Sky is developing Meantime, a new detective thriller starring James McAvoy, which is being positioned as a strong alternative for fans of the Bosch franchise seeking a series closer in tone to the original show. Based on Frankie Boyle's novel of the same name, the series follows Felix McAveety, a man with lifelong addiction struggles who wakes to discover his best friend has been murdered and hires two unconventional investigators to help clear his name. The project stands out from typical detective dramas both through its unusual premise and by giving McAvoy a rare leading role that departs from the supporting or grounding parts he has often played.

McAvoy plays Felix alongside Josette Simon, as a detective-turned-crime-novelist, and Jamie Michie, as a longtime friend, in the pair of amateur sleuths Felix enlists. The character is written as prone to paranoia and hallucinations, pushing McAvoy to balance dark comedy with sensitivity around addiction, a challenge the article compares to his acclaimed turn in Filth, where he played a similarly troubled, morally complex detective. Drawing on that history, alongside his more chaotic performances such as in Split, the piece argues McAvoy has the range to make Meantime a compelling new entry in the crime-thriller genre.