New Series
Black Monday (Jan. 20, Showtime) takes a humorous approach to revealing what — or who — sparked the 1987 stock market crash that rocked the world, centering on a group of outsiders (Don Cheadle, Andrew Rannells and Regina Hall) who infiltrate Wall Street and shake up the one-percent.
It’s the end of the world as we know it, and God feels fine. That’s what’s happening in Miracle Workers (Feb. 12, TBS), when God (Steve Buscemi) checks out, leaving the fate of Earth hanging in the balance. Luckily, two lower-management angels (Daniel Radcliffe and Blockers’ Geraldine Viswanathan) swoop in to save the planet.
Based on the titular memoir by Lindy West, Shrill (March 15, Hulu) stars Saturday Night Live’s Aidy Bryant as a journalist, girlfriend, daughter to sick parents, roommate to her best friend… and a fat woman, but that’s not what she’s trying to change. Could be one of the better attempts at body positivity in media in a long time.
Another Chapter
If you’re a fan of Black Mirror, by now you’ve likely checked out Bandersnatch, the interactive, choose-your-own-adventure film (which really felt more like a game) that premiered on Netflix just before the new year. As you contemplate the terrible decisions you made for poor Stefan, know that a potentially lighter season of sci-fi mindfuckery is coming sometime this year.
While Stranger Things might feel like a Halloween show, its just-announced third season will premiere on Netflix on the Fourth of July. It’s set in the summer of 1985, will involve a new shopping mall in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, and… that’s about all we know. Since Eleven connected with her “sister” Eight/Kali last season, I’m hoping we’ll meet Nine and Ten.
Big Little Lies was initially sold as a one-off miniseries and told a complete, stellar story. I’m certainly excited to see what the Real Housewives of Monterey have in store this season. The murder mystery plot really drove Season 1, so it will be interesting to see where the drama will come when it debuts this summer on HBO — likely from Meryl Streep, who plays the slain Perry’s mother.
See also: Another miniseries that was supposed to be done for: True Detective (Sunday, Jan. 13, HBO); serial killer thriller Mindhunter (Sometime this year, Netflix); feel-good episodic anthology High Maintenance (Jan. 20, HBO); and looking way, way ahead: Fargo. It was thought that the third season of this crime series, based on the Coen Brothers classic, would be its last. For round four, Chris Rock is set to star as a crime boss in 1950s Kansas City, Missouri. In an effort to ease tensions between a rival Italian crime family, the patriarchs decide to swap sons. What could go wrong? With writing set to start soon and production likely in fall, we probably won’t see it premiere on FX until 2020, but at least it’s something to look forward to as some of our favorite shows (Veep, Broad City, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) end for good this year.
Final Seasons
A beautiful exploration of the modern family, Transparent will end sans star Jeffrey Tambor following sexual harassment allegations — and I think the talented cast can handle that. The season will include a feature-length musical episode that creator Jill Soloway has described as a mix of Jesus Christ Superstar, La La Land, Flight of the Conchords and Yentl. Due on Amazon this fall.
In the fourth and final season of Sam Esmail’s brilliant psychological drama Mr. Robot, we’ll find Elliot (Rami Malek) contemplating a move that could reverse Five/Nine, a Fight Club-esque hack-attack intended to destroy financial records and redistribute wealth that had, oh, a few other consequences. Like much of this story, the premiere date remains a mystery, but it’s coming sometime this year.
Game of Thrones. April. HBO. Duh.
