The great return of TV Marches on!
This month, we will be talking all about new series, including Netlix’s 3 Body Problem (March 21), Peacock’s Apples Never Fall (March 14th), Apple TV+’s Palm Royale (March 20th), and Hulu’s We Were the Lucky Ones (March 28th). The month also sees the 20th (!!) season premiere of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy on March 15th, and 9-1-1 moves from FOX to ABC for its sixth season (also on March 15th).
But amid all these high profile projects are some hidden gems that we definitely don’t want you to miss out on. Here are the five new shows you can’t miss this month.
Queens
Star: Angela Bassett
Premiere Date: The first three episodes premiere March 4th at 8 p.m. on National Geographic. All seven episodes of the series will be available March 5th on Disney+ and Hulu
Angela Bassett executive produces and narrates this seven-episode series about the animal kingdom’s female leaders. The series, which was four years in the making, not only focuses on the female animals and their perspectives, but it also features an all-female production team. The first episode, “African Queens,” travels to Tanzania to follow a lion pride and family of hyenas. If everything you’ve ever known about hyenas came from The Lion King, be prepared to feel a surprising amount of sympathy for the hyenas! Future episodes follow a 60-year-old orca, a baby elephant, and an Ethiopian wolf. The last episode of the series, “Behind the Queens,” celebrates the women who made this series possible.
Girls5Eva
Stars: Sara Bareilles, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Busy Philipps, and Paula Pell
Premiere Date: All six episodes premiere March 14th on Netflix
They wanted to be famous “5eva” but Peacock canceled their series in 2022 after only two seasons. Now, Dawn (Sara Bareilles), Wickie (Renee Elise Goldsberry), Summer (Busy Philipps), and Gloria (Paula Pell) are back for a six-episode third season thanks to Netflix. They’ve got a new album (“Returnity”) to promote and a comeback tour to plan. You can still catch the first two seasons of the show on Peacock, but beginning March 14th, the first two seasons will stream exclusively on Netflix along with the brand new season. No spoilers here, but the humor of the show remains hilariously intact and the show’s mocking of another popular Netflix show is an utter delight. Girls5Eva isn’t technically a new series, but its second life on Netflix is more than worth jumping on for.
Nolly
Stars: Helena Bonham Carter, Mark Gatiss, Con O’Neil, and Augustus Prew
Premiere Date: March 17th at 9 p.m. on PBS
Helena Bonham Carter stars as the title character Noele “Nolly” Gordon in this three-episode Masterpiece series. During the ‘60s and ‘70s, Nolly was the star of the hit British soap opera Crossroads. When she was suddenly fired from the series in 1981 without any warning, there was an uproar from the show’s devoted fans. Nolly follows the actress during this tumultuous time and sheds light on one of Britain’s biggest TV stars.
Diarra from Detroit
Stars: Diarra Kilpatrick, Morris Chestnut, Phylicia Rashad, DomiNque Perry, Claudia Logan, Bryan Terrell Clark, Shannon Wallace, and Jon Chaffin
Premiere Date: Three episodes premiere March 21st on BET+, then one episode each Thursday until the season finale on April 25th.
Diarra Kilpatrick created, wrote, executive produced, and stars as the title character in this eight-episode dramedy. After her divorce, Diarra is looking to date again. She has an amazing first date with Chris (Shannon Wallace), a man she met on Tinder. When he doesn’t respond to her texts, Diarra refuses to believe she’s being ghosted. Instead, she thinks something has happened to Chris, which launches Diarra and her (somewhat reluctant) friends Moni (Claudia Logan), Mr. Tea (Bryan Terrell Clark), and Aja (DomiNque Perry) into Detroit’s criminal underworld and thrusts them into an old, unsolved mystery.
The Baxters
Stars: Roma Downey, Ted McGinley, Ali Cobrin, Masey McClain, Josh Plasse, Cassidy Gifford, Reilly Anspaugh, Emily Peterson, Brandon Hirsch, and Taylour Paige
Premiere Date: All 10 episodes are available to stream on March 29th on Prime Video
Do you miss 7th Heaven? Prime Video may have just the show for you. Based on the best-selling book series by Karen Kingsbury, the show follows Elizabeth (Roma Downey), John (Ted McGinley), and their five adult children. In the first season, Elizabeth and John’s daughter Kari (Ali Cobrin) faces a crisis in her marriage to Tim (Brandon Hirsch) and must turn to her family for support. There are more than 25 books in the series, so lots of fodder for future seasons. Downey, who serves as an executive producer, optioned the books over a decade ago and the show has been in the works since 2018. It was originally slated for a different streaming platform before Prime Video snapped it up. You can go ahead and get attached to The Baxters: the show has already been picked up for a second and third season.
Amy Amatangelo, the TV Gal®, is a Boston-based freelance writer and a member of the Television Critics Association. She wasn’t allowed to watch much TV as a child and now her parents have to live with this as her career. You can follow her on Twitter (@AmyTVGal).
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