Lots of great TV coming.
While people are busy gathering their best of 2017 lists, we’ve decided to look ahead at some of the brand new TV shows that will be debuting next year. Here’s our pick of the best.
Note: We’re not featuring any returning TV shows like Luther, only brand new ones.
Castle Rock
Plot: Based on the stories of Stephen King, the psychological horror series will intertwine and feature a lot of King’s most beloved characters and novels like: It, Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, ‘Salem’s Lot, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, Dreamcatcher, Night Shift, The Green Mile, Misery, Hearts in Atlantis, The Shining, The Mangler, Four Past Midnight, Different Seasons, Nightmares & Dreamscapes, and The Night Flier.
Watch it because: J.J Abrams is working alongside the author and this should be incredibly faithful to King’s work.
Waco
Plot: The 6-part series is based on the remarkable true story that shocked the world of religious leader David Koresh’s Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas in 1993.
Watch it because: Cults, violence, tension, controversy and a superb cast. Michael Shannon, Taylor Kitsch and John Leguizamo all feature here.
The Alienist
Plot: Mindhunter meets Jack the Ripper as we begin to see the roots of criminal psychology. This case revolves around the horrific murder of male prostitutes in 1896 New York City.
Watch it because: It’s created by Cary Fukunaga – the man that’s responsible for the first season of True Detective.
Britannia
Plot: Set in 43AD, when Britain was a country ruled by powerful Druids and warrior queens, Britannia follows the reluctant rise to power of Kerra (Kelly Reilly) the daughter of the King of the Cantii (Ian McDiarmid), and her arch-rival Queen Antedia (Zoe Wanamaker), who are forced to put their differences aside when the Romans invade Britannia.
Watch it because: We all need something to fill that Game of Thrones-sized hole in our life.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Plot: The western anthology series will see the Coen Brothers make their very first foray into writing and directing a TV show. This being said, they’re in familiar territory with this genre having made True Grit and No Country for Old Men.
Watch it because: It’s the Coen Brothers!
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Plot: The brutal murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace will be portrayed in intimate detail.
Watch it because: Ryan Murphy’s take on the trial of O.J. Simpson was one of the best shows in recent memory. If this is half as good, we’re in for a treat.
Maniac
Plot: An institutionalized man dreams of a new life in a fantasy world.
The Looming Tower
Plot: Based on Lawrence Wright’s Pulitzer-winning nonfiction book, the 10-episode series will explore “Al-Qaeda and the road to 9/11” through how the rivalry over jurisdictions between the CIA and the FBI in the late ‘90s/early aughts affected Osama bin Laden’s rise to power.
Watch it because: There are not enough intelligent and gripping military thrillers around.
Sharp Objects
Plot: A reporter confronts the psychological demons from her past when she returns to her hometown to cover a violent murder.
Disenchantment
Plot: The animated series takes place in a medieval kingdom called Dreamland, inhabited by all your favorite Dungeons & Dragons and Warcraft-type concepts such as ogres, sprites, harpies, imps, trolls, and even walruses. Of course, this locale will also have its share of human fools. The main story will center on the young, hard-drinking Princess Bean (Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson), who embarks on a series of (mis)adventures with her personal demon Luci.
Watch it because: It’s from Matt Groening. He only made The Simpsons and Futurama!
Seven Seconds
Plot: In a society that’s fraught with racial tension, sensational headlines, and an audience who would rather be entertained than informed, seven seconds can mean life or death. The new Netflix original series will give viewers a glimpse into the human stories behind the headlines.
Watch it because: It could be your next crime addiction from Netflix.
Hard Sun
Plot: The show revolves around two police officers called Robert Hicks and Elaine Renko (Jim Sturgess and Agyness Deyn) who are trying to keep order in a society on the brink of chaos and anarchy. Why is this? Well, the Earth’s destruction is only five years away from happening and the law has broken down.
Watch it because: The creator of Luther, Neil Cross, is behind this one.
Elsewhere, Dogs Of Berlin will force two very different police officers to battle the German crime world together; there’s a Brazilian police drama on the way from the producers of Narcos called O Mecanismo and Korean zombie drama period piece Kingdom looks brilliantly bonkers.
