3 gripping TV shows on Sky you might have missed in 2023

Sky TV is a cornucopia of new series to discover. Not only does Sky make plenty of its own shows, Sky customers get a number of different streaming services at no extra cost (depending on their package) and so have a whole host of interesting content to watch on demand.

Some are fairly obvious – after all, Sky is the home of HBO programming in the UK – but there are also some other TV shows you might not have heard of before.

That's why we've put together this compact, curated selection of some of the amazing shows you can watch on demand through Sky Glass, Sky Stream or Sky Q, thanks to Sky and several of its broadcast partners. Enjoy.

Poker Face

• Where: Sky Glass, Sky Stream, Sky Q, Now, Peacock
• Stars: Natasha Lyonne, Benjamin Bratt

We all love Columbo, right?  You know who else loves Columbo? Rian Johnson and Natasha Lyonne that's who.

With the spirit of the legendary 70s detective at heart, Johnson (Knives Out) and Lyonne (Orange is the New Black) have crafted an absolutely amazing, faithful and fully modernised detective series that not only services the classic show perfectly but also develops Lyonne as the face of a whole new franchise.

Following rambling and on the run amateur sleuth Charlie Cale (Lyonne), this 10 part drama gives us a new crime and new killer each episode and, like in Columbo, doesn't ask the viewer "whodunnit?", but more "how will they get caught?".

Poker Face is amazing television. It is fresh despite its influences, beautifully written and features an absolute tour de force performance from Lyonne. She is certainly proving to be a huge prospect for the future.

With a second series already in the works, now is the perfect time to catch up with the adventures of Charlie Cale and marvel at Lyonne’s pretty much perfect Peter Falk impression.

Poker Face is available on Peacock in the US but is free to all Sky and Now customers in the UK.

Special Ops: Lioness

• Where: Paramount+ on Sky Glass, Sky Stream, Sky Q
• Stars: Zoe Saldana, Laysla De Oliveira, Nicole Kidman

With so many army / special forces / CIA TV shows and films being nothing more than macho, explosion-filled, CGI nonsense (yes, im talking about you Expendables 1 - 4), watching Special Ops: Lioness reminds us that you can have carefully written, well-paced and thoughtful military shows.

Following Cruz Manuelos (Laysla De Oliveira), a female special forces soldier recruited into the Lioness programme by CIA handler Joe (Saldana), the show gives us insight into how infiltration and deception works far better than aggression. It also illustrates how a single operative with intelligence and courage can work better than an army.

The series features very solid performances from Oliveira and a post Guardians Of The Galaxy Saldana. It is a refreshing change from the usual guns out fare, but at the same time isn't afraid to show the brutality of conflict when it needs.

Special Ops: Lioness streams on Paramount+, which is free to all Sky Cinema customers.

Blue Lights

• Where: Sky Glass, Sky Stream, Sky Q, BBC iPlayer
• Stars: Martin McCann, Katherine Devlin, Sian Brooke, Richard Dormer

Already commissioned for a second season, you should absolutely catch up with the first series of Blue Lights on BBC iPlayer (which is, naturally, available on all Sky devices).

Following rookie police officers as they start their careers in Belfast, the six episode series shows us how being a police officer in Northern Ireland comes with its own brand of danger and pressure.

Policing a community that for generations has actively rallied against the police makes for a new kind of cop show, that's for sure. It's gripping stuff.