On this week's show we not only see the whole of Hollywood shut down for the SAG strike but also sift through the detritus of this week's Emmy nominations and get into a fight over what constitutes a comedy. And speaking of things that are dramas and not comedies... we head back to Chicago for the return of The Bear on Disney+, investigate a little true crime with Sarah Phelps in The Sixth Commandment on BBC1 and hit centre court with Aidan Turner for tennis drama Fifteen-Love.

#245 The Bear, The Sixth Commandment, and Fifteen-Love

From the creators of The Empire Film Podcast, The Pilot TV Podcast is your (spoiler free) guide to the essential new shows dropping each week across terrestrial, satellite, streaming and beyond. Bringing you the latest news and reviews, as well as interviews with the biggest names in TV, we're here to cut through the rubbish and make sure every minute you spend in front of the box is a minute worth spending. Served with a heavy helping of insider knowledge, irreverence and humour, the Pilot TV Podcast won't just keep you informed, amused and entertained, but is guaranteed to save countless hours of your life. Because you can’t watch *everything*.

TV & Film

Trying returns to Apple this week and not only are we reviewing it but Rafe Spall and Esther Smith are with us on the show to talk all about it. Plus we’re up all night with Vicky McClure in Paramount+’s adaptation of Sarah Pinborough novel Insomnia, and ITV gives us a dose of witness protection Tasmania style in Bay Of Fires. Elsewhere we unpick the recent TV BAFTAs and have a little fun with Spotify’s AI chapter headings. 

#287 Insomnia, Trying, and Bay Of Fires. With guests Rafe Spall and Esther Smith

This episode marks the Pilot TV debut of Empire’s very own Sophie Butcher, filling in for work-shy slacker Kay who’s STILL on holiday. Sophie shares with us some of her favourite shows, plus we finally pin Boydy down on a definitive (laminated!) list of his favourite films so he can’t keep attaching that label to every one he talks about. Elsewhere, we’re delving into competitive teenage athletics in The Gathering on Channel 4, seeing Ian Rankin’s Rebus get reborn on BBC1, and seeing if there’s still some life in the clone saga in Orphan Black: Echoes, which finally lands in the UK on ITVX. 

#286 The Gathering, Rebus, and Orphan Black: Echoes

We have TWO special guest this week. The first is the star of Dark Matter and all-round screen legend Jennifer Connelly, who joins us to discuss that series. The second is Swindon native all-round Pilot legend Beth Webb, who jumps back in to the show to cover for Kay, who’s  on holiday. As well as getting ourselves back into quantum superposition for Dark Matter on Apple, we also tackle the final series of Inside No. 9, the fourth series of The Young Offenders and the new RTD era of Doctor Who, plus James has a lot to say about a certain kissing scene that appears to have traumatised him since last week.

#285 Dark Matter, Doctor Who, Inside No.9, and The Young Offenders. With guest Jennifer Connelly

Martin Freeman and Tony Schumacher — the star and creator respectively — join us this week to chat The Responder, which returns for its second series. Plus, we investigate some Tudor crimes with Shardlake and some cold war espionage with Spy/Master. None of which can prepare you for what Boyd’s been watching this week, which not only sees a surprise sprint for the finish line with a show he’d been behind on, but a rather unexpected ‘factual’ show, that dovetails with this week’s listener question to see a podcast far more concerned about measurements than it has any right to be.

#284 Shardlake, The Responder, and Spy/Master. With guests Martin Freeman and Tony Schumacher

Big ‘Dris himself joins us on the show this week, talking to Kay about Sonic spin-off Knuckles, which comes to Paramount+. Elsewhere, we’re back on the Baby Reindeer beat again this week, seeing as we made such a shambolic show of reviewing it on last episode (in fairness, it wasn’t entirely our fault), and now that everyone’s talking about it, we though it only fair to give it a proper viewing. Plus we revisit The Big Door Prize on Apple, and head off to hang out with the druids in The Red King on Alibi.

#245 The Bear, The Sixth Commandment, and Fifteen-Love

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