The 20 Most Anticipated TV Shows of 2024

Can you think of a better start to 2024 than the continuation of the Jodie Fosteraissance? The return of True Detective is all kinds of badass: a chilly, nihilistic setting, a promising newcomer in Kali Reis, and showrunner Issa López saying all the right things. (If you go around citing The Thing and Alien as inspirations for your detective series, you have my heart.) Expect Night Country to dominate the same viewing window as The Last of Us did in 2023.

Let me just throw a whole bunch of names at you: Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Barry Keoghan, and Ncuti Gatwa. They’re all starring in a World War II-set minseries about the U.S. Air Force’s 100th Bomb Group, known for their heroics during deadly missions. Oh, and two more names: Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, who are producing Masters of the Air. You’re in? Good. Me too.

In 1975, Truman Capote published a story in this very magazine, which revealed the secrets of many of his high-society associates, unleashing one hell of a scandal. Ripe for a Ryan Murphy treatment, right? That’s exactly what we’ll get in Capote vs. The Swans, which will mark the second installment in Murphy’s Feud anthology series. Consider us ready for Tom Hollander’s take on Capote.

It was all the way back in February 2021 when we first learned that Donald Glover and Phoebe Waller-Bridge would star in a television series based on 2005’s Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Since then, Waller-Bridge has left the project—but don’t let that get you down, because the incomparable Maya Erskine (of PEN15 greatness) took her place. I’m willing to bet that Mr. and Mrs. Smith will at least find more success than Prime Video’s ill-fated Citadel.

I hate to tell you this, but Larry David claims that Season 12 of Curb Your Enthusiasm will end the series. You should read his press release: “As Curb comes to an end, I will now have the opportunity to finally shed this ‘Larry David’ persona and become the person God intended me to be—the thoughtful, kind, caring, considerate human being I was until I got derailed by portraying this malignant character,” Oh, Larry.

I don’t have to remind you of this, but 2024 will feel a wee bit hellish at times! You’ll need as much uncomplicated joy as you can find in our rather prolonged doom times. Enter Abbott Elementary, which will make you feel better about the world for at least 22 minutes at a time—which is, you know, something.

If you derived even an ounce of enjoyment from Netflix’s David Beckham docuseries, then I highly suggest you clear time for Apple TV+’s Lionel Messi own outing this winter. Now, The Rise of a Legend is seemingly more about Argentina’s World Cup win—not a beginning-to-end profile of the footballer, à la BECKHAM—but it should be worth the price of admission, regardless.

Every other millennial has a soft spot for Avatar: The Last Airbender. For a lot of us, the series was what we watched after graduating from Spongebob and co. When the anime-inspired cartoon debuted in 2005, we were introduced to Avatar‘s brilliant art direction, as well as its brilliant depiction of loss, growing up, and downright joy. But as much as I love M. Night Shyamalan, his live-action 2010 adaptation wasn’t terribly great. I’m a little more optimistic about Netflix’s take, which seemingly keeps a little bit more of the original’s spirit. One can hope!

I’ll keep this one short: If a 17th-century-set samurai series starring Hiroyuki Sanada doesn’t appeal to you, I’m not sure what to say here. Look at the costumes!

Wondering when we’d see networks and streamers race to fill the Succession-sized hole in our lives? Well, it starts with The Regime. The alchemy of the series looks something like this: Kate Winslet + Roy family-esque verbal assault + power suits + Hugh Grant + the backdrop of a fictional European autocracy. Yes, I’ll watch every minute of it.

Who’s the natural choice to helm the adaptation of the sci-fi book that’s been co-opted by that guy (you know, the one who really loves to tell you how big of a sci-fi head he is), who carries it around like it’s Infinite Jest? The Game of Thrones dudes! David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, baby. Come March, prepare for every Reddit forum in existence to dunk on the Thrones finale and 3 Body Problem in the same breath.

If any video game adaptation has a shot at recreating The Last of Us‘s success (no, The Super Mario Bros. Movie doesn’t count), it’s Fallout. Just like The Last of Us, Fallout is a post-apocalyptic story—nuclear fallout, ya’ know—but the tone leans more The Boys‘ brand of dark humor than Pedro Pascal frowning at mushrooms. Plus, Westworld‘s Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan are behind Fallout, so it absolutely has the creative chops to become a bonafide hit.

I was a little lower on House of the Dragon than most Thrones-heads—the show deflated for me as soon as it time-traveled past Milly Alcock and Emily Carey. But it’s undeniably one of the summer’s biggest shows, and word around Westeros is that this season will actually deliver on the dragons, so I can’t leave it out of this preview in good faith.

Yee-haw, lil’ doggies (sorry): Paramount insists that we’ll finally see Yellowstone return from its beef-and-strike-induced hiatus this fall. I’m not sure if I believe it. The tornado of Kevin Costner’s hissy fits, Taylor Sheridan’s ego, and the future of the series (mainly: McConaughey?) feels like too much to sort out in a calendar year. Maybe I’m wrong! But that’s my bet. Yellowstone is too important to both Paramount and Sheridan to screw up with a rushed production schedule.

I’m not sure if I’ve seen a better trailer for a 2024 series than what HBO’s The Sympathizer delivered to us late last year. Robert Downey Jr. playing multiple roles? A title card calmly informing us that the director is the legendary Park Chan-wook? The series is based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, which follows a spy who, near the end of the Vietnam War, embeds himself in South Vietnam’s army.

So, where did we leave off in the Karate Kid spinoff again? Does it matter? Entering its sixth and final season, Cobra Kai—at this point, at least—is simply a 10-0r-so-episode-long hang with Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, and a case of Coors Banquet. Are you complaining? I’m not. If Cobra Kai returns in the fall, though, expect things to get a teensy bit weird with December’s Karate Kid movie, which stars Macchio and Jackie Chan but has zero involvement from the Cobra Kai creators. (And they’re pretty unhappy about it!)

I’d never lie to you, reader, so I have to say it: I don’t watch The Boys. And definitely not Gen V. I probably never will. It’s gross! We have enough superhero-tent! There’s an uncomfortable amount of blood! And dicks! But enough of my colleagues swear by The Boys that it simply has to be here. Enjoy, sickos.

Say it ain’t so! This year, we’ll see the end of another beloved series: the zany, superpowered, viral-dance-creating The Umbrella Academy. It’s one of my last few favorite scripted series on Netflix. Let’s just hope the streamer sends out Elliot Page and co. with a bang.

In late 2023, we learned that The Bear would ramp up production on Season Three this winter, so it’s not out of question to think we’ll see Carmy’s return sometime between mid-year and fall. Our man will surely make it out of the fridge, sure, but what comes after? Definitely more growing pains for the intrepid cooks, and surely a few more cameos. (Jeremy Allen White’s Iron Claw lifting buddy, Zac Efron?) In the absence of a trailer, please do me a favor and rewatch Richie’s “Love Story” moment from season two. (It deserves multiple mentions in this preview, OK?)

Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending on your appetite—we have very few superhero-related projects to root for nowadays. That said, one of the better things the genre has going for it is Matt Reeves’s Batman-verse. (It doesn’t have a name. Battinson-verse?) Following 2022’s The Batman, Colin Farrell’s Penguin will get his very own spinoff series. Considering the Irish actor and his ungodly amount of prosthetics were two of the best things about the film, I’m cautiously excited about this one.