TV may finally have peaked but that doesn't mean the pipeline of new shows is drying up anytime soon. In fact, 2024 looks to debut a bounty of TV goodness across streaming services and linear channels.
The buzziest new TV shows run the gamut from sexy spy capers and historical dramas to epic fantasies and space operas. You can indulge in period romances, political satires and Western thrillers. And they'll be found on Netflix, Max, Disney Plus and more. So get out your calendars and mark down the release dates for these must-watch 2024 TV shows.
Echo (Disney Plus and Hulu)
Loki season 2 may have ended on a high note but Marvel has been hurting for quality when it comes to its TV shows and movies lately. So maybe by removing the pressure of supporting the entire MCU, Echo will be able to succeed where others have stumbled.
Starring Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, the series has Maya returning to her hometown to come to terms with her dark past and start embracing her Native American roots again. The show will also feature the returns of the villainous Kingpin, a.k.a. Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) and the vigilante Daredevil, a.k.a. Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), but Marvel is dubbing this a “Spotlight” series, meaning you don’t need to have done your homework before watching. All five episodes drop at once on January 9, so Echo is perfect for a binge-watch. - MM
Premieres Jan. 9 on Hulu and Disney Plus
True Detective season 4 (HBO)
Starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis as Alaskan detectives Liz Danvers and Evangeline Navarro, True Detective returns this year for its fourth season — though it's the first without showrunner Nic Pizzolatto (he retains an EP credit). Night Country takes place during the cold, sunless winter months in the frozen tundra and according to new showrunner Issa López, Night Country is heavily influenced by serial killer movies Seven and Silence of the Lambs. Given things take a sinister — if not downright creepy — turn in the trailer, those are comparisons I expect to be accurate for what could be HBO’s first hit of 2024. - MM
Premieres Jan. 14 on HBO and Max
Masters of the Air (Apple TV Plus)
If you’re like me, as soon as you saw the Masters of the Air trailer you instantly thought of Band of Brothers. And that’s logical, because this Apple TV Plus series is a companion series to Band of Brothers and The Pacific, despite not calling HBO its home. This time, we’re following the 100th Bomb Group of the U.S. Army Air Forces, the predecessor to the U.S. Air Force, during their combat missions against Nazi Germany. Masters of Air has a massive ensemble cast but with some heavy hitters in key roles — Austin Butler as Major Gale Cleven, Barry Keoghan as Lt. Curtis Biddick and Ncuti Gatwa as 2nd Lt. Robert Daniels. Don’t be surprised if this limited series is one of the year’s biggest shows. - MM
Premieres Jan. 26 on Apple TV Plus
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Prime Video)
I was really excited about Mr. & Mrs. Smith, which initially paired Donald Glover and Phoebe Waller-Bridge in this remake of the 2005 movie that launched “Brangelina.” But then Waller-Bridge exited the project and that anticipation turned to fear. After seeing the first trailer though, I’m completely in again, especially since it seems Maya Erskine is going to be an excellent replacement.
My only concern now is if there’s enough story to explore about two strangers forced into a fake marriage as cover for their espionage work, but given the expected “mission of the week” procedural structure I think Prime Video could have a serious hit on its hands. Especially with an incredible supporting cast that includes John Turturro, Paul Dano and Alexander Skarsgård among many others. - MM
Premieres Feb. 2 on Prime Video
Avatar: The Last Airbender (Netflix)
Almost 20 years after the animated series of the same name debuted in 2005, Netflix is giving Avatar: The Last Airbender the live-action treatment. Originally announced back in 2018, the show has been hit with delay after delay between the covid-19 pandemic and writers’ and actors’ strikes. But now the eight-episode live-action series is finally set to hit Netflix on February 22.
The last attempt at reimagining Nickelodeon’s hit animated series — M. Night Shyamalan’s widely panned depiction in 2010 — went over like a lead balloon. But this version promises to be more faithful to the source material. While we’re not likely to get a shot-for-shot remake, the first season should stay true to the spirit of the original, seeing Aang (Gordon Cormier), Katara (Katara), and Sokka (Ian Ousley) team up to take down the Fire Nation and restore peace to the world. - AS
Premieres Feb. 22 on Netflix
Tokyo Vice season 2 (Max)
The neon-noir thrillride that sees a budding American journalist thrust into the criminal underworld of Japan is just too hard to pass up. Max’s TV series based on the 2009 memoir of the same name makes its grand return this coming February, pitting watchers into the shoes of Jake Adesltein, played by Ansel Elgort, as he continues his descent into the abyss of Yakuza misconduct across Japan. Ken Watanabe will be reprising his role as Adelstein’s stoic detective cohort Hiroto Katagiri and additional characters, like Yosuke Kubozuka’s Naoki Hayama, will act as newfound foils for our protagonists.
The country of Japan itself will also be making a far larger imprint on the show this go around, as series director Alan Poul states in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, “So you will see a lot more big set pieces set out on the streets of Tokyo this season than we were able to accomplish on season 1, and that’s really exciting to us.” Get your next Yomiuri Shimbun fix when Tokyo Vice returns to Max come February, 2024. - RE
Premieres February on Max
The Regime (HBO)
Let the accolades flow forth! Kate Winslet returns to HBO to headline another limited series, following the highly acclaimed Mare of Easttown. The Regime seems to have more of a Succession vibe, a darkly comedic chronicling of a year within the place of a crumbling authoritarian government. Winslet is the Chancellor of a fictional Central European autocracy, who finds her position threatened by domestic turmoil brought on by the imprisonment of the Leader of the Opposition (Hugh Grant). The Chancellor faces on all fronts, including her own husband (Guillaume Gallienne) and the U.S. Secretary of State (Martha Plimpton). - KW
Premieres March 3 on HBO and Max
Fallout (Prime Video)
Video game adaptations used to be a source of dread, but one of the best TV shows from 2023 was The Last of Us. So there’s no stigma already attached to the Fallout TV series ahead of its April 12 release date. From everything I’ve read, it seems that the show is in a safe set of hands with Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy at the helm. They’ve stated over and over again that the goal is to create a show based on Fallout themes rather than adapting existing game storylines. But, of course, my excitement for this show all comes down to the inclusion of Walton Goggins. His performance as The Ghoul may be my most anticipated TV performance of the year. - MM
Premieres April 12 on Prime Video
Bridgerton season 3 (Netflix)
More sexy romps and juicy scandals are in store for London’s aristocrats — and Lady Whistledown has her pen ready to chronicle them all. Season 3 is going out of order from Julia Quinn’s books to focus on Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington. Last we saw them, Penelope had tearfully overheard Colin mocking the idea of courting her; enraged, she picked up her quill to resume her persona as Lady Whistledown. Hell hath no fury like a woman and writer scorned! Naturally, now that Penelope’s crush has been extinguished, Colin begins to see her in a new light. The course of true love never does run smooth on Bridgerton. - KW
Premieres May 16 on Netflix
Shogun (FX/Hulu)
Every studio or streaming service wants its own Game of Thrones but with Shogun, FX might actually have it. Set in feudal Japan, this story stars Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Yoshii Toranaga, a fictional version of the real Tokugawa Ieyasu who formed the Tokugawa Shogunate that ruled Japan for hundreds of years. The story is largely told through the eyes of Pilot Major John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), who is loosely based on the real navigator William Adams and also stars Anna Sawai as Lady Toda Mariko, who may ultimately swing the balance of power in Japan.
Granted, this show will only be a 10-episode limited series rather than an eight-season epic, but based on the trailers so far Shogun looks set to promise plenty of violence, political machinations and men (and women) talking in rooms, all of which made Game of Thrones great. Of course, Game of Thrones isn’t the only logical comp for Shogun. The 1975 novel it’s based on was already adapted — successfully — in 1980. So even replicating that success would be a win for everyone. - MM
Premieres Feb. 27 on FX (via Sling or Fubo) and Hulu
House of the Dragon season 2 (HBO)
Of course, while other studios and streamers strive to replicate Game of Thrones, HBO and Max have the real thing in House of the Dragon. And season 1 ended in epic fashion, officially kicking off the bloody Dance of Dragons that would begin the end of Targaryen dominance in Westeros.
Season 1 had everything we wanted from Game of Thrones. Incredible performances, sex, blood and violence — and dragons. It seems like the recipe won’t be changing in season 2 based on the first trailer, though the violence and dragons certainly seem to be getting more prominence. While I will miss Paddy Considine’s King Viserys I, I fully expect Matt Smith (Daemon Targaryen), Emma D’Arcy (Rhaenyra Targaryen) and Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower) to provide more than enough show-stopping performances to keep me satisfied. - MM
Premieres early summer on HBO and Max
X-Men ‘97 (Disney Plus)
This one is personal for me. When I was growing up, I loved my Saturday morning cartoons. One of the first ones I fell in love with was X-Men: The Animated Series, though I mostly caught the tail end of the show’s five-year run. So when I heard that Marvel was not only reviving the series but bringing back most of the original voice cast, I was immediately excited for X-Men ‘97. While we don’t know what storylines the show will cover, all I know is Wolverine, Magneto, Cyclops and more are back in animated form, and that’s enough to get me excited for X-Men ‘97 - MM
Premieres early 2024 on Disney Plus
Yellowstone season 5 part 2 (Paramount Network)
How will the Dutton saga finally end? Yellowstone fans have been waiting for a full year to find out what happens to the Montana ranch — and they’ll have to wait until November 2024, thanks to the Hollywood strikes as well as strife on the set of the ultimate Dad Western. Between Kevin Costner’s scheduling, budding relationships between two of the show’s stars and a lawsuit between Tyler Sheridan and Cole Hauser, there’s as much drama off the screen as there is on it. But, we can’t get enough of those wild-at-heart cowboys. — MP
Premieres November 2024 on Paramount Network (via Sling or Fubo)
The Acolyte (Disney Plus)
I’ll know more about how to appropriately gauge my anticipation for The Acolyte once we inevitably get a trailer on May 4, 2024. But for now, I’m excited largely because this Star Wars show can do whatever it wants. Set in the High Republic era of the Star Wars timeline, we’re 100 years away from Skywalkers and Baby Yodas (full disclosure…we’ll still probably see Master Yoda). That means that the showrunners have significant leeway in the direction this show will take.
At the moment, all we know is that the show will have a former Padawan (Amandla Stenberg) reunite with her Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) to investigate a series of crimes, leading to a run-in with dark forces. What that entails, I’m tentatively excited for. - MM
Premieres in 2024 on Disney Plus
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (Disney Plus)
On the heels of Dave Filoni’s Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew proves to be a forthcoming fever dream set with the star power of Jude Law in the cockpit. The working description calls this next Disney+ Star Wars outing a coming-of-age adventure not unlike The Goonies in space. Law will be playing an as-yet-unnamed Force user traveling the galaxy with a group of four children, who are attempting to make their way back home following an enticing discovery on their world. Although the premise doesn’t exactly strike up immediate excitement, the return of Thrawn to the wider galaxy post-Ahsoka might be an interesting angle if even included. How best will this new entry into the Star Wars pantheon draw out its seemingly long-lost creative swagger and fantastical ingenuity? Jedi and Sith alike will just have to wait until the eight-episode series kicks off in 2024. - RE
Premieres in 2024 on Disney Plus
The Penguin (Max)
DC’s dark and gritty Battinson-powered Gotham may well be Warner Bros.'s biggest draw going into the new year, but at the forefront is the maniacal crime lord known as Penguin. Now out from under the wing of Carmine Falcone following the events of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot can enjoy some much-needed villainy in the noir-themed limelight. The eight-episode series will follow the disfigured kingpin in his attempt to reclaim Gotham’s underworld, showcasing as Farrell himself describes, the “heartbroken man inside.” With the caped crusader sidelined this go around, Batman fans will have to wait for The Penguin’s release on Max in late 2024 to see if the Dark Knight can save the city from its most conniving villain yet. - RE
Premieres late 2024 on Max
Agatha: Darkhold Diaries (Disney Plus)
Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness was a breakout character on the superb WandaVision, Marvel’s first TV series, so she was the natural choice for a spinoff (which has undergone several title changes). Last we saw Agatha, she’d been cursed by Wanda to live as Agnes in Westview. In Darkhold Diaries, she’s able to break free of the spell, but finds herself completely powerless. To get magic back, she turns to some unlikely allies in a coven, including Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata) and the 450-year-old Sicilian witch Lilia Calderu (Patti LuPone). - KW
Premieres late 2024 on Disney Plus
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