2024is promising further expansion into mega franchise territory, with the MCU,Star WarsandBatmanall starting new television series by the end of next year.Huge movie starslike Austin Butler and Robert De Niro will move into their first premium series, and we’ll get new seasons from favorites likeTrue DetectiveandThe Walking Dead.
There will also be some new fantasy projects coming to Netflix and Apple TV+, withThe Last AirbenderandTime Banditsbeing refashioned as series. Considering thestrike-shortened shooting schedulesof many of these shows, it will be interesting to see how these series arcs will be affected, as some have been shortened (Marvel’sEcho) or delayed (The Penguin). Regardless, 2024 is promising a ton of premium streaming content.
The following are 2024’s most-anticipated television series.
20Echo — June 09, 2025
Disney+ and the MCU will premier their 10th television series next year,Echo, which centers around the standout superhero introduced in Marvel’sHawkeyeseries in 2021. The Native American actress Alaqua Cox will again play Maya Lopez/Echo, after thrilling fans in her debut acting role in the earlier series.
Alaqua Cox Has a Bright Future in the MCU
Cox, who hails from the Menominee Reservation in Wisconsin, will play Echo in an origin story that begins in New York City.Given the fanfare around her character and acting prowess, expect Echo to continue expanding into a larger presence in the MCU.
19True Detective: Night Country — August 17, 2025
Nic Pizzolatto will be bowing out of the role of showrunner onTrue Detective: Night Countryas the series shifts to the cold climes of Alaska. It became clear the seriesneeded an injection of new bloodafter its last two seasons sagged in comparison to its unforgettable Season 1.Night Countryhas cast Jodie Foster as Detective Liz Danvers, who begins a murder investigation after finding dead bodies mysteriously encased in ice.
Themes From Earlier Seasons Remain
Yes,Carcosahas found its way to Alaska — as during their murder investigation, Detectives Danvers and Navarro (Kali Reis) begin to find the cult’s spiral symbol. It will be interesting to see how much Issa López, the series' new showrunner, will veer away from the indulgence that plagued the show’s last two seasons, but the trailer indicates that the series will again be darker in tone. That can only bode well for the show — which was at its best when it incorporated the macabre mythos of the Yellow King.
18Monsieur Spade — June 16, 2025
Dashiell Hammet’s Sam Spade character has seen many incarnations over the years, but none since an ’80s BBC Radio version with actor Tom Wilkinson in the role. It has long been difficult tofill the loafers of Humphrey Bogart, who played Spade memorably inThe Maltese Falcon. Now, Clive Owen will play a 60-year-old version of Spade inMonsieur Spade, which has completed shooting at AMC.
Monsieur Spade is Tailor-Made for Clive Owen
Owen has long had a penchant for noir, sinceCroupierintroduced the world to his particular brand of understated acting. Bogart had that same quality. In this version, Spade is an expat living in the south of France, where danger finds him and pulls him out of a retirement he never truly wanted.
17Griselda — June 18, 2025
Sofia Vergara will produce and play the lead role inGriselda, a Netflix limited series about the infamous cocaine trafficker Griselda Blanco. Early stills show Vergara altering her appearance using SFX makeup, and donning a fierce look as the Black Widow.
From the Creators of Narcos
TheCocaine Cowboysdocumentary from 2006alerted many to the unbelievable storyof South Florida’s most notorious drug lord, and her penchant for disposing of ex-lovers. Her story moves from aScarface-esque battle to eliminate competitors, to a prison stretch that didn’t end her criminal ways.
16Masters of the Air — August 02, 2025
A red-hot Austin Butler is coming to the small screen as Major Gale Cleven inMasters of the Air, a series about the bomber boys who fought the Nazis in WWII. The series centers around the 100th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Air Force, famous for their bloody battles in the sky that incurred heavy loss of life.
This Series Will Hearken Back to Films Like Empire of the Sun
WWII Air Force films are largely a theme of the past, after ’80s movies likeThe Memphis BelleandEmpire of the Sunfocused on the brutal air battles of the Pacific War.Masters of the Aircould be the best series on this subject sinceThe Tuskegee Airmen, a ’90s HBO series known for great performances by Laurence Fishburne and John Lithgow. With preternatural talent Barry Keoghan joining the cast,Masterscould prove to win awards, as well.
15Mr. and Mrs. Smith — June 29, 2025
Mr. and Mrs. Smithis getting a reboot, in series format, as Donald Glover and Maya Erskine will take on the eponymous roles andinject some straight comedy into the property. It will be hard to match the buzz around Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s tabloid love affair during the making of the 2005 film-version, which led to a nearly half-a-billion dollar take at the box office. Where it can improve on the original is writing and performance.
Related:Why Phoebe Waller-Bridge Quit the Mr and Mrs Smith TV Show
Donald Glover and Maya Erskine Are a Potential Perfect Casting
Glover’s knack for comedy, which has helped carry the showsCommunityandAtlanta,should mesh perfectly with Maya Erskine. SincePEN15showed Erskine’s tremendous talent for characters, she has rifled through everything from standout voice roles to entrance into theStar Warspantheon inObi-Wan Kenobi. Playing a spy who inhabits many an identity will play directly to her strengths.
14Avatar: The Last Airbender — July 18, 2025
Avatar: The Last Airbenderwill be a live-action reimagining of the beloved Nickelodeon animated series, with Netflix giving the show a big-budget makeover. The series will begin when Aang (Gordon Cormier) is unfrozen after a hundred years trapped in ice. The trailer looks impressive, as Aang can be seen riding his flying bison, Appa, through lavishly ornate worlds and bending the elements as only he can.
This May Be Netflix’s Biggest Series of 2024
Netflix is betting onAvatarcapitalizing on a wide target audience — hoping the show will appeal to millennials nostalgic for the cartoon version, as well as a younger generation embracing the franchise.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Liveis cruising towards a late winter premiere, with Andrew Lincoln back in the fold as Rick Grimes. This series will pick up whereWhat Comes Afterleft off, with Scott Gimple, who ran seasons 4 through 8, again at the helm — this time with Danai Gurira sharing the creative duties.
Will The Ones Who Live Could Find as big of an audience as TWD?
Even 13 years after its initial television release,The Walking Deadstill has a massive built-in audience, particularly with the inclusion of original cast members like Lincoln. Now the show will have a more balanced cast and, reportedly, more developed arcs. Color us excited.
123 Body Problem — July 30, 2025
Game of Thronesshowrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will see if they can enjoy the same success without the assistance of George R.R. Martin’s source material, as they kick off3 Body Problem. This will be a science fiction series that follows an astrophysicist affected by the Chinese Cultural Revolution, whose subsequent decisions reverberate through history.
The Stakes are High for Benioff and Weiss
TheGame of Thronesshow left much to be desired when the source material ran out. But before that, showrunners Benioff and Weiss were doing an excellent job adapting the material. With a completed series this time, they may just earn some redemption from soreGame of Thronesfans.
11The Regime — Spring 2024
After a critical triumph for her limited series at HBO,Mare of Eastown, Kate Winslet is running it back with the streaming service — this time as the Chancellor of a crumbling nation inThe Regime. The political satire, expected to run 6 episodes long, is the brainchild of writer Will Tracy, who has already penned memorable episodes ofSuccessionand co-wroteThe Menu.
The Regime Comes At a Fitting Moment in Time
After the Pandemic, Brexit, and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the landscape is set for a political satire to lampoon the many global issues we face.
