5. “The Get Down”
Synopsis: An all-singing, all-dancing saga about a group of Bronx teens growing up in the nearly bankrupt New York City of the 1970s who become instrumental in shaping the burgeoning hip-hop and disco scenes.
What You Need To Know: We’re still finding glitter in our bra after Baz Luhrmann‘s OTT take on “The Great Gatsby,” but early indicators are that he might have found a more appropriate vehicle for his flashy, maximalist tendencies. This Netflix show, which will run to 13 one-hour-long episodes, stars “Dope” breakout Shameik Moore, Twitter personality Jaden Smith, “Paper Towns” star Justice Smith (no relation), Skylan Brooks from “The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete” and newcomers Herizon F Guardiola and Tremaine Brown Jr alongside veterans Giancarlo Esposito, Jimmy Smits and Yolonda Ross. Taking in the touchpoints of ’70s New York from CBGBs to the Bronx tenements to Studio 54 to the just-built World Trade Center, the show, which was created by Luhrmann who directs throughout, along with “The Shield” showrunner Shawn Ryan, certainly has an explosively diverse and colorful backdrop. Although Luhrmann’s promising some grit as well as glamor this time out, it’s possible we’d be a little more hesitant about this, especially seeing as Martin Scorsese has his own 1970s music scene TV show coming this year. But then we saw the trailer, which is genuinely, goosebump-raisingly good, and if some of the storylines look a little overfamiliar, the vibrancy of the dance scenes and the absolutely ravishing look of the thing has us totally onside.
Release Date: Still no word from Netflix.
4. “Taboo”
Synopsis: In 1813, roguish adventurer James Delaney returns to Britain from America with 14 stolen diamonds in tow, determined to avenge the death of his father.
What You Need To Know: Where do we even start with how exciting this sounds? Maybe with the words “Tom Hardy” and “roguish adventurer.” But it has a whole lot more under the hood — the 8-episode miniseries is penned by Hardy’s “Locke” writer/director Steven Knight (“Eastern Promises,” “Peaky Blinders“), and based on an idea from Hardy and — wait for it — his father, Chips Hardy. Yes, in case you thought that Tom Hardy With Dogs was the event horizon of Hardy lovability, turns out he’s formed a production company with his dad, who is named Chips. Anyway, with Knight touting the show’s institutional adversary, the once-omnipotent East India Company as a combination of“the CIA, the NSA, and the biggest, baddest multinational corporation on earth,” which has already got some historians’ backs up, and with the regular director of the Danish “The Killing,” Krystoffer Nyholm tapped to direct the whole show, this sounds like it could have brains and even maybe a little controversy, as well as brawn and beauty. Produced by Ridley Scott and co-starring “House of Cards” standout Michael Kelly, “Game of Thrones” standout Oona Chaplin and “Tomorrow Never Dies” standout Jonathan Pryce (heh), the only problem here is controlling our jiggling leg till this airs.
Release Date: Filming only began in mid-November, so it could be later in the year before we see it, but when it comes, it will air on BBC1 in the U.K. andFX in the U.S.
3. “One Mississippi”
Synopsis: A darkly comic, semi-autobiographical story of a woman named Tig, coping with her own ill health, returning home to Mississippi following the death of her irrepressible mother Caroline.
What You Need To Know: It may be billed as loosely autobiographical, but anyone who saw the pilot for Tig Notaro‘s “One Mississippi,” which was part of Amazon‘s 2015 pilot Thunderdome thingie, can tell you just how intensely, searingly personal it feels. Also starring ubiquitous character actor John Rothman, with Noah Harpster from “Transparent,” and Casey Wilson from Hulu’s parody sitcom ‘Hotwives,’ it’s probably got a higher profile behind the camera, being co-written by Notaro and Diablo Cody (“Juno,” “The United States of Tara“), exec produced by Louis C.K., with the pilot directed by the great Nicole Holofcener (“Enough Said,” “Friends with Money“). The closest comparison tone-wise is perhaps Amazon’s own “Transparent,” but this also promises to be very much its own thing, with an Observer critic, for example, dubbing it “the most honest TV show” he had ever seen. News only came late in December that the FX co-production had been picked to series up by Amazon, and so details are still a little thin on the ground, but any showcase for Notaro, especially after last year’s slightly disappointing documentary feature “Tig,” (reviewed here), particularly one that plays to her drily intelligent, confessional style of comedy, rides high on our must-watch list.
Release Date: None yet, but as soon as we hear, you hear.
2. “Codes of Conduct”
Synopsis: Beverly Snow, a talented, self-confident young African-American man works his way into the upper echelons of New York society, despite his ambiguous background, testing the limits of access and social mobility.
What You Need To Know: While the wait for the next big-screen outing from the Oscar-nominated director of Best Picture winner “12 Years A Slave“Steve McQueen looks set to continue, he’s got a lot brewing on the small screen. Currently on work on a fascinating-sounding BBC seriesthat won’t arrive till 2017, most likely, first up comes this deeply intriguing six-parter, produced by Russell Simmons for HBO and co-written by McQueen and “World War Z” writer Matthew Michael Carnahan. Starring complete newcomer Devon Terrell, in a part that doesn’t sound totally unlike Will Smith‘s very early role in “Six Degrees of Separation” so, you know, look out for potential impending superstardom, the show boasts a great ensemble too. Paul Dano will play the young entrepreneur who takes Snow under his wing and grants him access to the social elite, Helena Bonham Carterappears as a wealthy socialite and Rebecca Hall will play the privileged eldest child of a New York billionaire and Snow’s possible nemesis. There are heady, potentially very troubling and worthwhile themes at play here and we can’t imagine anyone better suited to tackle them than McQueen, who will be directing all six episodes.
Release Date: Reportedly the show was fast-tracked due to McQueen’s packed schedule, and filming happened way back in late 2014, with HBO picking it up in March 2015. Surprisingly, there’s no date set for it yet, but it must surely be ready by now?
1. “Vinyl”
Synopsis: Richie Finestra, beleaguered president of a record label, tries to save his business and his soul while negotiating the sex, drugs and other pitfalls of the 1970s rock ‘n’ roll scene.
What You Need To Know: Also topping ourlist last year (when it had no title), there was really no doubt that Martin Scorsese‘s “Vinyl,” having now been dated for a 2016 release, would repeat the trick this tie out. But let’s just recap the evidence, shall we? Co-created by Scorsese, his “Boardwalk Empire” collaborator Terence Winter (who writes all 10 episodes) and a certain Mick Jagger, the show will star the superb Bobby Cannavale and the always excellent Olivia Wilde alongside Juno Temple, Max Casella, Ray Romano (!), Andrew Dice Clay and more, with Scorsese himself directing the two-hour pilot and Mark Romanek on board to helm at least one other episode. With all that hype it could seem like something that might disappoint, but the trailers look fucking incredible (ace DP Reed Moranoworked on half the eps), suggesting a show that truly lies at the nexus of Scorsese’s fascination with that era’s music, that has given us documentaries like “Shine a Light” not to mention some of the greatest movie soundtracks of all time, and his brilliance with stories of powerful men teetering between hubris and true greatness. This, of course, means that Martin Scorsese tops both our Most Anticipated 2016 Films listand our Most Anticipated TV Shows. 2016 looks to be a banner year for Scorsese fans, which is, obviously, everyone reading this.
Release Date: HBO, Sunday February 14th. How appropriate — Valentine’s Day, heart emoji etc.
Finally, let us take you through a whole slew of honorable mentions and further shows you can keep an eye out for, over the page.