The Hollywood writers and actors strikes slowed down production of some of our favourite shows, but there’s still plenty of television heading our way in 2024.
ADVERTISEMENT2023 will go down in history as the year that Hollywood ground to a halt, paralysed by the industry’s first dual strike in 63 years.
The SAG-AFTRA actors strike and the WGA writers strike threw a wrench into the production of many of our favourite TV shows, causing massive delays and bottlenecks.
Some of the series that were slated for 2024 but got bumped to 2025 include acclaimed HBO and Max shows The White Lotus, Euphoria and The Last of Us.
But as casts and crews head back to set, there’s still plenty of TV heading our way next year to keep us busy.
So sit back and relax, because Euronews Culture has put together a list of small-screen delights we can’t wait to watch next year.
The Brothers Sun
Release date: 4 January
Where to stream: Netflix
Academy award winner Michelle Yeoh is back to kick some more booty in this fun new series about a Taiwanese-American crime family that becomes the target of a mysterious enemy.
Yeoh plays Eileen, the secret head of a crime family who lives in Los Angeles with her oblivious son Bruce. Their artificially-normal life comes crashing down when Bruce’s father is assassinated in Taipei and his brother Charles, a highly-skilled assassin, comes to LA to protect the family.
Fans of Everything Everywhere All At Once will love to see Yeoh back in the spotlight in this high-octane series that’s equal parts comedy, action and family drama.
True Detective: Night Country
Release date: 14 January
Where to stream: HBO, Max
HBO’s detective anthology is back for a new season and this time the action takes place deep in the frigid Alaskan winter with the ultimate hunter of bad guys – Jodie Foster. With lots of Easter eggs referring to one of the show’s biggest influences, Foster’s seminal film Silence of the Lambs, and hat tips to previous seasons, the fourth instalment is already getting people fired up.
“I had the same experience making this show as I did making Silence,” Foster told Entertainment Weekly in a recent interview. “And I feel like those are the only two experiences I've ever had where you jump on the material because the text is so wonderful and it speaks to you and there's so much that you're drawn to in ways that you understand — and in ways that you don't understand."
'True Detective: Night Country' follows two detectives – Foster’s Liz Danvers and boxer-turned-actor Kali Reis’ Evangeline Navarro – as they try to solve the case of eight missing Arctic researchers. Along the way, they unearth some dark truths about the “night country” and face some hard truths about themselves.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Release date: 22 February
Where to stream: Netflix
Netflix faces tremendous pressure in its live-action adaptation of ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender,’ one of the most popular animated series of all time.
ADVERTISEMENTThe show’s dedicated fandom can be punishing, and many fans are still traumatised from 2010’s film adaptation by M. Night Shyamalan, which was widely ridiculed and bombed at the box office.
The new TV show takes some liberties with its source material, in terms of story but also presentation – the trailer teased some pretty impressive special effects, CGI and elaborate costumes that could make this adaptation the real deal.
In eight, one-hour-long episodes, the show follows Aang, the last airbender, as he navigates a world under attack by the Fire Nation. With the help of his friends, Aang trains to fulfil his destiny as the master of all four elements.
3 Body Problem
Release date: 21 March
Where to stream: Netflix
ADVERTISEMENTBased on Chinese author Liu Cixin’s popular sci-fi book trilogy, '3 body problem' is the newest project from Emmy award-winning 'Game of Thrones' showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. The show’s been generating buzz since Netflix first announced it four long years ago.
It tells the story of humanity’s first encounter with an alien civilization on the brink of collapse, which is preparing to invade Earth.
Per Netflix’s official synopsis: “A young woman’s fateful decision in 1960s China reverberates across space and time to a group of brilliant scientists in the present day. As the laws of nature unravel before their eyes, five former colleagues reunite to confront the greatest threat in humanity’s history.”
It’s a major test for Benioff and Weiss, their first major project since 'GOT' ended in a blaze of whatever the opposite of glory is. Can they shake off that critically-panned finale and deliver another iconic series? We’ll definitely be tuning in.
Fallout
Release date: 12 April
ADVERTISEMENTWhere to stream: Amazon Prime
While fans wait for Season 2 of 'The Last of Us,' another major video game franchise is making its way to the small screen.
'Fallout' is a post-apocalyptic drama based on one of the most popular video games ever, which imagines the world after a nuclear war.
The series takes place 200 years after the planet was destroyed and follows Lucy (Ella Purnell), one of the inhabitants of a luxury underground fallout shelter, as she leaves the bunker to see what life is like on the surface.
It also stars Kyle MacLachlan of 'Twin Peaks' fame as Lucy’s father and Walton Goggins ('The Shield', 'The Righteous Gemstones') as a disfigured bounty hunter called The Ghoul.
ADVERTISEMENTBridgerton Series 3
Release date: 16 May / 13 June
Where to stream: Netflix
Dearest reader, your patience has been rewarded.
Your favourite raunchy regency drama is back for more romping and romance in its third series, which zeroes in on the love life of the gossip-loving Lady Whistledown herself.
The third season of Bridgerton will be divided into two parts, with the first four episodes premiering on Netflix on 16 May. The story focuses on the budding romance between Penelope Featherington (AKA Lady Whistledown) and Colin Bridgerton.
ADVERTISEMENTNicola Coughlan’s Penelope has been a favourite with viewers since the start of the show, and fans of the source material have been eager to see how Penelope’s love story translates to the screen – especially as the sexual tension ramps up between her and Colin.
The Sympathizer
Release date: TBD 2024
Where to stream: HBO and Max
Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, ‘The Sympathizer’ is a wild ride of a spy thriller that takes a satirical look at the identity struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War – and after he resettles in the United States.
Starring relative newcomer Hoa Xuande (from Netflix’s live-action ‘Cowboy Bebop’ series) in the leading role, alongside Hollywood stars Sandra Oh and Robert Downey Jr., the miniseries is being brought to life by acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, The Handmaiden).
ADVERTISEMENTPark is executive producer on the show and also directed three episodes himself. Fans are eager to see how his vision and signature style will combine with the gripping story of the end of the Vietnam War, as seen from a Vietnamese perspective.
If nothing else, the show is worth watching for Downey Jr.'s endlessly entertaining costume changes.
Squid Game Series 2
Release date: TBD 2024
Where to stream: Netflix
The outrageously popular series about a dystopian game show where players risk it all is reportedly coming back for a second series this year, though the official release date is still unconfirmed.
ADVERTISEMENT‘Squid Game’ quickly became the most-streamed TV series in Netflix history, and it has yet to relinquish the crown.
The show’s popularity means that Season 2 is being made with a much bigger budget - and many of the characters from Season 1 are returning for the next chapter.
Season 2 will catch up with protagonist Gi-hun, who is seeking revenge for the suffering he was put through in Season 1.
Wednesday Series 2
Release date: TBD 2024
Where to stream: Netflix
ADVERTISEMENTSpeaking of runaway hits, Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ is returning for a second season, which will reportedly hit the streaming platform sometime in 2024.
Jenna Ortega is back in the titular role and as an executive producer, revealing that the show will get a lot darker this season. Wednesday Addams also won’t have a love interest in the new series – for those who felt Season 1’s love triangle fell a bit flat.
Catherine Zeta Jones and Luis Guzmán are both returning as Gomez and Morticia Addams, and the cast has confirmed that another member of the Addams family would be making their debut in the second series – though exactly who it is remains a mystery.
House of the Dragon Series 2
Release date: Summer 2024
Where to stream: HBO or Max
ADVERTISEMENTThe successful ‘Game of Thrones’ spinoff returns for a second season next year, and it’s shaping up to be a scorcher.
The trailer gives us a taste of the brutal war that’s in store, and we see all our favourite characters preparing to ride their dragons into battle. Most of the cast is returning, and showrunner Ryan Condal said in a recent interview that this season will introduce five new dragons to the fold.
This season focuses on the Dance of Dragons, the bloody civil war that tears apart the Targaryen realm.
“Many will die,” according to the teaser HBO released in early December.
The show’s UK union contract meant it was able to film over the summer, and ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 planned for release sometime during the summer of 2024.
ADVERTISEMENTDune: Prophecy
Release date: Fall 2024
Where to stream: HBO and Max
Dune fans have had to demonstrate incredible patience since Denis Villeneuve’s blockbuster film first whet their appetites in 2021, promising a future filled with epic new science-fiction tales from Arrakis.
That patience will finally pay off next year.
On top of the second instalment in Villeneuve’s film trilogy coming in March, the newest miniseries in the Dune universe has been confirmed for release in late 2024.
ADVERTISEMENT'Dune: Prophecy' takes place 10,000 years before the events of the 1965 novel “Dune,” which Villeneuve’s film is based on. It follows sisters Valya and Tula Harkonnen as they try to secure the future of the galaxy and establish the mysterious sect known as the Bene Gesserit.
Check out our interview with Mark Strong, who stars in the show and gave us a few details.
Yellowstone Series 5 Part 2
Release date: November 2024
Where to stream: Paramount+ or SkyShowtime
The hit US series about Montana’s Dutton family and their Yellowstone Ranch, the largest in the state, comes to a close next year with the second half of its fifth season.
ADVERTISEMENTAt the end of Part 1, patriarch John Dutton (played by Kevin Costner, who won a best actor Golden Globe this year for the role) was in hot water – his legacy at risk as his cattle are threatened by disease.
The final episodes of the series will wrap up each character’s storyline and settle the intense rivalry between siblings Beth and Jamie Dutton in what promises to be a dramatic showdown.
There we have it.
Happy (future) watching, and stay tuned to Euronews Culture for our ongoing 2024 Preview series, in which we look ahead to next year and recommend the releases that have us excited already. You can already check out our Books Preview and Albums Preview.
