This week's television offerings feature a mix of classic adaptations, thrilling adventures, and hard-hitting dramas. Here are the seven best films to watch on TV.
Pick of the Week: Wuthering Heights
Emerald Fennell has stirred up controversy with her new adaptation of Emily Brontë's windswept novel. Beyond the casting of Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff and an unexpected S&M subplot, this bodice-ripping historical romance delivers what fans desire. Margot Robbie portrays Cathy as a frustrated social climber torn between luxury with Edgar (Shazad Latif) and earthy lust with Heathcliff. Fennell goes full gothic, evoking Guillermo del Toro with stormy skies, unbridled moorland sex, ludicrous costumes, and bizarre interior design as the love story intensifies. Friday 1 May, 8.25am, 8pm, Sky Cinema Premiere
Apex
Baltasar Kormákur's thriller offers sweaty-palmed vertical tension. After a tragic expedition in Norway, Charlize Theron's Sasha retreats to the Australian outback for solo white-water kayaking, but a local man (Taron Egerton) threatens her. Theron shines as a physical yet vulnerable survivor. Out now, Netflix
Eddington
Ari Aster's modern western satire stars Pedro Pascal as a mayor imposing a Covid lockdown while seeking re-election, and Joaquin Phoenix as a sheriff challenging him over freedom. The comedy spirals into manic chaos involving conspiracy theories, Black Lives Matter, and small-town politics. Saturday 25 April, 8.45am, 10.25pm, Sky Cinema Premiere
Living
Oliver Hermanus's drama adapts Kurosawa's Ikiru, with Bill Nighy delivering a finely graded performance as Mr Williams, a 1950s civil servant who finds redemption after a terminal cancer diagnosis. He abandons his routine, finding joy through a young colleague (Aimee Lou Wood) and a writer (Tom Burke). Saturday 25 April, 9pm, Channel 4
Gold Run
This fact-based drama follows Fredrik Haslund (Jon Øigarden), a mild-mannered Labour party functionary tasked with hiding Norway's gold reserves from the Nazis in 1940. With dramatic scenery, it's a stirring thriller about ordinary heroism. Saturday 25 April, 11pm, BBC Four
Holy Cow
Louise Courvoisier's comedy follows 18-year-old Totone (Clément Faveau), who must take over his father's cheese-making business after a car crash. His inexperience and shortcuts hinder success, but the film explores rural youth's limited options with engaging performances. Monday 27 April, 11.40pm, Film4
Small Things Like These
Tim Mielants's heart-rending drama, adapted by Enda Walsh from Claire Keegan's novel, tackles Ireland's Magdalene Laundries scandal. Cillian Murphy plays Bill Furlong, a coal merchant whose compassion is ignited by the brutal treatment of girls at a convent, but he faces community silence. Tuesday 28 April, Netflix
