Underrated Sheridan Smith drama is coming to Netflix

Sheridan Smith in Cleaning Up
Sheridan Smith's drama Cleaning Up was originally shown in 2019. (Image credit: ITV)

A Sheridan Smith drama is among the new titles being added to the Netflix library in April 2024, and it's a lesser-known one that you might not have seen before.

When you think Sheridan Smith, titles like Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps or her hit Channel 5 series The Teacher might spring to mind, but there's an underrated drama you may have missed.

According to the unofficial site New on Netflix, the ITV drama Cleaning Up is heading to the streaming service, so fans will get another chance to watch it. It is currently not available on ITVX, but reports suggest it will arrive on Netflix on Monday, April 1.

In Cleaning Up, we follow Sheridan's character Sam, an office cleaner with serious gambling debts, who sees a way to turn her life around when she ventures into the murky world of insider trading. As a single mum with bills to pay and a family to support, she finds herself in a desperate situation.

Speaking in an interview with us back in 2019, Sheridan said: "Sam’s a single mum, she’s a great mum but she’s struggling. She’s working as a cleaner on a zero-hours’ contract trying to make money but she’s got a gambling addiction and is massively in debt. She’s a very flawed person, which I think viewers will relate to. It’s interesting to play someone who’s that flawed but who still has a good heart."

The drama was well received critically, and currently holds a 92% rate on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, with the critic consensus reading: "Cleaning Up is a twisty delight thanks to Sheridan Smith's plucky heroine, who grounds the series' more incredulous turns with a lived-in charisma."

The cast of Cleaning Up

The cast of Cleaning Up. (Image credit: ITV)

At the time of its release, the opening episode attracted an impressive six million viewers, which meant it comfortably saw off the BBC’s long-running forensic drama, Silent Witness, which pulled in a respectable 4.3 million, according to reports from Broadcast.

Other titles coming our way in April include Andrew Scott's new drama Ripley, South Korean sci-fi horror Parasyte, and Italian drama series The Tearsmith. So there's plenty to look forward to!

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.

She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress