THE Righteous Gemstones follows a world-famous but highly dysfunctional televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed, and charitable work. It’s on Showmax from Monday, 24 March and is the Eat Play Drink editor’s pick for the month.
Series creator and star Danny McBride (Eastbound & Down, Vice Principals, pictured below) confirmed this will be the fourth and final season. “The Lord spoke to me and said it’s time to wrap this sucker up,” said McBride. “The story this season made the themes, ideas, and characters in The Righteous Gemstones feel whole and complete. I have loved every second of working with this team for the past eight years, and there are some incredible payoffs, twists, and turns in store over the course of this wild final season.”
Returning cast includes Emmy nominee Walton Goggins (The White Lotus), Edi Patterson (Knives Out), Teen Choice winner Adam Devine (Pitch Perfect), and Golden Globe winner John Goodman (The Big Lebowski, Roseanne).
With four Emmy nominations, an 8.1 score on IMDb, and an 88% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, The Righteous Gemstones is one of Variety’s “most anticipated” shows of 2025. IndieWire describes it as a show with “the ideas, characters, and production values to match the outsized egos strutting through its story.”
Seasons one to three of Party Down (co-created by Paul Rudd) are available to binge now, as are the three episodes of A Very Royal Scandal, starring Michael Sheen. Party Down follows the struggling actors and dysfunctional dreamers serving hors d’oeuvres for a Hollywood catering company while they wait for their big break. The stacked cast includes Emmy nominees Adam Scott (Severance), Ken Marino, Lizzy Caplan and Jennifer Garner, as well as Emmy winners Megan Mullally and Jane Lynch. Also look out for guest appearances from the likes of Jennifer Coolidge, JK Simmons, Kevin Hart, Kristen Bell, Nick Offerman and more.
“Returning after a long layoff, Party Down brings patient fans a third season that’s every bit as sharp – and laugh-out-loud funny – as its predecessors,” says Rotten Tomatoes, where season three has a 95% critics’ rating.
Based on real events, A Very Royal Scandal tells the story of Prince Andrew’s infamous 2019 Newsnight interview with journalist Emily Maitlis. The series dives into the days leading up to the explosive encounter, the fallout from the interview, and its lasting impact on the monarchy. It captures the high-stakes tension surrounding a royal attempt at damage control that went catastrophically wrong, leaving audiences questioning power, privilege, and accountability.
The three-part series stars Emmy nominee Michael Sheen (The Queen) as Prince Andrew, Golden Globe winner Ruth Wilson (The Affair) as Emily Maitlis, and BAFTA winner Joanna Scanlan (Slow Horses) as Amanda Thirsk, the prince’s private secretary.
Directed by Julian Jarrold (The Crown), A Very Royal Scandal is produced by Blueprint Pictures, renowned for double Oscar winner Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. It has an 81% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus says: “Superb performances from Michael Sheen and Ruth Wilson make this another juicy bite from the rotted apple.”
Upcoming highlights for March include:
- The Following Events Are Based On A Pack Of Lies S1 | Binge from Monday, 17 March
The five-part comedic thriller tells the story of two very different women and the conman they have in common. It stars Oscar nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths, Secrets & Lies, pictured above), Alistair Petrie (Sex Education, Rogue One) and Rebekah Staton (Raised by Wolves, The Midwich Cuckoos) as Cheryl, Rob and Alice respectively.
The Guardian’s 4/5-star review calls the series “a joyfully fun takedown of a scammer ex-husband… a total thrill… whimsical and satisfying to the end.”
- The Famous Five S1 | Binge from Friday, 21 March
Nominated as Best Live-Action Series at the 2025 Kidscreen Awards, The Famous Five is based on Enid Blyton’s beloved children’s stories.
Created and executive produced by BAFTA nominee Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive), The Famous Five follows Julian, Dick, Anne, George, and their loyal dog, Timmy, as the daring young explorers encounter treacherous, action-packed adventures, remarkable mysteries, unparalleled danger and astounding secrets.
As The Spectator says, “The Famous Five is that very rare and special thing: a TV show that both children and adults can thoroughly enjoy.”
- Brilliant Minds | Binge from Monday, 24 March
Emmy nominee Zachary Quinto (Spock in Star Trek, Sylar in Heroes) stars as Dr Oliver Wolf, an eccentric but gifted neurologist who suffers from a rare condition that gives him a unique perspective on care, fuelling his mission to change the way the world sees his patients.
Inspired by the books The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and An Anthropologist on Mars by neurologist Oliver Sacks, Brilliant Minds is created by Peabody winner Michael Grassi (Schitt’s Creek, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, Riverdale). It has an 88% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus says, “Benefitting from a characteristically sharp performance by Zachary Quinto, Brilliant Minds is a medical procedural with brains but also a surprising amount of heart.”
- Gangs Of London S3 | First on Showmax | Binge from Tuesday, 25 March
The Emmy-nominated and BAFTA-winning series returns for its third season as chaos erupts in London after a spiked shipment of cocaine kills hundreds. In the ruthless fight for control of London’s criminal underworld, no one is safe. This was no accident — it was a calculated attack. But who’s pulling the strings?
Returning cast includes Critics Choice Super nominee Sopẹ́ Dìrísù, BAFTA nominees Joe Cole and Lucian Msamati, and Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark in Game of Thrones). Irish Film and Television Award winner Richard Dormer (Blue Lights, Game of Thrones) joins the cast this season alongside Critics Choice Super nominees Andrew Koji (Warrior) and T’Nia Miller (Fall of the House of Usher).
Gangs of London holds an 86% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8/10 score on IMDb, with NME calling the show, “Game of Thrones but without the dragons.”
- The Golden Boy: Oscar De La Hoya | First on Showmax | Binge from Wednesday, 26 March
Boasting a 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the two-part HBO documentary offers a candid portrait of legendary boxer Oscar De La Hoya.
Nicknamed “The Golden Boy”, De La Hoya fought his way from the tough streets of East LA to an Olympic gold medal by age 19. He won 10 world titles across six different weight classes, rocketing to global prominence both in and outside the ring with his good looks, electric charisma, and heartfelt story of winning Olympic gold for his dying mother. But behind the polished facade, all was not as it seemed.
In The Golden Boy, De La Hoya peels back the layers to reveal a man struggling to come to terms with lifelong demons and the impossible burden of a nickname he couldn’t live up to.
Nominated for Best Documentary at the 2024 Imagen Awards, The Golden Boy is directed by Sundance Audience Award winner Fernando Villena and executive produced by Oscar nominee Mark Wahlberg and Emmy winner Mario Lopez.
