“The Wonder Years” (ABC)
ABC had a cultural smash hit from 1988 to 1993 in their comedy “The Wonder Years,” a loving look back at growing up in a suburban middle-class family in the 1960s. Saladin Patterson created this reboot of the concept that focuses on the childhood of Dean Williams (Elisha “EJ” Williams) when he was growing up in Montgomery, Alabama. The time period is the same but a shift to a Black middle-class family in the South should make for an interesting new perspective. Dule Hill (“Psych”) plays Dean’s father while the great Don Cheadle does the narration as present-day Dean this time around. Neat trivia: The director of the premiere? Fred Savage.
Airdate: September 22 – BT
“Dear White People” Season 4 (Netflix)
“Dear White People” is one of the most underrated shows of the 2010s, and viewers will have a chance to say goodbye to the students of Winchester University soon. Created by the brilliant, Justin Simien, for three seasons, his excellent cast—including Logan Browning, DeRon Horton, Brandon P. Bell, and Antoinette Robertson—have been examining issues of race, sexuality, and equality on college campuses in today’s climate. Without preaching or moralizing, “Dear White People” has contained some of Netflix’s smartest writing. The big twist of it all? This final season is a musical. We can’t wait for what Simien has in store.
Airdate: September 24 – BT
“Foundation” (Apple TV+)
Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” trilogy changed the game of sci-fi and foresees thousands of years of intergalactic developments and the rise and fall of whole empires. Writers David S. Goyer (“The Dark Knight” trilogy) and Josh Friedman (“Snowpiercer,” the series) have been developing the project for some time. Starring Jared Harris (“Mad Men,” “Chernobyl”) as psychohistorian Hari Seldon, and Lee Pace (“Halt and Catch Fire”) as Brother Day, Emperor of the Galaxy, “Foundation” is a major investment for the streaming service. Hollywood doesn’t have a history of being particularly faithful to Asimov’s works (see: “I, Robot”) but the narrative potential for a prestige IP property is certainly there.
Airdate: September 24 – Andrew Bundy
“Midnight Mass” (Netflix)
After the “Hauntings of Hill House” and “Bly Manor,” psychological horror maestro Mike Flanagan reunites with Kate Siegel once again, for a new 7-episode scarefest. Described as “an isolated island community experiences miraculous events – and frightening omens – after the arrival of a charismatic, mysterious young priest,” Flanagan’s newest sounds like it could wander into folk-horror “Midsommar,” “The Third Day,” “The Wicker Man” territory. Also starring Zach Gilford (“The Purge: Anarchy”) and Hamish Linklater (FX’s “Legion”), this one is all set to go.
Airdate: September 24 – AB
“La Brea” (NBC)
The network that canceled “Manifest” recently only to watch their creepy drama become a huge hit on Netflix is trying again with a different kind of sci-fi travel drama that will air on Tuesday nights. Created by David Appelbaum (“The Mentalist”), “La Brea” stars Natalie Zea (“Justified”) as a woman caught in the center of the unimaginable when a sinkhole opens in Los Angeles that doesn’t just swallow cars and trees but actually transports people to a primeval land with a family reportedly at the center of the story.
Airdate: September 28 – BT
OCTOBER
“Maid” (Netflix)
Mother/daughter acting duo Andie MacDowell (“Groundhog Day”) and Margaret Qualley (“Once Upon A Time In Hollywood…”) will perhaps hash out some real-life family demons in Netflix’s new dramedy “Maid.” Inspired by Stephanie Land’s memoir “Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive,” the concept seems to be flipping maternal responsibility on its head. Qualley plays Alex, a single mom who’s turned to housekeeping to scrape by, whereas her eccentric mother, Paula (MacDowell), is the life of every party but at the expense of repressing a lot of issues she never wanted to face.
Airdate: October 1 – AB
“Ghosts” (CBS)
The story of supernatural beings who haunt a country home received one of the quickest U.S. remake turnarounds in TV history with the American version dropping on CBS this fall while the U.K. one is still in production. It stars Rose McIver (“iZombie”) and Utkarsh Ambudkar (“Free Guy”) as a couple who have moved into their dream home in the country only to find out that not only does it need a few updates but that it’s already home to a bunch of, you guessed it, ghosts.
Airdate: October 7 – BT
“Chucky” (Syfy/USA)
Thirty-three years after a homicidal doll named Chucky took over pop culture, his saga continues on a show created by none other than Don Mancini himself. Pretending the 2019 reboot never happened, this one picks up after the seventh film in the Mancini-led iteration of the franchise, “Cult of Chucky,” and will broadcast on both the Syfy and USA Networks, just in time for Halloween. Of course, Chucky doesn’t exist without the great voice work by Brad Dourif, who will return for the series along with a reported appearance by Jennifer Tilly as Tiffany Valentine, the sociopathic love of Chucky’s life. Chucky-verse characters like Fiona Dourif as Nica Pierce and Alex Vincent as none other than Andy Barclay, the poor kid who started it all back in the ‘80s are set to return.
Airdate: October 12 – BT
“Dopesick” (Hulu)
Actor-turned-writer Danny Strong‘s newest project, “Dopesick,” teams with director Barry Levinson to adapt Beth Macy’s acclaimed non-fiction book on the epicenter of the U.S. of A’s opioid addiction crisis. Starring Michael Keaton, Peter Sarsgaard, Kaitlyn Dever, Will Poulter, and Rosario Dawson, Hulu’s miniseries follows in the footsteps of other drug-trade shows such as “Hightown” and trying to cop that “Breaking Bad” success. With Strong behind the show though, we can expect the kind of suit-and-tie thriller that is as tense as a crime series and manages to compel through its far-reaching societal implications.
Airdate: October 13 – AB
“I Know What You Did Last Summer” (Amazon Prime)
In the 1990s slasher revival heyday, “I Know What You Did Last Summer” became a runaway hit, leading to a quickie sequel the next year in the bluntly titled “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer,” but the franchise quickly floundered. Some forget that the series was loosely based on a 1973 YA novel by Lois Duncan, and that’s the source that Amazon cites for this TV series version of the tale of a group of friends haunted by a car accident on their graduation night, stalked a year later by a vicious murderer. Madison Iseman and Brianne Tju star in this one, which will drop four episodes on the first day and unfold weekly after that.
Airdate: October 15 – BT
“Queens” (ABC)
With a cast of familiar faces, “Queens” is the story of a girl R&B group called the “Nasty Bitches,” who was on top of the music world in the 1990s. Over two decades later, the four artists, with the memorable stage names of Xplicit Lyrics (Brandy), Professor Sex (Eve), Butter Pecan (Nadine Velazquez), and Da Thrill (Naturi Naughton), have reunited in another stab at fame and fortune, but life will almost certainly get in the way. Performers like Brandy and Eve know a thing or two about how music and fame have changed since the ‘90s when they were incredibly popular recording artists themselves, and that should bring some interesting depth to the project from Zahir McGhee, a writer and executive producer on “Scandal.” Tim Story (“Barbershop”) directed the pilot.
Airdate: October 20 – BT
“Invasion” (Apple TV+)
Simon Kinberg (“X-Men”) and David Weil (“Hunters”) co-created this sci-fi series about an alien invasion that will be captured from different corners of the world. It stars the great Sam Neill, Shamier Anderson, and Golshifteh Farahani. Apple TV+ reportedly gave the series a $200 million budget. That’s a lot of money for a show not built on a familiar IP, but Apple is hoping this ambitious, globe-hopping project gets the kind of buzz that keeps people subscribing once their free trial has lapsed.
Airdate: October 22 – BT
“Colin in Black & White” (Netflix)
Following “When They See Us,” Ava DuVernay returns to Netflix with a six-episode series about the life of Colin Kaepernick, the controversial NFL quarterback who was blacklisted for his protests of the National Anthem. The drama focuses on Kap’s teenage years. Jaden Michael plays Kaepernick and Nick Offerman and Mary-Louise Parker take on the roles of his adoptive parents. Kaepernick himself provides the narration for this fascinating project. The premiere episode will screen as a part of the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival in September.
Airdate: October 29 – BT
“Succession” Season 3 (HBO)
HBO’s Emmy winner for Best Drama hasn’t been on the air in well over a year and it will probably be at least six more months until the juicy drama of the Roy family picks up again. The pandemic-delayed shoot for the third season started a long time ago, but the production is staying tight-lipped about any details, except one interesting tidbit snuck out: three familiar faces from the first two years have been upgraded from guest players to series regulars: Justine Lupe, David Rasche, and Fisher Stevens. What does this mean for the story of Season 3? Who knows? Another interesting tidbit that snuck out may be an answer to the question of if a very modern show set in New York City would tackle COVID-19 in its narrative. It doesn’t look like it. Sarah Snook said creator Jesse Armstrong was unlikely to address it directly.
Airdate: TBD October. – BT
NOVEMBER
“Dexter: New Blood” (Showtime)
Derided as having one of the worst series finales of all time since it dropped Dexter Morgan in the woods way back in 2013, Showtime’s “Dexter” will return in 2021 to correct the public record. If you don’t remember, “Dexter” stars Michael C. Hall as a blood spatter expert for the Miami Police Department who also happens to be a serial killer with a strict moral code. Like a lot of Showtime series, “Dexter” started strongly but fell apart as the writers ran out of ideas. Maybe they came up with better ones in the last eight years? Hall will return, as will showrunner Clyde Phillips. The good news there is that Phillips was the showrunner on Seasons 1-4 and left after the beginning of Season 5. Those first four years were markedly better. Maybe Dexter Morgan will finally get the send-off he deserves?
Airdate: November 7 – BT
“The Shrink Next Door” (Apple TV+)
Apple TV+ sure does open the wallets for high budgets and star power. Who else could get Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd to star in a comedy miniseries? (And dropping Kathryn Hahn and Casey Wilson into the supporting cast is pretty spectacular too.) Based on the podcast of the same name by Joe Nocera, little is known about this project beyond the intriguing premise: “A psychiatrist begins to implant himself into the life of one of his patients.” Inspired by a true story, this “Anchorman” reunion sees Rudd in the role of the psychiatrist and Ferrell as the patient who kept crossing the line between patient and doctor. Hahn plays Ferrell’s younger sister (it’s a “Step Brothers” reunion too!) and Wilson plays Rudd’s wife.
Airdate: November 12 – BT
“Cowboy Bebop” (Netflix)
Netflix’s upcoming live-action adaptation of “Cowboy Bebop” caught people’s attention when John Cho was cast in the fan-favorite role of Spike Spiegel – whose “too cool for school” attitude Rian Johnson partly based “Brick’s” high school P.I. Brendan Frye (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) off of. A true genre hybrid in every sense of the term, ‘Bebop’ follows a Spike’s small crew of bounty hunters (aka Cowboys), predating “Firefly” as a cosmic western by about a half-decade – combining elements of space opera, film noir, and cyberpunk, before doing so became clichély commonplace. Deservedly, the show is consistently viewed as a masterpiece of animation. In some ways, that begs the question why even make a live-action series? But with Cho at the lead, the series recently filling out its cast with a diverse group of Asian-American actors, and anime director Shinichirō Watanabe onboard, “Cowboy Bebop” could end up being a huge sci-fi hit for the streaming service, with Western subscribers left cold by something like the canceled “Altered Carbon” being its target audience outside fans of the original show.
Airdate: November 19 – AB
“The Great” Season 2 (Hulu)
Tony McNamara’s 2020 period drama was one of the best shows of last year, and Hulu hasn’t wasted any time getting a second chapter of this story of sex, power, and insanity out to subscribers. Loosely based on the story of Catherine the Great, the show stars Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult, both giving spectacular performances. Hoult in particular really understands how disastrous things can go when an idiot is placed in power. The first season ended with Catherine’s pregnancy saving her life after an attempted coup of her husband, but possibly leaving her lover Leo (Sebastian De Souza) in jeopardy. His fate remains a mystery, but one amazing thing that has been revealed about Season 2? Gillian Anderson has joined the cast as Joanna, Catherine’s mother. That truly is…great.
Airdate: November 19 – BT
“The Hot Zone: Anthrax” (Nat Geo)
Expect waves of projects about pandemics and how easily they can be mishandled over the next few years, but this is not exactly that. This Nat Geo project is actually a sequel to the 2019 mini-series based on the 1994 non-fiction book “The Hot Zone” by Richard Preston. Whereas that one focused on the Ebola outbreak in 1989, the second installment will dramatize the science and panic around the anthrax attacks of 2001. Starring Daniel Dae Kim (“Lost”) and Tony Goldwyn (“Ghost”), it will unfold over three nights with two episodes a night, right around Thanksgiving! Watch with the whole family! (Harry Hamlin and Dylan Baker co-star.)
Airdate: November 28 – BT
“The Wheel Of Time” (Amazon)
Rafe Judkins (“Chuck,” “Hemlock Grove,” “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”) adapts Robert Jordan’s popular series of novels for Amazon, as part of the streaming service’s post-‘Thrones,’ pre-‘Rings’ push into the high-fantasy space. The series stars Rosamund Pike and follows the quest to find the Dragon Reborn, who it is said will help unite forces to combat The Dark One (whatever that means). Her character believes one of them might be the reincarnation of an incredibly powerful individual, whom prophecies say will either save humanity or destroy it. Great?
Airdate: November 2021 – RP
“Hawkeye” (Disney+)
The Marvel Studios limited series experiment is off and running and, so far, it’s worked. In this series, Clint Barton aka Hawkeye retires and passes the torch to a young protege named Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). Joining Jeremy Renner and Steinfeld in the cast are Vera Farmiga, Fra Fee, Tony Dalton, Zahn McClarnon, Brian d’Arcy James, and newcomer Alaqua Cox who will star as the hero known as Echo. Helmed by Rhys Thomas and directing duo Bert and Bertie, will “Hawkeye” be bold enough to confront the fact that Barton became the ruthless murderer Ronin in “Avengers: Endgame?” (And maybe morally and ethically, that’s about as good as any reason for a superhero to retire?)
Airdate: November 24 – RP
“The Witcher” Season 2 (Netflix)
One of the biggest Netflix hits of the last few years came at the end of 2019 in Lauren Schmidt Hissrich’s adaptation of the universe of novels by Andrzej Sapkowski, and, even more directly, the massively popular video games of the same name. Henry Cavill plays Geralt of Rivia, Freya Allen takes on Princess Ciri, and Anya Charlotra steals scenes as Yennefer of Vengerberg. The eight-episode first season was based on a couple of short stories that are prequels to the main saga of “The Witcher,” so this story is really just getting started. Given the first season was one of the most streamed shows worldwide of all time, the second outing is going to be one of the biggest events of the season. Just in time for Christmas!
Airdate: December 17 – BT
“The Book of Boba Fett” (Disney+)
There won’t be a season of “The Mandalorian” in 2021 but that doesn’t mean that fans will lack in bounty hunter adventure stories. Created by the same team, “The Book of Boba Fett” is a spin-off of “The Mandalorian,” taking the character played by Temuera Morrison on his own saga, and bringing Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) along for the ride. The action/adventure tone should be similar to “The Mandalorian,” but will audiences respond the same way without a Baby Yoda to amplify the cuteness factor? Or maybe there will be a Baby Chewbacca?!?! (Note: Robert Rodriguez has reportedly directed several episodes along with the “Mandalorian” vets Jon Favreau, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Dave Filoni).
Airdate: December 21 – BT
“MacGruber” (Peacock)
Why did this take so long? The character that Will Forte hysterically developed on “Saturday Night Live” hasn’t been seen since the 2010 release of the feature film “MacGruber.” While the movie kind of tanked at the box office, it almost instantly developed a loyal cult following on DVD, and fans clamored for a sequel, which the team has been teasing for years. Well, they’re getting something better in this spin-off TV series being produced exclusively for NBC’s streaming service, Peacock. Announced as being developed in January, Peacock confirmed the series order in August, and announced it would drop sometime in 2021. That’s pretty much all that’s known at this point. MacGruber is back and Will Forte is playing him. What else do you really need to know? How about the official description from the press release, which absolutely rules: “After rotting in prison for over a decade, America’s ultimate hero and uber patriot MacGruber (Will Forte) is finally released. His mission: to take down a mysterious villain from his past—Brigadier Commander Enos Queeth. With the entire world in the crosshairs, MacGruber must race against time to defeat the forces of evil – only to find that evil… may be lurking within.” Filming wrapped on August 23rd, 2021, so that could be tight for a 2021 turnaround, but we’ve waited long enough!
Airdate: TBD 2021 – BT
“Ozark” Season 4 (Netflix)
It’s always interesting when it seems a show is organically bringing a story to a close instead of dragging it out past its breaking point. That feels like it’s the case with “Ozark,” after Netflix announced that the 2021 fourth season would be the last for the Emmy-winning series. How will the saga of Marty (Jason Bateman) and Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney) come to a close? The excellent third season ended with the Byrdes a full-blown criminal enterprise under the wing of a powerful Mexican drug cartel. As if that’s not enough of a problem for the final season, Ruth (Julia Garner) reunited with the sociopathic Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery), and a violent turf war is brewing in the Ozarks. With so many plotlines to wrap up in one final season, this year should be action-packed and bloody. Don’t expect most of these characters to make it out alive.
Airdate: TBD 2021, but the rumor is that the first half will be released in the fall and the second half in 2022.- BT
“Tokyo Vice” (HBO Max)
Based on Jake Adelstein’s 2009 memoir, “Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan,” HBO Max’s “Tokyo Vice” serves as Michael Mann’s first time back behind the camera since 2015’s “Blackhat” and the first time back at TV after HBO’s failed gambling and horse racing show “Luck.” About an American journalist who embeds himself into the Tokyo Vice police squad to reveal corruption, Mann shares directing duties here with Destin Daniel Cretton (“Just Mercy,” “The Glass Castle”). The series is set to star Ansel Elgort and Ken Watanabe, and given his #MeToo like drama and the allegations waged against him, we’re a little bit surprised Elgort wasn’t recast—after all, actors like Odessa Young were recast by Rachel Keller (“Legion”) because the shooting took so long to get underway. Rinko Kikuchi and Ella Rumpf round out the cast.
Airdate: The series wrapped in early June, so a release by the end of 2021 is definitely possible – BT
“Ripley” (Showtime)
Tom Ripley has a long history in fiction and film with the Patricia Highsmith novels about the character adapted into projects like “The Talented Mr. Ripley” and “Ripley’s Game.” This project, from the excellent Steven Zaillian (“The Irishman”), will start with the first book in the series, capturing Tom Ripley in the early ‘60s, traveling to Italy at the behest of a man who wants his son to come home (it’s the story of the excellent Anthony Minghella film with Matt Damon and Jude Law). The hope is that each season will tackle a different book in the series, presumably running for five seasons on Showtime. Who steps into this charming criminal’s shoes? None other than Andrew Scott, the scene-stealer from the second season of “Fleabag.”
Airdate: It’s hard to say exactly where this is in production, but it already has an official Showtime page, so expect it sooner than later. – BT
“The Old Man” (FX on Hulu)
This adaptation of Thomas Perry’s 2017 book —about a former CIA officer, living off the grid who finds himself on the run from people who want to kill him— was originally announced as an FX series. Now, “The Old Man” is now one of the several FX shows now destined to premiere exclusively on FX on Hulu. The series boasts a prestigious cast including John Lithgow, Amy Brenneman, Alia Shawkat, and Jeff Bridges in the lead role. It is executive-produced by Jon Watts (“Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “Far From Home”), who also directs the pilot. Watts hasn’t had a chance to get back to his indie roots since “Cop Car,” so it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out. Bridges is battling cancer right now, so let’s hope there’s a happy ending to that story too.
Airdate: TBD 2021 – BT