Planet of the Apes' first prequel, critically-acclaimed British horror Saint Maud and Tilda Swinton-starring drama We Need To Talk About Kevin are among the best movies to watch on TV this weekend.
If you need a break from the very stressful and sometimes endless process of choosing movies, then Digital Spy's Watch This franchise is here to help.
Rather than endlessly scroll on streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV+, just go back to the basics – every weekend must-see movies are airing on the telly, and we can tell you the best ones.
Get your popcorn and drinks ready.
Best movies on TV (May 3-5)
Here are our picks for the best movies on TV this weekend (May 3-5, 2024), all of them airing on Freeview channels like BBC, ITV and Channel 4.
Saint Maud
Morfydd Clark might now be better known for The Rings of Power, but British horror Saint Maud is her best movie to date.
The actor plays newly devout hospital nurse Maud as she becomes obsessed with saving the soul of her terminally ill patient (played by Pride and Prejudice's Jennifer Ehle). However, there's more to her obsessions. Sinister forces are at play, as her sinful past comes to the surface to haunt her.
Saint Maud is airing on Film4 at 10.50pm on Friday (May 3)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The Planet of the Apes saga is coming back to the big screen with Kingdom of the Planet on the Apes on May 9, but before that UK viewers can catch the franchise's first-ever prequel on TV this weekend.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes follows Will Rodman (James Franco), a scientist based in San Francisco who is experimenting with a drug to cure Alzheimer's. His experiments are cut short as he becomes the guardian of Caesar, an infant chimp who was exposed to Will's revolutionary drug. Caesar is unusually intelligent, and many will see him as a threat to humanity itself.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes is airing on ITV1 at 10.10pm on Saturday (May 4)
We Need to Talk about Kevin
Lynne Ramsay's critically-acclaimed adaptation of Lionel Shriver's 2003 novel We Need To Talk About Kevin is on TV this weekend, and it's brilliant.
The story follows Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton), a travel writer who gives up her bohemian lifestyle to have a child. However, something is not right. The pregnancy was a struggle, and when the baby is born things only get worse. Kevin grows up to become a sociopathic teen (Ezra Miller), and Eva doesn't know what to do about it.
We Need to Talk about Kevin is airing on BBC Two at 12am on Saturday (May 4)
Twister
With the sequel Twisters coming up this summer, it's a great moment to tune in for the original Twister. It's still an amazing movie with a great cast and jaw-dropping moments.
With the most powerful storm in decades approaching, the movie follows a group of tornado chasers led by university professor Dr. Jo Harding (Helen Hunt). They have come up with a prototype named Dorothy, a ground-breaking tornado data-gathering device. It was actually conceived by Jo's estranged husband, Bill (Bill Paxton), who joins the crew for a last hurrah.
Twister is airing on ITV4 at 6.40pm on Sunday (May 5)
Best movies on TV on Friday (May 3)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (6.45pm Film4)
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (9pm, E4)
Underwater (9pm, Film4)
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (9.15pm, BBC Three)
Step Brothers (11.05pm, Channel 4)
Kursk: The Last Mission (11.55pm, BBC Two)
Man Up (12.10am, BBC One)
Trading Places (1.25am, Channel 4)
Best movies on TV on Saturday (May 4)
Mrs Doubtfire (11am, Film4)
Mr Popper’s Penguins (12.05, Channel 4)
Hook (12.45pm, 5STAR)
Henry V (1.15pm, BBC Two)
Sense and Sensibility (1.25pm, Film4)
Contact (3.35pm, 5STAR)
Deep Impact (4.20pm, Film4)
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (6.40pm, Film4)
Serenity (6.45pm, 5STAR)
The Devil Wears Prada (6.50pm, E4)
Legally Blonde (7.05pm, ITV2)
Old (9pm, Channel 4)
There’s Something About Mary (9pm, ITV2)
London Has Fallen (9pm, Film4)
Road House (1989) (9pm, 5STAR)
Unforgiven (9pm, 5Action)
Scarface (10.55pm, Film4)
The Last of the Mohicans (11.10pm, Channel 4)
Highlander (11.50pm, BBC One)
Best movies on TV on Sunday (May 5)
The Spiderwick Chronicles (11am, Film4)
Stuart Little (12.45pm, ITV1)
The Karate Kid (2.55pm, Channel 4)
Johnny English Strikes Again (2.30pm, Film4)
Monsters vs Aliens (4.10pm, E4)
My Best Friends’ Wedding (4.15pm, Film4)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (6.25pm, Film4)
The Green Mile (9pm, ITV4)
Jumanji: The Next Level (9pm, Film4)
Predator (9pm, E4)
Kong: Skull Island (9pm, 5STAR)
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (9.45pm, BBC Three)
Senna (11.20pm, Channel 4)
Deep Blue Sea (11.25pm, 5STAR)
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (11.25pm, FIlm4)
The Ones Below (11.55pm, BBC Two)
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Deputy Movies Editor, Digital Spy
Mireia (she/her) has been working as a movie and TV journalist for over seven years, mostly for the Spanish magazine Fotogramas.
Her work has been published in other outlets such as Esquire and Elle in Spain, and WeLoveCinema in the UK.
She is also a published author, having written the essay Biblioteca Studio Ghibli: Nicky, la aprendiz de bruja about Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service.
During her years as a freelance journalist and film critic, Mireia has covered festivals around the world, and has interviewed high-profile talents such as Kristen Stewart, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal and many more. She's also taken part in juries such as the FIPRESCI jury at Venice Film Festival and the short film jury at Kingston International Film Festival in London.
Now based in the UK, Mireia joined Digital Spy in June 2023 as Deputy Movies Editor.
