“Tulsa King” (Paramount+)
Sylvester Stallone makes his TV debut, believe it or not, with the king of testosterone-driven drama of the modern era in the latest from the increasingly prolific Taylor Sheridan. The creator of “Yellowstone” created this one with another legend, Terence Winter, a vet of “The Sopranos” and “Boardwalk Empire,” among many others. Sly plays a Mafia boss who went to prison and ends up in Tulsa when he’s released, where he returns to some of his criminal ways. Sounds promising.
Premiere Date: November 13 on Paramount+. – BT
“Welcome to Chippendales” (Hulu)
This one could be one of the most unpredictable dramas of the season, given the crazy story that it’s going to tell. Kumail Nanjiani stars as Somen ‘Steve’ Banerjee, the man who founded the legendary adult entertainment operation known as Chippendales. Nanjiani is joined by the wonderful Murray Bartlett (“The White Lotus”), Dan Stevens, and Juliette Lewis. A brief perusal of the facts around the life of Banerjee reveals more than one criminal charge—he eventually pleaded guilty to attempted arson, racketeering, and murder for hire. That’s a great foundation for a TV show.
Premiere Date: November 22 – BT
“Willow” (Disney+)
A fantasy series serving as a sequel to 1988’s “Willow,” the continuation centers on a princess who assembles a party to join her on her quest to rescue her twin brother. Warwick Davis returns as the Nelwyn dwarf sorcerer Willow Ufgood, and the cast includes Erin Kellyman, Ellie Bamber, Tony Revolori, Ruby Cruz, Amer Chadha-Patel, and more. Jonathan Kasdan developed the series and Stephen Woolfenden directs the pilot.
Premiere Date: November 30 – RP
“1923” (Paramount+)
Taylor Sheridan probably has a wing named after him in the Paramount building. Not only do shows like “Yellowstone” help pay the bills, but he has a number of other projects and spin-offs in the works for the streaming branch of the company. “1883” has done well as the first spin-off and this prequel will jump forward four decades and turn up the star power with legends Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford! Little is known about the plot of “1923,” but the draw of Mirren and Ford alone should get people to take a look.
Premiere Date: December – BT
“The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” (Disney+)
Here’s the second original MCU standalone special of the year after the Halloween one in October. This one boasts an even higher pedigree given it was created, written, and directed by the singular James Gunn. The director of the “Guardians” films, including a third volume dropping in May 2023, even talked his A-list cast into doing the special—and it was filmed in the middle of the production of the movie earlier this year. Note: This will apparently be canon in the MCU and takes place after “Thor: Love and Thunder,” so it likely will have at least some impact on connecting the last time the Guardians were seen in “Avengers: Endgame” and the new film.
Premiere Date: December – BT
“Copenhagen Cowboy” (Netflix)
Apparently, Netflix learned nothing from the fallout over “Too Old to Die Young” over at Prime Video, which reportedly led to the firing of everyone involved in its production. Once again, enfant terrible Nicolas Winding Refn (“Drive”) is returning to limited series television with another neo-noir series, although this one doesn’t have the same star power. Angela Bundalovic is the star of this tale of the criminal underworld in Copenhagen that is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival in just a few days. More will be known about it then and it seems likely that Netflix will drop it on their service before the end of the year if the buzz is even moderately decent.
Premiere Date: TBA, but it does premiere in Venice. – BT
“George & Tammy” (Paramount+)
A limited series drama about the tempestuous marriage between famous country singers George Jones and Tammy Wynette, this premise alone, probably sounds deeply intriguing. This is why it’s attracted top-notch talent, Jessica Chastain as Wynette and Michael Shannon as Jones, a re-pairing of the duo who played husband and wife in “Take Shelter.” What’s more, John Hillcoat (“The Road“) directs the entire six episodes. Steve Zahn and Walton Goggins co-star. This has been a pet project of Chastain’s for years (Josh Brolin was originally set to star).
Airdate: TBA – RP
“Dead Ringers” (Prime Video)
A modern update of David Cronenberg’s classic horror/ thriller about twin brother gynecologists who abuse patients and women’s inability to tell them apart, this one takes the unethical medical spin in a new direction. Rachel Weisz stars as the twin doctors who will do whatever it takes, including pushing the boundaries on medical ethics in an effort to challenge antiquated practices and bring women’s healthcare to the forefront. Jennifer Ehle, Emily Meade, Michael Chernus, Poppy Liu, Britne Oldford, and Jeremy Shamos co-star.
Premiere Date: TBA – RP
“Disclaimer” (Apple TV+)
Starring Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline, this upcoming series will be written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón (“Roma”) who will write, direct, and executive produce all episodes of the series. “Disclaimer” centers on a TV documentary journalist Catherine Ravenscroft, and a widower who publishes a book revealing Ravenscroft’s secrets. That’s about all we know. Given Cuaron’s propensity to take his time with projects, there’s a good chance this gets pushed to 2023 (or even further) but it was filming this summer, so a drop before the end of the year isn’t out of the question.
Airdate: TBA – BT
“The English” (Prime Video)
Writer/producer/director Hugo Blick, the multi-award-winning creator behind 2014’s political spy thriller “The Honorable Woman” featuring Maggie Gyllenhaal, returns with a new mini-series, “The English” that’s attracted some top tier talent. His latest is a Western drama, a BBC One/Amazon co-production, about an Englishwoman who arrives in the West in 1890 looking for revenge on the man she sees as responsible for the death of her son. Emily Blunt stars alongside Rafe Spall, Toby Jones, Chaske Spencer, Tom Hughes, Stephen Rea, Nicholas Aaron, Ciarán Hinds, and more.
Airdate: TBA – BT
