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The wait is over. This year marks the return of several major series that were put on pause for a variety of factors, including the dual Hollywood strikes. Cliffhangers are ready to be resolved, or new ones are about to emerge. Old characters are returning, and perhaps we’ll meet some new ones too. But alongside new seasons of established series, a new slate of shows will also enter the fray, battling for your attention and a spot in your queue. To that end, our writers are here to help with a select number of new and returning series that you should take note of this year. Happy new year and happy watching. — Maira Garcia
‘The Pitt’ (Max, Jan. 9)
Noah Wyle as an ER doc again? Say no more. Fifteen years after the end of “ER,” NBC’s long-running medical drama in which Wyle starred as Dr. John Carter, the actor is scrubbing back in. Each installment of the 15-episode drama will explore an hour in the 15-hour shift of Dr. Robby (Wyle), a chief attendant in the emergency room at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital, as it attempts to show the challenges healthcare workers face today. In addition to starring, Wyle serves as an executive producer on “The Pitt” — and it reunites him with “ER” producers John Wells and R. Scott Gemmill, its showrunner. The series made headlines in 2024 when the estate of Michael Crichton, creator of “ER,” sued Warner Bros., producer of “The Pitt,” saying it is a rebranded version of an unauthorized reboot of the medical drama. In response, Warner Bros. said, “The Pitt” is not a “derivative work” of “ER.” I guess we’ll see? — Yvonne Villarreal
‘Severance,’ Season 2 (Apple TV+, Jan. 17)
When the new season of this psychological thriller series premieres, it will have been almost three years since we first became acquainted with the microdata refinement team at Lumon, the mysterious corporation at the center of the show. The first season ended in a cliffhanger with the team — Mark (Adam Scott), Helly (Britt Lower) and Irving (John Turturro) — experiencing life as their Outies for about 45 minutes thanks to Dylan’s (Zach Cherry) ability to push two levers on opposite sides of a room at Lumon headquarters. What will happen to Dylan and the rest of the team now that the Lumon bosses know what they did — Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman) looked pretty upset. Will Ms. Cobel (Patricia Arquette) stick around as Mark’s neighbor and boss? What really happened to Mark’s wife? We need answers and I’m praying to Kier that we get them. — M.G.
‘Star Trek: Section 31’ (Paramount+, Jan. 24)
Set between the Kirk and Picard eras and spun off from “Star Trek: Discovery,” this TV movie — what a good old phrase — was originally conceived as a series, but it was elbowed out of the way by “Strange New Worlds.” Michelle Yeoh, whose career stretches from martial arts films to “Wicked,” stars as badass emperor-turned-nightclub-operator Philippa Georgiou, who joins a secret division of Starfleet. Tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, she also must face the sins of her past. Sam Richardson, from “The Afterparty,” “Ted Lasso” and elsewhere, plays Quasi, a shape-shifting Chameliod; it’s not really “Trek” without a comedian on board. — Robert Lloyd
‘Watson’ (CBS, Jan. 26)
What do Nigel Bruce, Jude Law, Martin Freeman and John C. Reilly have in common? They have all portrayed Dr. John Watson, the inquisitive physician and sometimes befuddled companion to legendary detective Sherlock Holmes. CBS’ new drama “Watson” gives top billing to the character who has traditionally operated in Holmes’ shadow. Stepping into the title role is Morris Chestnut, who has already played a number of doctors on several series (“The Resident,” “Rosewood,” “Nurse Jackie”) since his breakthrough role in 1991’s “Boyz n the Hood.” The modern-day twist on the Holmes legacy finds Watson solving medical mysteries as the head of a clinic treating mysterious and rare illnesses. Executive producer Craig Sweeney, who is showrunner, was also behind another Sherlock Holmes update, CBS’ “Elementary,” which starred Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu. — Greg Braxton
‘The White Lotus,’ Season 3 (HBO, Feb. 16)
Other than being located at a lavish Thailand resort, it’s impossible to tell from the early glimpses of the third season of “The White Lotus” what exactly is going on. But it’s clear that creator-director Mike White has come up with more of the mischief and mayhem that made the previous two seasons of the HBO anthology series a totally unpredictable and outrageous delight, charming viewers and critics. The eclectic cast includes Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, Jason Isaacs and Scott Glenn. Joining the craziness is Natasha Rothwell, who played a Hawaiian resort spa manager in the first season. Goggins joked in an interview last year that he could not reveal any details of the season under penalty of death. — G.B.
‘Zero Day’ (Netflix, Feb. 20)
Television is getting a chance to see the way Robert De Niro does things. In his first foray into prestige TV, the actor plays beloved former U.S. President George Mullen who is called in to help the current POTUS, played by Angela Bassett, after a catastrophic cyberattack threatens the nation. What better way to unwind from the anxieties of the real world? Mullen is tasked with heading the Zero Day Commission to find the perpetrators of the crippling attack — and confronts his own dark secrets in the process. Rounding out the cast of the political thriller are Jesse Plemons, Connie Britton — pause to appreciate the mini “Friday Night Lights” reunion — Dan Stevens and Lizzy Caplan. The six-episode series is co-created by writers Eric Newman (“Narcos,” “Griselda”), former NBC News President Noah Oppenheim and New York Times investigative reporter Michael S. Schmidt, with Lesli Linka Glatter (“Homeland,” “The Morning Show”) directing all episodes. — Y.V.
‘Ludwig’ (BritBox, March 20)
British polymath David Mitchell, best known here for “Peep Show” and as a hilariously irascible team captain on “Would I Lie to You?,” stars as a crossword puzzle maker whose police detective twin brother disappears; he takes on his identity in order to crack the case — and other cases as the series continues on its episodic-within-a-long-arc path. With Anna Maxwell Martin as his sister-in-law, with Derek Jacobi, Felicity Kendal and Ricky Gervais’ foil Karl Pilkington among the guest stars. An American remake, which will doubtless be less good, is being discussed. — R.L.
‘The Residence’ (Netflix, March 20)
Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are a number of shows this year that center on a president or in proximity to a president, and this Shondaland series helmed by Paul William Davies (“For the People,” “Scandal”) is no exception. In fact, this one takes place at the White House during a state dinner with Australia, where a dead body has been found. The only person who can solve the mystery is Cordelia Cupp, a consulting detective for the Metropolitan Police Department, played by Uzo Aduba. She’s whip-smart, detail-oriented and witty to boot. She’s joined by FBI special agent Edwin Park (Randall Park), who is skeptical of her style but is along for the ride. The show features an all-star cast that includes Giancarlo Esposito, Susan Kelechi Watson, Ken Marino and Jason Lee, among many others. — M.G.
‘Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light’ (PBS, March 23)
Nearly a decade after “Wolf Hall” reinvigorated the period piece on page and screen, the final chapter of Hilary Mantel’s galvanizing portrait of courtier Thomas Cromwell, “The Mirror and the Light,” is set to finally arrive stateside. This time, though, Cromwell (the sterling Mark Rylance), who was executed in 1540, ends up on the wrong side of his mercurial patron, King Henry VIII (Damian Lewis), which should only intensify the palace intrigue. Of all the cultural artifacts produced about Henry’s break with the Catholic Church, his relationship with his six wives and its effect on the course of English history, Mantel’s ruthless and ruthlessly modern series of novels are the gold standard, and Peter Kosminsky and Peter Straughan‘s TV adaptation captures the late author’s distinctive style with aplomb. — Matt Brennan
‘The Studio’ (Apple TV+, March 26)
Like any self-respecting Hollywood scribe, I’m a sucker for a backstage satire. And since “Barry” and “The Other Two” ended in 2023, I have built up a particularly acute hankering for TV about how the sausage is made. Enter “The Franchise,” HBO’s recent send-up of superhero movies, and now “The Studio,” starring Seth Rogen as the put-upon head of Continental Studios, where movies trump “artsy fartsy films” — to the cinephile chief’s apparent chagrin. Sympathizing with top brass at a moment of astronomical executive pay and ongoing labor friction is risky business, but if the teaser trailer is any indication, Rogen’s Matt Remick will be the target of enough abuse from luminaries like Martin Scorsese, Kathryn Hahn, Zac Efron, Charlize Theron and Anthony Mackie for “The Studio” to feel like it’s punching up. — M. Brennan
‘Your Friends and Neighbors’ (Apple TV+, April 11)
What do you do when the life you thought you’d have crumbles? It’s a question that seems to gnaw at Andrew “Coop” Cooper, a depressed, divorced New York City hedge fund manager, who loses his job suddenly but still has to pay for alimony, private school for his two kids, two houses — the list goes on. He resorts to stealing from his wealthy friends and neighbors, but you get the feeling it isn’t going to go very smoothly. It is a return to form for Jon Hamm, the star of the series (and executive producer), as his character’s personal life and finances get more and more tangled (like in “Mad Men,” he’s a ladies’ man). Also starring are Amanda Peet and Olivia Munn. If you love watching rich people do bad things, this one’s for you — plus, it’s already been renewed for a second season. — M.G.
‘Andor,’ Season 2 (Disney+, April 22)
It’s been more than two years since “Andor’s” Season 1 finale showed the spark of rebellion ignite in one small corner of the galaxy far, far away and I’ve been waiting for more episodes ever since. Starring Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, the Emmy-nominated “Star Wars” spy thriller has set itself apart from the franchise’s other recent installments as an overtly political, gritty, grounded look at how an ordinary, disaffected person transforms into a committed revolutionary. The second season will follow Andor through the years between the end of Season 1 to the days leading up to the events of “Rogue One” (2016), the “Star Wars” prequel film about how the Rebellion stole the plans to the Death Star. And while fans already know how Andor’s story ends, I am looking forward to seeing creator Tony Gilroy and crew’s take on how disparate groups and acts of resistance coalesce into the Rebel Alliance and any growing pains along the way. — T.B.
‘The Last of Us,’ Season 2 (HBO, spring 2025)
As we approach the second season of the first truly successful live-action adaptation of a video game, the question on everyone’s mind is: Will Pedro Pascal become the next Sean Bean? “The Last of Us,” premiered in 2023 to immediate acclaim and record audiences, following fairly faithfully to the 2013 game of the same name. And as with the game, viewers instantly fell in love with Joel (Pedro Pascal), a smuggler hardened by the death of his daughter during the early days of a worldwide pandemic, and the mysteriously immune Ellie (Bella Ramsey) whom he agrees to transport across the country.
When the game’s sequel, “The Last of Us Part II,” debuted, gamers were shocked by the almost immediate death of Joel, a brutal murder that sends Ellie on a journey of revenge. Series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have been predictably coy about their version of Joel, saying that they want to remain faithful to the game but also that they have to make choices that are best for the show. HBO has never been squeamish about killing main characters — Bean, who was the star of “Game of Thrones,” did not make it to Season 2 — but are viewers ready for a show without Pascal? — Mary McNamara
‘Long Story Short’ (Netflix, fall 2025)
This series has been touted as the reunion of the team behind the acclaimed “Bojack Horseman,” including creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg and “Tuca & Bertie’s” Lisa Hanawalt, who served as a production designer-producer on the series before launching her own. “Bojack” was Netflix’s first original adult animated series, breaking new ground with the depth of its themes and satire. Not much else has been revealed about “Long Story Short” beyond the logline that says it’s an animated comedy about “a family over time,” but as someone who understands the concept of family and time — and as a fan of “Bojack” and “Tuca & Bertie” — I’m looking forward to finding out what that means. — T.B.
‘Riot Women’ (BritBox, fall 2025)
Sally Wainwright is one of the most quietly radical auteurs working in television — British or otherwise. Known for female-centered shows set in the north of England, including the dramedy “Tango in Halifax,” the dark crime drama “Happy Valley” and the period piece “Gentleman Jack,” Wainwright moves with ease between genres but always retains a distinctive point of view. Next up for the ever-evolving writer-creator is “Riot Women,” a six-episode drama, set in Yorkshire, about five women who form a makeshift punk rock band to perform in a local talent show, unexpectedly triggering change in their lives and giving voice to their many frustrations. The cast includes Joanna Scanlan, Rosalie Craig, Tamsin Greig, Lorraine Ashbourne and Amelia Bullmore. The series features music by ARXX and is billed as a “testament to the power of friendship.” Though additional plot details are scarce, this is a Wainwright project, which means you can expect to see ordinary but resilient women confronting the challenges of everyday life with honesty and humor. — Meredith Blake
‘Pee-wee as Himself’ (HBO, 2025)
This two-part documentary will tell the story of Paul Reubens, the comedian and actor better known as Pee-wee Herman, the beloved, childlike character he played in the retro-flavored kids’ show “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” and the hit movie “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” — both ‘80s classics. A performer who rarely appeared out of character and revealed little about his private life, Reubens was thrust into an unwelcome glare in 1991, when he was arrested for indecent exposure. Before his death in 2023 at 70, Reubens spoke with director Matt Wolf in what has been described as a contentious conversation in which the actor was determined to control the narrative about his life and career. Reubens also reportedly did not tell Wolf he had cancer, adding a layer of complexity to the relationship between filmmaker and subject. “Pee-wee as Himself” will premiere at Sundance in January and air on HBO later in the year, where it’s bound to bring Pee-wee — and Reubens — back into the limelight once again. — M. Blake
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