There’s a new No. 1 on top of the most popular shows on Netflix, and its name is Black Doves. This British action spy thriller swooped down like a bird of prey and dropped an early Christmas present in the laps of Netflix viewers who needed some excitement with their holiday cheer. Not only is Black Doves a hit out of the gate, it’s already lined up a second season.
Pirates of the Caribbean‘s Keira Knightley stars in the series as a woman on a mission of revenge, and Black Doves even takes place during the Christmas season. But by the time Knightley’s Helen Webb is done, there won’t be many silent nights until she gets the payback she desires.
If you need an excuse to add this show to your watch list this month, here are the four reasons to watch Black Doves on Netflix in December.
Need more recommendations? We’ve also rounded up the best shows to stream this week, the best shows on Netflix, the best shows on Hulu, the best shows on Amazon Prime Video, the best shows on Max, and the best shows on Disney+. For Netflix fans, also check out the 10 most popular movies on Netflix right now.
Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann got a few heroic moments in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, but the actress is firmly at the center of Black Doves as its primary character. Knightley recently told Variety that she won’t go back to franchise movies, but she’s just created a TV franchise for herself as a very modern action hero.
In her daily life, Helen Webb has been in a deep-cover assignment for Black Doves — a freelance spy agency — and married to a politician, Wallace Webb (Andrew Buchan), for years. However, Helen’s heart was with her lover, Jason Davies (Andrew Koji). And when Jason is murdered, Helen puts both her cover and her family at risk to hunt down his killer.
This role brings Knightley’s ferocity to the surface, and she’s very credible as Helen. Don’t be too shocked if Knightley starts getting more action movies after this show. This series feels like it could reinvent her career.
James Bond veteran Ben Whishaw played the inventor Q to Daniel Craig’s Bond during the reboot era, and he also famously voiced Paddington Bear through the first three movies in that franchise. But in this series, Whishaw also gets to reinvent himself in the action realm as Sam Young, one of the most efficient killers in the Black Doves.
Sam isn’t merely a background player to Helen, because he’s also given the spotlight in a story that explores the end of his dream of having a normal relationship with his ex, Michael (Omari Douglas). There’s no question that Sam would like a do-over with Michael, but he’s also incapable of walking away from being a spy because he’s very good at it and he’s an extremely efficient killer. Sam is easily one of the most exciting characters in the show, and a testament to the way that Whishaw reinvents himself for the role.
The first episode of the series reestablishes a deep bond between Helen and Sam despite spending years apart. When everyone else would rather Helen forget her revenge, it’s Sam who has her back. Their bond appears to be completely platonic, but Sam and Helen are also devoted to each other. She’s the entire reason why he’s lifted his self-imposed exile to return home.
Some of the funniest moments in the season also come from the banter between Knightley and Whishaw. Just because Helen and Sam are close, that doesn’t mean they always see eye-to-eye. But the way they play off each other seems so natural, it’s like they haven’t spent a decade apart. There’s a connection between them that’s more profound than the one Helen shares with her husband.
Without spoiling the ending of Black Doves, we can say that most of the season’s plotlines are wrapped up by the end of episode 6. There are some hints about where the show can go in its second season, as well as a semi-ominous note about the ultimate fate of undercover spies.
However, Black Doves sticks the landing for its first season in a satisfying way. It also leaves fans eager to see more of Helen and Sam in this world, because they’re a great team and a lot of fun to watch.
Some of the best shots in Grok Imagine’s AI-made Odyssey don’t contain actors. Ancient landscapes stretch into the distance. Close-ups of grimy hands suggest people who have touched something rougher than a keyboard. For a few seconds, the illusion holds.
https://twitter.com/imagine/status/2113712964419063911
YouTube videos could soon look better without eating quite so much data, right? Thankfully, the platform plans to introduce a new video format called AV2 on its web player in early 2027, promising more efficient streaming and potentially fewer playback hiccups on slower internet connections. The big headline is a roughly 30% improvement in compression efficiency over AV1, YouTube's existing video format. That doesn't guarantee every video will use 30% less data, but it could make streaming a little easier on both internet connections and data allowances.
What is AV2, and why should viewers care?
YouTube is changing how its Home page works, giving viewers more control over what shows up there and making some of the app’s most-used sections easier to reach. Custom Feeds are now replacing the existing topic chips for eligible users, while YouTube is also testing a redesigned top bar on mobile that moves Subscriptions closer to the Home feed.
YouTube first started experimenting with Custom Feeds earlier this year, letting you type out what you wanted to watch and turning that request into its own stream of recommendations. Now, the feature is starting to look less like a side experiment and more like something YouTube actually wants people to use as part of their everyday Home page.