How Lightbox's hot new shows stack up

A scene from Outlander.

We examine five shows that you can only see on Lightbox.

Outlander

What is it? A time travel show based on the hugely popular Diana Gabaldon book series, it follows a nurse Claire Randall (played in the series by Caitriona Balfe) who, while on a second honeymoon in Scotland after the end of World War II is inexplicably transported back to the 1700s where the Jacobite rebellion is in full swing.

There, she meets Scottish clansman Jamie (Sam Heughan) and is torn between her growing feelings for him and her desire to return home. Sex and fighting ensue as Claire and Jamie attempt to thwart Black Jack Randall, who turns out to be the ancestor of Claire's mild-mannered husband Frank (Tobias Menzies in both roles).

The show's makers - including Battlestar Galactica rebooter Ronald D Moore as executive producer - hope the largely female fanbase of the books will expand on screen.

They've played down the romance and upped the show's political and historical themes "The female audience for Outlander is there. Now we're simply expanding that fanbase to include men," said Chris Albrecht of Starz, which makes the series.

Reviewers say: That it's pretty good. The Hollywood Reporter called Outlander "a story well and thoroughly told, but with almost none of the smart pacing of similarly dense fictions like Game of Thrones", while the Los Angeles Times said simply, "It's delightful".

Black Sails

What is it? Ahoy there, me hearties, this here be a show about pirates. Black Sails, a sort of prequel to Treasure Island, focuses on Captain Flint and his men as they battle to protect the criminal haven New Providence Island. Expect to see characters based on real life pirates, like Jack Rackham. No, it's not a TV rip-off of a certain Johnny Depp high seas franchise.

"This is completely different from Pirates of the Caribbean," says Chris Symes, the show's executive producer. "This is much more adult. Those films are PG13, and they're Disney. Black Sails is as un-Disney as you can get."

Reviewers say: That it's a bit of a mixed bag. Entertainment Weekly called it "arrestingly good," but the Denver Post said Black Sails didn't contain enough sea-based action and "ran aground" too often.

Vikings

A scene from Vikings.

What is it? A swords, shields and horned-hat epic, Vikings focuses on chieftain Ragnar Lothbrok and the Norsemen of early medieval Scandinavia. A second season has screened in the US, and a third season is confirmed.

Reviewers say: That it's not the new Game of Thrones. But "it's a series that increases its entertainment value and interest level as it goes along", said The Hollywood Reporter, while People called it "a headlong tumble into an irresistible and surprisingly neglected genre".

24

What is it? The long-awaited return of action man Jack Bauer, the CTU agent in hiding after a series of dubious decisions. This time, 24 has been cut into 12 episodes and heads to London, where terrorists are threatening to strike London with drone attacks.

Reviewers say: Jack's still doing the business. It has the "same sense of modern-day paranoia and urgency that fuelled its best seasons" said the Detroit News, while the Philadelphia Daily News said "time away has been good for the franchise".

Suits

A scene from Suits.

What is it? This long-running show about lawyers mixes comedy, drama and legalese and is already up to its fourth season in the US, with a fifth on the way.

Reviewers say: That its first season is wayward, but it improves as it goes along. By season three, Entertainment Weekly said "the actors are inhabiting their characters' backstabbing natures as comfortably as their outfits" while Philadelphia Daily News said it portrayed "petty office wars" perfectly.

- TimeOut