, and retains the same heart as its predecessors.
The Five Star Weekend
Where to watch: Sky
Jennifer Garner is back on our screens in a moving adaptation of The Five Star Weekend that reads like a blend of Firefly Lane and Big Little Lies. It’s the perfect bank holiday watch.
Heading up the cast is 13 Going on 30 actress Jennifer, who stars as recently widowed food blogger Hollis Shaw. Chloe Sevigny joins her as Hollis’ best friend, Tatum. Regina Hall appears as Dru Ann Jones, a college roommate of Hollis and a well-known sportscaster.
D’Arcy Cardon is Hollis’ friend, Brook Kirtly, from her days of early motherhood, while Gemma Chan plays Gigi Ling, a woman Hollis met through her blog
Elsewhere, Harlow Jones plays Hollis’ daughter Caroline Shaw, and Timothy Olyphant plays Jack.
I Will Find You
Where to watch: Netflix
Another day, another Harlan Coben adaptation… A twisted thriller based on the acclaimed author’s hit novel, I Will Find You, has landed on Netflix.
The eight-episode series follows Worthington as David Burroughs, who is wrongfully serving a life sentence for murdering his son.
‘But when he receives word that his son may actually be alive, David embarks on a truth-finding mission that leads him out of prison and into a world of deceit and despair,’ the logline reads.
Alice and Steve
Where to watch: Disney+
Alice and Steve follows Alice, a mum whose life is upended when her best friend, Steve, strikes up a romantic relationship with her 26-year-old daughter, Izzy.
The pair finds their 25-year friendship under strain as she struggles with feelings of betrayal, jealousy and the fear of losing both her daughter and her closest friend.
It becomes Alice’s mission to break them up. It leads to a series of awkward, funny, and emotionally complicated situations. Steve seems unfazed by her attempts, but their relationship turns from a close friendship into a chaotic feud.
It’s a seriously funny watch, during which you can shut your brain off. Idyllic!
