So much to watch, so little time. Am I right? This month there are fourteen national program premieres from the UK, Canada, and Ireland, and much more besides.
For updates about shows from the UK, Canada, and Ireland added to US channels and streaming services throughout the month, see the British TV Viewing Guide. For details about shows from Australia and New Zealand, visit The Down Under TV Place.
NATIONAL PREMIERES
Top Gear: Season 25 (UK/US)
Hosts Matt LeBlanc, Chris Harris, and Rory Reid return for six new hour-long episodes that see them building the world’s fastest tractor, tackling America’s Wild West in shiny new V8 sports cars, attempting to land a NASA research plane in a muscle car, and more. The first episode of Top Gear: Season 25 premieres in the US on Saturday, March 3, at 10:30 PM ET, on BBC AMERICA. Subsequent episodes will air in the series’ regular weekly time slot of Sundays at 8 PM ET, starting March 4.
Delicious: Series 2 (UK)
The sophomore season of this drama opens nearly a year after the events in Series 1 and finds Gina (Dawn French, The Vicar of Dibley) and Sam (Emilia Fox, Silent Witness) having turned the Penrose Hotel into a profitable business. But with the unwelcome arrival of Gina’s estranged father Joe (Franco Nero, John Wick: Chapter 2), Gina’s hiring of young chef Adam (Aaron Anthony, Hidden/Craith), and more surprises in the legacy of the late Leo Vincent (Iain Glen, Game of Thrones), the fragile peace in his families’ lives begins to shatter. Delicious: Series 2 premieres in the US on Monday, March 5, exclusively on Acorn TV.
The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes (UK)
Award-winning architect Piers Taylor and actress and property enthusiast Caroline Quentin (Blue Murder) explore extraordinary homes built in mountain, forest, coastal, and underground locations around the world, from the Swiss Alps and New York’s Catskill Mountains, to the tip of New Zealand’s South Island and the outskirts of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes, a Netflix Original series, premieres in the US on Monday, March 5, exclusively on Netflix.
300 Years of French and Saunders (UK)
This 30th-anniversary special, which marks Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders returning to the screen together for the first time in a decade, delivers brand new material, greatest hits, hilarious rarities, and some never-before-seen footage. The special also features spoofs of the Wonder Woman film and The Handmaid’s Tale TV series, as well as a skit done with the stars of Poldark from the show’s set. 300 Years of French and Saunders premieres in the US on Wednesday, March 7, exclusively on BritBox.
Hard Sun (UK)
Created and written by two-time Emmy® nominee Neil Cross (Luther), this sci-fi crime thriller stars Jim Sturgess (Close to the Enemy) and Agyness Deyn (Pusher) as the corrupt DCI Charlie Hicks and the incorruptible DI Elaine Renko — partners and enemies who try to enforce the law and protect their loved ones as the end of the world gets closer each day. That it will occur in five years is a fact that governments try to keep secret, but the detectives discover it during an investigation into the death of a computer hacker. Hard Sun, a Hulu Original series, premieres in the US on Wednesday, March 7, exclusively on Hulu.
Collateral (UK)
This mystery-crime drama miniseries takes place over four days, opens with the shooting death of a Syrian refugee pizza deliverer, and features an amazing cast, including Carey Mulligan (An Education), John Simm (Trauma, see below), Nicola Walker (Unforgotten), Billie Piper (Doctor Who), Jeany Spark (Wallander), Ben Miles (The Crown), Hayley Squires (I, Daniel Blake), Orla Brady (Into the Badlands), Rob Jarvis (Hustle), and Nathaniel Martello-White (Kiri). Collateral, a Netflix Original series, premieres in the US on Friday, March 9, exclusively on Netflix.
Gardeners’ World: Series 50 (UK)
Launched in January 1968, this beloved 50-year-old BBC lifestyle program is still going strong and soon joins the BritBox “Now” titles, just in time to start tackling March gardening projects. Gardeners’ World: Series 50 premieres in the US on Friday, March 9, exclusively on BritBox. (By the way, the “Gardeners’ World” books, published by BBC Books, are companion pieces to the TV series.)
Mary Kills People: Season 2 (Canada)
Caroline Dhavernas (Hannibal) reprises her role as the eponymous ER doctor by day and angel of (euthanasia) death by night in this darkly-comic drama. Opening eight months after the Season 1 finale, the new season finds Des (Richard Short, 666 Park Avenue) getting out of jail and going back to work with Mary. But certain events cause Mary to reconsider this and others of her partnerships and relationships, especially when she becomes the target of a blackmail scheme. Mary Kills People: Season 2 premieres in the US on Monday, March 12, at 9 PM ET, on Lifetime.
Trauma (UK)
John Simm (The Village) and Adrian Lester (Hustle) star in this psychological thriller created and written by Mike Bartlett (Doctor Foster). The narrative follows Dan Bowker (Simm), a working-class father whose teen-aged son dies in a London hospital while under the care of Jon Allerton (Lester), a well-to-do ER trauma consultant. Desperate to know what happened to his son, Dan starts to unpick every aspect of Jon’s life, and when the authorities fail him, Dan takes matters into his own hands to get to the truth. Part 1 of Trauma premieres in the US on Wednesday, March 14, exclusively on BritBox, followed by Part 2 on March 21 and Part 3 on March 28.
Striking Out: Series 2 (Ireland)
One of my favorite shows of 2017 returns for its second season. (Yay!) Starring Amy Huberman (The Clinic), a 2017 IFTA Best Actress winner and 2018 nominee for her portrayal of solicitor Tara Rafferty, Series 2 of this legal drama opens soon after the events in the Series 1 finale and finds Tara with new challenges involving her work and career, her assistant Ray (Emmet Byrne, Red Rock), and her ex-fiance Eric (Rory Keenan, War & Peace). Costarring Neil Morrissey (Line of Duty), Striking Out: Series 2, an Acorn TV Original Series, premieres in North America on Friday, March 16, exclusively on Acorn TV.
Requiem (UK)
Kris Mrksa (Underbelly) created and wrote this psychological-supernatural thriller that stars Lydia Wilson (Ripper Street) as Matilda Gray, a rising cello star. After her mother commits suicide, Matilda finds something that links her mum to the disappearance of a toddler from a small Welsh village in 1994, so she travels to the remote community in Wales to find out who she really is. In the process, she uncovers a long-buried, terrifying, and dangerous secret: dark, otherworldly forces are gathering after waiting many years for Matilda to return. Featuring Brendan Coyle (Downton Abbey), Joel Fry (Game of Thrones), Tara Fitzgerald (Waking the Dead), Richard Harrington (Hinterland), Simon Kunz (Gunpowder), Joanna Scanlan (No Offence), Claire Rushbrook (Whitechapel), Clare Calbraith (Home Fires), and Pippa Haywood (Scott & Bailey), Requiem, a Netflix Original series, premieres in the US on Friday, March 23, exclusively on Netflix.
Call the Midwife: Season 7 (UK)
There’s more heartfelt storytelling in the offing when this beloved period drama returns for its seventh season. Joining the cast as a series regular is Leonie Elliott (Black Mirror), who plays Lucille Anderson, a West Indian midwife. Lucille and the Nonnatus House nuns and nurses face several challenging issues in 1963 — from leprosy, tokophobia, and stroke, to Huntington’s chorea, unmarried mothers, and cancer. Call the Midwife: Season 7 premieres Sunday, March 25, at 8 PM ET, on PBS. (Check your local listings.)
Trust (US/UK)
The first 10-part installment of this new anthology series centers on the 1973 abduction in Rome of J. Paul Getty III (Harris Dickinson, Silent Witness) — son of J. Paul Getty Jr. (Michael Esper, Nurse Jackie), grandson of J. Paul Getty (Donald Sutherland, Crossing Lines), and heir to the Getty Oil fortune. Executive produced by the Oscar®-winning team of Simon Beaufoy, Danny Boyle, and Christian Colson (Slumdog Millionaire), and costarring Brendan Fraser (The Mummy), Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby), Hannah New (Black Sails), and Anna Chancellor (New Blood), Trust premieres Sunday, March 25, 10 PM ET, on FX.
Trailer Park Boys: Season 12 (Canada)
There’s sad news in the world of Trailer Park Boys. John Dunsworth (Haven), who played Jim Lahey in the series, died after Season 12 completed filming, so while he’s in all ten episodes of the new season, it’s bittersweet for the show’s fans. Trailer Park Boys: Season 12, a Netflix Original series, premieres in the US on Friday, March 30, exclusively on Netflix. (Photo: Mike Smith as Bubbles, courtesy of Netflix)
ADDITIONAL NATIONAL PREMIERES TO CONSIDER
The Royals: Season 4 (US)
Following the events in the Season 3 finale, the new season picks up after Prince Robert (Max Brown, The Tudors) is crowned King of England, forcing his brother Prince Liam (William Moseley, The Veil) and recently dethroned Uncle Cyrus (Jake Maskall, EastEnders) to form an unlikely alliance. Meanwhile, Queen Helena (Elizabeth Hurley, Gossip Girl) searches for her role in the palace and bodyguard Jasper (Tom Austen, Grantchester) tries to capture Princess Eleanor’s (Alexandra Park, Home and Away) heart one more time, just as they are about to face their biggest obstacle yet. The Royals: Season 4 premieres Sunday, March 11, at 10 PM ET, on E!.
The Terror (US)
This horror series is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Dan Simmons, which itself was inspired by the true story of Sir John Franklin’s Arctic expedition. Starring Jared Harris (The Crown), Ciarán Hinds (My Mother and Other Strangers), Tobias Menzies (Outlander), Matthew McNulty (The Paradise), and Adam Nagaitis (To Walk Invisible), The Terror premieres Monday, March 26, at 9 PM ET, on AMC.
LOCAL/REGIONAL PREMIERES
The series below will air in the US on public TV stations starting in March. Air dates and times vary by market, so check your local listings or contact the station that serves your area for details. If your station isn’t on the list(s) for the show(s) you’d like to see, contact its Viewer Services department or American Public Television.
Fake or Fortune? Series 6 (UK)
Journalist and television presenter Fiona Bruce and “Art Detective” Philip Mould team up again to investigate the remarkable stories behind painted treasures. Fine art mysteries to be solved in three new episodes include works that might be by 19th century landscape master John Constable, Australian Impressionism pioneer Tom Roberts, and influential French Post-Impressionism painter Paul Gauguin. Fake or Fortune? Series 6 is confirmed for its US premiere on or after March 1 on the following public TV stations and regional networks:
| STATE | CITY | STATION |
|---|---|---|
| ARIZONA | Tucson |  |
| CALIFORNIA | Monterey, Salinas, San Francisco, San Jose, Watsonville |  |
| CONNECTICUT | Fairfield, Hartford, New Haven, Norwich |  |
| HAWAII | Honolulu, Wailuku |  |
| IDAHO | Boise, Coeur d’Alene, Moscow, Pocatello, Twin Falls |  |
| LOUISIANA | Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, Shreveport |  |
| NEW YORK | Binghamton, Elmira |  |
| NORTH CAROLINA | Asheville, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Concord, Edenton, Greensboro, Greenville, Jacksonville, Linville, Lumberton, Raleigh-Durham, Roanoke Rapids, Wilmington, Winston-Salem |  |
| RHODE ISLAND | Providence |  |
| TEXAS | Austin |  |
| UTAH | Richland, Salt Lake City, St. George |  |
| VIRGINIA | Charlottesville, Richmond |  |
And Then There Were None (UK)
Adapted from Agatha Christie’s best-selling novel, this miniseries set in 1939 follows ten strangers who are lured to an isolated manor on Soldier Island. When members of the party start getting killed off one by one, those who remain realize a murderer is among them and do whatever it takes to stay alive. Starring Aidan Turner (Poldark), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), Maeve Dermody (The Frankenstein Chronicles), Toby Stephens (Black Sails), Burn Gorman (TURN: Washington’s Spies), Miranda Richardson (Girlfriends), Sam Neill (Peaky Blinders), Noah Taylor (Deep Water), Douglas Booth (The Pillars of the Earth), and Anna Maxwell Martin (The Bletchley Circle), And Then There Were None is confirmed for its public TV premiere on or after March 29 on the following public TV stations and regional networks:
| STATE | CITY | STATION |
|---|---|---|
| ARIZONA | Phoenix |  |
| ARIZONA | Tucson | |
| CALIFORNIA | Eureka |  |
| CALIFORNIA | Fresno |  |
| CALIFORNIA | Los Angeles |  |
| CALIFORNIA | Monterey, Salinas, San Francisco, San Jose, Watsonville | |
| COLORADO | Denver |  |
| CONNECTICUT | Fairfield, Hartford, New Haven, Norwich | |
| DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | Washington, DC |  |
| FLORIDA | Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-West Palm Beach |  |
| GEORGIA | Albany, Athens, Augusta, Chatsworth, Cochran, Columbus, Dawson, Macon, Pelham, Savannah, Waycross, Wrens |  |
| HAWAII | Honolulu, Wailuku | |
| IDAHO | Boise, Coeur d’Alene, Moscow, Pocatello, Twin Falls | |
| ILLINOIS | Chicago |  |
| IOWA | Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Fort Dodge, Iowa City, Mason City, Red Oak, Sioux City, Waterloo |  |
| KENTUCKY | Ashland, Bowling Green, Concinnati/Covington, Elizabethtown, Hazard, Lexington, Louisville, Madisonville, Morehead, Murray, Owensboro, Owenton, Paducah, Pikeville, Somerset |  |
| LOUISIANA | Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, Shreveport | |
| MASSACHUSETTS | Boston |  |
| MICHIGAN | Alpena, Cadillac, Flint, Manistee, Mt. Pleasant |  |
| MINNESOTA | Minneapolis, St. Paul |  |
| MONTANA | Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Kalispell, Missoula |  |
| NEBRASKA | Alliance, Bassett, Hastings, Lexington, Lincoln, Norfolk, North Platte, Omaha |  |
| NEW HAMPSHIRE | Durham, Keene, Littleton |  |
| NEW YORK | Albany, Schenectady, Troy |  |
| NEW YORK | Buffalo |  |
| NEW YORK | Garden City, New York City |  |
| NEW YORK | Rochester |  |
| NEW YORK | Syracuse |  |
| OHIO | Akron, Alliance, Youngstown |  |
| OHIO | Cleveland |  |
| OHIO | Columbus |  |
| OHIO | Dayton, Oxford, Portsmouth |  |
| OKLAHOMA | Tulsa |  |
| OREGON | Bend, Corvallis, Eugene, La Grande, Portland |  |
| RHODE ISLAND | Providence | |
| TEXAS | Austin | |
| TEXAS | Dallas |  |
| UTAH | Richland, Salt Lake City, St. George | |
| WASHINGTON | Seattle, Yakima |  |
| WASHINGTON | Spokane |  |
| WISCONSIN | Green Bay-Appleton, La Crosse-Eau Claire, Madison, Menomonie, Park Falls, Wausau-Rhinelander |  |
| WYOMING | Casper-Riverton, Lander |  |
NON-PREMIERE PROGRAMS ADDED TO PROGRAMMING SCHEDULES
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Acorn TV and the Acorn TV channel on Amazon. (Photos in this section courtesy of Acorn TV)
Goodnight Sweetheart: Series 1 & 2 (UK)
In this classic BBC sitcom, Nicholas Lyndhurst (New Tricks) plays Gary Sparrow, an accidental time traveler who leads a double life after discovering a time portal that allows him to travel between his 1990s London and the British capital during World War II. Goodnight Sweetheart: Series 1 & 2 begins streaming Monday, March 12. Acorn TV will add Seasons 3-6 on consecutive Mondays starting March 19.
The Hairy Bikers’ Pubs That Built Britain (UK)
The popular presenting duo of Dave Myers and Si King, aka the Hairy Bikers, travel across England and to Scotland and Wales to reveal the fascinating histories, traditions, and tales of pubs in Britain. Featuring pubs in Bristol, Carlisle, Cornwall, Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Home Counties, the Lake District, Lincolnshire, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Oxford, South Wales, and Yorkshire, The Hairy Bikers’ Pubs That Built Britain begins streaming Monday, March 12.
Mind Games (UK)
In this made-for-TV mystery-crime drama movie, created and written by Lynda La Plante (Prime Suspect), Fiona Shaw (Harry Potter) stars as Frances O’Neil, a former nun-turned-criminal profiler who investigates a series of ritualistic murders of middle-aged women. Despite criticism from her skeptical colleagues about her unorthodox mind games, O’Neil uses them to get inside the murderer’s mind and catch him before he can kill again. Costarring Colin Salmon (Arrow) and featuring Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), Mind Games begins streaming as an Acorn TV exclusive on Monday, March 19.
Armistice (UK)
Presented by historian and author Professor David Reynolds, this documentary takes a fresh look at the extraordinary events and personalities involved in the Armistice that brought World War I to an end in 1918. In it he reveals a story of wounded egos, political scheming, and brinkmanship behind the lines as statesmen and generals haggled over the terms of peace, while the soldiers fought on at the front. Armistice begins streaming Monday, March 19.
The Long Shadow (UK)
Based on his book The Long Shadow: The Great War and the Twentieth Century, historian David Reynolds presents this three-part documentary that explores the legacy of World War I in the hundred years that followed it. In examining the conflict’s impact on politics, identity, and national memory, he builds a powerful argument about the shadow cast by the Great War and the forces it unleashed, which we still grapple with today. The Long Shadow begins streaming Monday, March 26.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Amazon Prime Video
The Color of Magic (UK)
Based on the comic fantasy novel by the late, great Terry Pratchett (Good Omens), this miniseries stars multiple-BAFTA Awards winner David Jason (Only Fools and Horses, Open All Hours, A Touch of Frost) as Rincewind, a failed wizard who becomes a tour guide of sorts to Twoflower (Sean Astin, The Lord of the Rings), a naive salesman who travels with The Luggage, a sentient wood luggage trunk with hundreds of legs, big sharp teeth, and a habit of swallowing anyone who would harm his master. (The book is great, and the show is good family-friendly fare.) The Color of Magic begins streaming as an Amazon Prime Video offering on Thursday, March 1.
The Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells (UK/US)
Tom Ward (The Frankenstein Chronicles) stars as English author H. G. Wells in this miniseries whose episodes are loosely based on his short stories “The New Accelerator,” “Brownlow’s Newspaper,” “The Crystal Egg,” “The Remarkable Case of Davidson’s Eyes,” “The Truth About Pyecraft,” and “The Stolen Bacillus.” The Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells begins streaming as an Amazon Prime Video offering on Thursday, March 1.
The Odyssey (UK/Italy/Germany/US)
You won’t need Cliff Notes for this Primetime Emmy®-winning miniseries based on Homer’s epic poem about Odysseus, the heroic King of Ithaca, and his decade-long journey home after the Greeks win the Trojan War. With an all-star cast that includes Armande Assante (NCIS) as Odysseus, Greta Scacchi (War & Peace) as Queen Penelope, Isabella Rossellini (Shut Eye) as Athena, and Bernadette Peters (Mozart in the Jungle) as Circe, The Odyssey begins streaming as an Amazon Prime Video offering on Thursday, March 1.
The Tunnel: Sabotage (Season 2) (UK/France)
Opening a year after the devastating Season 1 finale, Season 2 of this bilingual crime thriller finds English detective Karl Roebuck (International Emmy® winner Stephen Dillane, Game of Thrones) partnering again with the now-promoted French Police Commander Elise Wasserman (Clémence Poésy, Birdsong) to investigate a double kidnapping from a Channel Tunnel train and a fatal plane crash in the English Channel. The Tunnel: Sabotage begins streaming as an Amazon Prime Video offering on Friday, March 9.
The Durrells in Corfu: Season 2 (UK)
Based on the autobiographical books in The Corfu Trilogy by Gerald Durrell, Season 2 of this delightful period dramedy is set in 1936, a year after the events in Season 1. Louisa Durrell (Keeley Hawes, The Missing) is basically still broke and her four children are still in the throes of their dramas. But some things are new, such as the family’s nasty landlady and Louisa’s admirer. The Durrells in Corfu: Season 2 begins streaming as an Amazon Prime Video offering on Monday, March 26.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on BritBox and the BritBox channel on Amazon.
Antiques Roadshow (UK)
In this, the original British series that inspired the popular PBS program of the same name, presenter Fiona Bruce and her team travel to various country locations and stately homes across the UK to appraise antiques, and sometimes items that aren’t so antique, brought in by locals. Antiques Roadshow begins streaming Wednesday, March 21. (By the way, the book Antiques Roadshow: 40 Years of Great Finds was recently published to commemorate the show’s 40th anniversary.)
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (UK)
Adapted from the best-selling novel by Douglas Adams (which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2019), this cult comedy series stars Simon Jones (Brideshead Revisited) as Arthur Dent, the only human saved from the destruction of Earth, thanks to his friend Ford Prefect (David Dixon, The Legend of Robin Hood), who, as it turns out, is an alien. As the pair travel across space and time, they have one zany misadventure after another. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy begins streaming Saturday, March 24.
Midsomer Murders: Series 1-19 (UK)
Based on the crime novels by Caroline Graham, this show is one of the longest-running and most successful British mystery series ever — having its 20th anniversary in 2017 and its 20th-season premiere later in 2018. As a nod to the 333 (fictional) murders that have taken place on the series during its run, BritBox will debut every episode of Midsomer Murders: Series 1-19 on 3/30 at 3:33 PM ET.
Back: Season 1 (UK)
The comedy duo of David Mitchell and Robert Webb (That Mitchell and Webb Look) are back in this new comedy, their first together since Peep Show ended more than two years ago. Mitchell plays Stephen Nichols, who’s about to take over the family’s pub business after the death of his father, only to have Andrew Donnelly (Webb), his estranged foster brother, back in his life and stealing his family. Back: Season 1 has its US broadcast premiere on Wednesday, March 7, at 11 PM ET, on SundanceTV.
Did you miss any of the new shows from previous months? Check the British TV Viewing Guide 2018 Archives to find out.
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For details about the March premieres of shows from Australia and New Zealand, visit The Down Under TV Place. For those about the debuts of original-language, English-subtitled programs from Europe, visit The Euro TV Place.
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