Episode notes
Ever wondered what a ‘winter show’ looks like? Well fear not because Steph clues you in on this week’s show as we dive into another triad of televisual entertainment. First out of the gate this week is the final season of The Bear on Disney+ (51:06). Will the restaurant keep its doors open? Will Carmy and Syd be able to save the day? Will Ritchie yell obscenities across the kitchen? All is revealed in the show’s last hurrah. We also take a trip back to the high school origin story of Legally Blonde’s Elle Woods in Elle on Prime (1:05:50), and head back beneath the earth for a return to the…
Pilot TV
by Empire Magazine · English · Film & TV
From the creators of The Empire Film Podcast, Pilot TV is your essential guide to every TV show that matters, providing a weekly rundown of all the new must-see TV shows dropping across streaming, terrestrial, satellite, cable, and beyond. Join Empire's James Dyer, Heat's Boyd Hilton, Steph Seelan,
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S1 · E420 · 20 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 49 min
The Crow Girl, Ride Or Die, and The Hawk. With guest Anya Taylor-Joy
Anya Taylor-Joy is our guest in the studio this week, talking both her new show Lucky on Apple TV and her (and Steph’s) love of dogs (32:50-50:51). But that’s not all, because the team also talk through the TV teachers they wish had filled them with knowledge during their formative years and reviewed three new shows besides. To wit: the return of twisted crime thriller The Crow Girl (1:10:07) on Paramount+, Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer’s buddy action comedy Ride Or Die on Prime Video (1:32:00), and Will Ferrell’s golfing comedy The Hawk on Netflix (1:43:58). Note: time stamps are…
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S1 · E419 · 13 Jul 2026 · 2 hr 6 min
The Westies, Ann Droid, and The Five Star Weekend. With guests JK Simmons and Tom Brittney
We finally unveil (in typically shambolic fashion) our shows of the year (so far) list in this week’s episode as an arcane mathematical formula is applied to our individual favourites, distilling them into the definitive (probably) top 10 of everything out in 2026 to-date (17:33). Plus JK Simmons and Tom Brittney join us to chat MGM+’s new gangster show The Westies (37:18-50:58). We also watch Diane Morgan’s new comedy, Ann Droid, on BBC1 (1:42:17), and Jennifer Garner’s girls’ weekend drama The Five Star Weekend on Sky Atlantic (1:51:38). All that and se do a drop-in to discuss this year’s…
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S1 · E418 · 6 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 37 min
The Dark, Human Vapor, and X-Men ‘97. With guest Esther Smith
Esther Smith is our guest on this week’s show, talking all things Trying Season 5 (38:15-48:52). Plus we pick through the wreckage of the TV schedules this week to try and find shows that haven’t been consumed by the world cup, only to stumble across a Scottish crime drama in The Dark on ITV (58:20), a remake of Japanese supernatural story Human Vapor on Netflix (1:11:04), and the long-awaited second season of X-Men ‘97 on Disney+ (1:22:04). All that, and we even find the time to plan our perfect TV-themed getaways as well. Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are…
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S1 · E416 · 22 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 18 min
Sugar and The Agency
We’re down to two shows this week as the world cup (or embargoes, depending on who you ask) closes its vice-like grip on the airwaves. But what a pair they are: we’re back in the spy business with Michael Fassbender in the return of Paramount+’s espionage drama The Agency, and on the missing persons beat with Colin Farrell as Apple’s sci-fi-cri Sugar makes its return. Plus we mull over some of the Pilot shows that have dragged us out of our comfort zone and not only does Kay Ribeiro make her triumphant return to the podcast this week, but Steph drops by as well, making this a rare full…
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S1 · E415 · 15 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 43 min
House Of The Dragon and The Light In The Hall: Still Waters. With guest Javier Bardem
Thanks to the world cup (and a handful of embargoes), there are only two shows we can cover this week, but that’s okay because not only is one of the triumphant return of Game Of Thrones prequel spin-off House Of The Dragon (1:15:43), but the other is Welsh drama The Light In The Hall: Still Waters (1:01:38), which also exists under the Welsh name Y Golau: Dŵr, which James does attempt to say, albeit with a little assistance. Plus Javier Bardem joins us on the show to chat bringing Max Cady back to our screens in Apple’s adaptation of Cape Fear (35:07-46:23). Note: time stamps are…
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S1 · E414 · 8 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 52 min
Cape Fear, Alice And Steve, and The Witness. With guests Nicola Walker and Jemaine Clement
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S1 · E432 · 5 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 47 min
Carrie, Kill Jackie, and Pierre. With guests Sienna Miller and Dominic West
On this week’s show, WAR stars Sienna Miller and Dominic West collar Boyd to talk their divorce drama on Sky Atlantic (48:50-1:01:51), plus we dissect the recent list of The New York Times’ 100 greatest TV shows of the 21st century. Show-wise, it’s Stephen King time again as Mike Flanagan has a crack at the author’s debut novel, Carrie, on Prime Video (1:09:05), and also on Prime we try to find out who’s after Catherine Zeta Jones in Kill Jackie (1:21:52). Plus David Harewood shines a light on beleaguered duty solicitors in Pierre on Channel 4 (1:34:39). Note: time stamps are approximate as…
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S1 · E431 · 28 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 51 min
WAR, Break Clause, and Blue Lights. With guest Siân Brooke (and Ziggy)
We have a dog in the studio this week (very good boy 13/10) as guest Siân Brooke brings her miniature sausage dog Ziggy in to see us (and also to talk about the new series of Blue Lights on BBC1)(35:19-1:02:34). The rest of the show sees us banished to our respective homes, however, as we beam in to discuss the aforementioned Belfast police drama (1:35:11), as well as legal thriller WAR on Sky Atlantic (1:18:23), and coupledom comedy Break Clause on Channel 4 (1:25:48). Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and…
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S1 · E430 · 21 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 45 min
Youth, The Blame, and The Split Up. With guests Sharon Horgan, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren
On this week’s show we have a trio of guests as Sharon Horgan joins us to talk Youth on HBO Max (28:01-35:17), while Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan chat all things Mobland on Paramount+ (52:22-1:04:14). Elsewhere, we talk through the winners of this year’s Primetime Emmys, Steph reminisces about Mr T, James looks back at Deep Space Nine and there are many disagreements about this week’s reviews. Speaking of which, they are the aforementioned Youth (1:04:14), The Blame on ITV (1:17:33), and The Split UP on BBC1 (1:31:17). Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are…
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S1 · E429 · 14 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 57 min
American Hostage, Slow Horses, and Crew Girl. With guests Patrick Brammall and Sanjeev Bhaskar
We have a guest double show this week as not only does Boyd chat weith Sanjeev Bhaskar about The Split Up (1:09:19-1:25:55), but Patrick Brammall joins us in the studio to chat Lat Seen (and, let’s be honest, Colin From Accounts) (26:24-51:12). There were tears. Plus, we head back to the seventies with Jon Hamm for American Hostage (1:25:55), see if Netflix can steal Prime’s YA crown with teen show Crew Girl (1:43:29), and find out what’s going down at Slough House with the latest season of Slow Horses (1:33:31). Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant…
