The best TV shows to look forward to in 2024

A new year is upon us and, thus, a whole new slate of TV to get excited about. Whether that’s new seasons of already beloved shows or fresh series soon to go very viral, 2024 already looks jam-packed with stuff that’ll keep your eyes glued to the screen. Here are our fave picks to keep tabs on…

Returning TV shows in 2024

House Of The Dragon season two

Release date: early summer
Where to watch: Sky/Now
Starring: Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy

The first season of Game Of Thrones prequel House Of The Dragon had a lot to live up to, but it more than succeeded. Season two looks set to be just as compelling. “There is no war so hateful to the gods as a war between kin, and no war so bloody as a war between dragons,” Emma D’Arcy’s Rhaenyra Targaryen warns in the trailer, hinting at a lot of blood about to be spilled.

The Boys season four

Release date: TBC
Where to watch: Prime Video
Starring: Jack Quaid, Erin Moriarty, Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Billy The Butcher’s crew of potty-mouthed vigilantes are coming back – and they’re more needed than ever. After the events of season three and spin-off series Gen V, The Boys’ world is “on the brink”, according to an official synopsis. Can the team stop congresswoman/superpowered assassin Victoria Neuman from making it into The White House?

The Bear season three

Release date: TBC
Where to watch: Disney+
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach

TV’s tensest show marries two universal favourites – food and huge servings of drama – and it’ll whip up another course of both this year. Last season ended with opening night at The Bear, which was a success (cooking-wise) but stirred up a whole lot of chaos amid the staff and their loved ones that will be ripe for unpacking in season three.

The Umbrella Academy season four

Release date: TBC
Where to watch: Netflix
Starring: Elliot Page, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally

It’s been a long wait for season four – nearly two years, in fact – but finally The Umbrella Academy will return for its final instalment. In their last outing, the titular superheroes lost their powers and ended up in a different universe, so expect this season to find them fighting for survival in new ways.

The Jinx Part Two

Release date: TBC
Where to watch: Sky/Now
Featuring: Robert Durst

Back in 2015, the first season of docuseries The Jinx gripped true crime fans as it unravelled the long-suspected truth behind the mysterious deaths of those in real estate heir Robert Durst’s life. After an accidental confession was caught on camera, Durst was arrested and sentenced to prison – this six-part sequel will take us inside the story since, via prison phone calls, hidden material and fresh interviews.

Poker Face season two

Release date: TBC
Where to watch: Peacock/Sky/Now
Starring: Natasha Lyonne, Rhea Pearlman

Knives Out’s Rian Johnson excelled with the first season of crime drama Poker Face, which found Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie Cale getting involved in a new murder mystery each episode. Season one left off with the casino worker on the run again, but with Rhea Pearlman’s Beatrix Hasp giving her a deadly ultimatum that promises to keep the second season just as gripping…

Pachinko season two

Release date: TBC
Where to watch: Apple TV+
Starring: Lee Min-ho, Kim Min-ha, Steve Noh

Based on Min Jin Lee’s book of the same name, Pachinko season one took us inside the lives of a Korean family living in Japan during the latter country’s rule over Korea. Although season two will likely stay largely true to the novel, expect some new elements to be added to keep this emotional epic enticingly fresh.

Squid Game season two

Release date: TBC
Where to watch: Netflix
Starring: Lee Jung-jae, Yim Si-wan, Wi Ha-jun

In the years since Squid Game first captured our imaginations, the show has become a cultural force, spawning reality TV spin-offs and dominating Halloween costumes. Season two is finally set to arrive this year and will find Lee Jung-jae’s victorious Seong Gi-hun ready to “do something for the world” and Wi Ha-jun’s Hwang Jun-ho on a mission to uncover the secrets of the Front Man – who is also his brother.

Stranger Things season five

Release date: TBC
Where to watch: Netflix
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Maya Hawke

It’s nearly time for one last terrifying face-off against the creatures of the Upside Down as the teens of Hawkins, Indiana, try and bring down season four’s creepy new baddie Vecna once and for all. Expect long-held questions to be answered and legions of scary monsters as Stranger Things returns one more time – hopefully in 2024, although last year’s Hollywood strikes could see it pushed to 2025.

New TV shows in 2024

Mr & Mrs Smith

Release date: February 2
Where to watch: Prime Video
Starring: Donald Glover, Maya Erskine

Forget Brangelina, there’s a new Mr and Mrs Smith in town – Donald Glover and PEN15’s Maya Erskine. Based on the classic Pitt-Jolie film of 2005, this new TV adaptation follows the titular couple as they enter a new life of espionage and all the high-stakes thrills and hilarious slip-ups that brings with it.

One Day

Release date: February 8
Where to watch: Netflix
Starring: Leo Woodall, Ambika Mod

The 2011 film adaptation of David Nicholls’ One Day was full of heart – and a lot of heart-wrenching drama. Get your tissues ready for this small screen version, which follows Dexter and Emma from the year of their graduation over 20 years, meeting them on the same day each year.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Release date: February 22
Where to watch: Netflix
Starring: Gordon Cormier, Daniel Dae Kim

This live-action adaptation will bring animated series The Last Airbender to vivid life as it follows young Avatar Aang on his quest to master the four elements. It’s vital that he does so – the four nations have been torn apart and are in desperate need of a new hero to bring them back together.

Agatha: Darkhold Diaries

Release date: autumn 2024
Where to watch: Disney+
Starring: Kathryn Hahn, Emma Caulfield, Patti LuPone

Agatha Harkness was one of the highlights of Disney’s Wandavision series and, now, she’s getting her own spin-off. Details of what to expect from the new show are still scarce, but the studio have promised it will give fans more insight into the character and her history.

Dune: Prophecy

Release date: autumn 2024
Where to watch: Max (UK broadcast TBC)
Starring: Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Chris Mason

Throw yourself back into the Dune universe with this new instalment in the franchise, set 10,000 years before the events of Frank Herbert’s original novel. The series explores the Bene Gesserit sisterhood and their training to acquire superpowers, setting the stage for some epic sci-fi visuals and storytelling.

Big Mood

Release date: TBC
Where to watch: Channel 4
Starring: Nicola Coughlan, Lydia West

Big Mood presents a story of female friendship with a difference – one that celebrates its resilience and comfort, but highlights a generation’s struggle with mental health issues. Maggie (Nicola Coughlan) and Eddie (Lydia West) have been friends for a decade and have survived many an up and down in that time, but Maggie’s bipolar disorder presents them with a new challenge to their bond.

The Sympathizer

Release date: TBC
Where to watch: Max (UK broadcast TBC)
Starring: Sandra Oh, Robert Downey Jr, Hoa Xuande

Acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook teams up with Canadian filmmaker Don McKellar on The Sympathizer, a historical black comedy series set during the Vietnam War. Hoa Xuande will play the Captain, a North Vietnamese spy torn between his loyalty to the Viet Cong and the South Vietnamese refugees he finds a new home with.

Lady In The Lake

Release date: TBC
Where to watch: Apple TV+
Starring: Natalie Portman, Moses Ingram, David Corenswet

Natalie Portman leads this upcoming Apple TV+ thriller, playing a housewife who gives up her comfortable house and marriage to become an investigative journalist in Baltimore in the 1960s. Her motive? To report on – and solve – the story behind two mysterious murders.

The Girls On The Bus

Release date: TBC
Where to watch: Max (UK broadcast TBC)
Starring: Melissa Benoist, Natasha Benham, Carla Gugino

Based on Amy Chozick’s memoir Chasing Hilary, The Girls On The Bus follows four female journalists on the campaign trail in an election year in the US. While there’s plenty of political drama set to unfold, the series will also dish up lessons in love and friendship too.

The Penguin

Release date: TBC
Where to watch: Max (UK broadcast TBC)
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Scott Cohen

Colin Farrell plays the titular role in this The Batman spin-off that will take us into Gotham City’s criminal underworld and into the story of crime lord The Penguin. While there should be plenty of bad behaviour on screen, Farrell has also promised a look at the “heartbroken man inside” The Penguin.

The Acolyte

Release date: TBC
Where to watch: Disney+
Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Jodie Turner-Smith

Disney’s latest addition to the Star Wars universe comes in the form of The Acolyte, an eight-episode series set at the end of the High Republic era – and approximately 100 years ahed of the events in The Phantom Menace. Tune in to follow former padawan Amandla Stenberg joining forces with Jedi Master Lee Jung-jae to investigate a series of crimes.

*All release dates and platforms are UK unless otherwise stated

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