What To Watch This Week: 26.05.26

Bake Off: The Professionals, Channel 4

The pressure is on as a new batch of pastry chefs enter the kitchen for the return of Bake Off: The Professionals. First up: the secret challenge, where contestants are forced to recreate a classic Paris-Brest with zero recipe and very little room for error. Then comes the showstopper, which sees the teams transform childhood toys into elaborate edible centrepieces hiding crumble-and-custard desserts within. Equal parts impressive and stressful, it remains one of the most satisfying competition shows on TV.

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Spider-Noir, Amazon Prime

Nicolas Cage steps into full noir mode in this darkly stylised reimagining of Spider-Man. Set in a shadowy, Depression-era New York, the series follows private investigator Ben Reilly, a former vigilante who’s long since turned his back on his alter ego after failing to save the woman he loved. Naturally, that retirement doesn’t last. As corruption spreads across the city and dangerous figures begin closing in – including crime boss Silvermane, played by Brendan Gleeson – Reilly is dragged back into a world he thought he’d escaped.

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The Four Seasons (Season 2), Netflix

Tina Fey’s comedy-drama returns for a second run, picking back up with its tight-knit group of friends as they continue their tradition of seasonal getaways – each one revealing a little more about where their lives, relationships and loyalties are really at. Tina Fey, Will Forte, Colman Domingo, Kerri Kenney-Silver and the wider ensemble are all back as the story continues to orbit friendship, marriage and midlife reinvention. Following the events of season one, the dynamic has shifted significantly, with grief and change now sitting at the centre of the group’s relationships. The new season revisits the familiar format – four trips across the year – but with noticeably higher emotional stakes as everyone adjusts to a world that no longer looks quite as stable as it once did.

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Rafa, Netflix

At a time when men’s tennis was dominated by generational talent, Rafael Nadal always stood apart. Less a polished showman, more a relentless competitor, his career has been defined by discipline, resilience and an almost unmatched mental toughness. This new documentary series follows Nadal as he approaches retirement, reflecting on the physical and emotional cost of elite sport while navigating life beyond competition. With rare behind-the-scenes access, it explores not just his legacy on court, but the challenge of redefining identity once the intensity of professional sport begins to fade.

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Star City, Apple TV+

The world of For All Mankind expands with this gripping new spin-off told from the Soviet side of the space race. Set inside the USSR’s secretive space programme, the series explores the human cost of ambition, ideology and political control through the lives of scientists, engineers and astronauts all operating under immense pressure. Rhys Ifans stars as the elusive Chief Designer, while Alice Englert plays a young astronaut propelled into history as part of the Soviet Union’s carefully controlled public image. Atmospheric and quietly tense, it blends political drama with retro-futuristic sci-fi in a way that feels both expansive and deeply personal.

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My Mother’s Wedding

A warm, emotionally layered family drama with a witty edge, My Mother’s Wedding marks the directorial debut of Kristin Scott Thomas, who also stars as Diana – a twice-widowed mother preparing for her third marriage. When her three very different daughters return home for the occasion, long-buried tensions quickly surface. Katherine (Scarlett Johansson) is a disciplined Royal Navy officer on the brink of a major promotion, Victoria (Sienna Miller) is a high-profile actress navigating a chaotic personal life, and Georgina (Emily Beecham) is a grounded nurse holding everything together in her own way. What unfolds over the wedding weekend is less about the ceremony itself and more about everything it forces to the surface – grief, resentment, old family dynamics and the unspoken history between them.

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Power Ballad, Cinemas Nationwide

From John Carney (Once, Sing Street) comes this warm-hearted music drama about faded fame, creative ownership and second chances. Paul Rudd stars as Rick, a wedding singer whose best days feel firmly behind him – until he crosses paths with former boyband star Danny, played by Nick Jonas. After one of Rick’s songs unexpectedly becomes the track that revives Danny’s career, tensions begin to build over recognition, ambition and who really deserves the spotlight.

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