2024 is promising further expansion into mega franchise territory, with the MCU, Star Wars and Batman all starting new television series by the end of next year. Huge movie stars like Austin Butler and Robert De Niro will move into their first premium series, and we’ll get new seasons from favorites like True Detective and The Walking Dead.
There will also be some new fantasy projects coming to Netflix and Apple TV+, with The Last Airbender and Time Bandits being refashioned as series. Considering the strike-shortened shooting schedules of many of these shows, it will be interesting to see how these series arcs will be affected, as some have been shortened (Marvel’s Echo) or delayed (The Penguin). Regardless, 2024 is promising a ton of premium streaming content.
The following are 2024’s most-anticipated television series.
Echo — January 10, 2024
Disney+ and the MCU will premier their 10th television series next year, Echo, which centers around the standout superhero introduced in Marvel’s Hawkeye series in 2021. The Native American actress Alaqua Cox will again play Maya Lopez/Echo, after thrilling fans in her debut acting role in the earlier series.
Why Alaqua Cox Has a Bright Future
Cox, who hails from the Menominee Reservation in Wisconsin, will play Echo in an origin story that begins in New York City. Given the fanfare around her character and acting prowess, expect Echo to continue expanding into a larger presence in the MCU.
True Detective: Night Country — January 14, 2024
Nic Pizzolatto will be bowing out of the role of showrunner on True Detective: Night Country as the series shifts to the cold climes of Alaska. It became clear the series needed an injection of new blood after its last two seasons sagged in comparison to its unforgettable Season 1. Night Country has cast Jodie Foster as Detective Liz Danvers, who begins a murder investigation after finding dead bodies mysteriously encased in ice.
Themes From Earlier Seasons Remain
Yes, Carcosa has found its way to Alaska — as during their murder investigation, Detectives Danvers and Navarro (Kali Reis) begin to find the cult’s spiral symbol. It will be interesting to see how much Issa López, the series’ new showrunner, will veer away from the indulgence that plagued the show’s last two seasons, but the trailer indicates that the series will again be darker in tone. That can only bode well for the show — which was at its best when it incorporated the macabre mythos of the Yellow King.
Monsieur Spade — January 14, 2024
Dashiell Hammet’s Sam Spade character has seen many incarnations over the years, but none since an ’80s BBC Radio version with actor Tom Wilkinson in the role. It has long been difficult to fill the loafers of Humphrey Bogart, who played Spade memorably in The Maltese Falcon. Now, Clive Owen will play a 60-year-old version of Spade in Monsieur Spade, which has completed shooting at AMC.
Why Monsieur Spade is Tailor-Made for Clive Owen
Owen has long had a penchant for noir, since Croupier introduced the world to his particular brand of understated acting. Bogart had that same quality. In this version, Spade is an expat living in the south of France, where danger finds him and pulls him out of a retirement he never truly wanted.
Griselda — January 25, 2024
Sofia Vergara will produce and play the lead role in Griselda, a Netflix limited series about the infamous cocaine trafficker Griselda Blanco. Early stills show Vergara altering her appearance using SFX makeup, and donning a fierce look as the Black Widow.
Why Griselda Could Help With Our Narcos Withdrawals
The Cocaine Cowboys documentary from 2006 alerted many to the unbelievable story of South Florida’s most notorious drug lord, and her penchant for disposing of ex-lovers. Her story moves from a Scarface-esque battle to eliminate competitors, to a prison stretch that didn’t end her criminal ways.
Masters of the Air — January 26, 2024
A red-hot Austin Butler is coming to the small screen as Major Gale Cleven in Masters of the Air, a series about the bomber boys who fought the Nazis in WWII. The series centers around the 100th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Air Force, famous for their bloody battles in the sky that incurred heavy loss of life.
Why This Series Will Hearken Back to Films Like Empire of the Sun
WWII Air Force films are largely a theme of the past, after ’80s movies like The Memphis Belle and Empire of the Sun focused on the brutal air battles of the Pacific War. Masters of the Air could be the best series on this subject since The Tuskegee Airmen, a ’90s HBO series known for great performances by Laurence Fishburne and John Lithgow. With preternatural talent Barry Keoghan joining the cast, Masters could prove to win awards, as well.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith — February 2, 2024
Mr. and Mrs. Smith is getting a reboot, in series format, as Donald Glover and Maya Erskine will take on the eponymous roles and inject some straight comedy into the property. It will be hard to match the buzz around Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s tabloid love affair during the making of the 2005 film-version, which led to a nearly half-a-billion dollar take at the box office. Where it can improve on the original is writing and performance.
Why Donald Glover and Maya Erskine Are a Potential Perfect Casting
Glover’s knack for comedy, which has helped carry the shows Community and Atlanta, should mesh perfectly with Maya Erskine. Since PEN15 showed Erskine’s tremendous talent for characters, she has rifled through everything from standout voice roles to entrance into the Star Wars pantheon in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Playing a spy who inhabits many an identity will play directly to her strengths.
Avatar: The Last Airbender — February 22, 2024
Avatar: The Last Airbender will be a live-action reimagining of the beloved Nickelodeon animated series, with Netflix giving the show a big-budget makeover. The series will begin when Aang (Gordon Cormier) is unfrozen after a hundred years trapped in ice. The trailer looks impressive, as Aang can be seen riding his flying bison, Appa, through lavishly ornate worlds and bending the elements as only he can.
Why This May Be Netflix’s Biggest Series of 2024
Netflix is betting on Avatar capitalizing on a wide target audience — hoping the show will appeal to millennials nostalgic for the cartoon version, as well as a younger generation embracing the franchise.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live — February 25, 2024
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is cruising towards a late winter premiere, with Andrew Lincoln back in the fold as Rick Grimes. This series will pick up where What Comes After left off, with Scott Gimple, who ran seasons 4 through 8, again at the helm — this time with Danai Gurira sharing the creative duties.
Why The Ones Who Live Could Find a Big Audience
Even 13 years after its initial television release, The Walking Dead still has a massive built-in audience, particularly with the inclusion of original cast members like Lincoln. Now the show will have a more balanced cast and, reportedly, more developed arcs. Color us excited.
3 Body Problem — March 21, 2024
Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will see if they can enjoy the same success without the assistance of George R.R. Martin’s source material, as they kick off 3 Body Problem. This will be a science fiction series that follows an astrophysicist affected by the Chinese Cultural Revolution, whose subsequent decisions reverberate through history.
Why the Duo Has a Better Chance This Time
The Game of Thrones show left much to be desired when the source material ran out. But before that, showrunners Benioff and Weiss were doing an excellent job adapting the material. With a completed series this time, they may just earn some redemption from sore Game of Thrones fans.
The Regime — Spring 2024
After a critical triumph for her limited series at HBO, Mare of Eastown, Kate Winslet is running it back with the streaming service — this time as the Chancellor of a crumbling nation in The Regime. The political satire, expected to run 6 episodes long, is the brainchild of writer Will Tracy, who has already penned memorable episodes of Succession and co-wrote The Menu.
Why The Regime Comes At a Fitting Moment in Time
After the Pandemic, Brexit, and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the landscape is set for a political satire to lampoon the many global issues we face.
Time Bandits — Release Date TBD
Any new content from Taika Waititi perks up our ears, and it appears he is refashioning Terry Gilliam’s 1981 fantasy film Time Bandits for Apple TV+. Waititi has long veered away from source material in the past, and apparently has done so again — causing Gilliam to walk off the film’s New Zealand set due to creative differences with the director.
How Waititi’s Version of Time Bandits Could be Different, but Better
Gilliam shouldn’t be surprised with Waititi taking creative license and altering his story, which he did with varying results on two Thor films. In short, we’re expecting a totally different story, and that can only bode well for a franchise that is out-of-date for today’s audiences.
Dune: Prophecy — Release Date TBD
In addition to dropping the sequel Dune: Part 2 in 2024, Max is shooting a spinoff series, Dune: Prophecy, which is set thousands of years before the movie version. The film will follow the Bene Gesserit sisterhood depicted in the films.
How the Series Could Outpace the Movie Sequel
What the series lacks in star power when compared to the movies, it makes up for with sheer acting talent — as acting heavyweights Emily Watson and Olivia Williams will pace the series. Add to that the casting of Mark Strong as Emperor Javico Corrino, and we’re expecting a renewed interest in the mythos of Arrakis, in a format that may be better-suited to Frank Herbert’s sprawling science fiction epic.
Fallout — Release Date TBD
Given the recent success of video game-to-series adaptations like The Last of Us, Amazon Prime Video is banking on the appeal of the role-playing game Fallout crossing over successfully to the small screen. The series stars Walton Goggins, who should lend plenty of humor as Ghoul.
What We Know So Far
While we don’t have a trailer or release date for Fallout just yet, Amazon Prime Video has released images of a noseless Goggins as Ghoul, and shared cast info that includes Ella Purnell of Yellowjackets fame and Kyle MacLachlan as Overseer Hank. Photos of the mech suits look seriously impressive too, raising hopes that the series could be as entertaining as the popular game.
The Acolyte — Release Date TBD
The first live-action show that takes place during the High Republic era of the Star Wars timeline, The Acolyte will see a storyline that immediately precedes The Phantom Menace, chronologically. Details are slim, but Spider-Verse alum Amandla Stenberg is set in the starring role opposite Lee Jung-jae, who will play the Jedi Master whose help she seeks.
How The Acolyte Will Differ From Other Star Wars Shows
Leslye Headland will showrun the effort, and the series seeks to have a much larger female presence than other Star Wars shows. This is the earliest Star Wars live action show in terms of timeline, and Headland intends to make a story that is much more from the perspective of the villains, who, during this era, are far outnumbered.
Daredevil: Born Again — Release Date TBD
Daredevil: Born Again will again see Charlie Cox in the role of Matt Murdock/Daredevil, with Vincent D’Onofrio reprising the role of Kingpin. The show is promising to be closer in tone to the work of Frank Miller, leading the property away from the more PG series that only lasted 3 seasons before cancelation. While the release date is supposed to be some time in 2024, some early reports are warning the series may be pushed out into 2025 before airing.
Why Daredevil: Born Again Will Fare Better Than the Previous Series
Born Again is promising a bolstered cast, with Jon Bernthal’s Punisher character more heavily featured and Michael Gandolfini joining the series as Daniel Blade. With a darker tone akin to Frank Miller favorites like Sin City, the series should expect a series run that rivals Netflix’s Punisher seasons.
Disclaimer — Release Date TBD
Director Alfonso Cuarón’s first foray into the world of television, Disclaimer will see the creator stay in his wheelhouse with strong female leads by casting Cate Blanchett in the series as journalist Catherine Ravenscroft. Blanchett said the experience was “[M]ore like shooting 7 movies,” which bodes well for the level of work being done on this premium series.
Why Disclaimer Could Be 2024’s Most-Awarded Limited Series
Between Cuarón’s aptitude for illiciting career-defining performances from his actors, Blanchett’s unparalleled ability to inhabit characters, and a series format that will allow the director to expand on his amazing dramatic ouevre, Disclaimer could replace The White Lotus as the premium series that gets the most critical love and shiny awards of any 2024 premium series.
Zero Day — Release Date TBD
Robert De Niro is leading a new thriller series, Zero Day, towards completion at Netflix. Believe it or not, this is De Niro’s first TV show as a series regular. Details are few, but De Niro will play a former POTUS investigating a worldwide conspiracy. Joining him on the cast are Lizzy Caplan and Jesse Plemons — and White Lotus star Connie Britton as his former Chief of Staff.
Why This Could Be the Best Political Thriller on TV
Homeland’s Lesli Linka Glatter is set to direct Zero Day, bringing some serious experience in the rarefied air of the political thriller. If this series promises half of te twists-and-turns of Homeland, we should expect one of next year’s more memorable cerebral series.
The Mandalorian: Season 4 — Release Date TBD
We’re still not sure whether The Mandalorian: Season 4 will actually make it to TV screens in 2024, considering the hubbub over Pedro Pascal’s recent casting in Fantastic Four potentially cribbing him from Mando duties. Assuming it does get a 2024 release, we’re expecting a story that is a continuation of the previous season.
Why We’re Likely to See The Mandalorian Before 2025
Pascal will likely be replaced as Mando — because of the masked character, the actor can do a ton in ADR. Also, Jon Favreau has had the script fleshed out for a while, saying “We had mapped it out, Dave [Filoni] and I, and slowly you start to write each episode. I was writing it during post-production.” Without a firm announcement as to Pascal’s inclusion, we’ll just have to wait and see.
The Penguin — Release Date TBD
The Penguin was one of the TV series most affected by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, with a shooting schedule cut in half when picketing led to actors walking off set. That won’t affect the huge interest in this series, after the character’s newest incarnation was introduced in The Batman. It’s still hard to believe it was Colin Farrell under all that makeup, but this more mafioso Penguin also allows for the franchise to delve deeper into the dark corners of Gotham’s organized crime syndicates.
Why The Penguin Will Shine
We’re game for any Cristin Milioti TV appearances, and Colin Farrell brings a certain swagger as an actor we generally only see on the silver screen. The two will square off against one another, as Milioti plays Sofia Falcone, daughter of Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), whom Robert Pattinson dispatched in The Batman. If seeing a Batman property back on TV seems weird, just remember — there have been many! This is the medium that made the comic books famous.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew — Christmas 2024
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew appears to be the most promising of the forthcoming Star Wars series. Set in the post-Return of the Jedi era, the series will feature Jude Law and a cast of kids, though details are slim — save for some leaked images of Law wielding a light saber — suggesting he is indeed of the Jedi order.
Why Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Will Be Disney+’s Best New Series
Right on brand for Disney+, Skeleton Crew promises an adventure story akin to old-school Disney franchises. “Skeleton Crew’s tone is an adventure,” series co-creator Christopher Ford told Entertainment Weekly. “We wanted it to be a lot of fun.” With Jon Favreau heavily involved in this new series, we’d say that is all but guaranteed.
