New to SoHo2 in October

Helen Mirren stars as Catherine the Great in a new SoHo2 drama series of the same name that will air 8.30 Wednesdays from October 9.

The epic costume drama, a co-pro between Sky UK and HBO, goes to air in the UK on October 3.

According to Sky, this four-part drama delves into “the politically tumultuous and sexually charged court” of the most powerful female monarch in history:

Catherine wielded supreme power throughout Russia for nearly half of the 18th century – strong-minded, independent, brilliantly intelligent and sexually liberated, she was the definition of the modern woman.

Jason Clarke co-stars as nobleman Grigory Potemkin. Says Sky:

Amid scandal, intrigue and immense conflict, this is a story of obsessive love. Unable to publicly marry and famously promiscuous, they develop a unique and devoted relationship, overcoming their adversaries and together shaping Russia as we know it today.

Frayed (8.30 Sundays from October 13) will have its NZ broadcast premiere on SoHo2.

Starring and written by Australian comedian Sarah Kendall (Beehive), the comedy is set in London, 1988, where Simone Burbeck’s life appears perfect.

She lives in a mansion with her husband and children, and her life is a merry-go-round of expensive renovations, dinner parties and school fundraisers.

There’s just one problem – it’s all lies …

Also new will be S2 of Mr Inbetween (7.30 Thursdays from October 17), the fifth and final season of Ballers (8.30 Mondays from October 3), the sixth and final season of Silicon Valley (8.00 Mondays from October 28), the HBO comedy special Gary Gulman: The Great Depresh (9.30 October 6), and two HBO docos:

• Wig (9.30 October 7): Spotlighting the art of drag, and centred on the New York staple Wigstock, Wig showcases the personalities and performances that inform the ways we understand queerness, art and identity today
• Who Killed Garrett Phillips? (9.30 October 14): A two-part investigation into the murder of a 12-year-old that “raises troubling questions of racial bias and issues surrounding policing and the criminal justice system”.

Back for Box Set Saturdays will be Homeland (S7), Fear the Walking Dead (S5), A Black Lady Sketch Show, Our Cartoon President (S2), Catastrophe (S4) and Sally4Ever.