Best ITV dramas — latest drama series to enjoy on ITVX
Here is our guide to the best ITV dramas available to stream right now on ITVX including how many episodes there are.
There has never been a better time to discover gripping new ITV dramas to get your teeth into. ITVX has a great selection of hit shows from real-life crime to psychological thrillers to period dramas, and we've picked some of the best ones you can stream right now.
In addition to this, ITVX does have some exclusive dramas too if you want to check these out, which have been added to the library following the rebrand.
Don't miss our guide to the best BBC dramas, the best Channel 4 dramas, and the best Channel 5 dramas.
What are the best ITV dramas to watch on ITVX?
Passenger
Set in the small Northern village of Chadder Vale, Passenger sees a close-knit community sent spinning on its axis following a series of strange and unnatural crimes.
After arriving five years ago, Former Met Police Detective Riya Ajunwa has been searching for that ‘one big crime’ that will make her feel alive again. Then one night local girl, Katie Wells is mysteriously abducted. Her car is found abandoned and there are traces of blood on the seats. But the village barely has time to register Katie’s disappearance before she reappears the next day, safe and sound.
Life resumes as normal, but for Riya, none of this sits right. As a series of strange happenings and increasingly shocking crimes start unfolding, the residents resort to short-sighted theories, however, before long Riya is drawn into a universe unlike anything she has ever seen.
Number of seasons: 1
Episodes: 6
Average episode length: 60 minutes
Mr Bates vs The Post Office
Mr Bates vs The Post Office is ITV’s biggest new drama in over a decade, even beating the launch of Downton Abbey in 2010. This critically acclaimed drama follows Alan Bates (Toby Jones), a sub-postmaster who decided to fight back against a scandalous miscarriage of justice. He was one of thousands of sub-postmasters and postmistresses who between 2000 and 2013 were falsely accused of theft due to financial discrepancies thrown up by the flawed Horizon computerised accounting system. More than 700 were prosecuted and several went to prison while others lost their homes and life savings trying to pay back the money the Post Office claimed was missing. Many were unfairly ostracised from their communities, who believed they were criminals.
In 2009 Alan Bates decided to form the Justice For Subpostmasters Alliance, uniting thousands of his colleagues to fight to clear their names. The drama has also had a stunning effect on British politics, with the show discussed widely in parliament and on news broadcasts and the British government acting quickly to legislate to alleviate the worst cast of a miscarriage of justice in UK history.
Number of seasons: 1
Episodes: 4
Average episode length: 55 minutes
Red Eye
Red Eye sees Richard Armitage playing Dr Matthew Nolan, a medic who is attending a conference in Beijing and shortly before his flight home is involved in a car crash that almost kills him.
As he lands at Heathrow, a shocked Nolan is arrested for the murder of the woman who was in the car he crashed. But, despite his exhaustion, a confused Nolan is adamant that he was driving alone.
Nolan is sent back to China to face charges and is accompanied by DC Hana Li (Jing Lusi), who is none too impressed by the assignment or Nolan himself. But when there’s a death on board, Hana realises she’s embroiled in an escalating conspiracy.
Back home her sister, journalist Jess (Jemma Moore) is conducting her own investigation into Nolan’s extradition while the head of M15, Madeline Delaney risks her career to keep Hana and Nolan alive and expose the conspiracy that seems to implicate both China and those in her own government.
Number of seasons: 1
Episodes: 6
Average episode length: 60 minutes
Breathtaking
Breathtaking shows the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic through the eyes of acute medicine consultant Dr Abbey Henderson, played by Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt. Abbey is a doctor and mother of two small children, who is known for her calm approach, but even she struggles to cope as the virus takes hold and the NHS is totally overwhelmed.
Based on doctor/writer Rachel Clarke's unflinching memoir, the drama shows how Abbey and her colleagues fought desperately to save the lives of coronavirus patients while dealing with incredible fear and frustration themselves. As well as following Abbey, the drama weaves in the lives of her fellow doctors, nurses, patients and paramedics whose ambulances were queued outside hospitals as the NHS struggled to cope with the unprecedented demand.
Number of seasons: 1
Episodes: 3
Average episode length: 60 minutes
After The Flood
After The Flood sees Peaky Blinders star Sophie Rundle take on the role of an obsessed cop in a town torn apart by the effects of a shocking environmental disaster.
The six-part drama follows life in a town struggling in the aftermath of a major flood that has wrecked the community. As the clear-up starts, the body of an unidentified man is found in a lift in an underground car park and the police quickly assume he was trapped by the rising waters. However, as the investigation unfolds, pregnant PC Joanna Marshall becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to him, and it seems the floods will expose long-buried truths.
Number of seasons: 1
Episodes: 6
Average episode length: 55 minutes
Platform 7
Platform 7 is a chilling four-part series based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Louise Doughty. The drama is a haunting thriller following central character Lisa who, after witnessing a cataclysmic event on platform 7 of a railway station, finds her own fragmented memory jogged to reveal a connection between her own life and that of the event she has just witnessed. But from the first episode, things aren't quite what they seem, and soon a mystery starts to unravel that will have you hooked.
Number of seasons: 1
Episodes: 4
Average episode length: 60 minutes
Payback
Starring Morven Christie and Peter Mullan, the six-part crime thriller tells the story of a woman who becomes entangled in a police investigation into a dangerous crime lord.
The synopsis adds: "With an idyllic family lifestyle in the suburbs of Edinburgh, Lexie is unaware her husband, Jared, has been laundering Cal Morris’ illegal earnings on a vast scale. Jared’s every move is being monitored by financial investigators DC Jibran Khan and DCI Adam Guthrie, who are determined to use the Noble family to bring Cal Morris to justice."
"A partner in Jared’s business, Lexie is forced into working for Cal, at the same time as the police net inexorably tightens. Soon Lexie finds herself walking a treacherous tightrope between Cal and the police in which her safety, and even her life, are in grave danger."
Number of seasons: 1
Episodes: 6
Average episode length: 60 minutes
Three Little Birds
Three Little Birds follows two sisters Leah and Chantrelle and their acquaintance Hosanna catch a steamboat from Saint Ann Parish in Jamaica to the United Kingdom, and is based on creator Lenny Henry's mother Winifred's experiences arriving in Britain from Jamaica as part of the Windrush generation.
It has been billed as a "heartwarming new drama" and fans have already been fretting over a cruel passport twist!
Number of seasons: 1
Episodes: 6
Average episode length: 60 minutes
Unforgotten
Unforgotten is a crime drama focusing on historical cold cases that have been kept buried for years. Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar starred as London detectives DI Cassie Stuart and DS Sunil 'Sunny' Khan in the first four seasons — the perfect duo who make it their mission to fight for justice for long-forgotten victims.
Each season brings a new mystery for the pair to solve, along with plenty of long-held secrets and killer twists along the way. Unforgotten season 5 features a new detective, Jessica James (Sinead Keenan), who's been thrown right into the deep end...
Number of seasons: 5
Episodes: 30
Average episode length: 60 minutes
Sanditon
Adapted by acclaimed screenwriter Andrew Davies from Jane Austen's unfinished work, Sanditon tells the story of the joyously impulsive and unconventional Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) and her spiky relationship with the slightly wild Sidney Parker (Theo James).
Billed as a "truly modern Austen heroine," Charlotte excitedly arrives in Sanditon, where she’s exposed to the "intrigues and dalliances of a seaside town on the make".
The all-star cast includes Last Tango in Halifax’s Anne Reid as the blunt and powerful Lady Denham and Death in Paradise star Kris Marshall as Tom Parker, a happily married man who's desperate to put Sanditon on the map.
The show has run for three seasons, with Sanditon season 3 featuring a dramatic conclusion to the story.
Number of seasons: 3
Number of episodes: 20
Average episode length: 60 minutes
Maryland
Suranne Jones leads an all-star cast in Maryland, a drama about a pair of sisters who've grown apart but learn to love and respect one another again through tragic events.
Teasing the plot, ITV said: "Maryland introduces us to the characters of Becca and her sister, Rosaline, who have forged ahead with family lives and careers, growing distant through time and circumstance. But when the body of an older woman is discovered at sunrise on Laxey Beach in the Isle of Man, it brings devastating news for the sisters.
"Each sister flies out to the Isle of Man to discover and repatriate the body of their mother, Mary, who they learn has been living a double life, leaving their father Richard at home in Manchester, whilst creating another world for herself…Maryland. Confined on the island with each other, the sisters can’t escape the ripple effect of their mother’s secrets and lies."
Number of seasons: 1
Number of episodes: 3
Average episode length: 60 minutes
Without Sin
Without Sin is a gripping new drama where Vicky McClure plays the leading role of Stella Tomlinson, whose 14-year-old daughter Maisy, is found dead at their family home with the bloodied, hooded figure of Charles Stone (Johnny Harris) standing over her.
Wracked with guilt and remorse at the events of that night, she chooses to live a nocturnal existence as an Uber driver and is estranged from her husband Paul, who still lives in the family home.
When contacted by Restorative Justice, and in an attempt to move on, Stella and Paul reunite to listen to a taped recording of Charles, who they believe wants to atone for his sins and apologise for murdering their daughter.
Number of seasons: 1
Number of episodes: 4
Average episode length: 60 minutes
Karen Pirie
Karen Pirie revolved around the historic case of Rosie Duff’s murder, which Karen's put in charge of after the cold case becomes the subject of a provocative true-crime podcast a quarter of a century after her death.
Rosie was originally found murdered in the Scottish university town of St Andrews back in 1996, and three drunken students (Tom, Jason and Alex) were discovered at the scene who claimed to have found the body. Although suspicions fell upon the boys, there was a lack of forensic evidence, so no charges were made.
Now the case is back in the public eye, it appears that someone is willing to risk everything to keep the truth hidden. Do the three men know more than they let on all those years ago? How flawed was the original investigation? Will Karen finally uncover the truth of what happened that fateful evening?
Number of seasons: 1
Number of episodes: 3
Average episode length: 90 minutes
A Spy Among Friends
A Spy Among Friends is based on the best-selling book by author Ben Macintyre who also wrote Operation Mincemeat.
The six-part Cold War-set series sees Damian Lewis play Nicholas Elliott, who works as an intelligence officer for MI6 and is left in turmoil when, in 1963, his close friend and colleague Kim Philby, played by Guy Pearce, decides to defect to Russia after secretly working as a double agent for the KGB.
The drama explores the tight-knit, long-standing relationship between the two men and highlights how Kim Philby’s actions had a devastating impact on British and American intelligence and far-reaching consequences for the ongoing dealings between Russia and the West.
Number of seasons: 1
Number of episodes: 6
Average episode length: 60 minutes
The Confessions of Frannie Langton
The Confessions of Frannie Langton follows Frannie’s journey from a Jamaican plantation to the grand Mayfair mansion of celebrated scientist George Benham and his wife, Madame Marguerite Benham.
Frannie finds herself gifted to Benham by the man who owns her, John Langton, and she is employed as a maid in the household much to her chagrin. But things soon take an even darker turn, as the Benhams are found murdered.
With a shocked Frannie lying next to Marguerite, she is accused of murder. After being dragged away to prison, Frannie attempts to piece together the events of that fateful night.
Number of seasons: 1
Number of episodes: 4
Average episode length: 60 minutes
Stonehouse
Stonehouse is a three-part drama series tells the incredible life story of John Stonehouse, who became Labour MP for Walsall North, with a glittering political career. Then he left his loving wife Barbara and three young children as a shocked public and media presumed he'd drowned off the coast of Miami, or had been eaten by sharks.
But that wasn't true, and in fact, he faked his own death with this drama exploring before, during and after, when he was eventually found out.
Number of seasons: 1
Number of episodes: 3
Average episode length: 60 minutes
The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe
The Thief, His Wife And The Canoe tells the strange true story of canoe conman John Darwin and his wife Anne.
Former teacher John (played by Eddie Marsan) brazenly faked his own death in 2002 for life insurance money, while his wife Anne (Monica Dolan) continued his lies and ended up heading off for a new life with her husband in Panama, without the rest of their family knowing a thing.
Eddie says: "The story of how and why John Darwin faked his own death to defraud insurance companies is fascinating, and if it weren’t fact, you’d think it unbelievable."
Number of seasons: 1
Number of episodes: 4
Average episode length: 60 minutes
The Ipcress File
Peaky Blinders and Gangs of London star Joe Cole takes on the iconic role of Harry Palmer, based on the globally renowned Len Deighton novel from 1962 and made famous by Michael Caine in the 1965 spy thriller.
The high-octane espionage series, set during the 1960s at the height of the Cold War, follows Palmer, a working-class British sergeant, who’s on the make in Berlin and ends up becoming a spy to avoid a stint in military jail for dodgy dealings and side hustles.
Harry Palmer’s first case is The Ipcress File, which involves a missing British nuclear scientist...
Number of seasons: 1
Number of episodes: 6
Average episode length: 55 minutes
No Return
No Return is a four-part family thriller that sees Sheridan Smith and her Four Lives co-star Michael Jibson playing husband and wife duo Martin and Kathy Powell. Together with their kids, they jet off for a dream family holiday in Turkey.
That holiday swiftly becomes a nightmare, as Turkish police officers arrived in the middle of the night to bring in their 16-year-old son, Noah after he'd gone to a seemingly innocent invitation to a beach party.
Kathy and Martin are then thrown into a complex legal battle as they fight for their son's freedom amidst a complicated foreign legal system and intense media coverage.
Number of seasons: 1
Number of episodes: 4
Average episode length: 60 minutes
Trigger Point
Trigger Point sees Line of Duty's Vicky McClure tackling another action-packed role. Here, she plays "Expo" Lana Washington, an operative of London's Metropolitan Bomb Disposal Squad.
Alongside her fellow officer, Joel Nutkins (Adrian Lester), Lana finds herself at the forefront of a terror plot as part of the urgent response to a number of bombings across the city.
What follows is a thrill ride full of twists and turns as Lana and the EXPO team enter a race against time to bring an end to the plot before too many more people die.
We also now have Trigger Point season 2 which opens with Lana giving a routine talk, having just returned from secondment, when an explosion rocks the heart of the city. But is she ready to return to active duty?
Number of seasons: 2
Number of episodes: 6 per season
Average episode length: 60 minutes
Anne
Maxine Peake stars in Anne as the late Anne Williams, an inspirational woman who devoted her life to campaigning for justice for victims of the Hillsborough disaster. Anne's own son, 15-year-old Kevin, was among the 97 people who tragically lost their lives at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
This devastating four-part drama follows Anne as she devotes decades of her life to reaching out to other witnesses, seeking new evidence, and desperately trying to uncover the truth of what really happened at the football stadium in Sheffield.
Number of seasons: 1
Number of episodes: 4
Average episode length: 60 minutes
The Tower
The Tower opens with a dramatic scene after a veteran beat cop and a teenage girl fall to their deaths from a tower block in south-east London. Left alive on the roof are a five-year-old boy and rookie police officer named Lizzie Adama. (Tahirah Sharif) Within hours, Lizzie has disappeared, and Detective Sergeant Sarah Collins (Gemma Whelan) is charged with leading the investigation.
The opening three-part series aims to get to the bottom of what happened on that fateful day, and find out what's happened to young officer Adama and what she's been up to. On top of this, there are suspicious characters lurking about, perhaps even closer to home as fellow officer Kieran Shaw (Emmett J Scanlan) also looks like he's got something to hide...
Meanwhile, The Tower season 2 is based on the second book in Kate London’s Metropolitan series of novels, after The Tower series focused on the first book.
Number of seasons: 2
Number of episodes: 7
Average episode length: 60 minutes
Manhunt
Manhunt season 2 sees Martin Clunes returning as DCI Colin Sutton for a brand new case. This time, Colin and his team are after a serial rapist who terrorized elderly women living in South London.
Colin is on the verge of retirement, but he's drafted back in to catch a notorious criminal who has escaped justice for 17 years. Based on the diaries of the real Colin Sutton, this new series shows how Colin's assistance led to the case being solved and an incredibly dangerous individual being taken off the streets in just a matter of weeks.
Number of seasons: 2
Episodes: 7
Average episode length: 60 minutes
Vera
Vera has been delighting crime drama fans for a whole decade now, and the fan-favorite, no-nonsense police officer based on the best-selling crime novels of Anne Cleeves returned to crack even more cases in 2023 in Vera season 12 and in 2024 with Vera season 13. There is also a Vera Christmas 2023 special to enjoy called Vera: The Rising Tide.
Number of seasons: 13
Episodes: 45
Average episode length: 120 minutes
Finding Alice
Finding Alice is a contemporary ITV dramedy, starring Keeley Hawes as a woman who has lost her husband. This dark comedy, which has been renewed for a second series, sees Keeley team up again with writer Simon Nye — who penned her hit series The Durrells.
Alice becomes a widow when her husband Harry falls down the stairs after they move into their dream house. But it's not just the practicalities of life without Harry that soon dawn on Alice (where is the fridge in their new smart house?!) but Harry's death also uncovers a string of dark secrets, criminality and debt that Alice must now deal with.
The cast also includes Joanna Lumley, Nigel Havers, Jason Merrells, Gemma Jones, Isabella Pappas and Kenneth Cranham.
Number of seasons: 1
Episodes: 6
Average episode length: 60 minutes
The Pembrokeshire Murders
The Pembrokeshire Murders is a real-life crime drama. The three-part story stars Luke Evans as real-life detective DCS Steve Wilkins of the Dyfed-Powys Police force, who risked his reputation by reopening two unsolved double murder cases.
One was the killings of Peter and Gwenda Dixon, in 1989, on the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path. The second crime was committed almost four years earlier, at Scoveston Manor.
Steve Wilkins believed that convicted burglar, John Cooper, was responsible for both crimes. However, he didn’t have enough evidence to prove it. In a strange and bizarre twist, the killer’s eventual downfall was partly due to his appearance on the classic ITV game show Bullseye.
The Pembrokeshire Murders stars Luke Evans in the role of DCS Steve Wilkins, while Keith Allen plays killer John Cooper.
Number of seasons: 1
Episodes: 3
Average episode length: 60 minutes
Grace
This feature-length drama — which is an adaptation of Peter James' bestselling novels — sees John Simm star as DS Roy Grace who is haunted by the disappearance of his wife. When DS Grace finds his career hanging by a thread after a recent courtroom controversy, he can't afford to make any mistakes at work. But trouble looms when ghosts from his past come flooding back as he looks into a sinister new case.
Number of seasons: 3
Episodes: 8
Average episode length: 120 minutes
