10. “Masters Of The Air” (AppleTV+)
It’s been a long minute waiting for this World War II miniseries based on the U.S. Army Air Forces. Produced by Playtone, which also made its precursors “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific,” this story will clearly feature similar sensibilities, but via stories told in the air. Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Barry Keoghan, Fionn O’Shea, Anthony Boyle, Nate Mann, and Raff Law are among the many names. Cary Fukunaga is one of the A-list directors on board (though we do wonder how his 2023 scandal hurts this project), and additional filmmakers include Dee Rees, Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, and Tim Van Patten (“Boardwalk Empire”).
Airdate: TBD, via AppleTV+. – RP
9. “Justified: City Primeval” (FX)
Raylan Givens is back! The critically beloved “Justified” rode off into the sunset way back in 2015, but showrunners Dave Andron and Michael Dinner have resurrected it for a mini-series that will reportedly be based on the Elmore Leonard novel “City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit”. And, don’t worry, Timothy Olyphant will put on that cowboy hat again, apparently chasing a criminal named The Oklahoma Wildman, played by Boyd Holbrook. Aunjanue Ellis, Adelaide Clemens, Vondie Curtis Hall, and Marin Ireland co-star.
Airdate: TBD – BT
8. “Ahsoka” (Disney+)
Like Marvel, “Star Wars” is becoming super-connected in its storytelling, thanks to Filoni and Favreau. Already introduced in “The Mandalorian,” ex-Jedi Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), Anakin Skywalker’s former Padawan from the animated ‘Clone Wars’ series, gets her own spinoff. And it’s basically a live-action sequel to the “Star Wars Rebels” series, essentially searching for Thrawn, the Imperial Grand Admiral who knows the whereabouts of lost Jedi Ezra Bridgers (Eman Esfandi). Several ‘Rebels’ characters will appear, Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, the droid Chopper, plus Hayden Christensen as Anakin (likely in flashbacks), and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ivanna Sakhno, and Ray Stevenson in undisclosed roles.
Airdate: TBD, but probably summer or early fall. – RP
7. “The Sympathizer” (HBO)
South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook, Robert Downey Jr., and Canadian actor/filmmaker Don McKellar is a pretty stellar trio, no? Park and McKellar are co-showrunners, and Park will direct the series, an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his resulting exile in the United States. Downey Jr. plays multiple antagonist characters, all of whom represent a different arm of the American establishment. The main cast is Hoa Xuande (“Cowboy Bebop”), Fred Nguyen Khan (“Transplant”), Toan Le, Vy Le, and Alan Trong (“The Tomorrow War”), all of Vietnamese descent,
Airdate: TBD, via A24 and HBO, but it might be late in the year. – RP
6. “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.
Airdate: TBD 2023. – RP
5. “Retreat” (FX)
Fans of “The OA” will be somewhat happy. While that beloved cult show was canceled, its creators Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij return with a new series. A limited series mystery drama set at FX, “Retreat” follows an amateur Gen Z sleuth as she attempts to solve a murder at a secluded billionaire’s retreat. The show stars Emma Corrin as the sleuth, Clive Owen as the billionaire, and the cast includes Marling, Harris Dickinson, Alice Braga, Joan Chen, Jermaine Fowler, Louis Cancelmi, and more.
Airdate: TBD – RP
4. “True Detective: Night Country” (HBO)
Creator/writer Nic Pizzolatto abandoned “True Detective” to do other things, and his treatments for Season 4 were apparently rejected. The good news: executive producer Barry Jenkins and Mexican writer-director Issa López (“Tigers Are Not Afraid”) have taken over, so the series should be in good hands. Set in Alaska, the plot centers on the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station who vanish without a trace. Detectives on the case are Jodie Foster and Kali Reis, who must confront their pasts and the dark truths lying underneath the Arctic ice. John Hawkes, Christopher Eccleston, Fiona Shaw, Finn Bennett, and Anna Lambe co-star.
Airdate: Hopefully, by end of 2023. – RP
3. “The Curse” (Showtime)
A genre-bending comedy series created and written by Nathan Fielder (“The Rehearsal”) and Benny Safdie (actor and co-director of “Uncut Gems”), that stars Emma Stone, god, was already in! All three, principals, Fielder, Safdie, and Stone appear in the series which explores how an alleged curse can disturb the relationship of a newly married couple as they try to conceive a child while co-starring on their problematic new HGTV show, “Flipanthropy.” Fielder directs and co-stars so he presumably plays Stone’s husband. A24 is producing, lord, what more does anyone want!
Airdate: Not soon enough. – RP
2. “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, his first project since his deeply personal Oscar winner. Based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Renee Knight, “Disclaimer” centers on a TV documentary journalist named Catherine Ravenscroft, and a widower who publishes a book revealing Ravenscroft’s secrets. Sacha Baron Cohen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Lesley Manville co-star in a project that can’t get here soon enough. While Cuaron often takes a while in post-production, it started shooting in June 2022, so EOY 2023 seems very feasible.
Airdate: TBD – BT
1. “The Last of Us” (HBO)
The most acclaimed video game series of the last decade wants to break the trend of how poorly games are adapted to other mediums and they’re doing so with the creative weight of HBO behind them. Developed in unison with the creative minds at Naughty Dog who made the games, “The Last of Us” was written by Neil Druckmann (the writer of the games) and Craig Mazin, who created HBO’s award-winning “Chernobyl.” Starting primarily with the action of the first game, the series will follow Joel (Pedro Pascal) as he escorts a teenager named Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across a zombie-filled landscape. It could really bridge the gap between gamers and people who never pick up a controller. And we’ll know soon!
Airdate: January 15, 2023 – BT
Even more honorable mention picks on page two.
