I was sent here to keep you alive, not drag you into a series of escalating gunfights.

Continuing my trip up Empire's top 20 TV shows of 2024

#19 :  Black Doves

The latest from Giri/Haji and The Lazarus Project creator Joe Barton, festive espionage thriller Black Doves may have only landed on Netflix just this month, but it’s already rocketed straight into our year’s best list — and deservedly so. A ridiculously smart, kinetically propulsive take on the spy genre that doesn’t so much subvert formula as take the tropes and figuratively balloon animal them from a puppy into a fire-breathing dragon, Barton’s six-part series finds Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw on phenomenal form as a spy and an assassin whose double-lives cross doubly dangerously after a murder close to home threatens to become their undoing. With its sardonicism and wry approach to spycraft, Slow Horses comparisons are inevitable, but make no mistake, this is a blistering Barton joint through and through. Roll on Season 2 — the first is a bona fide Christmas cracker.

I've read a few good reviews of this - I'm expecting it to be entertaining but absolute nonsense.

Well, I'm pretty much on the money there - I could explain the plot to you but I can assure you it won't make any difference so just strap yourself in and enjoy the ride. However, quite where Empire got "ridiculously smart" or "take the tropes and figuratively balloon animal them from a puppy into a fire-breathing dragon" from , I've got no idea - for me, this is pretty dumb and relies upon a lot of the usual tropes. Having said that, I didn't guess the ending - so who's calling who dumb now, eh?

Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw are indeed on phenomenal form - they have a nice easy chemistry between them and I think it's a good decision to make Ben's character gay because it removes the potential for sexual tension (because there's quite enough ridiculously stupid tension already, thank you very much). Sarah Lancashire is as watchable as always, but I think it's fair to say she wasn't exactly stretched by the role and I also enjoyed Ella Lily Hyland as Williams despite the appalling haircut they gave her.

The dialogue is well-written with plenty of quick snark and the action is also pretty well done, if often quite ridiculous. It also looks fantastic - there are lots of drone shots over London at night, which is all you really need to do these days, isn't it?

And that's all I've got to say really! I think I'd struggle to say I feel it deserves its place in Empire's top 20 - I saw plenty of "better" telly last year that hasn't made the list but it all looks fantastic and is very enjoyable provided you disengage your brain. If you need something to distract you in your post-Christmas slump, it's on Netflix.

#20 - Fine, but somewhat inessential
#18 - A well written mix of fun and tension