Recommendations of the Editorial team
The TV landscape is shifting faster than you can say “Scrubs reboot.” With tectonic pressures from incessant corporate mergers, the specter of AI and the disturbing fact that no one under 20 even knows what television is.
Nevertheless, the creator and showrunner persevere. And fortunately. This year promises another salvo of standout series, from prestige dramas to camp comedies. Many of them are full of stars. Or with stars who will soon be there.
Some continue stories we haven’t visited in years. Others create completely new worlds that we have never imagined. A great TV series can help you escape or feel connected. Sometimes both at the same time. And these are two things we need more than ever right now. Here are 40 upcoming series we can’t get lost in fast enough this year.
‘His and Hers’ (NetflixJan. 8)
Jon Bernthal. Tessa Thompson. Those two names alone should be enough to make your mouth water with this miniseries based on Alice Feeney’s 2020 novel of the same name. It’s a twisting thriller about a small-town cop (Bernthal), a TV reporter (Thompson) trying to reclaim her spot as Atlanta’s Star News anchor, and a corpse that brings them together (again). The story harkens back to high school friendships and marital drama, and for anyone who hasn’t read the book, the chance of you knowing where this is going is about zero. —Maria Fontoura
‘The Pitt’ Season 2 (HBO Max, Jan. 8)
Everyone’s favorite hospital drama (sorry, “ER,” we’ve moved on – with a younger model) is back with 15 new hours of nail-biting drama. Can the series maintain the intensity and depth of season one? Our tip: yes – and more. This season, a new lead doctor joins the team, while Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) prepares to leave the emergency room for an extended motorcycle trip. Don’t worry: he has one last shift to complete beforehand, and we all know how that turns out. Expect the series to once again confidently tackle contemporary social issues that affect our healthcare system – from migration to insurance inequality and more. Viewers to HBO Max, immediately. —MF
‘Industry’ Season 4 (HBO Max, Jan. 11)
Hopefully you’ve used the 15-month break between Industry seasons to brush up on your British financial vocabulary, because series creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay throw us right back into the fray of financial corruption. When this slow-burn prestige drama debuted in 2020, it introduced fans to investment bankers: Harper Stern (Myha’la), Yasmin Kara-Hanani (Marisa Abela), Eric Tao (Ken Leung), and their growing circle of colleagues who let lust, deception, and a few insatiable cocaine habits dictate their actions on and off the trading floor. Kit Harington brought extra drive to season three, and now a fresh influx of future fan favorites like Max Minghella, Kwabena Bannerman and Kiernan Shipka provide another boost of energy. —CT Jones
‘The Night Manager’ Season 2 (Prime, Jan. 11)
Ten years after its debut, the second season of this TV adaptation of John le Carré’s thriller is here – starring Tom Hiddleston as Jonathan Pine, a former British soldier who is recruited to catch an arms dealer. Olivia Colman returns as Pine’s State Department liaison, sending him to infiltrate the operations of the new top dog in the international smuggling business. Soon our man is in Colombia, mingling with Camila Morrone’s seductive businesswoman Roxana and getting into dangerous (and, judging by this trailer, pretty hot) situations. —David Fear
‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ (Paramount+, Jan. 15)
Or: What if “Top Gun” was set in space and contained Klingons? The latest offshoot of the venerable Star Trek franchise goes where it has never gone before – namely into officer training. Follow a group of young recruits who want to find out if they have what it takes to go into the infinite! Holly Hunter plays the captain of the USS Athena, the spaceship that doubles as the campus for these cadets; Paul Giamatti, Tatiana Maslany and Tig Notaro are also on board. Stephen Colbert speaks as the Academy’s Digital Dean. —DF