The Most Anticipated Television Shows Of 2019
We’ve moved from peak TV to what Boston Globe critic, Matthew Gilbert, describes as ‘pique TV’; it’s more about what captures your interest rather than watching everything because quality is in abundance. If you do try and watch it all you’ll go mad.
Get ahead of the pack by earmarking the big shows set to debut and the returning series that are heating up.
This year will also be a huge year for series finales; start to emotionally prepare to farewell your faves.
If anything is missing from the list it’s because there is just too much TV.
The Twilight Zone
The iconic series is getting a revival thanks to Jordan Peele (Get Out) who will produce and host. If you’ve got no idea about The Twilight Zone (how dare you), it ran from 1957-64 and each episode is a different standalone story. Its mix of mind-bending science fiction and horror made it a seminal series and it inspired shows like Black Mirror, Amazing Stories, Tales from the Crypt and The X-Files.
Not much is known about what Peele has planned because they want to keep all the secrets and twists intact but the cast is impressive: Kumail Nanjiani, Adam Scott, John Cho, Allison Tolman, and Jacob Tremblay.
Get Krack!n
Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan will return to the kouch for 8 more krackpot episodes of the series that brilliantly parodies Australian brekkie TV.
The second season is being described by the ABC as: “Despite the loss of a sponsor, the incompetence of the crew, the femaleness of the hosts, and a pretty devastating structural fire, it seems Get Krack!n is back for more apocalypse-dodging content. And no-one is more surprised and fatigued by this fact than the show’s hosts, ‘trained’ ‘actor’ McLennan and ‘personality-challenged’ McCartney.” We kant kwait.
True Detective
The HBO police series had a phenomenal first season and then went to TV jail in its second season. The third season, led by Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali, looks like a return to form. The new season is set across three decades and follows a detective (Ali) investigating a case of two missing children. The trailer alone hints at a story about a haunting cold case that is sure to tap into our obsession with unsolved true-crime stories.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
When Netflix decided the world needed more Sabrina Spellman they gave The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina a two-season order before a single frame was shot. That’s why the first season has a few threads hanging so the arrival of the second season/part two is a big deal. How will Sabrina cope with her new powers? Will Harvey develop a personality? Is Ms Wardwell still struggling with heavy pizzas? Worth selling your soul to the devil to get the new season ASAP.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
The Nine-Nine lives! After getting cancelled by Fox the series was saved by NBC and season six will be fast-tracked to Australia via SBS in January. We’ll get to see how Jake and Amy settle into married life, find out of Captain Holt becomes commissioner (!) and say goodbye to the human form of the 100 emoji Gina Linetti. It’s going to be toit!
Star Wars: The Mandalorian
Disney is prepping to launch their streaming service and declare war on Netflix. The first major shot is a live-action Star Wars series starring Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones), Gina Carano (Deadpool), Nick Nolte (The Prince of Tides), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Carl Weathers (Rocky) and Werner Herzog (come on, it’s Werner freaking Herzog).
Episodes will be directed by Taika Waititi (Thor Ragnarok, Hunt for the Wilderpeople), Bryce Dallas Howard (Black Mirror, Jurassic World), Rick Famuyiwa (Dope), and Deborah Chow (Mr Robot). Jon Favreau (Iron Man) is overseeing the production. Details are scarce but we know that the series takes place after the fall of the Empire and follows a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy.
Catch-22
Every major movie star is doing TV now and the latest big name is George Clooney. The series, based on the book by Joseph Heller, is described as the story of the incomparable, artful dodger, Yossarian (Christopher Abbott), a US Air Force bombardier in World War II who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy, but rather his own army which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service.
Clooney will star and direct and he’s joined by Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) and Hugh Laurie (House). You must report for duty for this one.
Broad City
Saying goodbye to Abbi and Ilana is going to be tough. The fifth and final season of the hit comedy series will roll out in late January. How will it end? Feels like a big mistake – huge – to end this perfect show but we all have to learn to say goodbye at some point in our lives. Don’t worry about Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer disappearing for good, they’ve signed a huge deal with Comedy Central and already have a bunch of new shows in development.
Final season, babyyyy. It’s sad. But also happy. Watch it. pic.twitter.com/atodfADPkm
— Broad City (@broadcity) December 6, 2018
Stranger Things
The third season is so top secret that all we know is the episode names. We also got a teaser that introduces the newest attraction in Hawkins, Starcourt Mall, where Steve is working at an ice cream shop. Demogorgon hell is sure to break out in that food court and all your favourites that survived season 2 will return.
Joining the cast are Maya Hawke (daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman) who will play a mysterious teenager, and Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) is going to appear as the town’s Mayor. The new season drops July 4.
Fosse/Verdon
A show about the romantic and creative partnership between influential choreographer/director, Bob Fosse, and Gwen Verdon, one of the greatest Broadway dancers. Okay, I am interested. Oh, and Fosse is going to be played by Sam Rockwell and Verdon is Michelle Williams. SOLD.
Watchmen
The brains behind Lost and The Leftovers, Damon Lindelof, is adapting one of the most influential comic books into a series for HBO. ‘Adaption’ is key here because the series will expand on the story of the comic and will have a modern day setting. Lindelof described the series in biblical terms as: “the New Testament to the original Watchmen’s Old Testament.” The cast is excellent, too, with Regina King (The Leftovers), Don Johnson (Miami Vice), Jeremy Irons (Dead Ringers, The Lion King) and Tim Blake Nelson (Ballad of Buster Scruggs).
Hungry Ghosts
A new four-part Australian drama series inspired by Japanese and Korean ghost films. The series is coming to SBS and tells the story of three generations of Vietnamese Australian families dealing with the aftermath of war. It’s set in Melbourne during the month of the Hungry Ghost festival when the Vietnamese community venerate their dead. It’s rare to get a local horror series on our screens so grab your best pillow to hide behind for this one.
The Loudest Voice in the Room
Russell Crowe will play the founder of Fox News, Roger Alies, in this miniseries based on the book The Loudest Voice in the Room: How the Brilliant, Bombastic Roger Ailes Built Fox News – and Divided a Country. Told using multiple points of view, Naomi Watts, Seth MacFarlane and Sienna Miller will help tell the story of how the news network became a force in American politics.
The Letdown
One of the best Australian TV shows in recent years is coming back for a second season. Co-creators and writers, Sarah Scheller and Alison Bell, will continue to explore motherhood with plenty of humour and honesty. According to the ABC, the new season starts with all the babies turning one and Audrey (Bell) feeling in control…but is she? Plenty of time to catch up on the excellent first season before the new one drops.
The Rook
Aussie author Dan O’Malley’s excellent supernatural novel, The Rook, has been turned into a series. Set in London, the story focuses on Myfanwy Thomas (Emma Greenwell) who wakes up in a park with amnesia and discovers she’s wrapped up in the politics of a secret organisation. If the show is as good as the book this could be one of the biggest hits of 2019.
Veep
Another damn show ending. Selina Meyer (Julia Louise-Dreyfus) will take a bow in the seventh and final season of the HBO comedy series. It’s a short farewell, too, with only seven episodes left – ever. No doubt Meyer and her staff with go out with plenty of venom for the American political process.
Good Omens
A demon (David Tennant) and an angel (Michael Sheen) try to botch Armageddon because they enjoy their lives on Earth too much. Based on the novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman this looks to be a wild trip into supernatural territory with plenty of wit. The cast includes Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Michael McKean (Better Call Saul), Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) and Miranda Richardson (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). The end of the world has never looked so … fun.
Big Little Lies
They are lying again! The first season, based on the novel by Aussie author, Liane Moriarty, was a mega hit for HBO, but it was also perfect enough to not warrant a second season. After winning lots of Emmys, the original cast all agreed to return (Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz and Laura Dern) and joining them will be the legendary, Meryl Streep.
There are only light plot details out there but we know that Streep will play Kidman’s mother-in-law who arrives in Monterey concerned for the well-being of her grandchildren following her son Perry’s (Alexander Skarsgård) death and is looking for answers. Maybe the idea to do another season was a good one.
Top of the Morning
Jennifer Anniston returns to TV in a major role for the first time since Friends – this is a big deal. She’ll be joined by Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell in a series that explores the lives of the people working on an American breakfast TV show. The series will be one of the first big shows to debut as part of Apple’s plan to make original series.
His Dark Materials
Philip Pullman’s epic book series had a false start when the film The Golden Compass flopped in 2007. It’s back as a TV series thanks to the BBC and HBO and it has already been green-lit for a second season before we’ve even seen the first! The series will work its way through the books at a slower pace and the cast is already quite magical with Lin Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, Moana, Mary Poppins Returns), James McAvoy (Split) and Ruth Wilson (Luther).
Tuca and Bertie
Lisa Hanawalt is one of the key animators and producers on BoJack Horseman, she’s one of the people responsible for the iconic look of the show. Netflix has given Hanawalt her own show, Tuca and Bertie, which follows the friendship between two 30-year-old bird women who live in the same apartment building. Tiffany Haddish will voice Tuca and Ali Wong will bring Bertie to life. Sign. Us. Up.
Game of Thrones
The TV event of 2019. Open your calendar now and block out every single Monday in April. The final season of Game of Thrones will be up there with the end of Friends, Seinfeld and Breaking Bad. Fire and ice will finally clash and it’s going to be spectacular. Will Westeros prevail or will winter stay forever? Who will live or die? Will Craig from accounting be correct about all his fan theories? See you on the back of a dragon.