Today on TV: The Best Series and Films – How to Use the Ultimate Guide

When dusk falls and the sofa calls, the same question pops up every evening: what’s actually on today on tv? I know the feeling all too well. You flick through a hundred channels, miss the start of that crime drama and end up watching a documentary about breeding carp. That’s exactly why I’m taking you by the hand today – with what’s probably the unbeatable today on tv guide I’ve put together for you. Forget the dull small-print programme preview. Here’s the insider overview, including my very personal review of the evening’s highlights.

The real highlights tonight

I’ve had a look through the schedule for you – from the big public broadcasters right down to the smaller private channels. Anyone who knows me will tell you I’m brutally honest. So here’s the short and sharp today on tv review: the action line-up is a bit weak today, but the smaller channels have some real gems. My clear tip for 8:15pm: the Austrian premiere of the Icelandic thriller “The Last Signal” on the second public broadcaster channel. I saw this film at a festival a few months ago – quiet, icy, brilliantly acted. Not Hollywood boom-boom, but brain cinema with guaranteed goosebumps.

Meanwhile, one of the big private channels is showing the third part of “The Hunger Games”. It’s watchable if you like popcorn with sauce. But honestly? The adaptation feels too heavily targeted at teens. So if you’re after a clever crime drama or a smart documentary, you’d be better off switching to the culture and information channels. There, at 9:45pm, there’s a really worthwhile documentary about Vienna’s secret gardens – a treat for anyone who wants to discover their own city anew.

How to use the today on tv guide properly – without losing your cool

The biggest buzzkill for a TV night is often the remote control navigation. So let me show you how to use today on tv in the simplest way. No more tedious flipping through the newspaper or clicking through those messy EPGs on your box.

• App instead of paper: Download the free “TV Today” app (available for iOS and Android). At a glance, you can see what’s today on tv on your favourite channels – sorted by genre, not by time slot.
• Bypass the filter trap: Most guides are rubbish because they only show the big channels. My trick: set the filter to “All channels” and then sort by “Rating”. That’s how you find the hidden gems from 8pm onwards.
• Set reminders: Just tap the little bell icon once – and you’ll get a nudge on your phone ten minutes before the show starts. No more “Oh, I missed the first fifteen minutes”.

That sounds basic, but I bet half of you don’t use this feature. Yet it’s the difference between a mediocre TV evening and an unforgettable one.

My honest review: which programmes are actually worth it?

I’m not trying to write an ad brochure. So here’s the unvarnished truth: the big private channels are almost all showing repeats today. One channel is airing the 300th episode of a quiz show again. You can leave it on if you like the host. But new it ain’t. Another is showing an old sitcom from the 90s. As a child of that era, that gives me nostalgic tingles, but for a Saturday night it’s a bit thin.

The rescue, as so often, comes from the public broadcasters. One channel is showing the British series “The Responder” with Martin Freeman at 10pm. It’s dark, real, and nothing like the typical London-cop slapstick. I binged the first season in one go – highly recommended. And on a local private channel at 8:15pm there’s the documentary “Mountain Talks” about the last Alpine dairymen in the Salzkammergut. That’s local history as it should be: respectful, beautiful, and without a wagging finger.

For those of you who are night owls: from 11pm, one of the public broadcasters gets properly wild with “Preacher” – a series so bonkers you absolutely have to see it. But be warned, not for the faint of heart.

How to get the best out of your TV guide – the insider tips

After more than 20 years in front of the screen, I’m now going to reveal my personal secret recipe for how to use today on tv like a pro. It’s not about what’s on, but how you watch it.

First: make yourself a little list of three shows you absolutely want to see tonight. Everything else is just noise. Second: use your receiver’s recording function like a Swiss Army knife. Is the crime drama on the public broadcaster and the documentary on the culture channel both on at 8:15pm? Record one, watch the other live. Third: talk about it! I have a WhatsApp group with three mates where we post our “today on tv” finds around 7:50pm. That’s often how I discover things I’d never have clicked on otherwise.

And crucially: the best guide is useless if you never dare to channel-hop. You often only find the gems after the third channel change. So grab the remote, overcome that inner couch potato, and get stuck in. Tonight, there’s no more reason to say “there’s never anything good on.” Because now you know what’s really today on tv.