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The best returning TV shows in 2020

The best returning TV shows in 2020

Check out the comedies and dramas (and comedy dramas) that are back in the New Year – all your favourites are here!

New year, new you? Or new year, new shows?! Nah, break your resolutions and take comfort in the familiar…

Returning TV shows 2020

When you finish a really, REALLY good show, you instantly become hungry for another season. Well, good news! There is plenty of good telly for you to binge on in 2020…

 

Check out our full list of the top returning TV shows to watch in 2020 (you can find the new year’s new shows here), and keep this page bookmarked for updates and more info as we have it!

Cold Feet, series 9

John Thomson, Hermione Norris, Robert Bathurst, Fay Ripley and James Nesbitt in Cold Feet


Six more episodes of the Manchester-based show are lined up for the new year. At the end of series 8, Jenny (Fay Ripley) was managing her cancer treatment, with husband Pete (John Thomson) supporting her; David (Robert Bathurst) was getting his life back on track; and Karen (Hermione Norris) and Adam (James Nesbitt) were feeling out their new relationship and its impact on their friend group. What’s next for the crew?

 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Cold Feet will air on ITV/HD (CH 103/113) with a transmission date TBC.

 

The Good Karma Hospital, series 3

The Indian hospital is as busy as ever, but the team faces one of their most difficult cases to date when one of their nurses is the victim of a violent attack. The series 2 finale ended with Dr Ruby Walker (Amrita Acharia) telling Dr Gabriel Varma (James Krishna Floyd) to wait for her, but will he keep that promise when a glamorous surgeon from his past turns up? Co-stars Amanda Redman and Neil Morrissey also return.
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

The Good Karma Hospital will air on ITV/HD (CH 103/113) in spring 2020.

 

The Bay, series 2

Morven Christie will tackle a new case as family liaison officer DS Lisa Armstrong in this second series, set once more in the Lancashire community of Morecambe Bay. Series 1 focused on the disappearance of teenage twins, a case Armstrong was personally involved with – and in the finale, she took steps to repair her fractured relationship with her own teens. Daniel Ryan (Innocent) returns as DI Tony Manning.
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

The Bay will air on ITV/HD (CH 103/113) in late 2020.

 

Unforgotten, series 4

If you’re growing tired of detective show tropes but still want to be hooked in by a slowly unravelling mystery, this one’s for you. DCI Cassie Stuart (Nicola Walker, The Split) and DI Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar, The Indian Doctor) have made it their business to find answers to the questions no one else is asking and solve cases that have long gone cold.
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Unforgotten will air on ITV/HD (CH 103/113) with a transmission date TBC.

 

Vera, series 10

Brenda Blethyn in Vera


The long-running ITV detective series returns with four new self-contained, feature-length episodes. Award-winning actor Brenda Blethyn reprises her role as DCI Vera Stanhope, alongside her trusty partner DS Aiden Healy (Kenny Doughty). The stories and characters are all inspired by Ann Cleeves’ best-selling novels.

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Vera will air on ITV/HD (CH 103/113) in January 2020.

Marcella, series 3

The eight-parter finds police detective Marcella Buckland (Anna Friel, Deep Water) assuming a new identity under the name of Keira. In this British take on Nordic noir from writer Hans Rosenfeldt, her mission is to infiltrate the Maguire crime family, but just how far will Marcella go to commit to her new role? It seems like blondes don’t necessarily have more fun…
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Marcella will air on ITV/HD (CH 103/113) with a transmission date TBC.
 

Liar, series 2

The first series of Liar was ITV’s highest rated new drama of 2017, with 9.1 million viewers tuning in for the finale. The shock revelation that – spoiler! – Andrew Earlham (Ioan Gruffudd) had been murdered left us on the edge of our seat, crying out for more episodes. Katherine Kelly (Cheat) joins as DI Karen Renton and Danny Webb (Humans) returns as DS Rory Maxwell to piece together what happened – and with ITV having confirmed Gruffudd will return, our interest is definitely piqued. 
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Liar will air on ITV/HD (CH 103/113) with a transmission date TBC.

Grantchester, series 5

The detective period drama picks up in 1957, a year after the last series. Prime Minister Harold Macmillan told the British people they “never had it so good”, but new parish priest Will Davenport (Tom Brittney, Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool) and DI Geordie Keating (Robson Green, Wire In The Blood) know better. The show is adapted from the Grantchester Mysteries novels by James Runcie.
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Grantchester will air on ITV/HD (CH 103/113) with a transmission date TBC.
 

Bancroft, series 2

Sarah Parish (Broadchurch) is Detective Superintendent Elizabeth Bancroft, the ruthless anti-heroine we love and loathe in equal measure. She’s excelling at work, but her relationship with her son Joe (Adam Long, Happy Valley) is strained, making things even more difficult when he becomes a suspect in a double murder case. Meanwhile, Superintendent Cliff Walker (Adrian Edmondson, Cheat) believes Bancroft is corrupt and watches her every move. He may not be entirely wrong…
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Bancroft will air on ITV/HD (CH 103/113) in early 2020.

 

Endeavour, series 7

Shaun Evans and Roger Allam in Endeavour


Writer Russell Lewis, who penned every one of the 27 episodes of this detective series, brings us three new interconnected feature-length films – and Shaun Evans, who stars as DS Endeavour Morse, directs the first, following his directorial debut during series 6. The show opens on New Year’s Eve 1969, with women’s liberation, social progression and scientific growth all hot topics of the era. With DCI Fred Thursday (Roger Allam, The Thick Of It) by his side, Morse’s moral compass is about to be tested more than ever before.
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Endeavour will air on ITV/HD (CH 103/113) with a transmission date TBC.
 

Love Island, series 6 & 7

Love Island promo shot

TWO whole series of Love Island will grace your screens in 2020! When it’s cold and dark outside, stay inside with the warmth of the South African sun beaming from your telly and the cheesiness of the chat-up lines enough to make your cheeks go hot. Then before you know it, summer will be on the horizon, with a whole new batch of singletons descending on a villa in Spain.
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Love Island series 6 will air on ITV2/HD (CH 115/176) in January 2020. Love Island series 7 will air on ITV2/HD (CH 115/176) with a transmission date TBC. 
 

Our Girl, series 4

Michelle Keegan reprises her role as army medic Georgie Lane, who was recently promoted to sergeant and is living back in Manchester with her family. She’s adamant she won’t be joining 2 Section’s upcoming deployment to Afghanistan after losing Elvis (Luke Pasqualino, Skins), the man she loved, to a Taliban attack – but if she’s going to deal with her grief, she must go back. EastEnders’ Danny-Boy Hatchard joins the cast as Private Rhett “Cheese” Charlton.

 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Our Girl will air on BBC One HD (CH 101/108) with a transmission date TBC.
 

Last Tango In Halifax, series 4

Anne Reid and Derek Jacobi in Last Tango In Halifax


The BAFTA-winning drama is a sweet love story between widowed pensioners and former childhood sweethearts Celia (Anne Reid, Years And Years) and Alan (Derek Jacobi, Murder On The Orient Express), who reconnect after finding each other on Facebook. Lu Corfield (Crazyhead), Anna Leong Brophy (EastEnders) and Liam McCheyne (The Bay) join the new series, which returns for the first time since the 2016 Christmas special.
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Last Tango In Halifax will air on BBC One HD (CH 101/108) with a transmission date TBC.
 

Not Going Out, series 11

Lee Mack’s series is now the longest-running sitcom on-air – no mean feat! In his laugh-out-loud take on family life, Lee (played by Mack) and Lucy (Sally Bretton, Death In Paradise) now have three children, including twins Benji and Molly. Of the show, Mack said: “I like to really drag it out! I’ll do it to death.” It’s already been renewed for series 12 and 13, which will air in 2021 and 2022, so it looks like we won’t be going out any time soon!
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Not Going Out will air on BBC One HD (CH 101/108) with a transmission date TBC.
 

Death In Paradise, series 9

Ralf Little in Death In Paradise


Ralf Little (The Royle Family) joins as new lead detective DI Neville Parker, taking over from Ardal O’Hanlon’s DI Jack Mooney. Parker is dispatched to the fictional island of Saint Marie to investigate the death of a woman from his hometown of Manchester. Alongside the regular cast, Aude Legastelois receives a permanent role as DS Madeleine Dumas, following on from her debut in the last two episodes of series eight. Tune in for just another day in paradise…
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Death In Paradise will air on BBC One HD (CH 101/113) in January 2020.
 

The Split, series 2

Divorce isn’t just a messy business, it’s a lucrative one too. The Defoe sisters are back, working as divorce lawyers at the newly merged law firm Noble Hale Defoe. Hannah (Nicola Walker, Last Tango In Halifax), Nina (Annabel Scholey, Britannia) and Rose (Fiona Button, Lip Service) attempt to get a handle on their own personal lives, while one half of a celebrity couple comes to the firm looking for a way out. Donna Air (Hotel Babylon) and Ben Bailey Smith (Cleaning Up) join the cast as the famous pair.
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

The Split will air on BBC One HD (CH 101/108) in early 2020.
 

Ghosts, series 2

This sitcom, created by some of the writers and stars of Horrible Histories, blends horror and comedy in the setting of Button Hall, home to the spirits of people who died there over the centuries. Each ghost is stuck in their ways, clinging to their respective time periods – and annoying new residents Alison (Charlotte Ritchie, Fresh Meat) and Mike (Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Stath Lets Flats). They’ve been there for a while now, though – will the living and the dead ever find a way to live in peace?
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Ghosts will air on BBC One HD (CH 101/108) with a transmission date TBC.
 

The A Word, series 3

BAFTA award-winning writer Peter Bowker (World On Fire, Blackpool) brings us another series of his thoughtful and witty family drama. In series 1, five-year-old Joe Hughes (Max Vento) was diagnosed with autism. He’s now 10 and coming to terms with his parents’ divorce, while the rest of his family are all going through changes of their own. Morven Christie, Lee Ingleby, Molly Wright and Christopher Eccleston return to muddle through life’s challenges, always keeping their sense of humour intact.
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

The A Word will air on BBC One HD (CH 101/108) with a transmission date TBC.
 

Defending The Guilty, series 2

Will Packham (Will Sharpe, Flowers), a pupil barrister who keeps getting told he’s “too soft” for his line of work, including by his own pupil-master Caroline (Katherine Parkinson, The IT Crowd), won us over in series 1  – so let’s have some order in the court to celebrate this sitcom’s renewal! The show, based on real-life criminal barrister Alex McBride’s book Defending The Guilty: Truth And Lies In The Criminal Courtroom, offers an irreverent and hilarious portrayal of the criminal justice system. 
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Defending The Guilty will air on BBC Two HD (CH 102) in late 2020.
 

There She Goes, series 2

David Tennant, Edan Hayhurst, Miley Locke and Jessica Hynes in There She Goes


The comedy drama that portrays the real-life experiences of writer Shaun Pye, whose daughter was born with a rare and still undiagnosed chromosomal disorder, moves from BBC Four to BBC Two. The first series focused on Rosie (Miley Locke), who has a severe learning disability, as a newborn and at age nine. Now you’ll see her journey at the ages of three and 11, with dad Simon (David Tennant, Good Omens), mum Emily (Jessica Hynes, Years And Years) and brother Ben (Edan Hayhurst, Genius) taking things day by day.
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

There She Goes will air on BBC Two HD (CH 102) with a transmission date TBC.
 

Inside No. 9, series 5

Steve Pemberton nabbed the Virgin Media BAFTA TV Award for Male Performance in a Comedy Programme for this series (which he co-wrote with Reece Shearsmith) at the 2019 awards ceremony. We have no doubt 2020 will be another superb year for the darkly comedic anthology series. Each spooky story takes place at a different “number nine” – whether that’s a flat, dressing room or a mansion. Step inside if you dare…
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Inside No. 9 will air on BBC Two HD (CH 102) in early 2020.
 

This Country, series 3

Charlie Cooper and Daisy May Cooper in This Country


The wait is finally over following a cliffhanger of a finale for series 2. Not only is there a third series, there will also be an additional one-off special of This Country. Cousins Kerry and Lee “Kurtan” Mucklowe are bored, sorely lacking in smarts, and living in a Cotswold village in this Virgin Media BAFTA TV Award-winning mockumentary created by Daisy May Cooper and her brother Charlie, who also star.
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

This Country will premiere on BBC iPlayer in early 2020 and then air on BBC One HD (CH 101/108) later in the year.
 

Brassic, series 2

This Is England’s Joseph Gilgun co-created the comedy drama and stars as Vinnie, a Lancashire lad with bipolar disorder. He’s best friends with Dylan (Damien Molony, Crashing), whose girlfriend Erin (Michelle Keegan, Our Girl) wanted to move out of the fictional Lancashire town of Hawley in series 1. They’re all back (as is Dominic West as Vinnie’s hopeless GP) as the adventures continue, with some new faces, including Fleabag’s Bill Paterson and Cold Feet’s John Thomson.
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Brassic will air on Sky One/HD (CH 110/109) with a transmission date TBC.
 

Bulletproof, series 2

Ashley Walters and Noel Clarke in Bulletproof


BAFTA winner Noel Clarke (Kidulthood), who created the series, and award-winning actor and rapper Ashley Walters (Top Boy) return to their roles in this buddy cop drama as Bishop and Pike. This time, they’re going undercover to infiltrate the Markides family, an international criminal empire. Their investigation puts their police skills – and their friendship – to the test as they go from London’s East End to Amsterdam and Cyprus.
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Bulletproof will air on Sky One/HD (CH 110/109) with a transmission date TBC.
 

A Discovery Of Witches, series 2

Where the first series was based on Deborah Harkness’s novel of the same name, the second season is adapted from her second novel in the All Souls trilogy – The Shadow Of Night. We follow vampire Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode, The Crown) and witch Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer, Hacksaw Ridge) in Elizabethan London as they search for more answers about their past. Diana also trains with a fellow witch so she can embrace and control her powers . Oh, and there’s a pregnancy with a daemon baby… no biggie!
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

A Discovery Of Witches will air on Sky One/HD (CH 110/109) with a transmission date TBC.
 

Sick Of It, series 2

An Idiot Abroad’s Karl Pilkington gets a second series for his first scripted comedy, made in collaboration with comedy partner Richard Yee. Karl plays Karl, a London taxi driver who finds out he has a grumpy, melancholic internal voice that isn’t afraid to say the stuff Karl is really thinking. This voice is represented by the literal double of Karl (played by Karl). OK, we’ll stop saying Karl now. He lives with his American aunt Norma, but then she hires a young, bubbly care worker, which prompts Karl to question his life and all he’s achieved (or not) so far.
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Sick Of It will air on Sky One/HD (CH 110/109) in early 2020.
 

The Windsors, series 3

This tongue-in-cheek series delivers the story of the British Royal family – as a soap opera. The fictional plot points may be ridiculous, but they were all inspired by real events! Catch up with the feuding Wills (Hugh Skinner, Fleabag) and Harry (Richard Goulding, Brexit: The Uncivil War), and new mum Meghan (Kathryn Drysdale, St Trinian’s), who’s also struggling to get along with Kate (Louise Ford, Crashing). As for Camilla (Haydn Gwynne, Beauty And The Beast)… well, she’s only gone and left Charles (Harry Enfield, Harry & Paul)!
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

The Windsors will air on Channel 4/HD (CH 104/141) with a transmission date TBC.
 

Back, series 2

Guess who’s back, back again? Back’s back – tell a friend. One of comedy’s finest duos, David Mitchell and Robert Webb, continue to make us laugh with their unique brand of humour. After his father died, Stephen (Mitchell) was all set to take over the family business, but then Andrew (Webb) entered the picture. The former foster child was briefly raised by Stephen’s parents and his timing is impeccable. We can’t wait to see the hijinks yet to come in this dysfunctional family dynamic.
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Back will air on Channel 4/HD (CH 104/141) with a transmission date TBC.
 

Home, series 2

Rufus Jones’ comedy continues the story of Sami (Youssef Kerkour), a Syrian immigrant living with Peter (Jones), Katy (Rebekah Staton) and her son after hiding in their car in Calais. Sami has become acclimated to British life and is preparing for his interview with the Home Office so he can stay permanently. Tune in to find out what happens next…
 

When can I watch it and on what channel?

Home will air on Channel 4/HD (CH 104/141) with a transmission date TBC.

 

Find out what’s on this week

Visit the Your TV Week homepage for daily updates on the best TV, movies and sport!

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Image credits: Last Tango In Halifax © Lookout Point – Photographer: Matt Squire

Death In Paradise © Red Planet – Photographer: Philip Vokers

There She Goes © Merman Productions – Photographer: Colin Hutton

This Country © BBC – Photographer: Sophie Mutevelian