The 60 Most Anticipated TV Shows Of 2020 - Page 5 of 6

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20. “Mrs. America” (FX)
Synopsis: The true story of the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), and the unexpected backlash led by a conservative woman named Phyllis Schlafly.
What You Need To Know: Cate Blanchett, Uzo Aduba, Rose Byrne, Ari Graynor, Melanie Lynskey, James Marsden, Margo Martindale, Sarah Paulson, John Slattery, Tracey Ullman, Elizabeth Banks, and Niecy Nash. This is just part of the wildly stacked cast of FX/Hulu’s upcoming stranger-than-fiction miniseries run by Dahvi Waller (“Halt and Catch Fire,” “Mad Men”). The casting of Cate Blanchett as Phyllis Schlafly cemented “Mrs. America” as one of the most anticipated shows of 2020 from the get-go, and the ensemble just kept getting better with each subsequent addition. This is just the first of two hotly-anticipated FX political true-story miniseries on the way in 2020 (the other being “American Crime Story: Impeachment” starring Beanie Feldstein and Clive Owen as Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton, respectively).
Airdate: TBD 2020.

19. “Lovecraft Country” (HBO)
Synopsis: After Atticus Black’s father goes missing, he joins up with his friend Letitia and his Uncle George to embark on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America to find him. This begins a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and the malevolent spirits that could be ripped from a Lovecraft paperback.
What You Need To Know: While “Lovecraft Country” might not be on your radar just yet, this horror series from J.J. Abrams, Jordan Peele, and HBO is sure to be one of the most talked-about shows of 2020 once it hits the scene. Based on Matt Ruff’s 2016 novel of the same name, “Lovecraft” will star the likes of Jonathan Majors, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Michael Kenneth Williams, and Tony Goldwyn, and is being run by Misha Green of “Underground.” 2020 is looking to be a big year for HBO, and we have a feeling that “Lovecraft County” will be a big part of that.
Airdate: TBD 2020.

18. “The Third Day” (HBO)
Synopsis: The line between reality and fantasy begins to blur for a man visiting a mysterious Island off the British coast.
What You Need To Know: This Dennis Kelly-written limited series will be presented in six episodes, divided into two distinct halves of three episodes each. The first three episodes will star Jude Law, the second three Naomie Harris. The first half will be directed by Marc Munden (“Utopia”), the second by Philippa Lowthorpe (“The Crown”). While it seems likely that your mileage may vary with a premise this inherently gimmicky and self-indulgent, our curiosity has been successfully piqued. “The Third Day” also has an impressive supporting cast, consisting of Katherine Waterston, Paddy Considine, and Emily Watson.
Airdate: TBD 2020, but footage has already premiered in HBO’s 2020 video preview.

17. “The North Water” (BBC)
Synopsis: Hoping to escape the horrors of his past, a disgraced former Army surgeon — who signs up as a ship doctor on a whaling expedition to the Arctic— instead finds himself on an ill-fated journey with a murderous psychopath and brutish harpooner.
What You Need To Know: Based on Ian McGuire’s 2016 novel of the same name, the BBC’s upcoming four-part adventure series comes from writer-director Andrew Haigh, whose recent “Lean on Pete” was perhaps the most criminally overlooked film of 2018. On that basis alone, “The North Water” is one to keep an eye out for. But “The North Water” also happens to star Colin Farrell, Stephen Graham, and Jack O’Connell, cementing itself as an absolute must-see when it drops.
Airdate: Reportedly late 2020.

16. “Falcon & Winter Soldier” (Disney+)
Synopsis: While the actual plot of Marvel’s first Disney+ series is as yet under wraps, it’s safe to assume that in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” the Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) will fight crime together while quipping back and forth with that humor that has by now become a staple of the MCU.
What You Need To Know: It’s right there in the title, isn’t it? While some superhero fatigue would be very much welcome in 2020, there’s no tangible sign of any on the horizon. As such, we can’t really get around the fact that this inaugural Disney+/MCU show is a pretty big deal. With the recent shuttering of Marvel’s TV division, Marvel mastermind Kevin Feige now has full control over the future of Marvel’s episodic ventures, and there are a lot of people waiting with bated breath to see what this new incarnation of MCUTV is going to look like.
Airdate: Fall on Disney+.

15. “Search Party” Season 3 (HBO Max)
Synopsis: Four self-absorbed 20-somethings come together when a former college acquaintance mysteriously disappears.
What You Need To Know: The Season 2 finale of “Search Party” aired on TBS over two years ago, and there was some doubt the show was going to get renewed. The show, ostensibly a comedy, ended in a very dark place, much closer to thriller and one can argue, it was becoming something much more paranoid and weirder in season two. So it’ll be interesting to see how Michael Showalter and co. plan to bring their audience back up to speed when “Search Party” finally comes back for Season 3, this time upgraded to HBO Max, which is a big sign of confidence for a show that has only a cult following. The aforementioned Shawkat, John Reynolds, Brandon Micheal Hall, and consistent MVPs Meredith Hagner and John Early make up one of the best comedic casts on TV. Here’s hoping that the gap between Seasons 3 (and it’s already been picked up for Season 4 which is another great vote of confidence) is not nearly as egregious as this one.
Airdate: TBD 2020.

14. “Run” (HBO)
Synopsis: A woman living a humdrum existence, gets a text one day inviting her to fulfill a youthful pact, promising true love and self-reinvention, by stepping out of her life to take a journey with her oldest flame.
What You Need To Know: Notwithstanding its uninspired title, “Run” is poised to be HBO’s next comedy breakout. With television-comedy superstar Phoebe Waller-Bridge as executive producer and recurring star, this series is sure to be a major player in the comedy categories come awards season 2020. With series leads like Merritt Wever (coming off a remarkable performance in Netflix’s “Unbelievable”) and Domhnall Gleeson (an oft-overlooked but very fine actor, who deserves acknowledgment for his wildly charismatic turn in Richard Curtis’s underrated “About Time”), “Run” has been on our radar ever since it was ordered to pilot back in April 2018.
Airdate: TBD 2020.

13. “Barry” Season 3 (HBO)
Synopsis: Barry Berkman (or is it Barry Block?) must contend with the fallout of the big revelation in Season 2’s finale (to say anything more would be a spoiler, so we won’t).
What You Need To Know: This show is great. That’s what you need to know. If you aren’t already watching, get on it. Creators Alec Berg and Bill Hader upped their already impressive game in Season 2, and we’re incredibly excited to see how they resolve last season’s cliffhanger. “Barry” is especially notable for having one of the best ensembles on TV, comprised of previous unknowns (Sarah Goldberg, Anthony Carrigan), underrated character actors (Henry Winkler, Stephen Root), and Hader himself in the titular role. Its weird tonal mix of comedy, pathos, and true surreal absurdity make “Barry” a consistently enjoyable presence in our TV-watching lives.
Airdate: Spring 2020.

12. “The Undoing” (HBO)
Synopsis: Weeks before her book is published, a chasm opens in the life of a successful therapist in New York: a violent death, a missing husband, and, in the place of a man she thought she knew, only a chain of terrible revelations.
What You Need To Know: “The Undoing” is the next in a long line of prestige titles coming to HBO in 2020. From showrunner David E. Kelley (“Big Little Lies,” “Ally McBeal”), star Nicole Kidman, and director Susanne Bier (“The Night Manager,” “Bird Box”) this miniseries, which distinctly reminds us of that other David E. Kelley/Nicole Kidman show currently on HBO, is all but guaranteed to make a splash come awards-season 2020. Rounding out the cast are Donald Sutherland, Hugh Grant (so, so good in “A Very English Scandal” a couple years back), and the great child actor Noah Jupe.
Airdate: TBD 2020, but this is a big package and is seemingly meant to fill the “Big Little Lies” gap, so expect a summer premiere.

11. “I Know This Much Is True” (HBO)
Synopsis: A family saga that follows the parallel lives of identical twin brothers Dominick and Thomas Birdsey in an epic story of betrayal, sacrifice, and forgiveness, set against the backdrop of 20th century America.
What You Need To Know: Based on Wally Lamb’s 1998 novel of the same name, HBO’s newest limited series melodrama stars Mark Ruffalo opposite himself as identical twins. This series comes from writer-director Derek Cianfrance of “The Place Beyond the Pines,” “Blue Valentine,” and the slightly underrated “The Light Between Oceans.” It has an impressive supporting cast, including Kathryn Hahn, Juliette Lewis, Melissa Leo, Archie Panjabi, Rosie O’Donnell, Rob Huebel, and “The Nightingale” breakout Aisling Franciosi. But the real draw here will be the dual Ruffalos.
Airdate: TBD 2020, probably by the spring or summer.