Pilot TV

Empire Magazine

From the creators of The Empire Film Podcast, Pilot TV is your essential guide to every TV show that matters, providing a weekly rundown of all the new must-see TV shows dropping across streaming, terrestrial, satellite, cable, and beyond. Join Empire's James Dyer, Heat's Boyd Hilton, Steph Seelan, and Kay Ribeiro as they bring you breaking TV news, reviews of the week's major shows, and interviews with some of the biggest names in TV.

Pilot TV is here to 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, Pilot TV 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*.

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to Pilot+ for a bonus episode every Thursday, in-depth spoiler specials, and early, ad-free access to the regular show! Find out more at www.empireonline.com/pilottv

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426 episodes
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Episodes426

Newest first

Apr 22, 2024 · 1 hr 23 min
#283 The Red King, The Big Door Prize, and Baby Reindeer (take two). With guest Idris Elba
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.
Apr 15, 2024 · 1 hr 51 min
#282 Red-Eye, Blue Lights, and Dinosaur. With guests Walton Goggins and Lesley Sharp
Walton Goggins and Lesley Sharp join us on this week’s show. Not together, of course, because the former is with us to chat Ghoul life in Prime Video’s Fallout and the latter is here in her capacity as head of MI5 in ITV’s Red-Eye. And speaking of Red-Eye, we review that show, which sees Richard Armitage on the flight from hell, as well as Glaswegian BBC comedy Dinosaur and the return of Belfast police drama Blue Lights, also on the Beeb. Plus we record our first proper podcast in the new studio, run through our (somewhat belated) 100 Greatest TV shows list, and dispense with a listener question in record time.
Apr 8, 2024 · 1 hr 29 min
#281 The Regime, The Cuckoo, and Baby Reindeer. With Guest Sonequa Martin-Green
Sometimes we at the Pilot TV podcast are the very embodiment of calm, dignified professionalism. This is not one of those times. An early recording prompts unfettered anarchy this week as the team go full Joanna Page, cover a postbag slot we’ve done before and only half review one of the shows (we had our reasons). But all of that’s okay, becasue Star Trek Discovery’s Sonequa Martin-Green joins us on the show to talk about her final voyage, plus we watch Kate Winslet become a dictator, Jill Halfpenny turn into the lodger from hell and (almost) see a show about a stalker. Absolute chaos.
Apr 1, 2024 · 1 hr 27 min
#280 Sugar, This Town, Avoidance, and Star Trek: Discovery. With guests Benedict Wong and John Bradley
Not only do we have a 3 Body Problem Spoiler Special with the showrunners now available over on Pilot TV+, but stars John Bradley and Benedict Wong also drop by this week to chat about the show. Elsewhere, we’re raging over the unjust and unforgivable cancellation of The Lazarus Project (for shame, Sky!), examining this year’s RTS awards, and explore our objects of televisual desire — not to mention reviewing this week’s shows, of which there are FOUR (because who needs to go outside?). Colin Farrell takes the gumshoe beat in Sugar on Apple TV+, Romesh Ranganathan’s back dodging his problems in Avoidance, Star Trek: Discovery takes its final voyage, and Steven Knight’s This Town takes us back to 80s Belfast (and Birmingham).
Mar 25, 2024 · 1 hr 30 min
#279 A Gentleman In Moscow, Big Mood, and Mandy. With guest Ewan McGregor
We’re all about the Bolsheviks this week, as Ewan McGregor returns to our screens for A Gentleman In Moscow on Paramount+ and drops by this podcast to tell us about his Muskovite adventures first hand. Plus, we explore the chaotic life of Nicola Coughlan’s character in Channel 4 comedy Big Mood and catch up with Diane Morgan’s similarly anarchic antics in series 2 of Mandy on BBC2.
Mar 18, 2024 · 1 hr 35 min
#278 Palm Royale, 3 Body Problem, and Twisted Metal. With guest Wunmi Mosaku
Loki, Luther and We Own This City star Wunmi Mosaku joins us this week to talk all things Passenger, a supernatural mystery show coming to ITV on Sunday at 9pm. Plus we finally get to talk about 3 Body Problem in full and reveal whether Netflix’s new show from the creators of Game Of Thrones could crack Kay’s anti sci-fi armour. Opinions divide quite spectacularly on the other shows this week, specifically Kristen Wiig-starring period piece Palme Royale on Apple TV+ and Anthony Mackie-starring apocalyptic road adventure Twisted Metal on Paramount+.
Mar 11, 2024 · 1 hr 22 min
#277 Manhunt, The Dry, and Love Rat. With guest Anthony Mackie
Is there a Falcon in the house? Yes there is, in fact, because Anthony Mackie joins us on this week’s show to talk apocalypse survival, not listening to Taylor Swift, and of course Twisted Metal, which comes to Paramount+ next week. Elsewhere, James has a revelation about 3 Body Problem, Kay ponders the existential dilemma of slow-burn TV, and we get into this week’s slate, which includes the hunt for Lincoln’s killer in Manhunt on Apple TV+ and the return of ITVX’s The Dry. And then there’s Love Rat, a show on Channel 5 that might have been genetically engineered in a lab to give James a breakdown.
Mar 4, 2024 · 1 hr 30 min
#276 The Gentlemen, Extraordinary, and Mary And George. With guests Julianne Moore and Oliver Hermanus
Julianne Moore pays a visit to the Pilot TV pod studio this week, chatting seducing monarchs in Sky Atlantic’s Mary & George alongside director Oliver Hermanus/ Plus we climb into the brain of Guy Ritchie for his Netflix spinoff of The Gentlemen, and get to find out what’s going on with Jen and Jizzlord in series two of Disney+’s Extraordinary. And it that weren’t enough, there’s some egregious questioning of Kay’s Whovian enthusiasm, which does not go unanswered.
Feb 27, 2024 · 1 hr 3 min
FX's Shōgun: An Empire & Pilot TV Podcast Special, In Association With Disney+
There can be only one thing more exciting than James Clavell’s Shōgun getting a brand new TV adaptation on Disney+, and that’s a special Pilot TV/Empire crossover podcast recorded to mark the occasion! Join Chris Hewitt, James Dyer and Nick de Semlyen as they get together to talk all things Japanese, Nick’s epic read of Clavell’s 1300 page book, and the pros and cons of ninja-themed restaurants. What’s more, James sits down with showrunners Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks to talk about bringing Edo-period Japan to life and the art of banging subtitles, plus he chats with star Cosmo Jarvis about taking on the role of ‘The Anjin’. Enjoy!
Feb 26, 2024 · 1 hr 37 min
#275 Shōgun, Dead Hot, and Things You Should Have Done. With guest Jonathan Bailey
This episode is one for nerds and normies alike as we begin with an audit of the accessibility of sci-fi films and, unexpectedly, trainers. Bit that’s not all, because Fellow Travellers star Jonathan Bailey drops by to talk about that show with Boydy, and James finally gets the chance to hold forth on Shōgun, managing to explode Kay’s brain in the process (in English, not Portuguese). Plus we uncover a mystery in Prime Video’s Dead Hot and break James upon the wheel of BBC3 comedy with Things You Should Have Done.
Feb 19, 2024 · 1 hr 44 min
#274 Constellation, Breathtaking, and The Way. With guests Jodie Foster and Noomi Rapace
Jodie Foster joins us on the show this week, to talk about the grand finale of True Detective: Night Country. We get properly into all the twists and turns of that show but don’t worry if you’ve not had a chance to watch the final episode yet, because we’ve put the interview at the very end of the episode with clear spoiler markings (PSA: all six episodes of True Detective: Night Country are available to watch on Sky Atlantic and NOW, or you can download them to own on digital platforms). But she’s not the only guest on this week’s show, either, as Noomi Rapace also drops by to talk about Apple’s creepy space-set sci-fi Constellation as well — it begins with talk of whether anyone’s wearing trousers on the Zoom call and all spirals out of control from there. Elsewhere on this week’s show, we take a look at ITV’s Breathtaking, which recounts the front line struggles of NHS staff during the outbreak of Covid, and we also watch BBC1’s The Way, which sees civil unrest as steelworkers down tools in Port Talbot. Plus Kay has us lamenting those dearly departed shows that ended on cliffhangers that were sadly never resolved.
Feb 12, 2024 · 1 hr 45 min
#273 Alice And Jack, Kin, and Too Good To Be True. With guests Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall
You’ll have to have listened to last weeks’ Pilot+ to hear our review of One Day but fear not if you didn’t catch that, because stars Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall join us this week to discuss Netflix’s adaptation of the hit David Nicholls book. And speaking of turbulent romances, Alice And Jack comes to Channel 4 this week and sees Domhnall Gleeson and Andrea Riseborough as a pair of star-crossed lovers. BBC1’s Kin, on the other hand, sees an entirely different kind of turmoil as the Kinsella clan go to war (again), and Channel 5’s Too Good To Be True explores the perils of unvetted employment (but does allow James to set up a terrible culinary pun). Finally, Kay’s postbag management takes a turn for the meta and we look at side-eye references in your favourite shows.
Feb 5, 2024 · 1 hr 46 min
#272 Curb Your Enthusiasm, Ted, G’wed, and Halo. With guests Domhnall Gleeson and Andrea Riseborough
We may not be reviewing it till next week but Alice And Jack is winging its way to screens very soon and stars Domhnall Gleeson and Andrea Riseborough — both of whom join us on the show this week to chat with Boydy. No one does awkward quite like Larry David so we're delighted to welcome him back to the screen for the 12th and final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm on Sky and Now. Plus Seth MacFarlane's Ted makes the transition to the small screen, we take a trip up north to see Scouse comedy G'wed, which lands on ITVX, and James nobly takes on the mantle of watching Halo season 2 so Kay doesn't have to get sci-fi on her.
Jan 29, 2024 · 1 hr 6 min
#271 Black Cake, Domino Day, and Here We Go
We like to think of Pilot TV as the height of professionalism — a finely-honed product in which some of TV journalism's finest minds come together to share their wisdom. We like to think that. Evidence here to the contrary, though, as this one is an absolute shambles. James and Kay arrive unprepared, Boyd decides he'd much rather work with Helen and Dan, plus there's a whole thing about musicals. Honestly, it's a miracle we got through it at all. Still, we did find time to watch Black Cake on Disney+ (well, some of us), engage in some witchery with Domino Day on BBC Three, and catch up with Here We Go (again).
Jan 22, 2024 · 1 hr 24 min
#270 Griselda, Sexy Beast, and Trigger Point. With guest Lulu Wang
Acclaimed filmmaker Lulu Wang hops to the small screen this week with Expats on Prime and she dropped by the podcast to tell us all about it. Plus we witness Sofía Vergara breaking bad as a cartel boss Griselda Blanco in Netflix's Griselda, revisit London's '90s criminal underworld in Sexy Beast on Paramount+, and rejoin Vicky McClure's bomb squad in the return of Trigger Point on ITV. But that's not all, because the gang talk about the ups and downs of this year's Emmys (#justiceforBetterCallSaul) and Boyd and Kay once again try (and fail) to get James to care about The Traitors.
Jan 15, 2024 · 1 hr 24 min
#269 True Detective, The Artful Dodger, and Finders Keepers
True Detective makes its long-awaited return this week with Jodie Foster in the lead. Is it a return to form for the series? Listen and find out (spoiler: it is). Plus we head down under for some Dickensian fun with The Artful Dodger on Disney+ and go Detectoring with Channel 5's Finders Keepers. The team also mull over hotel scenes, completely fail to discuss the Golden Globes and hear how Boyd got blanked by Phoebe Waller Bridge.
Jan 8, 2024 · 1 hr 57 min
#268 Criminal Record, Big Boys, and After The Flood. With guest Clarke Peters
We're back! After scandalously taking Christmas off, (Boyd is still furious about it) Pilot makes a triumphant return to your ears this week, accompanied by legendary star of The Wire Clarke Peters, here talking about his new Channel 4 show Truelove. Plus Kay, Boyd and James run through their televisual resolution,s but also catch you all up on all the shows that aired over the first week of January. Beyond that, Jack Rooke's Big Boys returns to Channel 4, Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo arrive on Apple TV+ with Criminal Record, and Sophie Rundle gets swept away in ITV drama After The Flood.
Dec 25, 2023 · 2 hr 9 min
Review Of The Year 2023, with guest Jamie Dornan
Happy Christmas! What better gift to wake up to on December 25 than a Pilot TV Review Of The Year Special? Yes, we assemble live on Christmas morning* to bring you festive cheer, run through all the shows that mattered over the past 12 months, and reveal for you our Pilot TV list of the best shows of 2023. But that's not all! Because we also triage a special end of year postbag and Jamie Dornan stops by to talk about The Tourist, which returns to ITV on New Year's Day. See you all in 2024! *In no way recorded live
Dec 18, 2023 · 1 hr 24 min
#267 The Winter King, Percy Jackson And The Olympians, and A Ghost Story For Christmas: Lot No. 249
Cider's mulling, turkey's turking, yams are yamming, and the Pilot TV podcast is getting ready for Christmas with this the LAST regular show of 2023. And, because this is essentially our yule send-off, Boydy runs through the vast array of shows coming your way between now and the new year, plus we review one of them: specifically, Mark Gatiss' latest festive frightener, Lot No. 249. We also head back to (Bernard) Cornwell country for the adaptation of his Warlord Chronicles, The Winter King on ITVX, and we find out whether Rick Riordan's Greek God saga lands safely on Disney+ with the arrival of Percy Jackson And The Olympians.
Dec 11, 2023 · 1 hr 53 min
#266 The Serial Killer's Wife, Something Undone, and Doctor Who. With guests Imelda Staunton, Leslie Manville and Luke Treadaway
We have a right royal podcast for you this week as Her Majesty Imelda Staunton and HRH Leslie Manville join us to talk The Crown with Boydy. Plus, Luke Treadaway stops by for a quick chat about The Serial Killer's Wife on Paramount+. Elsewhere, we embark on perhaps the most shambolic review in Pilot history as we try (and fail) to determine what series of Something Undone we're reviewing on ITVX. All this before we get back inside the TARDIS for the third of RTD's Doctor Who anniversary specials.