Get ready to be glued to the gogglebox this year as TV viewers are in for a truly delicious 12 months. Following the 2023 WGA and SAG strikes, networks and streaming services held back brand new series while returning shows were forced to pause filming, leaving this coming year filled to the brim with old shows we already love and new shows we can't wait to fall in love with.
From iconic procedurals like NCIS to scandalous period drama Mary & George, here are my picks for 2024's absolute must-watches...
NCIS, CBS, February 12
© CBS Photo ArchiveOne of TV's longest-running and beloved procedurals, CBS' show NCIS returns on February 12, 2024 at 9/8c.
Sean Murray as Special Agent Timothy McGee, Wilmer Valderrama as Special Agent Nick Torres, Katrina Law as Special Agent Jessica Knight, Gary Cole as Supervisory Special Agent Alden Parker and Brian Dietzen as Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jimmy Palmer are all expected to return – but with season 20 ending on a major cliffhanger, it will be interesting to see how show bosses incorporate the ten-month time difference, if at all.
The show's return will also be a heartbreaking moment for the cast, crew and fans, as it will be the first episode since the sad death of Ducky actor, David McCallum, in September 2023. It has already been confirmed that epiosde two will honor the actor, with the showrunners confirming it will see Ducky "solve one last crime with the team."
Mary & George, Starz, Spring 2024
Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine star in this bold retelling of the true story of Mary Villiers (Moore), a scheming mother in Jacobean England who uses her son, the charming and beautiful George (Galitzine) to seduce King James VI of Scotland and I of England, to gain power and prestige in the 16th century, changing the mother and son's lives forever.
With the star power of Academy award winner Julianne and Red, White & Royal Blue actor Nicholas – who took the internet by storm in 2023 for his widely different character choices – Mary & George was already one to watch, but the first trailer revealed that this will be far more daring and provocative than expected. Bridgerton who?
Starz has not yet set a date.
Brothers Sun, Netflix, January 4 2024
Michelle Yeoh makes her first on-screen appearance since winning 2023's Best Actress Oscar in this new Netflix drama, which follows Californian Bruce Sun whose life is turned upside down when his older brother Charles visits and Bruce discovers his family were renowned gangsters in Taipei.
© NetflixMasters of the Air, Apple TV+, January 24
Austin Butler, Barry Keoghan, Callum Turner, Ncuti Gawta… the cast list for Masters of the Air, Apple TV's new World War Two drama is a who's who of Hollywood's next leading men so it's no wonder we're keen to see what they can bring to the small screen and a classic war drama.
© AppleThe series follows the true story of the men in the 100th Bombardment Group of the Eighth Air Force, who were nicknamed the “Bloody Hundredth” due to the heavy losses incurred in combat missions.
Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, FX, January 31
Ryan Murphy is back with another over the top dramatization filled with A-listers, this time taking the bestselling book Capote's Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era by Laurence Leamer and turning it into an eight-episode epic.
It tells the story of acclaimed writer Truman Capote (played by Tom Hollander) who betrayed his relationships with members of New York high society including magazine editor Babe Paley (Naomi Watts), Slim Keith (Diane Lane), fashion icon C. Z. Guest (Chloe Sevigny) and Lee Radziwill (Demi Moore), by writing thinly-veiled accounts of their personal lives.
The Regime, HBO, March 3
Kate Winslet as the leader of a modern European authoritarian regime who is forced to watch her power crumble over the course of 12 months? Do we need to add anything else?
Hugh Grant, Martha Plimpton, Matthias Schoenaerts and Andrea Riseborough all also star in the HBO drama from the minds of Succession writer Will Tracy so expect political intrigue, backstabbing and mystery aplenty.
Bridgerton, Netflix, May 16
Dear gentle reader, we are pleasantly encouraged by the news that Bridgerton season three will finally return to our screens this May – although your knowledge of Lady Whistledown's identity will make it for quite an unusual viewing experience.
The new season will follow Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) - who was unveiled as the author of the 'Ton's scandalous newsletter – as she receives help from her former crush Colin Bridgerton in how to find a husband in order to gain enough independence to continue her double life as Lady Whistledown – and move away from the 'Ton. But as Colin mentors his old friend, he begins to realize he himself may have feelings for Penelope. Will Penelope come clean about her alter ego?
True Detective: Night Country, HBO, January 14
Ten years after the first season of the critically acclaimed series aired on HBO, and five years after the third, True Detective is back for a fourth season, and this time set in Alaska with Jodie Foster and Kali Reis starring as Detectives Liz Danvers and Evangeline Navarro who investigate the disappearance of eight men from a research station.
True Detective has had a rocky time with critics and viewers; season one with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson was a smash hit winning five Emmy awards, while season two and three received middling reviews and saw viewership drop. But the core concept of the series – following detectives as they look into macabre murders – is still enthralling viewers, and season four's stellar cast – it also features Fiona Shaw, Christopher Eccleston as Ted Corsaro, and John Hawkes – has us hopeful.
One Day, Netflix, February 8
The 2011 film may have been a disappointment for fans of David Nicholl's acclaimed 2009 book but the new Netflix series may just fill the romantic comedy void some of are feeling.
The White Lotus' Leo Woodall and British actress Ambika Mod star as Dexter and Emma, university friends who after spending the night together on the eve of their graduation, promise to meet up every year on the same date. The story then follows them for the next two decades as they grow up, fall in love, move on, and realize that what we take for granted doesn't always last forever.
Only Murders in the Building, Hulu, TBD
© Disney+Season three may have only concluded in October but with the dramedy ending with another cliffhanger - Charles (Steve Martin) found his stunt double, Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch) shot and killed in his apartment – we are already chomping at the bit for the next season and to see Charles, Mabel (Selena Gomez) and Oliver (Martin Short) find their fourth killer in just as many years.
Writing on the new season kicked off in October, so we think Hulu may drop a new season potentially later this summer. As for what we can expect? It seems like the Arconia residents' decision to begin a podcast may finally have repercussions. "These three have made a podcast, and they put it out into the world and it's taken off," showrunner John Hoffman told Deadline.
"There's no real sense of what people out there are thinking about your thing that is taking off, and that thing you created could come back in a way that feels threatening and unexpected for you."
The Girls on the Bus, HBO, TBD
In 2008, anyone who followed US politics was caught up in the Democratic primary election. Would the party pick Barack Obama who would be the first African-American presidential nominee ever, or Hillary Clinton, who would be the first female presidential nominee ever?
The Girls on the Bus (based on a true story) will take us back 15 years to that time, following four female journalists who bonded as they traveled around the country on the buses, exploring friendship and scandal, and an election that would change America forever.
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