Summers may be slow when it comes to new British TV releases, but the next week or so is going to be one of the best British TV weeks of the year so far. Below, we'll lay out what's in store for this entertainment-packed 9-day period (yes, we cheated a bit)...

What we're...

Watching: Blue Murder - This is a slightly older series (2003), but Caroline Quentin is brilliant as DCI Janine Lewis, a single mother who balances raising 4 kids and solving particularly difficult cases. Aside from the fact that it's a solid, not-too-gruesome crime drama, it's also great fun to take in the scenery, cars, and fashion to see how much has changed.
Reading: The Complete Blue Murder Mysteries by Cath Staincliffe - At time of writing, this box set is on sale for $1.99 (August 20th), and it's what inspired me to go back and re-watch the series. It's always fun to see how TV adaptations deviate from the books, and this particular series has been praised by the likes of Sir Ian Rankin and Ann Cleeves.

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The Big Week...

Okay, so we cheated a bit and it's more like "the big 9 days", but you get the idea.

Sister Boniface Mysteries (Season 4) - August 19th - The crime-solving nun returns in another season of mysteries set in the picturesque village of Great Slaughter. It’s the mid-1960s, and Sister Boniface (Lorna Watson, Father Brown) continues to assist the local police with her sharp mind and scientific expertise—when she’s not riding her moped or tending to the convent’s winemaking. Catch up on previous seasons HERE.

Hostage - Netflix, August 21st - Suranne Jones (Gentleman Jack) stars in this political thriller as British PM Abigail Dalton. As she's getting ready to meet with the French President Vivienne Toussaint (Julie Delpy), she receives word that her husband has been taken hostage and she must resign immediately if she wants him back. At the same time, Toussaint is being blackmailed - and to solve their problems, they'll have to work together.

Professor T - August 24th - This mystery follows Professor Jasper Tempest (Ben Miller, Death in Paradise), a brilliant Cambridge criminologist whose razor-sharp mind solves crimes that baffle others - but whose compulsive habits and prickly personality make life far from simple. In the new season (4), Tempest and his team confront fresh challenges in Cambridge, welcome new colleague DC Chloe Highsmith (Rhian Blundell, Vampire Academy), and face unexpected twists in both their investigations and personal lives.

It's the first of three British TV shows premiering on PBS this Sunday evening. Catch up on previous seasons HERE.

The Marlow Murder Club - August 24th - Based on the books by Robert Thorogood (Death in Paradise), this series is set in the town of Marlow, where retired archaeologist Judith Potts (Samantha Bond) solves mysteries with her friends Becks (Cara Horgan) and Suzie (Jo Martin). It returns for season 2.

It's the second of three British TV shows premiering on PBS this Sunday evening. Catch up on previous seasons HERE.

Unforgotten - August 24th - This acclaimed cold case drama follows London detectives unearthing long-buried crimes and their human cost. In the new season, DCI Jess James (Sinéad Keenan, Little Boy Blue) and DI Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar, The Indian Doctor) investigate a dismembered body in Whitney Marsh, uncovering four suspects with past ties to the victim.

It's the third of three British TV shows premiering on PBS this Sunday evening. Catch up on previous seasons HERE.

Playing Nice - August 26th, BritBox - On the Cornish coast, two couples learn their toddlers were switched at birth. Pete (James Norton, Happy Valley), Maddie (Niamh Algar, Mary & George), Miles (James McArdle, Andor), and Lucy (Jessica Brown Findlay, The Flatshare) initially agree on a plan, but hidden motives soon drive both families to the edge.

The Thursday Murder Club - August 28th, Netflix - Adapted from Richard Osman’s bestselling cozy crime novel, this film brings four spirited retirees—played by Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie—to life as amateur sleuths who find themselves solving a real murder in their upmarket retirement community. Roughly five years after the first book in the series was released, it will finally be on our screens next week.