Now it’s time for TV. Back at the start of December, we ran down the 100 films that we’re most looking forward to across 2018, and we picked out some festival favorites that we’ve already seen and know are worth checking out too. But even with 250 hours worth or so of promising art and entertainment, that barely scratches the surface of what people will be talking about in terms of moving images, because, well, we don’t know if you heard, but TV’s gotten really good.
The boom in quality television over the last five years or so shows no sign of letting up: barely a day passes without an A-list filmmaker or star attaching themselves to a serialized project, and it’s estimated that well over 500 scripted series will air across 2018, and that’s with giants like Apple and Facebook yet to step into the market (but making big plans to do so).
It’s, frankly, a little intimidating to wade through everything, so to help you, we’ve picked out the 50 shows we’re most excited to see across the rest of the year. For the first time, we’re combining new and returning series previews, so you’ll see a mix of both across the list below (though a number of heavy-hitters, including “Game Of Thrones” and “Stranger Things,” are sitting 2018 out altogether, so don’t freak out if you don’t see them).
Take a look at our list below, and make sure you have a comfortable couch because you’re going to be sitting on it a lot this year.
50. “Daredevil” Season 3 (Netflix)
Synopsis: Further adventures of Hell’s Kitchen’s favorite blind attorney/crimefighter.
What You Need To Know: It’s tough to cast your mind back six Netflix/Marvel series or so, but when “Daredevil” hit at first, it was pretty promising. It had some of the issues that exacerbated over time with the franchises — under-plotting and under-pacing, an overly grim tone, some wonky acting — but it did a lot right, and had a real doozy of villain in the shape of Vincent D’Onofrio‘s Wilson Fisk, aka The Kingpin. Season 2 was a disappointment and the less said about team-up show “The Defenders” the better, but we’re hopeful that Season 3 can get things back on track. Details mostly remain under wraps, but the story will apparently be taking cues from the “Born Again” plotline, one of the comic’s most acclaimed storylines, and D’Onofrio will be returning in a big way, which is promising. And Erik Oleson, who used to showrun CW’s well-liked “Arrow” series, is taking over, which is probably a change for the better. “The Punisher” certainly looked to get the Netflix Marvelverse back on track a little: hopefully that continues here.
Airdate: Probably the summer.
49. “The Terror” (AMC)
Synopsis: In 1847, two ships attempting to travel through the Arctic become trapped in the ice: but something much worse, and supernatural, is out there than just the cold…
What You Need To Know: There’s a serious horror boom on the big screen at the minute, but not quite so much on TV so far: “American Horror Story” and “The Walking Dead” remain big hits but feel increasingly tired, “Stranger Things” is only a bit horror, and things like “The Strain” proved ultimately disappointing. Could this adaptation of Dan Simmons’ acclaimed novel be the next big thing? The premise — an Arctic-style expedition tormented by threats both supernatural and evil — is irresistible in a sort of Shackleton-meets-“The Thing” kind of way, and the creative team is intriguing, with “A Bigger Splash” and “Suspiria” remake writer David Kajganich co-showrunning with ex-“Under The Dome” writer Soo Hung, and Ridley Scott producing. Expect a parade of reliably watchable British character actors in front of camera, with Jared Harris, Ciaran Hinds and Tobias Menzies all featuring.
Airdate: Kicks off on AMC from March 26th.
48. “Legion” (FX)
Synopsis: He might have begun to reclaim his sanity, but superpowered mutant David Haller’s battle against the Shadow King is only just beginning, not least because he’s been miniaturized…
What You Need To Know: Throw a rock and you’ll hit a superhero series at the minute, and most of them are pretty interchangeable. So love it or hate it (and there are people on staff in both categories), one at least has to be thankful for the bonkers distinctiveness of Noah Hawley’s X-Men spin-off “Legion,” which looks, and for the most part acts, like no other superpowered show, from big bold visual choices to full-on musical numbers. The Season 1 finale wasn’t messing around when it came to the status quo, but fingers crossed we’ll still be seeing plenty more of Aubrey Plaza’s Lenny regardless, and most other surviving cast members should be returning, while Navid Negahban from “Homeland” joins the cast as the villainous Shadow King, who’ll apparently be finding his own body at last.
Airdate: Sometime in April.
47. “The Looming Tower” (Hulu)
Synopsis: The story of the rise of Al-Qaeda in the 1990s, and how the rivalry between the FBI and the CIA may have caused failures that enabled the 9/11 attacks to take place.
What You Need To Know: After a few years of struggling slightly in the wilderness, 2017 was the year that Hulu really marked that flag on the streaming-service map thanks to the critical raves and awards given to their excellent “Handmaid’s Tale” adaptation. They’ve got big plans for the coming year, and one of them comes with this prestige-laden miniseries that looks to capture, for the first time on film, the lead up to 9/11 and the intelligence failures that helped lead to it. Based on Lawrence Wright’s book, adapted by showrunner Dan Futterman (of “Capote” and “Foxcatcher” fame), with playwright Adam Rapp also among the writers, and Alex Gibney producing, there are some very weighty names involved with the appropriately weighty subject. And the cast is just as high-caliber: Tahar Rahim as Lebanese-American FBI agent Ali Soufan, plus Jeff Daniels, Peter Sarsgaard, Wrenn Schmidt, Alec Baldwin and the happily omnipresent duo of Michael Stuhlbarg and Bill Camp. Footage so far looks promising too.
Airdate: February 28th on Hulu.
46. “Britannia” (Amazon)
Synopsis: In the year 43, the Romans arrive in the British Isles, but might find more than they bargained for with Celtic warriors, druids and more.
What You Need To Know: Even with “Game Of Thrones” being such a hit, it’s hard for big violent period epics without any dragons to make a splash: shows like “Vikings” and “Knightfall” do pretty well on more obscure cable networks without really impacting the pop culture at large. But “Britannia” looks like it could be the exception. A co-production between Sky and Amazon, the show’s created by genius playwright and “Edge Of Tomorrow” co-writer Jez Butterworth with his brother John Henry, and looks to tap into the same kind of sense of British magic and mythology as his staggeringly good play “Jerusalem.” The visuals appear striking. It seems to have a swagger and attitude that’s rare for period drama, and the cast — led by David Morrissey, Kelly Reilly and Mackenzie Crook — is strong. In a year without new “Game Of Thrones,” this could be well placed to really take off.
Airdate: Airs from January 18th in the UK: Amazon have it in the rest of the world but haven’t set a date yet.
45. “Silicon Valley” Season 5 (HBO)
Synopsis: The Pied Piper crew continue their quest to build a new internet as Richard goes to war with Gavin Belson once again.
What You Need To Know: Eyebrows were raised at the end of the last season of “Silicon Valley,” when T.J. Miller, in many ways the show’s breakout comic star, revealed he was leaving the beloved HBO comedy, burning a few bridges on his way out the door in the process. But it was for the best, both because Miller’s character had rather outstayed his welcome and comic usefulness in the series, and because of the recent allegations about Miller’s past sexual behavior that likely would have tainted the series going forward. With him out the door, this looks like business as usual for Mike Judge’s show, but given that the show’s one of the most consistently excellent comedies of recent years, and if anything has improved year-on-year, that can only be a good thing.
Airdate: Beginning March 25th on HBO (paired with “Barry” rather than “Veep,” which had its final season sadly delayed due to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ cancer treatment: hopefully it won’t be long before she’s back to full health and the show’s before cameras again).
44.“Transparent” Season 5 (Amazon)
Synopsis: The continuing story, aftermath and evolution of a Los Angeles family and their lives following the discovery that the person they knew as their father Mort (Jeffrey Tambor) is transgender
What You Need To Know: Allegations Of sexual harassment and assault consumed Hollywood in the last half of 2017 and the casualties were everywhere. Perhaps one surprising, alleged perpetrator was Jeffrey Tambor from the enlightened “Transparent” show from creator Jill Soloway. Charged with bad behavior and harassing transgender actors on the show, Tambor quit the show in a fit of anger over social media. But, before that in the middle of the storm, Soloway and her writers were weighing the possibility of writing Tambor’s character — the lead and the one that put the story into motion and even existence when she shocked her family by transitioning — out of the show. It would be a huge task. The very impetus of the show was about a father, who late in life, transitioned and rocked a family’s world. What would it be without that center? Regardless, while Tambor claimed he had quit, contracts said otherwise, which suggested the showrunners only wanted him back to find out a way to organically write him out of the show. “Transparent,” now going into its fifth and possibly final season, has greatly dipped in quality after it’s critically acclaimed (and quite amazing) first two seasons, but curiosity will be a huge factor here that will wake up to the show again. What will they do with Maura Pfefferman?
Release Date: TBD, and we’d assume late in the year so “Transparent” has time how to figure out how to move forward. 2018 is admittedly something of a question mark.
43. “The Haunting Of Hill House” (Netflix)
Synopsis: A supernatural investigator hires a house reputed to be haunted, and invites a number of people with past experience of paranormal events to stay there with him.
What You Need To Know: He’s not yet had an “It”-style breakout hit, but horror fans have very much learned in the last few years that Mike Flanagan is one of the genre’s most promising names: films like “Oculus,” “Hush,” “Before I Wake,” “Ouija: Origin Of Evil” and “Gerald’s Game” have all been unpromising on the surface, but have worked rather brilliantly on paper. Netflix are certainly fans, having backed a number of his previous projects, and now he’s working on his first TV show for them, an adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s beloved novel previously filmed by Robert Wise and, uh, Jan De Bont. The ten-hour duration should ensure that this stands apart from those versions (hopefully for the better…), and Flanagan and producers Amblin have assembled a solid cast with Michiel Huisman, Carla Gugino, Timothy Hutton, Henry Thomas and Elizabeth Reaser headlining. This could prove one of the surprises of the year.
Airdate: Nothing firm, but with filming underway late last year, and a “Stranger Things”-sized hole to fill, this could be headed for the October/Halloween slot.
42. “BoJack Horseman” Season 5
Synopsis: The fifth season of everyone’s favorite trainwreck of a faded sitcom star who is also a horse.
What You Need To Know: Despite the best efforts of “Mindhunter,” “Alias Grace,” “Godless” and more, the best show on Netflix remains “BoJack Horseman,” a shockingly moving and rich drama disguised (and also being) a very silly comedy about animals in Hollywood. Season 4 maybe wasn’t as consistently sublime as its predecessor, but it hit some giddy heights at its very best, doing things that no other show on TV is really capable of at this point. As is the case in general with the show, we likely won’t know much about it until its return is imminent, but expect some AAA guest stars, puns, melancholy, and a status update on Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter’s marriage, but we’re most intrigued to see where the titular hero goes after an atypically upbeat ending of Season 4 for him.
Airdate: Probably late summer again, maybe a little later.
41. “American Vandal” (Netflix)
Synopsis: Hanover High School documentarians Peter Maldonado and Sam Ecklund return to investigate another crime in another school.
What You Need To Know: The word-of-mouth benefits of always-there streaming shows mean that it’s perhaps more conducive to word-of-mouth hits than traditional broadcast TV, as the success of shows like “Stranger Things” and “Orange Is The New Black” has already proven. This year, Netflix’s stealth hit was “American Vandal,” a star-free, lowish-budget true-crime documentary parody that turned out to be utterly brilliant. Its glowing critical reception and buzzy nature meant a second season was swiftly commissioned, and creators Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault have indicated that it might explore some different true-crime tropes, and will definitely have a different setting, with Season 1 subject Dylan Maxwell unlikely to be featured much. A shake-up sounds like a good idea, and after the first run, we definitely have faith that they can do something special with it.
Airdate: Early fall is likely.
