TV guide: the best new shows to watch, starting tonight
Pick of the week How to Shop Well Now Monday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm We’re all seeing our grocery bills rise on the regular, and with the changes in climate come fears about the impact on food prices and farmers. So what’s a shopper to do? This two-part documentary looks at these and related issues, and features the popular content creator Sophie Morris, who’s known for her videos about supermarket products. She’s joined by journalist Claire Brock as the pair ask how we can all spend smarter during a time when the average annual family grocery bill is up by about €3,000 since 2020. Not to mention the fact we are an island nation depending on imports and exports to keep us afloat. Morris will meet food producers and find out more about what’s behind the rising cost of products, while Brock will look at supermarket psychology and how to shop smarter. Highlights DIY SOS: The Big Build Ireland Sunday, RTÉ One, 6.30pm It’s a new series of DIY SOS, where Baz Ashmawy and team help to improve the lives of people across the country by transforming their homes and gardens. It’s always a tearjerker to watch people row in to help folks like the Connolly family in episode one, who live in Kildare. Ramona Connolly and her five-year-old son Oran have been dealing with the aftermath of their husband and dad Daragh dying suddenly in December 2025. Ramona and Daragh had been in the process of building their forever home at the time, and Ramona was left without a mortgage, life insurance or the means to complete the house. Enter Baz and the DIY SOS team, who step in to complete their home. There won’t be a dry eye in their house – or ours. There are three more builds to come in this series, in Limerick, Bray and Offaly. Three Women Sunday, Channel 4, 11pm Back in 2019, author Lisa Taddeo’s non-fiction book Three Women made waves for telling the stories of three different women’s sexual and emotional lives. A six-part drama based on the book aired in the US in 2024 and is now making its way to this side of the Atlantic. We’ll meet grieving writer Gia (Shailene Woodley) who plays a Taddeo-like character who wants to write a book about female desire in America, and her three subjects: a suburban homemaker named Lina (Betty Gilpin), an entrepreneur named Sloane (DeWanda Wise), and a waitress named Maggie (Gabrielle Creevy). We follow as the women try to break free from the relationships and thought patterns that are holding them back in life. House of Games Monday, BBC Two, 6pm This hugely popular British TV show has been presented by Richard Osman since 2017, but this latest series marks a new era. Osman has stepped back (well, he’s very busy with his bestselling cosy crime books) and into his shoes is stepping the Welsh actor Michael Sheen. On this first week back on our screens, the celebrity contestants are actor Stephen Mangan, broadcaster Andi Peters and former EastEnders Shona McGarty and Nina Wadia. They will compete in a series of trivia games, and an overall champion will be named on Friday. Deepfake Ireland with Gráinne Seoige Monday, Virgin Media One, 9pm Journalist and broadcaster Gráinne Seoige discovered in 2024 during her general election campaign that a nonconsensual explicit deepfake image of her was being widely circulated. The person behind the image has never been identified, and in this new one-hour documentary, Seoige speaks about the impact of the incident on her life. She also meets other people who have been impacted by this sort of AI-generated image abuse, as well as experts, campaigners and policymakers. One of the victims she interviews is just 15 years old, while she also speaks to Cara Hunter MLA, who was targeted by a deepfake pornographic video. This is a timely look at how technology is being used to target women in particular – and how difficult it can be to bring anyone to justice for these 21st-century crimes. Portrait Artist of the Year 2026 Wednesday, Sky Arts, 8pm Even if you don’t harbour much artistic ability, it’s extremely entertaining to witness the incredible skills of the contestants in this long-running series. In series 13, host Stephen Mangan is joined by three new judges: art historian and broadcaster Katy Hessel, director of Frieze London Eva Langret, and one of Britain’s best-known contemporary portrait painters, Jonathan Yeo. In this first episode, the contestants will be trying to capture the likeness of Lennie James, Sheridan Smith and Vanessa Williams. RTÉ Investigates: Fertility Uncovered Wednesday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm It’s 40 years since the first baby was born in Ireland via IVF, and now RTÉ Investigates is turning its lens to Ireland’s fertility industry. The industry is booming, and publicly funded IVF is now available in Ireland, helping people on the journey to fulfil their wish of having children. RTÉ Investigates looks at what it’s like to undergo fertility treatment, including how well the system serves individuals and couples during what can be an emotionally vulnerable time. The Lion, The Witch and the Ulsterman Thursday, RTÉ One, 10.15pm In this one-off documentary, former Ireland rugby international and theology graduate Andrew Trimble looks at the Belfast upbringing and background of the author CS Lewis, who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia. Trimble sets out to examine why Lewis is not always seen as an Irish writer , as well as exploring the impact that Belfast had on his work. He visits the author’s family home, discovers more about the childhood trauma that led to him leaving the city, and how his upbringing impacted his work. Then he heads to Oxford, where Lewis spent most of his life, and speaks to historians and writers about Lewis’s legacy. No Worries If Not Thursday, RTÉ2, 10.30pm If you’re looking for a comedy fix, try the new series of No Worries, which returns this week. We can expect regulars such as Emma Doran, Justine Stafford, Killian Sundermann, Seán Burke and Michael Fry, as well as new faces including some of comedy’s bright new talents. Pat Shortt and his daughter Faye are on board, as are Siobhán McSweeney, Rachel Galvo and Aoife Dunne. You’ll recognise all of these names as people who are making the Irish comedy scene a very vibrant place indeed. In this series, Ali Fox plays a terrible antenatal coach, Michael Fry murders half a pub, Emma Doran is inappropriate with her niece and Justine Stafford goes on a series of unsettling romcom meet-cutes. The Graham Norton Show Friday, BBC One, 10.40pm On the sofa this Friday night is actor Bill Murray . He’s certainly not someone we see doing a lot of media these days, but he’ll be chatting about his BBC golf show, A Course Called Ireland. This involved Murray and celebrity pals such as Chris O’Dowd, Joanne McNally and Jason Kelce taking a wacky trip around the golf courses of the island of Ireland. Also on the show will be Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård to chat about their bonkers comedy fantasy Wicker, and Penélope Cruz to chat about her upcoming film La Bola Negra. The musical guest is queer alt-country star Orville Peck. Streaming Carrie From Wednesday, October 7th, Prime Video Stephen King’s shocking story of school bullying and paranormal powers spawned a hit horror film starring Sissy Spacek, and in recent years the Duffer brothers paid homage to Carrie via the character of Eleven, in Stranger Things. Now King’s debut novel has been turned into a full-length series that promises to bring the story up to date, exploring cyberbullying and toxic social media while sticking firmly to the old-fashioned gore of the original book. Summer H Howell stars as Carrie, who has to navigate family tragedy and the cruelty of her classmates while discovering her own scary powers of telekinesis. It’s a lethal combination that’s bound to end in tears – and probably bucketloads of blood. Kevin Courtney Small Prophets From Wednesday, October 7th, Apple TV Mackenzie Crook’s comedy for the BBC has been renewed for a second season, to air in 2027, so it’s handy that Apple TV has bagged the first season of this acclaimed series, to give us a chance to recap on this gentle and surreal suburban drama. Pearce Quigley stars as Michael Sleep, an eccentric type who has never got over the disappearance of his beloved partner, Clea, seven years ago. When his dad, Brian (Michael Palin), gives him an ancient recipe, he discovers he can conjure up strange water-dwelling creatures in his shed – not sea monkeys but homunculi, magical spirits with the power to predict the future. Crook costars as Gordon, the unlikeable manager of the DIY store where Michael works, with Lauren Patel as Michael’s colleague Kacey, with whom he strikes up a friendship. KC