The new year doesn’t just mark a new you; it marks a horde of new TV series to binge while your New Year’s resolution drifts to the back of your mind. Instead of focusing on your New Year’s resolution or how to keep it, maybe take a break from the stressful family holidays and mark your calendar with these upcoming TV series. Hopefully, these upcoming releases won’t just become another single-season cancellation like some shows streaming services released in 2022.
Citadel (Early 2023)
The Russo brothers directed the biggest Marvel movies to hit the big screen in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If you watched Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, or Avengers: Endgame, you’ve seen their work and just how well they can handle science fiction and a large franchise.
Citadel is meant to be an action-packed spy series with its own universe built from the ground up. It even has satellite shows that are meant to flesh out the immense universe the Russo brothers are setting up. Not much is known about the plot that has been kept under wraps, but with a cast comprised of Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Richard Madden, and Stanley Tucci, it’s definitely something to keep an eye on if you have Amazon Prime.
The Last of Us (January 15th)
Rarely does a video game have such an immense impact that it spawns a TV series that is as anticipated as this one is. The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic series where the world has almost fallen apart due to a fungus that has turned humans into cannibalistic creatures– basically zombies. Those that have played the game know how well the story was told by developer Naughty Dog and can’t wait to see how it fairs as a TV series.
The HBO TV series will focus on the story from the first game, where Joel (Pedro Pascal) takes a young teenager named Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across the United States, which is now a wasteland, to potentially create a cure based on her immunity to the fungus. The two main actors also starred in the critically acclaimed Game of Thrones, so it’s interesting to see how they fare in this project together.
The Mandalorian Season 3 (March 1st)
Okay, The Mandalorian isn’t exactly a new release, but if you haven’t watched it and science fiction is your thing, you definitely should. Disney+ is releasing the next installment in this hit Star Wars series on March 1st. With a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.7 on IMDb, you should check this show out even if you aren’t a huge fan of Star Wars. Its release date even gives you time to catch up on the 16 episodes you haven’t watched yet.
For those that haven’t seen it, The Mandalorian focuses on a bounty hunter that is tasked with retrieving and returning Baby Yoda to its people. It takes place in the galaxy’s outer reaches, away from the laws of the Republic. You can think of it as an awesome space western with great visual effects and a story that keeps you watching.
Poker Face (January 26th)
Poker Face will be a 10-episode series based around a character named Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) that has the uncanny ability to tell whenever someone is lying. The series follows her as she goes around encountering strange crimes at every stop she makes across the country. Thanks to her natural ability and inquisitive mind, she can’t help but solve these crimes and help the different characters she encounters.
The episodes are framed in a “howcatchem” style where the crime is shown at the start of the episode, and the rest follows the detective’s attempts to solve the crime. The show also features Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Adrien Brody, and Ron Perlman. You’ll be able to watch this on Peacock starting January 26th.
Shrinking (January 27th)
Ever wondered what would happen if you just told people exactly what you think? Okay, now imagine you’re also a therapist breaking ethics, telling your patients exactly what you think. That’s the premise of Shrinking.
In this show from Apple TV+, you’ll follow Jason Segel as Jimmy Johns, a therapist that is dealing with an unsurmountable amount of grief and decides to tell his patients whatever comes to his mind in response to their problems. As you can imagine, this leads to some dramatic changes and actions for everyone involved. Shrinking also features stars like Harrison Ford, Jessica Williams, and Christa Miller, who we are sure will bring their A-game to this upcoming comedy.
Wolf Pack (January 26th)
Fans of Teen Wolf and other supernatural-like shows might want to check out Wolf Pack on Paramount +. The show’s premise is that a wildfire awakens a supernatural creature that then attacks two teenagers in California. The two begin to form a bond around their newfound life as werewolves and also discover two other teenagers that had a similar encounter over sixteen years ago.
While the cast isn’t exactly lined with famous celebrities, the director Jeff Davis certainly has a knack for TV series based on mystery and the supernatural. Jeff Davis directed Criminal Minds and… Teen Wolf! If he could turn the book Teen Wolf into a famous TV series, he could definitely turn the book Wolf Pack into a smash hit too.
White House Plumbers (March)
White House Plumbers isn’t a show about people trying to fix a pipe leak, but instead, a different kind of leak. This miniseries follows the White House Special Investigations Unit, which was often referred to as the White House Plumbers. This group was meant to stop leaks of classified information to the media.
Richard Nixon almost getting impeached, and his eventual resignation for the Watergate Scandal should tell you that they weren’t too good at their job, but they still did prevent a lot of stuff from getting leaked to the press. They were often called Nixon’s fixers, and this miniseries follows actors Woody Harrelson, Justin Theroux, Lena Heady, Kiernan Shipka, and more, playing people that were tasked with protecting the presidency at all costs. You can watch this show on HBO sometime in March.
Velma (January 12th)
Scooby-Doo has a soft spot in most millennials, Gen X, and Gen Z hearts which makes it no surprise to see an animated adult-focused mystery series around the titular character, Velma Dinkley. This show focuses on the life of the gang before they formed Mystery Inc. It’s said to have been pitched as a love quadrangle, which, let’s face it, four teenagers/young adults riding around in a van solving mysteries are bound to find themselves in one.
This show features the famous Mindky Kaling as Velma. You might remember Kaling from The Office, where she starred, wrote, and directed numerous episodes, or her own show, The Mindy Project. Alongside Kaling is Sam Richardson as Shaggy, Constance Wu as Daphne, and Glenn Howerton as Fred. You might remember Glenn Howerton from the critically acclaimed It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. If you’re a fan of Scooby-Doo, mark your calendars and get your HBO Max subscription ready because this is definitely something you’ll want to see.
The Handmaid’s Tale Final Season (Late 2023)
If you haven’t been watching The Handmaid’s Tale, you definitely should. It’s an amazing take on a dystopian world where fertility rates have plummeted and a baby being born is a rare occurrence. In this world, the United States has fallen, and a new country named Gilead has taken hold. This new country is run by extremely religious zealots who will do anything in the name of God. Women are severely oppressed, and fertile women are forced to be handmaids and serve people of power and bring their families children.
We’ll avoid discussing what the final season will focus on to avoid spoiling the show for people who haven’t seen it, but we can’t wait to see what lies in store for June and other characters on the show. June is played by Elisabeth Moss, who you might remember from Mad Men, where she played a timid secretary who eventually hit her stride and became the strongest female character on the show. If you’re a fan of dystopian media or post-apocalyptic scenarios, The Handmaid’s Tale is a must-see, and you definitely have time to catch up before the final season releases at the end of 2023.