TV guide: The best new shows to watch, starting tonight
Pick of the week Ireland’s Population Crash Wednesday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm There was a time when Ireland was synonymous with large families, but that’s an era far in the past. This new series sees Miriam O’Callaghan look at Ireland’s birth rate and the reasons it has fallen to its lowest level since records began. With Ireland now having the fastest-ageing population in Europe, she explores the factors behind declining birth rates and what that means for generations to come. In the first episode, O’Callaghan heads to South Korea, which has the lowest birth rate in the world, to find out more about a movement called 4B. Its members are women who have chosen not to marry, have children or date. Hopefully this show will go beyond sensationalist headlines and examine the many reasons why people are choosing not to have children, and what this might mean for Ireland. Highlights YAGA Saturday, Sky Atlantic, 9pm Canadian TV is getting a lot more attention these days thanks to Heated Rivalry, the queer hockey romance based on author Rachel Reid’s Gamechanger series. This new show comes from the same streamer, Crave, and even stars Heated Rivalry’s Hudson Williams (aka Shane Hollander). But narratively it’s a different prospect, even if it does also include some steamy scenes. Williams plays two roles: Henry Park, a billionaire’s son who goes missing, and Park’s roommate, the shady Logan Casey. Searching for Park is a flirty private investigator named Charlie Rapp (Noah Reid of Schitt’s Creek ), who is teamed up with sceptical local detective Carson (Clark Backo). Among the suspects is intriguing university professor Katherine (Carrie-Anne Moss of The Matrix). This takes a little from the folk-horror elements of True Detective , but is otherwise a feminist tale inspired by the Baba Yaga from Slavic folklore. While some parts of the 30-minute episodes don’t quite cohere, it’s a fun and bingeable ride. Ireland’s Fittest Family Sunday, RTÉ One, 6.30pm Time for a brand new season of Ireland’s Fittest Family , aka the show that is guaranteed to make you feel lazy, out of shape and in need of a personal trainer. Returning for the 14th season are coaches Anna Geary , Donncha O’Callaghan , Davy Fitzgerald , Ellen Keane , Michael Darragh Macauley and the reigning Fittest Family champ, Andrew Trimble. This season the families will compete at different locations across the country, with the heats taking place at Haulbowline Navy Base. Meanwhile, the quarter-finals will be located at the bogs of Hell and Back in Co Wicklow, the semi-finals will have the dramatic background of Drogheda Port, and the grand final will see participants go head-to-head at the beautiful Avondale House. Also back is series host Laura Fox , who will oversee the competitive craic as the families battle it out to be named Ireland’s Fittest Family, and win the tasty €15,000 prize. Blue Planet III Sunday, BBC One, 8pm Is there anything more soothing than hearing David Attenborough talk you through the wonders of the natural world? It’s been 25 years since the groundbreaking series Blue Planet first aired, and things have certainly changed for the environment and climate since. In the first episode of this latest series, we are brought to the northern tip of Australia to meet tawny nurse sharks. Then it’s on to the Red Sea to encounter coral groupers, Maori wrasse and moray eels, onwards to Bali to meet tiny harlequin shrimp, before welcoming humpback whales who have migrated from Antarctica. Sure to be stunning and awe-inspiring. The Entrepreneurs Monday, RTÉ One, 8.30pm Want to be inspired by people who set up their own successful businesses? Each episode of this series tells the stories of three different Irish business owners who have weathered storms and found success. This week’s entrepreneurs include Oltian Dervishi , Jennifer Rock and Danny Buckley , and we’ll find out what inspired them to go it alone, how they deal with setbacks and what the secrets to success are. Each contributor to the show is a finalist in the 2026 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year programme, and they work across a range of sectors – from AI to wellness. If you’re someone with dreams of setting up your own business, this is a good chance to learn from those who’ve been there, done that and learned all the lessons. EY Entrepreneur of the Year profiles: From push notes to balconies and diamond rings Busted Monday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm This three-part series tells the tales of some of the world’s biggest drug busts, and crucially includes the input of the Defence Forces , gardaí and customs. We’ll find out about high-profile and bizarre drug seizures – and yes, that includes the story of how 1.5 tonnes of cocaine was found floating in a Cork bay, an incident that inspired the movie The Young Offenders . In the first episode we learn about Irish Naval Service vessel LE William Butler Yeats, which dramatically took container ship MV Matthew by force as it tried to head for international waters. In total, 2.2 tonnes of cocaine was seized during the incident, which had a value of €157 million – the largest such seizure in Irish history . It’s sure to be a high-octane watch, and even includes voice notes and images from phones belonging to the drug smugglers. Crá Tuesday, TG4, 9.30pm The Irish-language crime drama Crá returns this week, and if you’re impatient to watch it you’ll be happy to hear that all six episodes will be available on streaming service TG4+ that same night. The show’s been a breakout success for TG4 , selling to 68 territories under the international title Boglands. In series two we return to the town of Gaoth Dobhair and are promised a “darker, more ambitious story” centred on the character Garda Conall Ó Súilleabháin, played by Dónall Ó Héalaí. When we return to his world, Conall is a trainee detective trying to navigate new cases while dealing with the consequences of his past. Sounds like a nightmare for him, but a compelling time for us viewers. Among the cast are Alex Murphy from The Young Offenders as Barry, and Hannah Brady from the horror film Soulm8te as Ciara Kate. A Ring and a Prayer Friday, RTÉ One, 8pm If you need a bit of a boost at the end of the week, A Ring and a Prayer returns to celebrate multicultural love in Ireland. This is the second season of the six-part show, which follows 12 couples from nine different nationalities as they prepare for their wedding day. There are a variety of different approaches here, from devoutly religious to non-theistic, and the show looks at how people from different cultures or faith traditions combine their values into their wedding. In episode one, Ciarán from Kilkenny and Yinka from Carlow plan a wedding that will include a traditional Yoruba marriage ritual, while Vladimir from Latvia and Inna from Ukraine tie the knot by combining elements from both of their home countries. Plus there are couples on hand to offer advice based on their experiences. Streaming The Greatest From Wednesday November 4th, Prime Video No need to ask who’s the subject of this new eight-part biographical drama series. Only one man still retains the title The Greatest, and it’s not Hulk Hogan. Jaalen Best stars as aspiring, idealistic young boxer Cassius Clay, aka Muhammad Ali, as he makes his name in the sporting world. The series is also a chronicle of a changing America, as the civil rights movement takes root, and Ali fights moral and political battles outside the ring, including the notorious court case over his refusal to be drafted to fight in the Vietnam war. This scripted series following the life and career of Ali, who died in 2016 aged 74, has been given the blessing of the fighter’s family, with his fourth wife, Yolanda “Lonnie” Ali, acting as executive producer. Stick From Wednesday November 4th, Apple TV Pryce Cahill, aka Stick, once had the golfing world at his feet, but a very public meltdown put the kibosh on his professional career and his marriage. In the first series of this sports comedy series starring and executive produced by Owen Wilson, Cahill found his way out of the rough by taking on a young golfing prodigy named Santi, helping his young charge become the golfer Stick never managed to be. Now Stick is back for a second series, but this time he’s taken a new golfer under his wing - himself. He’s decided to take on the daunting task of becoming the oldest golfer to win the US Open. Timothy Olyphant returns as his former rival Clark Ross, with Marc Maron back in action as Cahill’s loyal caddie Mitts, and Rhea Seehorn as Cahill’s new golf coach Amanda. Black Doves From Thursday November 5th, Netflix Keira Knightley electrified the first series of this spy caper with wit and energy, helped by co-stars Ben Whishaw, Sarah Lancashire and Andrew Buchan, and the quartet is back in action for a second series, featuring more danger, more intrigue, and more targets getting bumped off at long range. Knightley is Helen Webb, a stay-at-home mum married to ambitious conservative politician Wallace Webb. But behind the mumsy facade is a deadly assassin working for the top-secret organisation the Black Doves. New additions to the cast include Ambika Mod, Babou Seesay, Sam Riley and Neve Campbell. The Assassin From Friday November 6th, Prime Video It’s a busy week for women with guns: alongside the return of Keira Knightley in Black Doves, Keeley Hawes is back in business in the second series of the crime thriller, in which she plays the titular hitwoman who just can’t seem to get out of the assassination business. Hawes plays Julie Green, a woman with particular skills that could get her killed any time; Freddie Highmore is her estranged son Edward, a journalist whose search for the truth about his parents’ past could get him killed. In series one, Mum and son had to reluctantly team up to avoid getting whacked by criminals, and here they are thrown together once more by a new threat.