One resolution that isn’t too daunting to take on is watching better TV in 2017. And with promising new series and seasons of returning programs premiering throughout, this one should be easy to keep all year long.
Fargo – The third installment of this dark comedic faux-“true crime” anthology series takes place in 2010. Ewan McGregor is Emmit Stussy, the successful “Parking Lot King of Minnesota,” and also his slightly younger brother, Ray. Balding and bloated, the younger Stussy has always lived in Emmit’s shadow. Now a bitter parole officer, Ray blames his golden-boy brother for his own lot in life. Their sibling rivalry sparks a chain of events that starts with petty theft but soon leads to murder, mobsters and cut-throat competitive Bridge (yes, like the card game). Rounding out the cast are Carrie Coon, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Scoot McNairy, Michael Stuhlbarg and Shea Whigham.
With a tone that matches the 1996 Cohen brothers film and a stellar ensemble cast portraying a gaggle of characters, fans have been clamoring for a new season of Fargo since the last one aired in 2015. Set to air this spring on FX.
Great News – 30 Rock dream team Tina Fey, Robert Carlock and Tracey Wigfield return to NBC with a workplace comedy that swaps sketch-comedy show TGS for a cable news program. Premieres April 25 on NBC in the 9 p.m. Tuesday timeslot.
The Leftovers – This psychological thriller, which follows a New York family coping with the “Sudden Departure” — an inexplicable global event in which 140 million people disappear into thin air — flipped the script in Season 2, moving the Garvey clan to Texas and introducing new characters and mysteries. But it worked. Now for this final season, it looks like Kevin (Justin Theroux) will be traveling to Australia, where his father seems to have unlocked the meaning of it all. However, considering creator Damon Lindelof gave us Lost, we can’t expect easy answers. Debuting in April on HBO.
The Handmaid’s Tale – Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss stars as Offred in this TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel, set in a near-future totalitarian state facing environmental disaster, where women have no rights and Big Brother is always watching. Coming to Hulu on April 26.
Game of Thrones – This fan-favorite epic is nearing its end, and the pieces are finally beginning to fall in place. In a shortened penultimate season, those pieces included: Daenerys en route to Westeros with support from the women of Dorne, the Dothraki, the Ironborn and the Unsullied, Tyrion, Varys, Missandei — oh, and dragons. Meanwhile, Jon Snow is the King of the North, and it turns out he is decidedly not Ned Stark’s bastard. In a smoldering King’s Landing, Cersei now sits upon the Iron Throne — at the cost of her three children’s lives. And that’s only like 5 percent of the characters! Season 7 will premiere a bit later than usual, coming this summer.
Bill Nye Saves the World – When fake news and science-phobia run rampant, there’s only one guy you can call: Bill Nye the Science Guy! Nye taught young millennials about dinosaurs, digestion and biodiversity in his ’90s PBS series. Now he’s back with a talk show that explores science’s role in politics and pop culture. Premieres on Netflix later this year.
Picks of the Week
Portlandia (Season Premiere, 10 p.m. Thursday, IFC) – Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein are back for a seventh season of poignant sketch comedy. This week, they consult a storytelling expert, a traveler stays in an unconventional hotel and the weirdos discover a home goods shop.
Emerald City (Series Premiere, 9 p.m. Friday, NBC) – This surreal reimagining of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz brings Dorothy and friends into the present day.
Golden Globes (8 p.m. Sunday, NBC) – Film nominations include La La Land, Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea, while The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Westworld, This Is Us and more are honored on the TV side. Jimmy Fallon hosts this 74th-annual event.
CONTACT JAC KERN: @jackern
This article appears in Jan 4-11, 2017.
