Summer TV: what a wasteland. Just as the long, cosy nights of autumn and winter are the seasonal home for flagship dramas such as Downton Abbey and Line of Duty, so our summers are plagued with televisual mishaps and tired repeats. Glance at this week’s schedules and you’ll see what I mean. The Great British Bake Off notwithstanding, this is arguably the worst seven days of television in living memory. On Friday, for instance, the only new programme of note is Mountain Goats, a BBC comedy so broad and derivative it makes Mrs Brown’s Boys seem like The Trip. But that is nothing compared to tonight’s “highlights” – a dire procession of game-show banality (Keep it in the Family, The Cube), pedestrian drama (Casualty) and humdrum repeats (Walking Through History). Thankfully, this no longer matters. On demand TV services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime have given frustrated viewers an escape route. Now you can flee scheduled television in the dog days of summer and take your pick of the best programmes of the last 40 years.

The only difficulty is the dizzying choice, which is why we’ve picked out 25 of the best shows available on demand to get you through to September. 1. The Thin Blue Line (Netflix) Errol Morris’s dramatic true-crime reconstruction about a 1976 miscarriage of justice in Texas changed not only the verdict of the case, but also how many documentaries are filmed. It’s weird, stylised and provocative. 2. Jiro Dreams of Sushi (Netflix) Part paean to the Japanese dish, part meditation on the pursuit of perfection, this exquisite film tells the story of 86-year-old Jiro Ono, owner of a 10-seater sushi bar in the basement of a Tokyo office block, and one of the most famous chefs in East Asia. Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Netflix 3. David Attenbrough – the Early Years (BBC iPlayer) Delve into the BBC’s archives to watch a fresh-faced David Attenborough in the fascinating Fifties series Zoo Quest. His trip to Kenya to meet Elsa the lioness, shortly before her death, will melt the flintiest of hearts.

Watch David Attenbrough – the Early Years on BBC Four collections 4. Dark Days (Netflix) A stark, black-and-white portrait of a homeless community living in disused underground tunnels in New York, Marc Singer’s film is a poignant, powerful and haunting account. 5. Paris Is Burning (YouTube) Jennie Livingstone’s tribute to the Harlem Drag Ball scene of the 1980s offers a rich and insightful slice of a heady world of high camp and even higher heels. Watch Paris is Burning on YouTube Drama 1. Breaking Bad (Netflix) Vince Gilligan’s bleak, unpredictable drama about a chemistry teacher turned crystal meth dealer is an award-winning masterpiece. Its spin-off, Better Call Saul, is pretty good too. 2. Orange Is the New Black (Netflix) Jenji Kohan’s tightly written drama makes US prison life feel remarkably real, thanks to its exceptional, predominantly female cast. Taylor Schilling plays Piper Chapman, and captures her transformation from naive inmate to stoic ringleader perfectly. 3. House of Cards (Netflix) The first original Netflix series, this is a polished Washington-set update of the Nineties BBC drama about a Machiavellian politician in pursuit of power.

Kevin Spacey’s dastardly Frank Underwood is the highlight. sushezi - sushi maker preisvergleich4. Freaks and Geeks (Amazon Prime) Director Judd Apatow (also of Bridesmaids and Trainwreck) was the executive producer of this cult comedy drama about a gaggle of misfits at an 80s US high school. youda sushi chef apkmaniaIt also helped launch the careers of Seth Rogen, James Franco and Jason Segel. jiro dreams of sushi 300mb5. Bloodline (Netflix) This tense, tortuous tale of a well-to-do Florida family slowly imploding is conventionally told but searing performances from Ben Mendelsohn, Sissy Spacek and Kyle Chandler make it increasingly addictive to watch. jiro dreams of sushi subtitles divx

Arrested Development (Netflix) Arrested Development is one of the finest sitcoms ever made, laced with intricate, quick-fire jokes; jiro dreams of sushi filenukeit’s an ingenious, cartoonish snapshot of a spectacularly dysfunctional Californian family. jiro dreams of sushi demonoid2. Archer (Netflix) A cross between a workplace comedy and a 007 spoof, this sardonic animation follows the narcissistic, womanising secret agent Sterling Archer as he fights off (and insults) terrorists in increasingly inventive ways. 3. Community (Netflix & Yahoo) This ensemble US sitcom about an unlikely set of classmates at a Colorado community college has never quite taken off in the UK. More fool us because it’s sharp and clever, with a cracking, self-deprecating turn from Chevy Chase. 4. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Netflix) Child molestation, abortion, racism, homophobia: no topic is taboo in this hilarious and subversive US comedy about four morally reprehensible friends who run a dingy pub in Philadelphia.

Danny DeVito stars in season two. 5. Transparent (Amazon Prime) The Golden Globe-winning series stars Jeffrey Tambor as a divorced LA father who decides to tell his self-obsessed grown-up children that he wants to come out as being transgender. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (YouTube) This adaptation of John le Carré’s masterpiece was filmed at the height of the Cold War and thrums with a very English sort of paranoia. Alec Guinness is superb as seemingly diffident masterspy George Smiley. Watch Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy on YouTube 2. I, Claudius (YouTube) This faux-autobiographical retrospective of the life of the Roman Emperor Claudius is one of the best TV dramas of the 20th century, influencing everything from Game of Thrones to The Sopranos. Watch I, Claudius on YouTube 3. Spaced (Channel 4oD) Flouting every sitcom convention, the very funny Spaced marked the arrival of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as a creative force, with its knowing humour, obscure pop culture references and zany gags.

4. Pride and Prejudice (Netflix) Colin Firth’s dashing Mr Darcy emerging from a lake in a dripping wet shirt must surely have helped this lavish and witty adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel win a place in the pantheon of great BBC costume dramas. 5. House of Cards (BBC/Netflix) The original House of Cards, about conniving British MP Francis Urquhart, is even more cynical than Netflix’s update, and funnier too, with Ian Richardson deliciously dark in the lead role. The next big thing? 1. Jeremy Clarkson’s new project (Amazon Prime) The former Top Gear triumvirate of Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond will reunite next year for a new 12-episode series, exclusive to Amazon. They’ve been given free rein to do what they want to do – and probably a lot more money. 2. Narcos (Netflix) Netflix’s thrilling 10-part drama sets the rise of Pablo Escobar from small-time Colombian hood to the world’s most powerful cocaine trafficker against the covert American attempts to stop him.