LIKELY COMING THIS SUMMER, BUT CURRENTLY WITHOUT RELEASE DATE
“Nine Perfect Strangers”
The prospect of Nicole Kidman playing a new age earth-mother type would be reason enough for many of us to tune into Hulu’s “Nine Perfect Strangers,” even if the forthcoming limited series weren’t also a “Big Little Lies” reunion that sees Kidman once again joining forces with “BLL” author Liane Moriarty and writer David E. Kelley. The setup has a touch of Agatha Christie: “Nine Perfect Strangers” is the story of, yes, nine strangers who sign-up for a ten-day health and wellness retreat, to be overseen by a mysterious healer woman named Masha (Kidman). Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon, Regina King, Melvin Gregg, Grace Van Patten, Bobby Cannavale, and Luke Evans join Kidman.
Premiere Date: TBD on Hulu, but a “coming soon” trailer just hit, so we imagine a July release date.
“What If…?”
By design, “What If…?” muddles the established mythology of the MCU while expanding the parameters for what’s possible within the very same realm. Essentially, it seems as though A.C. Bradley’s show will be allowing itself the necessary leeway to turn Marvel history as the fans know it upside-down, effectively posing the question(s), “And what if this happened with Captain America? And what if this happened to T’Challa?” And so on. Jeffery Wright will serve as the voice of the Watcher, the show’s narrator, with many of the MCU’s bigger names showing up to voice their beloved comic-book counterparts: a group includes Josh Brolin as Thanos, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Karen Gillan as Nebula, and plenty more!
Premiere Date: TBD on Disney+. This feels like a mid-July or early August release, given it has to land between “Black Widow” and “Shang Chi.”
“Pam And Tommy“
Sebastian Stan as bad boy rock drummer Tommy Lee from Motley Crew and Lily James as his ’90s paramour and bombshell actress, Pamela Anderson and a comedic limited series about the true story behind the release of the first-ever viral video in history — their infamous sex tape? Uhh, yes, please! The series co-stars Seth Rogen — his Point Grey Pictures shingle is behind the show — Nick Offerman, Taylor Schilling, Andrew Dice Clay, Pepi Sonuga, Spencer Granese, and Mozhan Marnò. Filmmaker Craig Gillespie (“I Tonya,” “Cruella”) directs the entire run, and Rob Siegel (“Big Fan“) and DV DeVincentis (“Grosse Point Blank“) are writing.
Premiere Date: TBD on Hulu.
“Stranger Things” (Season 4)
Listen, there’s no denying that when the ’80s-fueled, Amblin-era nostalgia juice of “Stranger Things” is firing on all cylinders, it offers a pleasurable hit of bubblegum pop pleasure. An upcoming slate of set photos alluded to some dark proverbial storm clouds hovering over Hawkins High in this forthcoming season. After the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach taken in Season 3, it seems as though truly anything could happen in this new chapter of the Duffer Brothers’ lucratively popular sci-fi show. A teaser trailer just arrived today; however, Netflix said the series is still in production today, so it is possible we have to wait until later in the year.
Premiere Date: TBD on Netflix.
“Ozark” (Season 4)
The brutal paradox of “Ozark” has always been that the worse that things get for the Byrdes – an upwardly mobile family living under the oppressive thumb of a criminal cartel, with their morally slippery patriarch Marty (Jason Bateman, just the best) and wife Wendy (Laura Linney, playing Lady Macbeth as a modern-day Karen) largely to blame – the better things get for the show’s audience. Each subsequent chapter of “Ozark” has been grislier and more gripping than the one that preceded it. We still have no real updates as to when we might see the return of the Byrdes, but given that Netflix has a ton on its plate for the back half of 2021, with the return of buzzy shows like “You” and “The Witcher” and huge movies like “Red Notice” and “Don’t Look Up,” the prospect of new “Ozark” in 2021 remains a fairly realistic one.
Premiere Date: TBD on Netflix, and yes, this one may hit in the fall.
More Likely To Come/Wish List Items:
Look, the way TV schedules work; many of those might not be announced until about six weeks ahead of release or left, which means there could be much more coming in July and certainly August. Some things that could arrive, Netflix could give us a fourth season of “Atypical,” with Jennifer Jason Leigh, Keir Gilchrist, and Michael Rapaport, or Season 2 of “Never Have I Ever” from producer Mindy Kaling and star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan. A trailer for Lior Raz‘s new thriller series, “Hit & Run,” recently hit, so that should probably arrive soon. Maybe “Dear White People” Season 4, if we’re lucky?
Could FX on Hulu give us the long-awaited “The Old Man” with Jeff Bridges (knocking on wood, he is cancer-free and ok)? “Succession” Season 3 seems to be still shooting and adding cast members, so that may have to wait for the fall or end of the year. Other wish list items include “Peaky Blinders” (Season 6), HBO Max’s “Tokyo Vice” from director Michael Mann, Apple TV+’s ambitious and costly-looking sci-fi series “Foundation,” HBO Max‘s “Gossip Girl” reboot, the fifth and final season of “Insecure,” and the second season of “Tuca & Bertie” now on Adult Swim. Keep your eyes peeled because many more updates could come through the summer.