2024 TV preview: 48 shows to put on your radar
This year promises highly anticipated series like Kate Winslet's HBO satire The Regime, FX's Shōgun, Prime Video's Mr. And Mrs. Smith, and so much more
It’s a new year, people, which means it’s high time to get excited about plenty of premiering (and returning) TV shows. The next 12 months promise some real bangers, from star-studded murder mysteries to buzzy book adaptations, from genre-bending comedies to the next chapters of House Of The Dragon and Abbott Elementary. If you’re looking for a snapshot of your TV year to be, The A.V. Club has you covered. We’ve compiled the shows we’re most excited to dig into, including the Jodie Foster-led fourth round of True Detective, the Angela Bassett-starring Zero Day, Alfonso Cuarón’s Disclaimer, or The Penguin with Colin Farrell. Happy viewing.
Stars: , Kali Reis, Fiona Show, John Hawkes, Christopher Eccleston, Finn Bennett, Isabella Star LaBlanc There’s a lot to be excited about with ’s fourth season, especially with Jodie Foster returning to TV in a leading role for the first time in more than four decades. , who infuses a different energy into the established drama. Dubbed Night Country for good reason, the six episodes are set in the dark, icy landscape of Alaska. Police officers Liz Danvers (Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Reis) clash because of their different techniques while investigating the disappearance of multiple men from a research center. [Saloni Gajjar]
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Brian Tee, Sarayu Blue, Jack Huston, Ji-young Yoo, Flora Chan, Will OrIf is starring in a TV drama, one way or another, it’s going to be a riveting watch. In the limited series Expats, she plays Margaret, who moves to Hong Kong with her family and bonds with a close-knit community of other, yes, expats. However, tragedy strikes when her young son gets lost in the crowd one day, affecting Margaret’s relationship with her loved ones. Expats hails from director , and, like with that project, we’re guessing tears are to be expected. [Saloni Gajjar]
Stars: Donald Glover, Maya Erskine, Michaela Coel, Sharon Horgan, Parker Posey, Michael Cera, Wagner Moura, John Turturro, Ron PerlmanPhoebe Waller-Bridge may have quit this Prime Video project, true, but we must admit: This trailer looks quite promising, with ’s fantastic Maya Erskine taking on Waller-Bridge’s part opposite Donald Glover. In this spin on the 2005 Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie movie, the pair play gun-toting spies in an arranged marriage. Let’s hope their comedic chemistry in the real thing is as good as it is in the teaser above. [Tim Lowery]
If says it’s the end of the road for , then we have to trust him, right? The noted HBO comedy will wrap up after a 10-episode season 12, which begins in February and airs its series finale on April 7. Without a trailer yet, it’s hard to know what’s coming our way, but Curb will certainly go out with some complaints to air. Tracey Ullman is set to reprise her role as brash councilwoman Irma Kostroski, for starters. Other returning stars include Susie Essman, Cheryl Hines, J.B. Smoove, Ted Danson, and Vince Vaughn. (Perhaps Jerry Seinfeld teased a while ago?) [Saloni Gajjar]
Stars: Dallas Liu, Gordon Cormier, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Daniel Dae Kim, Kiawentiio, Ian OusleyAt long last, the live-action adaptation of series is almost here (with a premiere date, no less!). The sci-fi coming-of-age drama follows Aang (Cormier), a young Avatar who must master his control of the four elements of the world to save the universe. He teams up with siblings Katara and Sokka, and together they seek help from some of the original show’s memorable characters. Several Asian American actors recur, including ’s Danny Pudi, Ken Leung, Amber Midthunder, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and . [Saloni Gajjar]
Stars: Anna Sawai, Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Néstor Carbonell, Tadanobu Asano, Tokuma Nishioka, Shinnosuke Abe , this new adaptation of James Clavell’s novel is finally becoming a reality. Co-created by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, Shōgun is a 10-episode limited series that, based on the trailer alone, looks stunning and hella action-packed. In 1600s Japan, an English sailor arrives on a marooned ship with secrets that could help a warrior, Yoshii Toranaga (Sanada), who’s facing a fight for his life against his political enemies. The two men’s lives are further interconnected by the assistance of a translator, played by Anna Sawai, a mysterious noblewoman in the midst of her own battle. [Saloni Gajjar]
Stars: Laura Dern, Kristen Wiig, Allison Janney, Leslie Bibb, Carol Burnett, Ricky Martin, Kaia Gerber, Josh LucasAbe Sylvia’s period comedy Palm Royale has amassed an enviable ensemble. The show follows manipulative Maxine Simmons (Wiig) as she seeks to carve out her spot in Palm Beach high society during the 1960s. What will she sacrifice to achieve what she wants—and what others around her already have? The show is loosely based on Juliet McDaniel’s satirical novel Mr. And Mrs. American Pie. [Saloni Gajjar]
Stars: Annette Bening, Alison Brie, Sam Neill, Jake Lacy, Conor Merrigan-Turner, Essie Randles and ’ author Liane Moriarty is bringing yet another book to life on the small screen. Apples Never Fall centers on former tennis coaches Joy (Bening) and Stan (Neill) Delaney and their four adult children. While their lives may look perfect from the outside, the family is suffering from traumas within. It’s all made worse when Joy disappears, forcing her kids to confront their parents’ marriage and their family history. [Saloni Gajjar]
Stars: Walton Goggins, Ella Purnell, Kyle MacLachlan, Moisés Arias, Sarita Choudhury, Dale Dickey, Chris Parnell, Zach Cherry proved that a video game could be successfully adapted into live-action TV show. Now let’s see if can continue that streak. Like The Last Of Us, Fallout is set during an apocalypse. Two hundred years after doomsday, a group of survivors living in luxury shelters return to the planet their ancestors left behind. Much to their surprise, destruction isn’t what awaits them. Instead, they have to face a weird, violent new world and adapt to their surroundings. Fallout is helmed by Westworld duo Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan. [Saloni Gajjar]
Stars: , Josh Charles, Dali Benssalah, Haluk BilginerAlright, we know what everyone’s thinking: If Elisabeth Moss is leading a new drama, looking as glum as she does in the photo above, it’s going to be an intense watch, right? Right. The Veil is a psychological thriller by ’ Steven Knight in which two women travel from Istanbul to Paris and engage in a deadly game as one possesses a secret the other has to expose before thousands of lives are lost. Let the games begin. [Saloni Gajjar]
Stars: Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Andrea Riseborough, Hugh Grant, Martha Plimpton, Guillaume Gallienne, David BamberKate Winslet is another familiar face returning to HBO this year. The star takes on the role of an authoritarian leader in the political satire The Regime, which counts Will Tracy (former Succession writer and Editor-in-Chief of The Onion) as showrunner and none other than the great Stephen Frears—who teams up again with Hugh Grant post-A Very English Scandal here—as one of its directors. [Tim Lowery]
Stars: Hoa Xuande, Robert Downey Jr., Sandra Oh, Ky Duyen, Fred Nguyen Khan, Tuan Le, Duy NguyễnMake way for (hopefully) one of 2024’s most intriguing new spy dramas, , based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. It’s adapted for TV by and Don McKellar. Hoa Xuande plays the Captain, a North Vietnamese plant in the South Vietnamese army who is forced to flee to America. Once there the Captain continues sleuthing for the Viet Cong, but it becomes difficult as he bonds with the other refugees around him. Bonus: portrays the antagonist, continually changing his looks with impressive disguises. [Saloni Gajjar]
Stars: Emma D’Arcy, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Fabien Frankel, Rhys Ifans, Sonoya Mizuno, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint We’re stepping back into Westeros this year for the return of . The prequel centered on the Targaryen dynasty debuted in 2022 to pretty solid reviews (despite, you know, how GOT ended). We’re anticipating a season two in which Rhaenyra and Allicent’s war for the throne rages on. Expect to see bloody dragons, long blonde wigs, and on your screens this summer. [Saloni Gajjar]
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Dakota Fanning, Meghann Fahy, Liev Schrieber, Ishaan Khattar, Eve Hewson, Omar EppsNicole Kidman can’t stop, won’t stop starring in different shows. (It turns out heartbreak feels good in a place like TV, huh?) After Expats, she co-stars in The Perfect Couple, which is based on Elin Hilderbrand’s novel. The frothy murder mystery centers on the wealthy Winbury family in Nantucket. Kidman plays Greer, the matriarch novelist who disapproves of her son marrying Amelia Sacks (Hewson). The wedding festivities come to a halt when a body is discovered on the beach. And, yes, everyone is a suspect. [Saloni Gajjar]
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Leah Harvey, Johnny Harris, Lyès Salem, Paul Ready’Tis the year for book adaptations for the small-screen (then again, when is it not?) , stars real-life couple Mary Elizabeth Winsted and Ewan McGregor. In the Russia-set thriller, McGregor plays Count Alexander Rostov, who is banished by the Soviet tribunal to live in an attic hotel room for decades after the Revolution. As years pass, he builds a new life for himself inside the walls of the hotel while tumultuous events take place outside. [Saloni Gajjar]
Stars: Antony Starr, Jack Quiad, Karl Urban, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Chace Crawford, Karen Fukuhara, Colby MinifieIt’s taken two years and a whole season of to get to’ fourth season. Hopefully, the wait is worth it for the latest installment of Eric Kripke’s terrific drama. The violent series, which satirizes the ongoing superhero craze, will connect with the events and characters of its YA spin-off, which set up The Boys’ new round. In season four, Billy learns about the contagious virus that can kill Supes—so everyone truly better beware. Also, Jeffrey Dean Morgan joins the cast as one of Billy’s old pals. [Saloni Gajjar]
Stars: Himesh Patel, Aya Cash, Billy Magnussen, Lolly Adefope, Richard E. Grant, Daniel Brühl, Jessica HynesArmando Ianucci (, ), a master of plumbing comedy from behind the scenes, is back on HBO and up to his old tricks. Only instead of politics, he’s skewering the making of a superhero movie. (Those productions always go so smoothly, no?) Sam Mendes and scribe Jon Brown co-created the new series, which boasts a very solid cast. [Tim Lowery]
Stars: Jimmy O. Yang, Chloe Bennet, Ronny Chieng, Tzi Ma, Lisa Gilroy, Sullivan Jones, Chau Long, Lauren TomCharles Yu brings his novel to the small screen with this Hulu miniseries. The show follows Willis Wu (’s Jimmy O. Yang), who feels like a background character trapped in a police procedural. As he struggles to figure out his purpose, Willis discovers family secrets and other strange facts about his world. Taika Waititi is on board to direct. It’s frankly exciting to see a TV show like Interior Chinatown in the pipeline, and how it adds to the diverse stories about Asian Americans we’ll be seeing on TV this year. [Saloni Gajjar]
Stars: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Michael Zegen, Clancy Brown, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Carmen Ejogo, Theo Rossi If you loved Colin Farrell’s take on a classic villain in , then Max’s The Penguin is right up your alley. In Lauren LeFranc’s spin-off of Matt Reeves’ 2022 film, the actor returns to his unrecognizable look as Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. the Penguin. , the show follows Cobblepot on a journey to reclaim his power in Gotham, where he finds an unexpected nemesis in Sofia Falcone (Milioti), the daughter of archrival Carmine (John Turturro). [Saloni Gajjar]
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Sacha Baron Cohen, Lesley Manville, Kevin Kline, Louis Partridge, Kodi Smit-McPheeIn Alfonso Cuarón’s Disclaimer, Cate Blanchett plays famed TV journalist Catherine Ravenscroft, whose career is built on revealing the secrets of respected institutions. However, when widower Stephen Brigstocke (Kline) writes a novel, Catherine learns that a personal secret she’s long buried has now come to light. Disclaimer is the first project from Apple TV+’s partnership with Oscar winner Cuarón—and what a cast he’s managed to secure for it. [Saloni Gajjar]
Stars: Robert De Niro, Angela Bassett, Jesse Plemons, Dan Stevens, Bill Camp, Matthew Modine, Clark Gregg, Connie Britton, Lizzy CaplanAngela Bassett does her thing In this political drama … as POTUS. (We’re already sold!). Zero Day is a six-part thriller in which De Niro plays former President George Mullen, who comes out of retirement to help President Mitchell deal with a devastating cyberattack. Caplan portrays Alexandra Mullen, a young congresswoman striving to create her legacy, while Plemons takes on his bodyguard, Roger Carlson. [Saloni Gajjar]
Stars: Archie Panjabi, Riley Keough, Lily Gladstone, Izzy G, Javon Walton, Anoop Desai, Chloe Guidry, Ezra Farouke Khan, Vritika Gupta Based on a horrifying real-life incident, Under The Bridge chronicles the death of 14-year-old Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta). The Indian Canadian was bullied and eventually murdered, with the crime gaining national attention and a media frenzy. Six teens were tried and convicted in the case, and the show is based on Rebecca Godfrey’s book, with Riley Keough playing Godfrey. [Saloni Gajjar]
Stars: Andrew Scott, Dakota Fanning, Johnny Flynn, Eliot SumnerAfter breaking hearts in and , Andrew Scott returns to his villainous roots (remember ’s Moriarty?) in this upcoming Netflix drama. Scott plays drifter Tom Ripley in , an eight-episode thriller set in 1960s Italy. When a wealthy industrialist hires Ripley to lure his son, Dickie (Flynn), back home, it leads Tom down a horrible path of fraud and murder. [Saloni Gajjar]
Stars: Colin Farrell, Amy Ryan, Anna Gunn, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, James Cromwell, Dennis Boutsikaris, Nate CorddryGet ready to see Colin Farrell not only as the Penguin but also as a genius private detective in Sugar. We don’t yet know much about the show, created by I Am Legend’s Mark Protosevich. Still, the morsel of information that the series will be a genre-bending sci-fi murder mystery featuring Farrell as an L.A. detective is enough to pique our interests. It also helps that the cast is equally exciting, and the eight episodes are directed by City Of God’s Fernando Meirelles. [Saloni Gajjar]
(Disney+, Jan 10) (Apple TV+, Jan 26) (AMC, Feb 25) (Netflix, March 21) (AMC) (Starz) (Netflix) Agatha: The Darkhold Diaries (Disney+) Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+) X-Men ‘97 (Disney+)
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