The Best TV Shows on RTÉ One

Every RTÉ One Show Ranked From Best To Worst

A broadcaster of distinction, RTÉ One has aired more than 20 shows between 1956 and 2023. Peruse our comprehensive roster of RTÉ One’s top shows, encompassing over 20 distinct series as of August 2026. Notable series such as Eurovision Song Contest and The Late Late Show from RTÉ One first graced the screens in 1956 and 1962.

  • Transatlantic Sessions
    Transatlantic Sessions (1995)10.0

    Folk musicians from both sides of the Atlantic come together in what have been called “the greatest backporch shows ever.” Collaborative live performances by various leading folk and country musicians playing music from Scotland, Ireland, England and North America.

  • The Fall
    The Fall (2013)7.7

    When the Police Service of Northern Ireland are unable to close a case after 28 days, Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson of the Metropolitan Police Service is called in to review the case. Under her new leadership, the local detectives must track down and stop a serial killer who is terrorising the city of Belfast.

  • Kin
    Kin (2021)7.7

    The lives of a Dublin family embroiled in a gangland war and the consequences of their choices.

  • Love/Hate
    Love/Hate (2010)7.5

    Modern-day underworld characters Nidge and John Boy wrestle for control of Dublin's illicit drug trade in this forceful crime drama.

  • Eurovision Song Contest
    Eurovision Song Contest (1956)7.4

    The Eurovision Song Contest is an international song competition, organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and featuring participants representing primarily European countries. Each participating country submits an original song to be performed on live television and radio, transmitted to national broadcasters via the EBU's Eurovision and Euroradio networks, with competing countries then casting votes for the other countries' songs to determine the winner.

  • Mrs Brown's Boys
    Mrs Brown's Boys (2011)7.4

    Mrs. Brown's Boys is a British-Irish award winning sitcom created by and starring writer and performer Brendan O'Carroll. The show is based on O'Carroll's stage plays about the character Agnes Browne, which were developed from books and straight-to-DVD films. The sitcom continues the stories of Agnes, now with the shortened surname "Brown", and her family who are played by real life close friends and family of O'Carroll's. After being slated by critics, the show has become a ratings success in both Ireland, where it is set, and the United Kingdom, where it is recorded. On 29 December 2012 the show began its third series. Mrs Brown's Boys is a co-production among BBC Scotland, BocPix and RTÉ.

  • Obituary
    Obituary (2023)7.3

    When Elvira’s editor informs her that she will be paid per article, she begins murdering people to avoid going broke. Her plans are shaken when she falls for the crime reporter.

  • The Meaning of Life
    The Meaning of Life (2009)7.0

    The Meaning of Life is an Irish television programme, the first series of which was broadcast on RTÉ One in 2009. It is presented by the veteran broadcaster Gay Byrne. Each episode involves Byrne interviewing a well-known public figure. The series is broadcast each Sunday night at 22:20. In 2010 The Meaning of Life returned for both a second and, later, a third series. Interviews with former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and actors Gabriel Byrne and Brenda Fricker during the second series attracted media attention when they spoke of their religious habits and child sexual abuse respectively. Gay Byrne appeared on The Late Late Show on 18 December 2009 to discuss the programme. A fourth series soon followed. Then a fifth series from January 2012. And a sixth in October 2012. And a seventh in January 2013.

  • Rebellion
    Rebellion (2016)6.9

    A group of young men and women in Dublin in 1916 are embroiled in a fight for independence during the Easter Rising. The story begins with the outbreak of World War I. As expectations of a short and glorious campaign are dashed, social stability is eroded and Irish nationalism comes to the fore. The tumultuous events that follow are seen through the eyes of a group of friends from Dublin, Belfast and London as they play vital and conflicting roles in the narrative of Ireland's independence.

  • Leonard and Hungry Paul
    Leonard and Hungry Paul (2025)6.9

    Follow two unique board-gaming friends meandering through leafy suburban life, charting a story about Judo, ancient Rome, first loves, and the expansion of the Universe.

  • Hidden Assets
    Hidden Assets (2021)6.8

    A routine raid led by Emer Berry, a detective in the Irish Criminal Assets Bureau, reveals that a small-time drug dealer has been receiving substantial funding from a seemingly untraceable source – not in cash, but in rough diamonds. When these diamonds are linked to a series of bombings in Belgium, Emer is forced to work with Police Commissioner Christian De Jong.

  • Smother
    Smother (2021)6.5

    On the rugged coast of County Clare, Val Ahern's husband is found dead at the foot of a cliff the morning after a family party. The matriarch starts to dig into the family's secrets to find out who might be responsible.

  • Kat & Alfie: Redwater
    Kat & Alfie: Redwater (2017)6.2

    Kathleen and Alfie Moon arrive in the sleepy Irish village of Redwater on a quest to find Kathleen's long-lost son Luke, who was given up for adoption to an Irish family 32 years ago. EastEnders spin-off series.

  • SisterS
    SisterS (2023)6.2

    Two women, one born in Canada and the other in Ireland, discover they are half-sisters and embark on a road trip to find their alcoholic father.

  • The Clinic
    The Clinic (2003)5.8

    The Clinic is a multi award-winning Irish primetime television medical drama series produced by Parallel Film Productions for RTÉ. It debuted on RTÉ One in 2003 to positive reviews and proved to be one of the network's most popular shows. The drama ran for seven seasons between September 2003 to November 2007. The last ever episode aired on RTÉ One on Sunday 15 November 2009 and on YLE1 in Finland on Wednesday 25 November 2009. The complete series of The Clinic was released on DVD in November 2010 by RTÉ.

  • The Late Late Show
    The Late Late Show (1962)5.6

    Chat show that looks at current affairs in Ireland.

  • Operation Transformation
    Operation Transformation (2008)5.0

    People try to lose weight and get fit with the expert help of a personal dietician, fitness instructor and psychologist. As an added incentive, the participants' houses and fridges are fitted with webcams to catch them out if they slip back into bad habits.

  • Fair City
    Fair City (1989)4.7

    The day-to-day dramas of the community who live and work in the fictional north Dublin suburb of Carrigstown.

  • Fáilte Towers
    Fáilte Towers (2008)N/A

    Thirteen celebrities run a hotel for sixteen days and nights in order to win money for their designated charities.

  • The Afternoon Show
    The Afternoon Show (N/A)N/A

    The Afternoon Show is Raidió Teilifís Éireann's former live flagship daytime show. It ran from 2004 until May 2010. The programme was dropped by RTÉ as part of its new season of television in 2010, to be replaced by two afternoon programmes 4 Daily presented by Maura Derrane and The Daily Show hosted by Dáithí Ó Sé and Claire Byrne. The television show, the last season of which was presented by Sheana Keane and Maura Derrane, was a mix of lifestyle, information and fun items. The show included cookery, fashion, health, fitness, parenting, life-coaching and celebrity gossip. Viewers also had the opportunity to text, phone and e-mail in interjections, views, experiences and opinions, and they were given a chance to win prizes in a daily quiz. The Afternoon Show had met with a mixed reaction since it first appeared on screens in 2004, presented by Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh and Anna Nolan. This was partly because it replaced the hugely popular show Open House. There was speculation that the show has not proved as successful as its predecessor and that it would not return for a second season. However, a second series began in 2005, although one of the former presenters, Sheana Keane, did not return.