My instinctual answer to this question of "most excited to see" was Succession but while it'll be great to dive back into the Roys, I'm definitely most intrigued by S2 of Yellowjackets. Can they keep the show, and its mad premise, compelling for another season?
Other contenders:
Justified is one of my favourite shows ever so cannot wait to see Raylan again. Comes with mandatory fear of it harming that love.
Anything Lindelof does on TV is must-see for me - Lost, Leftovers and Watchmen are also favourites.
My most anticipated is easily Masters of the Air, because I love Band of Brothers and The Pacific and I've been waiting nearly a decade for this installment to happen. While I was initially disappointed this series left HBO, Apple+ has no qualms about throwing money at good concepts from smart people.
Beyond that, it's Soderbergh's newest foray into TV, Full Circle, because I make no apologies for my devotion to the man and his work on TV has been always been interesting and typically must-see.
Also really looking forward to Last of Us and while I'm hesitant to not set my hopes too high, the return of Justified should be worth our time. The other shows in your list are various levels of intriguing, we'll see what happens in 2023. But one thing I've learned over the years is that typically the best shows/new series every year don't make these lists: they come out of the blue. So I expect your 10 or 20 best of 2023 will only have a handful of these.
The returning show I'm most excited for hasn't aired in the US yet: The Lazarus Project, the latest show from Giri/Haji creator Joe Barton. Aired in the UK last year, finally coming to TNT in the US later this month.
A very good time-travel show with brilliant performances. The third episode, spotlighting Tom Burke and Vinette Robinson, is my favourite TV ep of last year.
Over here in the UK, we've been treated to the first episode of the third and final series of Sally Wainwright's Happy Valley. The first episode has undoubtedly set up some intriguing plotlines, old and new, to resolve over the next few weeks.
I'm both excited and terrified of the renewal of Party Down (if I can get a Starz free trial to watch it). Loved the first two seasons and would hate to see it's legacy tarnished.
I was already in the middle of a Justified re-watch (I missed a handful of episodes when they first aired), so I’m excited about that. But want to give Fargo another try as well, as I’ll admit that I couldn’t muster any enthusiasm for the season that dropped at the start of COVID.
I'm interested to see what they do with The Last Of Us. Some of what I've seen so far seems like a shot-for-shot recreation of the video game, which is maybe not the worst thing since it was probably one of the first games that felt 'cinematic' as far as how it told a story (a genre of game that has really taken off because of The Last of Us). That said its a genre of TV that has really been worn down in the last 15 years - oh look another zombie apocalypse! So my expectations are tempered.
The thing I'm probably most excited for is Poker Face, even if I don't expect it to end up in everyone's top 10 at the end of the year. It's just a genre of TV I enjoy watching, being done by some really talented folks. I hope its as fun as it looks.
Old person here. Thus, looking forward to Poker Face as I miss shows with good actors and show runners that tell a single story in an hour (or for many British mystery series 1 1/2 hours). It sounds wonderful and also like one of my favorite things - a show that plays with the tropes and conventions of its predecessors (in this case it sounds like both Columbo and The Fugitive) in a witty way. I recollect that you have lamented in the past the loss of these types of shows that are a step up from the CBS or Dick Wolf. Hope it lives up to that and spawns more. All the best in the new year. (Oh and at some point will be fun to see what Davies has planned for Doctor Who.)
Easily whatever Lindelof is doing. But I guess also some season 2s, like Yellowjackets and FROM. And I'm sure it's not in the cards for 2023z but Severance and House of the Dragon.
The one I'm interested in, less for quality or excitement than for nostalgia reasons, is That 90's Show. From the trailer, it looks like it could be the same kind of mix of coming-of-age comedy and era-specific refences as the original show. Or, it could be Fuller House 2.0, of which I couldn't get past one episode. Either way, I want to see what happens.
Some that weren't mentioned that I think are worth noting. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are adapting The Three Body Problem for Netflix. They got to pick any network to work at and sadly it'll be one where all episodes will be released on the same day but the budget looks to be big. Alfonso Cuaron is doing a Cate Blanchett miniseries titled Disclaimer for AppleTV+, the premise sounds intriguing and the duo here should make for one entertaining limited series. Gus van Sant is doing TV, he's gonna give us Season 2 of Feud which will tackle the women surrounded by Truman Capote. And finally The Sympathizer, Park Chan Wook will be adapting the Viet Thanh Nguyen novel starring Robert Downey Jr in multiple roles. Also we're getting another video game adaptation in the veins of Fallout, but Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy are working on it...I think we have another Halo. Warrior is coming back! I need me some Jonathan Tropper violence.
In regards to the ones listed. I am stoked for more Succession like anyone else. I think that's the only ongoing show I feel will definitely deliver. I do hope Yellowjackets does keep the steam going but if the last decade of TV has taught me anything, it's that a lot of great first seasons exist, but not as many great shows. I feel like it and Severance could turn into the next Mr. Robot, Homeland, The Handmaid's Tale aka shows that really never captured the spark that made them the talk of the town in the first place. As for The Last of Us, considering you said you'll be doing recaps in the weeks to come, I assume the show is solid (or you could be referring to Poker Face). Anyways, in Craig Mazin I trust and the confidence he and Druckmann have shown in their final product makes me believe HBO has another hit in their hands. Poker Face without a doubt will be a great homage to Columbo, Rian Johnson has yet to make something unwatchable. More Justified, why not? Raylan Givens is definitely a character that could return for more years to come. I have a lot of faith in True Detective: Night Country. The fact that Casey Bloys saw loads of directors/writers for pitches gives me an indication that he does see value in the franchise and I believe Issa Lopez saw what made Season 1 great and what everyone was expecting later seasons should have been: Detective duo+unique setting. Daisy Jones and the Six looks and sounds awesome! And my fingers are crossed that Shogun turns great, it's got plenty of potential! Full Circle and Fargo should be entertaining. Lots to be excited for this year and we're starting it off with two big ones! Imagine what the spring will look like!
“Paul T. Goldman” feels like a show I can’t judge from the three episodes that are already out, but I suspect I’ll struggle with it if one of the main ideas — as mentioned in your review and teased in the second ep — is that Woliner is taking advantage of his subject. Paul almost never feels like a real person in the show and always like he’s putting on a performance. The way the show is filmed, with the exception of the scene involving Paul’s ex-wife, chips away at the idea that anything that happens is organic. But, having said all of this, I’ll withhold judgement. The only thing I can say for certain is that it doesn’t feel as funny or inventive as “The Rehearsal” immediately did.
Really looking forward to “Succession”, of course, and really wishing that Sarah Michelle Gellar had a better gig than being the adult on a teen drama. It would have been great to see her on “Yellowjackets”, for example. Looking forward to Tom Holland’s AppleTV+ show with Amanda Seyfried. That should be at some point this year, I think?
My instinctual answer to this question of "most excited to see" was Succession but while it'll be great to dive back into the Roys, I'm definitely most intrigued by S2 of Yellowjackets. Can they keep the show, and its mad premise, compelling for another season?
Other contenders:
Justified is one of my favourite shows ever so cannot wait to see Raylan again. Comes with mandatory fear of it harming that love.
Anything Lindelof does on TV is must-see for me - Lost, Leftovers and Watchmen are also favourites.
My most anticipated is easily Masters of the Air, because I love Band of Brothers and The Pacific and I've been waiting nearly a decade for this installment to happen. While I was initially disappointed this series left HBO, Apple+ has no qualms about throwing money at good concepts from smart people.
Beyond that, it's Soderbergh's newest foray into TV, Full Circle, because I make no apologies for my devotion to the man and his work on TV has been always been interesting and typically must-see.
Also really looking forward to Last of Us and while I'm hesitant to not set my hopes too high, the return of Justified should be worth our time. The other shows in your list are various levels of intriguing, we'll see what happens in 2023. But one thing I've learned over the years is that typically the best shows/new series every year don't make these lists: they come out of the blue. So I expect your 10 or 20 best of 2023 will only have a handful of these.
The returning show I'm most excited for hasn't aired in the US yet: The Lazarus Project, the latest show from Giri/Haji creator Joe Barton. Aired in the UK last year, finally coming to TNT in the US later this month.
A very good time-travel show with brilliant performances. The third episode, spotlighting Tom Burke and Vinette Robinson, is my favourite TV ep of last year.
There are many shows I’m excited to see, but nothing compares to the anticipation I have for Severance Season Two. What happens now?!?
Over here in the UK, we've been treated to the first episode of the third and final series of Sally Wainwright's Happy Valley. The first episode has undoubtedly set up some intriguing plotlines, old and new, to resolve over the next few weeks.
Returning shows: Barry, Fargo, Hacks, Winning Time, True Detective.
New shows: Masters of the Air, Full Circle, Love and Death, Expats, Daisy and the Six, The Sympathizer.
I'm both excited and terrified of the renewal of Party Down (if I can get a Starz free trial to watch it). Loved the first two seasons and would hate to see it's legacy tarnished.
I was already in the middle of a Justified re-watch (I missed a handful of episodes when they first aired), so I’m excited about that. But want to give Fargo another try as well, as I’ll admit that I couldn’t muster any enthusiasm for the season that dropped at the start of COVID.
I'm interested to see what they do with The Last Of Us. Some of what I've seen so far seems like a shot-for-shot recreation of the video game, which is maybe not the worst thing since it was probably one of the first games that felt 'cinematic' as far as how it told a story (a genre of game that has really taken off because of The Last of Us). That said its a genre of TV that has really been worn down in the last 15 years - oh look another zombie apocalypse! So my expectations are tempered.
The thing I'm probably most excited for is Poker Face, even if I don't expect it to end up in everyone's top 10 at the end of the year. It's just a genre of TV I enjoy watching, being done by some really talented folks. I hope its as fun as it looks.
Old person here. Thus, looking forward to Poker Face as I miss shows with good actors and show runners that tell a single story in an hour (or for many British mystery series 1 1/2 hours). It sounds wonderful and also like one of my favorite things - a show that plays with the tropes and conventions of its predecessors (in this case it sounds like both Columbo and The Fugitive) in a witty way. I recollect that you have lamented in the past the loss of these types of shows that are a step up from the CBS or Dick Wolf. Hope it lives up to that and spawns more. All the best in the new year. (Oh and at some point will be fun to see what Davies has planned for Doctor Who.)
Easily whatever Lindelof is doing. But I guess also some season 2s, like Yellowjackets and FROM. And I'm sure it's not in the cards for 2023z but Severance and House of the Dragon.
The one I'm interested in, less for quality or excitement than for nostalgia reasons, is That 90's Show. From the trailer, it looks like it could be the same kind of mix of coming-of-age comedy and era-specific refences as the original show. Or, it could be Fuller House 2.0, of which I couldn't get past one episode. Either way, I want to see what happens.
Some that weren't mentioned that I think are worth noting. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are adapting The Three Body Problem for Netflix. They got to pick any network to work at and sadly it'll be one where all episodes will be released on the same day but the budget looks to be big. Alfonso Cuaron is doing a Cate Blanchett miniseries titled Disclaimer for AppleTV+, the premise sounds intriguing and the duo here should make for one entertaining limited series. Gus van Sant is doing TV, he's gonna give us Season 2 of Feud which will tackle the women surrounded by Truman Capote. And finally The Sympathizer, Park Chan Wook will be adapting the Viet Thanh Nguyen novel starring Robert Downey Jr in multiple roles. Also we're getting another video game adaptation in the veins of Fallout, but Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy are working on it...I think we have another Halo. Warrior is coming back! I need me some Jonathan Tropper violence.
In regards to the ones listed. I am stoked for more Succession like anyone else. I think that's the only ongoing show I feel will definitely deliver. I do hope Yellowjackets does keep the steam going but if the last decade of TV has taught me anything, it's that a lot of great first seasons exist, but not as many great shows. I feel like it and Severance could turn into the next Mr. Robot, Homeland, The Handmaid's Tale aka shows that really never captured the spark that made them the talk of the town in the first place. As for The Last of Us, considering you said you'll be doing recaps in the weeks to come, I assume the show is solid (or you could be referring to Poker Face). Anyways, in Craig Mazin I trust and the confidence he and Druckmann have shown in their final product makes me believe HBO has another hit in their hands. Poker Face without a doubt will be a great homage to Columbo, Rian Johnson has yet to make something unwatchable. More Justified, why not? Raylan Givens is definitely a character that could return for more years to come. I have a lot of faith in True Detective: Night Country. The fact that Casey Bloys saw loads of directors/writers for pitches gives me an indication that he does see value in the franchise and I believe Issa Lopez saw what made Season 1 great and what everyone was expecting later seasons should have been: Detective duo+unique setting. Daisy Jones and the Six looks and sounds awesome! And my fingers are crossed that Shogun turns great, it's got plenty of potential! Full Circle and Fargo should be entertaining. Lots to be excited for this year and we're starting it off with two big ones! Imagine what the spring will look like!
“Paul T. Goldman” feels like a show I can’t judge from the three episodes that are already out, but I suspect I’ll struggle with it if one of the main ideas — as mentioned in your review and teased in the second ep — is that Woliner is taking advantage of his subject. Paul almost never feels like a real person in the show and always like he’s putting on a performance. The way the show is filmed, with the exception of the scene involving Paul’s ex-wife, chips away at the idea that anything that happens is organic. But, having said all of this, I’ll withhold judgement. The only thing I can say for certain is that it doesn’t feel as funny or inventive as “The Rehearsal” immediately did.
Really looking forward to “Succession”, of course, and really wishing that Sarah Michelle Gellar had a better gig than being the adult on a teen drama. It would have been great to see her on “Yellowjackets”, for example. Looking forward to Tom Holland’s AppleTV+ show with Amanda Seyfried. That should be at some point this year, I think?
Happy Valley made my list. I’m really curious what a many-year gap in the shows time and my own brain fog plays out.
Absolutely cannot wait to see Justified and The Mandalorian this year!