The 50 Most Anticipated TV Shows Of 2019 - Page 3 of 5

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30. “Catch-22” (Hulu)
Synopsis: During World War II, a bombardier wants to get out of combat duty, but is caught in bureaucratic limbo.
What You Need To Know: There’s no shortage of ambitious TV on the way this year, as this list proves, but “Catch-22” certainly makes a good bet at being the most ambitious of them all: an adaptation of Joseph Heller’s seminal novel, arguably literature’s greatest anti-war satire, and previously filmed to memorable (if not perfect…) effect by Mike Nichols. Originally intended for “Animal Kingdom” director David Miçhod (who co-wrote the script with “Lion” scribe Luke Davies), it’s now being shepherded by George Clooney, who’ll direct episodes alongside pal Grant Heslov and DP-turned-director Ellen Kuras. Clooney ended up walking back his plans to play the novel’s antagonist Colonel Cathcart, but there’s no shortage of talent in his place: Kyle Chandler stepped into Clooney’s shoes, while Christopher Abbott plays the lead role, and Hugh Laurie is also on board, with Clooney taking a smaller role instead. Clooney can be hit and miss as a filmmaker, but if this is half as good as his best work, “Good Night And Good Luck,” it’ll have been more than worth it.
Airdate: Nothing yet, but summer feels likely.

29. “Y” (FX)
Synopsis: A virus mysteriously kills every single man on the planet — except one…
What You Need To Know: Any list of the greatest comic books ever, alongside your Alan Moores and your Neil Gaimans, would surely include “Y: The Last Man.” The breakthrough work by Brian K. Vaughan (who’s gone on to create the equally acclaimed “Saga” and “Paper Girls”) was an epic, tonally dextrous post-apocalyptic drama that felt tailor-made for adaptation, so of course, it spent ten years in development hell without ever making it out as a movie. But now, it’s (nearly – more on that in a moment) upon us, with “Blade Runner 2049” and “Logan” writer Michael Green teaming up with “Luke Cage” veteran Aida Mashaka Croal for this adaptation for FX, and “Insecure” and “Atlanta” helmer Melina Matsoukas directing the pilot. The cast is promising, too: Barry Keoghan from “Dunkirk” is the lead, while Lashana Lynch, Imogen Poots, Diane Lane, and Marin Ireland are all on board. The only snag? A pilot filmed earlier in the summer, but FX hasn’t yet pulled the trigger on greenlighting the series (though it’s apparently expected to get a pick-up. Surely it’s a no-brainer, right?…)
Airdate: If it makes on air in 2019, it’ll be late in the day.

28. “Kingdom” (Netflix)
Synopsis: In medieval Korea, a crown prince is set on a suicide mission to stop a terrifying outbreak.
What You Need To Know: With the service now worldwide, Netflix is increasingly greenlighting series in every language and nation you could ask for, but most are unlikely to cause much splash in English-language territories, mainly because we’re simply not familiar with the talent involved. But “Kingdom” could turn out to be one of the exceptions. For one thing, it’s a zombie show, and a period zombie show at that, like a certain HBO monster. For another, it’s their second Korean-language show, and “Okja” has already proven that Korean stuff can travel on the service. For a third, it’s directed by Kim Seong-hun, who proved with Playlist favorite “A Hard Day” and excellent disaster movie “Tunnel” that he’s one of the most promising new genre filmmakers to emerge from the territory since the holy trinity of Bong, Park, and Kim. There are some heavy hitters in the cast too, led by “The Host” and “Sense8” actress Bae Doona. This one might be under the radar for now, but we think it could become the streaming service’s first big foreign-language crossover hit.
Airdate: January 25th

27. “Undone” (Amazon)
Synopsis: After a near-death car accident, a young woman discovers that she has a new relationship with time, and uses it to try and solve the mystery of her father’s death.
What You Need To Know: We’re now at least half a decade into the streaming TV era, and we’d make a strong argument that the best show it’s produced is “Bojack Horseman,” Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s gloriously sad celebrity satire. It helped to open the animated door for the streaming giant that now includes “Big Mouth” and “Disenchantment,” and now Waksberg is doing the same for Netflix’s rival Amazon, with this show created with “Bojack” writer Kate Purdy. It sounds a little more serialized and sci-fi-ish than the earlier series, and is likely to have a very different look, but we’re very intrigued, not least with the talented Rosa Salazar voicing the lead character.
Airdate: Unclear, but some time in 2019.

26. “SMILF” s2 (Showtime)
Synopsis: The continuing adventures of Boston single mother Bridgette as she tries to raise her son, make ends meet and even find love.
What You Need To Know: Speaking of under-the-radar comedies, Showtime’s “SMILF” struggled to stand out amidst the sheer breadth of comedy content when it debuted in late 2017, but when we finally caught up with it we fell in love a bit with creator Frankie Shaw’s vision — it felt like a real breath of fresh air in the cable comedy landscape, a working-class (ish) world that felt more like an heir to “Roseanne” than the “Roseanne” reboot did. Showtime certainly had faith, renewing the show for a second season, and it’ll be one of the first shows out of the block in 2019. Like “Roseanne” though, it’s had some behind-the-scenes controversy, with recent news that Shaw was under investigation after some troubling allegations. Will it taint the show? Only time will tell…
Airdate: Episode 1 hits Showtime’s website on January 4th, with the show rolling out properly from January 20th.

25. “The Twilight Zone” (CBS All Access)
Synopsis: Anthology drama about surreal experiences.
What You Need To Know: It’s one of the best-known brands in television — Rod Serling’s creation is still named as one of the best TV shows of all time, 60 years after its original five-year run. And that’s all the more remarkable given that it’s mostly been absent from our screens for our entire lives — a 2002 Forest Whitaker-fronted reboot died quickly, and attempts to make a new movie at Warner Bros never found a director. The man to finally get the series up and running for a new era is “Get Out” mastermind Jordan Peele, who’ll both present and executive produce this new version for CBS All Access. It looks likely to be a mix of brand new episodes and remakes of classics (the seminal “Nightmare At 30,000 Feet” is in the initial line-up), and actors including Sanaa Lathan, Adam Scott, Kumail Nanjiani, Jacob Tremblay, John Cho, Steven Yeun, Alison Tolman and Greg Kinnear have all signed on to episodes. But can it stand out in a post “Black Mirror” world? And more importantly, can it get past the unevenness that always comes with the anthology drama?
Airdate: Fall seems the most likely.

24. “What We Do In The Shadows” (FX)
Synopsis: The story of four vampire roommates living together in New York City.
What You Need To Know: The 2014 comedy “What We Do In The Shadows” didn’t just launch director Taika Waititi on his directing path that’s led to Marvel and “Star Wars,” but it’s also been something of a franchise jumping-off point on its own: spin-off movie ‘We’re Wolves” is in development, and it’s already birthed one TV series with the New Zealand-based “Wellington Paranormal.” Now, a US-set version of the original movie is on the way, with a pilot penned by original star and co-writer Jemaine Clement and directed by Waititi himself. The new take sees a similar set up, but with new undead characters played by excellent UK comedians Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry and Natasia Demetriou, with “Shape Of Water” star Doug Jones and “Lady Bird” breakout Beanie Feldstein also in the cast, and early teasers suggest that they haven’t skipped a beat in translation to the States.
Airdate: Some time in the spring.

23. “His Dark Materials” (HBO)
Synopsis: 12-year-old Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon goes in search of her kidnapped friend, a journey that will take her across parallel worlds, see her cross paths with her dysfunctional parents, and take her face to face with the highest power possible.
What You Need To Know: For those of us who were a touch too old for “Harry Potter” first time around, Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy is the seminal fantasy novel series, one that’s held up gorgeously in the twenty years since it was published. But it’s not had much luck on screen: Chris Weitz’s 2007 film was an undisputed disappointment despite the talent and budget assembled. But the omens are much better for this HBO/BBC co-production, not least that it’s already been renewed for a second season before the first has been wrapped. The scripts have been overseen by Jack Thorne, who’s already had immense success with beloved fantasy franchises thanks to the stage version of “Harry Potter.” And the cast assembled is highly impressive: “Logan” breakout Dafne Keen takes on the lead role, James McAvoy and Ruth Wilson are her parents, and Lin-Manuel Miranda is the somewhat surprising choice to take over Sam Elliot’s role as Lee Scorseby. We’re not 100% sure about the choice of Tom Hooper to direct the first two episodes, but this is otherwise a tantalizing prospect.
Airdate: Likely late in 2019, given all the VFX work that needs doing.

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22. “Mrs. Fletcher” (HBO)
Synopsis: An empty-nest mother and her college-bound son both come to terms with sexuality in age of the internet.
What You Need To Know: The steady and welcome rise of Kathryn Hahn in the last few years, from versatile utility player to leading lady and Spider-villain, has been a joy to watch. And while her leading role in “I Love Dick” never found the audience it deserved, and her turn in “Private Life” likely won’t pick up the Oscar nomination it deserves, she’s got what sounds like a hell of a showcase coming up in 2019 with “Mrs. Fletcher.” Adapted from the recent novel by “Election,” “Little Children” and “The Leftovers” author Tom Perrotta, it’s being shepherded by the great Nicole Holofcener, who’s such a perfect fit for Hahn’s vibe that it’s remarkable that they haven’t worked together before. Combining the internet and sex has seen others come unstuck (Jason Reitman’s “The Internet Is Bad,” or whatever it was called, comes to mind), but this subject matter feels very much in Holofcener’s wheelhouse, so we couldn’t be more excited to see it.
Airdate: Ordered to series back in August, so probably some time in the second half of 2019.

21. “Dear White People: Volume 3” (Netflix)
Synopsis: A return to the Ivy League institution of Winchester University.
What You Need To Know: It’s one of the best shows that Netflix have, but “Dear White People,” based on Justin Simien’s film of the same name, doesn’t get the buzz of some shows, so we’d worried a little bit if the second season might be the last, particularly with Netflix being more willing to cancel series these days. Fortunately, a pick-up arrived last summer, so we should be getting more adventures of Sam, Troy, Lionel, Coco, Reggie and the rest of the gang. Simien’s series is one of the most timely and necessary comedies we have, and has attracted formidable behind-the-scenes talent so far (Barry Jenkins, Charlie McDowell, Kimberly Peirce and Janicza Bravo have all directed episodes), so expect all that to continue. And the season two twist suggests that we’ll be getting a “Secret History”-style look at Winchester’s Skull & Bones-type secret society, and that narrator Giancarlo Esposito will be an on-camera presence going forward too…
Airdate: Simien’s been busy with his second feature “Bad Hair,” so it might be a little later in the year than usual. Filming is underway though.

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