Monday night's got range – Rachel Sennott's zillennial comedy launch, the Blue Lights finale (will Sean lose the leg?), Panorama examining why tech billionaires are crawling up Trump's backside, and Stephen King's It prequel continuing to traumatize viewers. Grab the remote.

Table of Contents

Quick Picks: Tonight's Best

  • ⭐ Blue Lights (BBC One, 9pm) – Season finale answers all those cliffhangers. Will Sean keep his leg?
  • I Love LA (Sky Comedy, 10:25pm) – Rachel Sennott's new zillennial comedy about ambition and messy friendships
  • Panorama: Trump and the Tech Titans (BBC One, 8pm) – Why Musk, Zuckerberg and Thiel have Trump on speed dial
  • It: Welcome to Derry (Sky Atlantic, 9pm) – More Stephen King horror featuring umbilical cord nightmares (you've been warned)

Early Evening: News & Investigation (8pm)

Panorama: Trump and the Tech Titans - BBC One, 8pm

Look, we all know Elon Musk's basically moved into the White House at this point, but this Panorama digs into why Mark Zuckerberg and Peter Thiel are equally embedded in Trump's inner circle. It's a bit terrifying when you think about how much power these blokes have over information, money, and now actual government policy.

The documentary examines whether we should be more worried about Meta and PayPal having direct lines to the Oval Office than we already are about Musk's Twitter antics. Spoiler: yes, we absolutely should be. Essential viewing if you want to understand why your democracy feels increasingly like it's running on algorithms written in Silicon Valley.

Prime Time: Drama Central (9pm)

Blue Lights - BBC One, 9pm ⭐

The Belfast coppers return for their season finale, and thank god we're finally getting answers. Will Grace survive that car situation? Is Sean losing his leg? Are the Ginleys going down?

This season's been brilliantly frantic – the kind of cop drama that doesn't give you a second to breathe between crises. The finale's apparently "slightly quieter" (take that with a massive pinch of salt), but there are still last-minute twists and shockers because this show doesn't do straightforward endings.

If you've been following the series, you're already watching. If you haven't, maybe don't jump in at the finale – go catch up on iPlayer first because you'll be completely lost otherwise.

The Forsytes - Channel 5, 9pm

Debbie Horsfield's follow-up to Poldark continues with the classic love-versus-status dilemma. This week, Soames (Joshua Orpin) introduces his "unsuitable" fiancée Irene (Millie Gibson from Doctor Who) to his snobbish family, who react exactly as you'd expect from wealthy Edwardians horrified by someone beneath their station.

It's more genteel and stilted than Poldark was – lacks that show's passion and pace – but it hits the period drama beats reliably enough. Good for costume drama fans who want something less demanding than the Belfast police chaos happening over on BBC One.

Once Upon a Time in Space - BBC Two, 9pm

Episode two covers the Shuttle-Mir programme – that weird post-USSR period when Russia and America actually collaborated in space instead of competing. Despite fires, collisions, and general disasters that should've ended the whole thing, the programme somehow survived.

This documentary talks to the people who were actually there when space station Mir was catching fire and crashing into things. It's fascinating stuff about international cooperation in the least cooperative environment imaginable (literal space). Plus, archive footage of near-disasters is always gripping.

It: Welcome to Derry - Sky Atlantic, 9pm

If last week's giant mutant baby ripping apart kids in a cinema wasn't enough Stephen King horror for you, this week features something involving an umbilical cord that's apparently equally stomach-churning. The show continues balancing supernatural terror with the very real horror of racism in 1960s small-town America.

It's not subtle – Stephen King rarely is – but it's effectively scary and the period setting adds an extra layer of dread. Just maybe don't watch it while eating dinner. Or ever, if you're squeamish about body horror. You've been warned.

Late Night: For Night Owls (10:25pm onwards)

I Love LA - Sky Comedy, 10:25pm

Rachel Sennott (who made Bottoms, which was brilliant) created and stars in this new comedy about twentysomething life in Los Angeles. She plays Maia, an ambitious type who gets denied a promotion at work, then comes home to find her old friend Tallulah (Odessa A'zion) has reappeared in town. There's obviously unresolved tension – this is a comedy about messy zillennial friendships, after all.

Guest stars include Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl) and Elijah Wood, which suggests the show's pulling in decent talent. Sennott's voice is distinctive – sharp, self-aware, not afraid to make her characters look bad – so this could be the late-night Monday comedy you didn't know you needed.

It's on at 10:25pm, which is weirdly specific but works if you're winding down after all the earlier drama.

If You're Not Into Drama

Honestly? Monday's heavy on the scripted stuff. If you want something lighter:

  • The Chase repeats are probably on ITV somewhere in the evening schedule
  • University Challenge (BBC Two, 8:30pm) – Amol Rajan asking impossible questions to students who make you feel thick
  • Streaming: There's always something comfort-viewing on Netflix or iPlayer if Belfast cop drama and tech billionaire exposés aren't your vibe

The Viewing Schedule

Time Programme Channel Genre Rating
8:00pm Panorama: Trump and the Tech Titans BBC One Documentary Essential
8:30pm University Challenge BBC Two Quiz Brain-testing
9:00pm Blue Lights (Finale) BBC One Drama ⭐ Must-Watch
9:00pm Once Upon a Time in Space BBC Two Documentary Space nerds rejoice
9:00pm The Forsytes Channel 5 Period Drama Genteel viewing
9:00pm It: Welcome to Derry Sky Atlantic Horror Nightmares guaranteed
10:25pm I Love LA Sky Comedy Comedy Zillennial chaos

Final Verdict

Monday's loaded with finales, premieres, and investigations into why democracy's being run by tech billionaires. Blue Lights is the obvious winner for unmissable telly, while I Love LA could be your new late-night comedy obsession. If you're after something genuinely educational (and alarming), that Panorama on Trump's tech ties is worth the hour. Just maybe skip It: Welcome to Derry if you ever want to sleep again.

Tonight's Winner: Blue Lights finale (BBC One, 9pm) – answers all the cliffhangers with trademark Belfast chaos.

Best for Insomniacs: I Love LA (Sky Comedy, 10:25pm) – Rachel Sennott's LA comedy hits different after 10pm.

Skip If You're Squeamish: It: Welcome to Derry. Umbilical cord horror. That's all I'm saying.