Now that the festive season is over, the long, miserable trek from winter to spring begins. But that makes it the perfect time to settle in on the sofa and watch some really good television: is there anything cosier than a Sunday spent under a blanket in front of a box set?
Fortunately, the start of 2024 promises great TV in abundance. So for those in need of some inspiration, look no further: here's our definitive list of everything to get excited for over the next few months.
Big Boys Season 2
The beloved Channel 4 comedy drama is back for its second season. This time Jack (Dylan Llewellyn), Danny (Jon Pointing) and co are returning for another year at Brent University. The year is 2014, David Cameron is still prime minister and the gang are dealing with drugs, virginity hang-ups and Jack's ongoing obsession with Alison Hammond. We're expecting more of the same warm, lighthearted vibes, as well as the heavy-hitting moments, that made series one so great.
Channel 4, out January 14
True Detective: Night Country
Jodie Foster is back on the small screen in her first leading TV role for 50 years - and she’s picked a belter of a show. Foster is Liz Danvers, a detective stuck in the small town of Ennis, Alaska. As the sun dips below the horizon for the last time in a month, so begins a dark, twisted story of murder, ghosts and personal demons. A must-watch.
Sky Atlantic and NOW, out January 15
Cristóbal Balenciaga
This Disney+ dramatisation is clearly going for the epic: created by Goya award winners Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño, and Jose Mari Goenaga, Cristóbal Balenciaga is a look at 30 years in the designer's life. Beginning in 1937, we follow Alberto San Juan’s enigmatic Balenciaga as he evolves from fashion maverick to icon.
Disney+, out January 19
Expats
Nicole Kidman leads the cast in this glossy Prime Video adaptation of Janice YK Lee’s 2016 novel, The Expatriates. Set in Hong Kong’s expat suburbs, she plays Margaret, whose life is shattered by a devastating loss - while also exploring how her life intertwines with neighbour Hilary (Sarayu Blue) and Korean-American Columbia grad Mercy (Ji-young Yoo). Slinky and stylish.
Prime Video, out January 26
Masters of the Air
It’s Band of Brothers, but in the air – and packed with more star power than a night at the Oscars. Austin Butler leads the cast as Major Gale Cleven, a member of the infamous 100th Bomb Group of the US Air Force during World War II. It was nicknamed the “Bloody Hundredth” due to the mortality rate, and the trailer for the show (which also stars Ncuti Gatwa, Barry Keoghan and Stephen Campbell Moore) promises plenty of explosions and derring-do.
Apple TV+, out January 25
Mr & Mrs Smith
Yes, the 2004 film is getting a modern-day reboot. This time around, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are being replaced by Donald Glover and Maya Erskine as the eponymous warring couple – with a few twists. For starters, their marriage is one of convenience, and for another, they both know that the other is a secret agent.
Prime Video, out February 2
One Day
Can't wait for this one. Ambika Mod, who turned in such a wonderful performance as Shruti in This Is Going To Hurt, returns for the long-awaited Netflix adaptation of David Nicholls' beloved novel. She’ll be playing Emma Morley, whose on-off relationship with Dexter (played by The White Lotus season 2’s Leo Woodall) spans decades and as they try and decide whether or not they’re right for each other.
Netflix, out February 8
The New Look
This spring looks set to be the season of fashion on TV. Hot on the heels of Cristóbal Balenciaga comes The New Look, Apple TV+’s very glossy take on how a new wave of post-war designers created the world of modern fashion. Ben Mendelsohn plays Christian Dior, Juliette Binoche plays Coco Chanel and John Malkovitch plays Lucien Lelong – with a cast this star-studded, we’re expecting great things.
Apple TV+, out February 14
ShÅgun
Disney+ is bringing all the escapism this winter season with its upcoming series ShÅgun. Based on the 1975 novel by James Clavell, it follows shipwrecked sailor John Blackthorne, who finds himself washed on the coast of Japan in the late 1500s and must navigate a strange and unfamiliar world. Based as this is (albeit loosely) on the real-life story of William Adams, an English navigator who ultimately rose to become a samurai, the show is sure to be even more thrilling.
Disney+, out February 27
Breathtaking
Get ready for all the traumatic flashbacks back to the hellscape that was 2020. Joanne Froggatt plays hospital consultant Dr Abbey Henderson, who finds herself on the frontline of the Covid-19 pandemic, and given that the series (produced by Line of Duty titan Jed Mercurio) is based on the real-life memoirs of doctor Rachel Clarke, it’s bound to be packed with excruciating detail. Not a fun watch, but most likely a necessary one.
ITV, out February
The Dry Series 2
After her barnstorming performance in Sky’s The Lovers, Roisin Gallagher is back for the second series of her excellent show The Dry. Recovering alcoholic Shiv Sheridan is sober, celibate and solvent seven months after the events of season one – and to outside eyes, the chaotic Sheridan family have it all together. But of course, things are rarely what they seem, and soon Shiv’s quest to cut the toxic influences out of her life finds a target in her relatives.
ITV, out March
Palm Royale
Well, doesn’t this look fabulous. This sun-drenched period drama whisks us back in time to the world of Palm Beach, Florida, in 1969. Maxine Simmons (Kristen Wiig) is a housewife whose desperation to make it into the country-club set (presided over by the imperious Evelyn Rollins) drives the show. The cast is stacked, the vibe is very much Mad Men meets Mean Girls and the wardrobes are gorgeous: what more could you want?
Apple TV+, March 20
3 Body Problem
Liu Cixin’s iconic science-fiction novel is finally getting the big-screen treatment it deserves. First published in 2006, the Chinese-language book tells the story of humanity first making contact with a distant alien race; the series itself promises “a sweeping story of Earth’s past, present, and future”. It’s also being adapted by Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss, which will hopefully lend the whole thing an epic feel (and sidestep the original's disappointing ending).
Netflix, out March 22
The Way
Could this be Michael Sheen's magnum opus? Not content with staying in front of the camera, Sheen has also stepped behind it to create and direct a series all about (and set in) his Welsh homeland. Steffan Rhodri, Callum Scott Howells, Mali Harries and Sophie Melville lead the cast as members of the Driscoll family, who find themselves having to flee their hometown after a civil uprising causes massive repercussions. Intriguing stuff.
BBC One, out spring
This Town
Steven Knight, the creator of Peaky Blinders and SAS Rogue Heroes, next turns his pen to good old social realism(ish) with This Town. Crammed to bursting with sunglasses, pinstriped suits and attitude, it follows a group of young people as they attempt to form a band during the civil unrest of 1981. Presumably, there’ll also be a banging soundtrack: we’re here for it.
BBC, spring
Passenger
This dark comic thriller is the screenwriting debut of Broadchurch’s own Andrew Buchan (aka Mark Latimer) – and it promises chills aplenty. Wunmi Mosaku leads the cast as former Met Police detective Riya Ajunwa, who finds herself in the (fictional) sleepy Northern town of Chadder Vale investigating a series of strange and inexplicable crimes.
ITV One, spring
The Gentlemen
Bombastic director Guy Ritchie is back for a TV series that fleshes out the world of his 2020 The Gentlemen. The original followed a cannabis baron as he tried to sell off his multimillion-pound empire; the series introduces Theo James as Eddie Horniman, a posh aristocrat who inherits his father’s estate only to discover… that yes, it’s also a weed empire, and he now has a target on his back. Cue rampant chaos, Ritchie-style.
Netflix, spring
Renegade Nell
Louisa Harland (aka Orla from Derry Girls) dons britches and picks up a pistol to play the role of Nell Jackson, a highwaywoman in 18th century England, in this ridiculously fun-looking TV series. After finding herself framed for murder, Nell embarks on a life of crime, but when she meets magical spirit Billy Blind (Nick Mohammed) she realises her destiny could be even bigger. And what’s that? It’s been written by Happy Valley’s own Sally Wainwright? This cannot come soon enough.
