10. “It: Welcome To Derry”
A prequel series to Andy Muschietti’s “It” (2017) and “It: Chapter Two” (2019) horror films and adaptations of Stephen King novels, ‘Welcome To Derry’ is set in the 1960s, decades before the events of the movies and traces the origin of Pennywise the Clown and the town he haunted. Andy and Barbara Muschietti developed the show alongside “It: Chapter Two” writer Jason Fuchs, and the series stars Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, Taylour Paige, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Bill Skarsgård reprising his role as Pennywise.
Premiere Date: TBD via HBO, but it feels like a spring or summer release.
9. “The Sensitive Kind”
Man, we miss “Reservation Dogs” so badly, and yet, its creator, Sterling Harjo, knew exactly when to get out. His new series stars Ethan Hawke (who cameoed in the “Reservation Dogs” finale) and executive produces alongside Harjo. A Tulsa-set noir about a guy (Hawke) who knows too much, the series also includes Keith David, Siena East, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tim Blake Nelson, Scott Shepherd, Tracy Letts, Kyle Maclachlan, and Macon Blair, plus appearances by Killer Mike, Kaniehtiio Horne, Cody Lightning, Michael Hitchcock, and Ryan Kiera Armstrong.
Airdate: TBD via FX.
‘The Sensitive Kind’: Ethan Hawke To Star In Sterlin Harjo’s New FX Drama Series https://t.co/6Y1NRdKWEt pic.twitter.com/orKMoMKcms
— The Playlist (@ThePlaylistNews) February 14, 2024
8. “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”
“Big Little Lies” creator and TV super producer/writer David E. Kelley, who always has two or three shows on the air at the same time these days, returns with the Queen of Prestige TV, Nicole Kidman, for a series with a stacked cast. Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer are also stars, and the limited series centers on a young mother struggling to make ends meet who starts an OnlyFans account using advice from her estranged father, an ex-pro wrestler. Nick Offerman and Thaddea Graham co-stars. While it hasn’t been shot yet, it’s undoubtedly possible they can shoot it in early 2025 and have it ready for the end of the year.
Premiere Date: TBD via Apple TV+.
‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’: Elle Fanning & Nicole Kidman’s New David E. Kelley Series Lands At Apple https://t.co/fVopo7ptvX pic.twitter.com/bzZRb07UPQ
— The Playlist (@ThePlaylistNews) February 2, 2024
7. “Dying For Sex”
Hailing from writer/showrunner Elizabeth Meriwether, who gave us “New Girl” and the excellent “The Dropout” mini-series, this comedy/drama limited series stars Michelle Williams. The series centers on a woman (Williams) diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and ends her 15-year marriage in order to explore herself and her sexuality before her death. The series co-stars Jenny Slate, Rob Delaney, David Rasche, Jay Duplass, Sissy Spacek, and more. Leslye Headland exec produces and directs a few episodes too.
Airdate: TBD via FX.
‘Dying For Sex’: Michelle Williams To Star In FX’s Limited Series From ‘The Dropout’ Creator Liz Meriwether & Director Leslye Headland https://t.co/ibsEYXJu4A pic.twitter.com/DdmDKsVILf
— The Playlist (@ThePlaylistNews) November 30, 2023
6. “Task”
We can all agree that “Mare Of Easttown” was one of the best series of 2021 and the last few years, right? Well, its creator and screenwriter Brad Ingelsby returns with a series that’s something of a light spin-off in that it’s set around the same Philadelphia suburbs and is in-universe. Mark Ruffalo stars as an FBI agent leading a task force investigating a string of drug-house robberies in the Philadelphia suburbs. The supporting cast is spectacular and features Tom Pelphrey, Emilia Jones, Mireille Enos, Thuso Mbedu, Raúl Castillo, Fabien Frankel, Alison Oliver, Owen Teague, Margarita Levieva, Mickey Sumner, Isaach de Bankole, Martha Plimpton among many others. And it could tie into a “Mare Of Easttown” revival down the road.
Airdate: TBD via HBO.
5. “East Of Eden”
Does it get more prestige and anticipated than this? Zoe Kazan (“The Plot Against America,” “The Deuce”) writes and exec produces a seven-episode limited series adaptation of John Steinbeck’s “East Of Eden.” The cast, Florence Pugh, Christopher Abbott, Mike Faist, and Ciarán Hinds, is terrific and also includes Hoon Lee, Tracy Letts, Martha Plimpton, and more. The director’s list is excellent, too, including Garth Davis (“Lion,” “Top Of The Lake”), helming the bulk of the series along with Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre (“The Mustang”).
Airdate: TBD via Netflix.
Florence Pugh To Star In Netflix’s ‘East Of Eden’ Series Written By Zoe Kazan https://t.co/vY4chjRyJA pic.twitter.com/Yi6gVW7IPx
— The Playlist (@ThePlaylistNews) June 21, 2022
4. “Alien: Earth”
Set three decades before the events of the 1979 film “Alien,” showrunner Noah Hawley’s (“Fargo”) new prequel series spin-off stars Sydney Chandler, Timothy Olyphant, Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin, Essie Davis, and Adarsh Gourav. Ridley Scott is an exec producer, but it’s really Hawley’s show, and everything he’s said so far suggests its story mainly revolves around the corporate greed that the Wayland company is known for an the ruthless people that work for it.
Airdate: Summer 2025 via FX.
3. “Beef” (Season 2)
After dazzling critics, audiences, and Emmy voters with season one, “Beef” turns into an anthology series about airing your grievances. And holy hell, they have a fantastic cast. Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton, Cailee Spaeny, and Yuh-Jung Youn will all be part of the ensemble that battles it out in A24’s round two. Showrunner Lee Sung Jin returns, and the incident in part two is about a young couple who witnesses an alarming fight between their boss and his wife, triggering chess moves of favors and coercion in the elitist world of a country club and its Korean billionaire owner.
Premiere Date: TBD via Netflix, but probably the summer at the earliest and maybe the fall.
‘Beef’: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton & Cailee Spaeny Confirmed For Season 2 Of Netflix Hit https://t.co/IneOqpA7kU pic.twitter.com/8ujU5s74cy
— The Playlist (@ThePlaylistNews) October 23, 2024
2. “Last Of Us” (Season 2)
From “Chernobyl” showrunner Craig Mazin and video game co-creator Neil Druckmann, the post-apocalyptic drama was a massively acclaimed hit for HBO, which finally returns in 2025. “The Last Of Us Part II” follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) five years after the events of the first season and introduces the popular video game character Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). Returning cast members include Gabriel Luna, Jeffrey Wright, and Rutina Wesley, and newcomers added to season two include Isabela Merced, Danny Ramirez, Ariela Barer, Young Mazino, Spencer Lord, Tati Gabrielle, and Catherine O’Hara.
Airdate: Said to be early 2025, via HBO.
1. “Andor”
After a blisteringly electric and urgent season one, showrunner Tony Gilroy and his crew return for the second and final season of Lucasfilm’s “Andor” and the story that leads right into “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” Diego Luna stars as Cassian Andor, and all the main cast returns, including Adria Arjona, Stellan Skarsgård, Genevieve O’Reilly, Kyle Soller, Denise Gough, plus a little bit more of Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera. Season two will feature even more ‘Rogue One’ characters, Ben Mendelsohn and Alan Tudyk, reprising their respective roles as Orson Krennic and K-2SO and Benjamin Bratt in an undisclosed role. But it sounds like a dark season about the cost of sacrifice, as we know many of these characters aren’t seen in the rest of the “Star Wars” stories beyond this.
Airdate: April 22, 2025, via Disney+.
As always, special thanks to Oliver Lyttelton for his invaluable suggestions and help with listmaking.
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