The 3 Emma Thompson shows everyone should watch at least once

Emma Thompson has a handful of television performances that are worth a first watch, especially if you mainly know her from film. This short guide highlights three shows where her small-screen work is worth your attention.

The three picks, a single television film, a landmark miniseries, and a near-future drama, each show a different way television can tell a story.

The television movie narrows the focus to one character and one emotional arc, letting the viewer sit with small moments.

The miniseries unfolds a larger story across several episodes, utilizing multiple characters to explore significant themes. The drama imagines what might come next and connects those possibilities to concerns we face now.

Together, these three choices offer variety without being overwhelming with hard-hitting scenes, complex ensembles, and speculative events. They were chosen because they are easy to find on services that carry HBO or BBC material, reflect different TV styles, and give an overview of how a skilled actor adapts to television and modern audiences.

Wit (2001)

Start with Wit, a television film adapted from Margaret Edson’s Pulitzer Prize–winning play. In this HBO production, Emma Thompson plays a university professor who faces a serious illness and treatment. The teleplay was adapted for TV by Mike Nichols alongside Emma Thompson, and the film was shown on HBO in 2001.

The story is quiet and focused on the character’s thoughts and the way doctors and patients talk about care. It is a good choice if you want a calm, character-led piece that asks questions about dignity and medical practice.

Angels in America (2003)

Next is Angels in America, an HBO miniseries released in 2003 that adapts Tony Kushner’s play about the AIDS crisis and politics in 1980s America. In this large ensemble, Emma Thompson appears in several small but important parts, including the Angel and other symbolic roles.

The miniseries mixes realism and fantasy and was broadcast in multiple parts on HBO in December 2003; it also received wide attention and many awards when it aired. This is a much bigger, more theatrical project, so expect an ambitious, sometimes dense story.

Years and Years (2019)

Finally, Years and Years is a 2019 BBC–HBO drama that follows one family across fifteen years as politics, technology, and climate events unfold. Emma Thompson plays Vivienne Rook, a celebrity-turned-politician whose presence changes how events in the series play out.

The role shows a different side of her screen work, a public figure whose media moments shape public opinion in the drama. The series mixes family scenes with broader political moments.

Why do these three shows show different sides of Emma Thompson?

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Taken together, these works show different uses of television: intimate adaptation, big ensemble drama, and near-future social fiction. They let viewers see Emma Thompson move between small and large canvases, and between roles that ask for quiet attention and roles that shape a wider plot.

These choices also point to how television can present ideas about illness, politics, and the future in ways that film sometimes does not.

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