The Most Anticipated TV Shows of 2024
Photos Courtesy of ABC, FX, Prime Video, and Max TV Lists What to Watch
Now that we have sufficiently reflected back on the weird, wonderful, and tumultuous year TV had in 2023, it’s time to look ahead to all the best shows we can expect in 2024. In the aftermath of the writers’ and actors’ strikes over the summer, numerous shows have found themselves pushed to 2024 from their original airdates, and many of TV’s most popular staples will thankfully return after longer-the-usual hiatuses. From new shows to returning favorites, we’ve rounded up the shows we’re most looking forward to in the new year—featuring the most must-watch series you don’t want to miss.
Echo
Network: Disney+
Premiere Date: January 10
Status: New Series
Given the sheer volume of MCU shows and movies over the last few years, it’s hard to blame anyone who feels overcome by Marvel fatigue. However, even as someone admittedly worn down by this barrage of spandex-clad crusaders, Echo seems like it could offer something different. It’s the first project under the new “Marvel Spotlight” brand, which apparently aims to tell more grounded one-off stories that aren’t as tightly coupled to an overarching cinematic universe. The series follows Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox), a deaf indigenous woman attempting to reconnect with her community, as she grapples with her violent past and ties to the crime boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio). It’s a rare Disney property to receive a TV-MA rating, and while being more graphic obviously doesn’t automatically make a story more compelling, the trailer indicates that Maya’s struggles against her simmering rage and tendency to solve problems with violence could be a central conflict that makes smart use of this mature content. —Elijah Gonzalez
True Detective: Night Country
Network: HBO (Streaming on Max)
Premiere Date: January 14
Status: Returning Series
It will have been 5 years since the last installment of HBO’s True Detective once the new one airs, but that doesn’t mean fans have forgotten about the thrilling crime series. This new season stars Jodie Foster and Keli Reis as two small town Alaskan detectives. Like the first installment, opposites unwillingly attract, as the two are forced to put their heads together to uncover the mysterious disappearance of eight missing researchers. The first trailer hints at the return of the occult and almost supernatural aspects that graced the first (and best) season of the series, and we can only hope that this installment will deliver. This is the first season not to be written by Nic Pizzolatto, who turned over writing and showrunning duties to Issa López. López is best known for directing 2017’s Tigers Are Not Afraid, so a darker take on True Detective might be awaiting us. —Kaiya Shunyata
Expats
Network: Prime Video
Premiere Date: January 26
Status: New Series
While we haven’t received a trailer for Expats, an adaptation of Janice Y. K. Lee’s 2016 novel The Expatriates, we do know that the six-episode limited series is coming to Prime Video and that it’s being written and directed by Lulu Wang. It’s set in Hong Kong in 2014 and follows three American women who cross paths after a tragedy, played by Nicole Kidman, Ji-young Yoo, and Sarayu Blue, respectively. Wang’s involvement is one of the most exciting aspects of this project, as she helmed the excellent film The Farewell, a sharply written dramedy that thoughtfully explored a moral dilemma brought on by cultural differences between a young Chinese-American woman and the rest of her family. Hopefully, Expats will prove similarly incisive. —Elijah Gonzalez
Masters of the Air
Network: Apple TV+
Premiere Date: January 26
Status: Limited Series
Masters of the Air is a World War II miniseries that’s being billed as a companion piece to Band of Brothers and The Pacific, a connection evident with Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks returning as producers. As implied by its title, the series follows members of the Air Force, specifically the 100th Bombardment Group, who were nicknamed the “Bloody Hundredth” due to the dangerous missions they were assigned during the war. The show reportedly cost north of $200 million to produce, and this hefty price tag comes across in grandiose dogfights shown in its trailer. With some exciting names attached, such as director Cary Fukunaga of True Detective fame, it will be interesting to see if this war drama can live up to the reputation of the acclaimed properties that precede it and appropriately capture the mass tragedy of this conflict. —Elijah Gonzalez
Abbott Elementary Season 3
Network: ABC
Premiere Date: February 7
Status: Returning Series
After being removed from the fall 2023 season due to the strikes, ABC’s smash-hit is finally returning to our screens in 2024. Abbott Elementary is a comfort watch in every sense of the term, and the fall TV season was bleak without it. Now that the series is back, we can’t wait to see just what kinds of school yard shenanigans our favorite teachers (and unqualified principal) get into this year. It’s been a joy to watch this series blossom over the course of its short run so far, and even though this season will return with less episodes than usual, there is still so much to look forward to from its next outing. —Anna Govert
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Network: Netflix
Premiere Date: February 22
Status: New Series
In a time of reboots and remakes, a streaming service trying their hand at an Avatar: The Last Airbender live action adaptation has been iminent. The upcoming Netflix series has thankfully cast an age and culturally-appropriate group of actors to play these iconic characters, which leads me to believe that there was a certain amount of care taken here when adapting such an iconic work of art. The series will follow Aang (Gordon Cormier), a young Avatar who, with the help of his friends, must stop the invasion of the famed and feared Fire Nation. To do so, he will have to learn to master the elements of water, earth, fire, and air, proving himself as an Avatar. We can only hope Netflix’s turn is better than the unfortunate flop that was M. Night Shyamalan’s film adaptation. Hopefully, with more episodes and a bigger budget, this new version is able to live up to its animated predecessor. —Kaiya Shunyata
Shōgun
Network: FX
Premiere Date: February 27
Status: New Series
Based on James Clavell’s novel of the same name, FX’s upcoming Shōgun miniseries will be the second time the book makes its way to the small screen. Set in early 17th century Japan, it follows the English sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) as he witnesses the rise of daimyo Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) during a time of political upheaval. While fictionalized, the story is based on the real-world final days of the Sengoku period, and thanks to its depictions of these events, the novel became a best-seller that stoked worldwide interest in Japanese history. If its trailer is any indication, the series seems like it will have impressive costuming and production value that will hopefully be able to bring this period to life. —Elijah Gonzalez
The Regime
Network: HBO
Premiere Date: March 3
Status: New Series
The Regime is an upcoming miniseries helmed by Succession and The Menu writer Will Tracey which follows a fictionalized authoritarian government. Kate Winslet plays the head of state, a chancellor who commands fear and obedience from her subjects. In an effort to consolidate power, she taps a relatively-unknown military officer to be her new enforcer and chief sycophant. While the trailer is unsurprisingly quite tense given the subject matter, it also hints at undercurrents of humor as it pokes fun at this type of extreme political circumstance where a thinly-veiled farce must be maintained at all times to ensure your head isn’t separated from your shoulders. It’s only slated for six episodes, but hopefully this will be enough time to set these despots up for their seemingly-inevitable downfall. —Elijah Gonzalez
Palm Royale
Network: Apple TV+
Premiere Date: March 20
Status: New Series
Apple TV+’s Palm Royale, based on the novel “Mr. and Mrs. American Pie” by Juliet McDaniel, is another addition to the streamer’s stacked comedy line-up. Starring Kristen Wiig as the ambitious Maxine, the series follows our lead character as she attempts to break into the upper echelon of Palm Beach society. As the series questions just how much of your soul is worth sacrificing for status, wealth, and material possessions, the 1969 setting and the stacked cast (including Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Carol Burnett, and many more) make for a perfect storm of total watchability wrapped in Apple TV+’s distinct brand of effortless prestige. —Anna Govert
Apples Never Fall
Network: Peacock
Premiere Date: March 2024
Status: New Series
Apples Never Fall is sure to be one of 2024’s most twisty series, promising high stakes and psychological thrills in its first season. The series follows former tennis coaches Joy (Annette Benning) and Stan (Sam Neill) as they attempt to settle blissfully into retirement after selling their successful tennis academy. However, the quality time they aim to spend with their four adult children (played by Allison Brie, Jake Lacy, Conor Merrigan-Turner, and Essie Randles) gets cut short when a wounded young woman turns up on their doorstep and changes the course of their lives forever. When Joy goes missing, it’s up to the rest of the family to put the pieces together, diving into Joy and Stan’s former lives, their history in the tennis world, and the secrets that have torn their family apart. —Anna Govert
Fallout
Network: Prime Video
Premiere Date: April 12
Status: New Series
The videogame adaptation TV boom continues with a live-action spin on the post-apocalyptic RPG Fallout. We’ve already been given a first peek at the series’ iconic Wasteland, as Lucy (Ella Purnell), a Vault Dweller, ventures from her subterranean home into an irradiated desert full of power-suit-wearing techno-fascists and a Ghoul cowboy (Walter Goggins). It will be interesting to see if the show can tap into the sardonic Cold War-era satire that the games are known for, but so far, its song selections and the fulfillment of the franchise’s retrofuturistic look seem to fit the bill. Showrunning duties will be handled by Geneva Robertson-Dworet, who co-wrote Captain Marvel, and Graham Wagner, with contributions from Westworld co-creators Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan. —Elijah Gonzalez
Arcane Season 2
Network: Netflix
Premiere Date: November 2024
Status: Returning Series
Making its mark as one of TV’s greatest animated series with just its first season, Netflix’s League of Legends adaptation, Arcane, is slated to make its long-awaited return after three years. Defined by its ambitious, gorgeous animation and incredible character work, Arcane has been sorely missed since it first debuted in 2021—especially after that jaw-dropping cliffhanger. It will be a true delight to return to this gritty world and catch up with Vi (Hailee Steinfeld), Caitlyn (Katie Leung), and Jinx (Ella Purnell) when the series returns. —Anna Govert
Pretty Little Liars: Summer School
Network: Max
Premiere Date: TBD
Status: Returning Series
The first season of this Max original spinoff of Freeform’s Pretty Little Liars was undeniably the best teen drama to come out of a particularly stacked 2022 TV season. Now, two years and many shake-ups within its genre later, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Lindsay Calhoon Bring’s Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin is coming back with a new name (now Summer School) and new mysteries to unfold. Following the first season, which ended on a massive “A”-related cliff-hanger, the second season is sure to bring just as many twists and turns for our favorite Liars, alongside a few familiar faces from the original series. This season is sure to be A-mazing. —Anna Govert
The Bear Season 3
Network: FX/Hulu
Premiere Date: TBD
Status: Returning Series
The second season of The Bear was one of the best runs of TV in recent memory, so it comes as little surprise that fans of the series are hungry for more of our favorite dysfunctional Chicagoans. While the previous stretch mostly took place outside of the kitchen as Sydney (Ayo Ebediri), Carmy, (Jeremy Allen White), and the rest of the crew struggled to open their new restaurant, with its debut in the books, we can likely expect many more frantic back of house happenings in the near future. The show doesn’t have an exact return date yet, as it was just renewed in November, but it’s apparently slated to start filming again in late February or early March. Here’s hoping it serves up an equally moving medley of obsession, trauma, and the quest for purpose. —Elijah Gonzalez
The Sex Lives of College Girls Season 3
Network: Max
Premiere Date: TBD
Status: Returning Series
Despite the fact that Reneé Rapp’s scene-stealing Leighton will be exiting the series mid-way through its third season, there is still so much to look forward to from The Sex Lives of College Girls’ return. After the massive cliffhangers at the end of the second season (which left the roomies’ futures at Essex uncertain at best and teetering on disaster at worst), it seems like the series is keen to lean further into the drama this season than ever before—all while still delivering some of the best laughs on TV today. While the series will certainly never be the same after Rapp’s exit (a much more devastating loss than Gavin Leatherwood after Season 1—seriously, what is it with the Murray family departing this show?), here’s hoping Sex Lives can remain as charming and delightful as it’s always been as it tries to find steady footing with one of its central pillars missing. —Anna Govert
The Penguin
Network: Max
Premiere Date: TBD
Status: New Series
Spinning out from Matt Reeves’ The Batman comes The Penguin, which follows Colin Farell’s Oswald Cobblepot as he attempts to take control of Gotham’s seedy underworld after the events of the film. Not much is known about this series beyond its DCU connections and its basic premise, but after the compelling and outsized performance Farell put on in The Batman, this series is a must-watch. Getting to step further into the dark and mysterious world of Reeves’ rendition of Gotham is a true treat as we await the sequel to the original film, especially with this twisted and often underserved character at its center. —Anna Govert
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