With top notch shows currently airing, including the likes of Westworld season 2, it's hard to force yourself to look into the future at the new TV shows on the way. But, don't fear, there's plenty of good stuff on the horizon, from Luther to Luke Cage, and GLOW to Sharp Objects.
This summer and through the rest of 2018, the sheer vastness of the lineup of new TV shows is sure to impress, thanks to a slew of Netflix Originals and new Doctor Who with a female doctor. We’re still sad that Game of Thrones season 8 won't be out this year, but you'll be too busy enjoying everything else on your small screen to even care about that. Here's our fresh rundown of the best new TV shows that are still to come in 2018.
Humans season 3
When and where can you watch it? May 17 on Channel 4 in the US and June 5 on AMC in the US.
The trailers we've seen so far of Humans season 3 depict scenes of anti-Synth protests, with warmongers and peacemakers on both sides of the divide, meaning it could be quite the dramatic season. It's set a year after the end of season 2, where the entire Synth population was granted sentience and it looks like fractures are starting to appear within the Synth community. Expect a backdrop of political chaos as our favourite Synth family Joe (Tom Goodman-Hill), Laura (Katherine Parkinson) and their children Mattie, Toby, and Sophie are all still coming to terms with the events of season 2.
Arrested Development season 5
When and where can I watch it? May 29 on Netflix.
The Bluth family are back after a little hiatus - what seems to be a five year long hiatus - and this time they're trying to run for Family of the Year, riffing on Trump and the presidential campaign with their usual tongue in cheek humour. Michael keeps threatening to leave, George Michael has grown a 'tache, Maeby's dyed her hair, and Tobias just blew himself... again. It's good to see everyone's back to their old tricks, and hopefully Arrested Development season 5 will be better than season 4 - although they are reordering that one now, phew.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt season 4
When and where can I watch it? May 30 on Netflix.
Don’t shoot the messenger, but the fourth season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is coming this year, but it will drop in two halves. The first six episodes will arrive on May 30, with the second batch premiering later in 2018 at an unannounced date. It’s intriguing to see just how the next season will play out after all the drama of season 3. Kimmy’s decision to stay married to Reverend to protect Wendy inevitably came back to bite her, losing her the potential dream job of being a crossing guard. Titus’ annoyingly catchy Boobs in California song becomes a hit, and Jacqueline decides to become a talent agent after her careful season-long negotiations. It should be quite the fourth season.
Luke Cage season 2
Where and when can I watch it? June 22 on Netflix.
Better than Iron Fist and Daredevil season 2, but not quite as good as Jessica Jones or The Punisher, Luke Cage's first season was eight episodes of really great material plus an extra five that nobody asked for. It's a show that suffered the hardest from Marvel's insistence on a baker's dozen of episodes per season, with a last-minute side-story featuring Diamondback that was baggy, melodramatic, and wholly uninteresting.
With Diamondback out of the way, Luke Cage is on top of the world and revelling in his newfound stardom, but as you'd expect things don't stay that way for long. Being so visible and so indestructible have drawn serious attention in the form of a new foe - Bushmaster. And judging from the above trailer, Luke Cage is going to have to explore the very fine line between hero and villain. Bring it on.
Preacher season 3
When and where can I watch it? June 24 on AMC in the US and Amazon Prime Video in the UK.
Season 3 of Sam Catlin, Evan Goldberg, and Seth Rogen's irreverent comic-inspired romp is coming in June, picking up exactly where season 2 left off. Herr Starr’s still got Jesse’s soul vial; Tulip’s been killed by Featherstone; Hitler and Eugene manage to escape from Hell, and God’s appeared in a motel bathroom. Hopefully something can be done to save Tulip, even though Genesis couldn’t do it and Jesse wouldn’t let Cassidy turn her into a vampire. It’s not quite the happy resolution any of them wanted.
G.L.O.W. season 2
Where and when can I watch it? June 29 on Netflix.
A second outing with the girls of GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling), who beat the odds to launch a women’s-only wrestling TV show in the first season. Where it all goes from here is a mystery, but the plot is always secondary to the loveable cast of characters and the genuinely funny scripting. The rift between Ruth and Debbie is by no means healed, and it’ll be interesting to see how they work together during GLOW’s on-air run.
We also know that Cherry has a new job in another TV show, so we’ll either see her desperate to return to GLOW, or a replacement brought in to keep the girls in line. It seems unlikely Sam will change much, and his zero-fucks-given attitude is one of the best bits of season 1, although he will likely have to navigate the responsibilities of fatherhood in his own, unique way. Either way, as long as we get some killer 80s tunes, a bit of neon, and plenty of spandex, GLOW 2 should be a triumph.
The Innocents season 1
Where and when can I watch it? August 24 on Netflix.
A supernatural thriller which sees two British youngsters - June and Harry - running away from home to start a new life together. Only problem is that June quickly finds out she's a shapeshifter, and can assume the appearance of other people. Obviously, this causes all kinds of distress, and the footage we've seen is suitably chilling as June struggles to come to terms with her gift. The potential for plot twists and mistaken identity set-pieces are HUGE here. We also know that Guy Pearce plays a sinister scientist intent on studying shapeshifters for his own (likely evil) ends. It all adds up to something truly intriguing and rather unique, even if it seems to draw influences from the likes of Twilight and American Werewolf in London.
Sharp Objects season 1
Where and when can I watch it? This summer on HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic in the UK.
If you want to be certain about the prospects of an upcoming production, the rule of thumb is that if Amy Adams is involved, it’s going to be good. Going by that maxim, Sharp Objects is already shaping up to be something very special indeed. It’s HBO’s next big crime thriller, centered around a psychologically tortured reporter returning to her hometown to investigate the disturbing murder of two young girls.
If that plot synopsis hasn’t already given it away, Sharp Objects isn’t going to be an easy watch for the faint hearted, but with director Jean-Marc Vallée (Dallas Buyers Club, Big Little Lies) at the wheel, you can anticipate a certain prestige of filmmaking that HBO has always been good at cultivating. With Game of Thrones season 8 out of the picture till next year, this might just be your next favourite HBO show of choice for 2018.
Image: Entertainment Weekly
Doctor Who season 11
Where and when can I watch it? This autumn on the BBC.
The very first female Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) will get her premiere season late in 2018. While debate has - predictably - focused on the gender of this new Timelord, the show will ultimately live or die by the supporting characters, their chemistry, and the quality of the plotlines. Peter Capaldi's run only just got going in season 10, so let's hope that momentum carries over into the new show. The Christmas episode has already set the tone, but the rest of the narratives really are up for grabs. Whether or not you agree with Whittaker as the new Doctor... this show should be a cracking watch later in 2018.
Luther season 5
Where and when can I watch it? Sometime this year on BBC One in the UK and BBC America in the US.
The surprise return of the character that first put Idris Elba on the map; Detective John Luther. It’s a BBC mystery thriller series with a disturbing focus on London’s serial killers, but the show has always thrived thanks to the charisma of its ever enthralling central star. The troubled British detective is hardly an original archetype, but Elba channels Luther’s world-weary stoicism with such power and potency that it’s impossible to look away, even when the show goes full blown gothic horror during its (many) murder scenes.
The grizzly London setting is another standout, too, used effectively to establish the kind of sinister atmosphere that’ll stay under your skin long after the credits roll. It looks as though the oft-discussed Luther movie remains firmly in the pipeline for now, but series co-creator Neil Cross has promised that four episodes will be airing on the BBC at some point in 2018. The details of the plot remains entirely under wraps, but hopefully it’ll bring the return of Luther’s enigmatic suspect turned accomplice, Alice Walker.
Nightflyers season 1
Where and when can I watch it? Sometime later this year on Syfy in the US and Netflix in the UK.
We all know how the last televised adaptation of a George R.R. Martin book series turned out, so there's high hopes for Syfy's Nightflyers, which tells a very different kind of story to political fantasy seen in Game of Thrones. Based on Martin's novella and collection of short stories of the same name from the 1980's, Nightflyers is sci-fi horror with serious scale, which the author himself describes as "Psycho in space." Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes, there's going to be guts, gore, and plenty of violence. This is a tale from the man responsible for The Red Wedding, after all.
Maniac season 1
Where and when can I watch it? Sometime later this year on Netflix.
A Netflix remake of a Norwegian black comedy starring Emma Stone and Jonah Hill, you say? That’s not a lot to go on, with no trailer or release date yet in sight, but it’s more than enough to tickle the interest of anyone with a taste for the abstract. Set in a psychiatric hospital, Maniac follows the made-up adventures of two institutionalised patients as they imagine a fantasy life beyond the walls of their medical confines. It’s directed by Cary Fukunaga, of all people, best known for his work on True Detective (the first, much better season), so it’s safe to say that this dark comedy will probably be more dark than comedy, depending on your sense of humour. Either way, Maniac is one to watch for 2018.
The Witcher season 1
Where and when can I watch it? Sometime in the future on Netflix.
Based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s original novels rather than the video game series, Netflix’s Witcher adaptation nevertheless sounds like it will translate all of the key elements that have made the series so beloved in all of its forms. The gritty, shit-encrusted, all-too relatable fantasy world, that eschews idealised heroes and unicorns (except in one NFSW case) for a place driven by the same social, economic, political, and personal ills that often plague the real world.
The “unconventional family” of characters, who come together to wearily fight for the good in a crapsack world. The sheer, believable, human heart of the thing, from foibles, to ennui, to outright, often darkly weird, laughs. With the producers of the brilliant – and similarly grounded – sci-fi show The Expanse on board, this has all the potential in the world to get The Witcher right.
Taboo season 2
Where and when can I watch it? Sometime in the future on the BBC.
Watching Tom Hardy incomprehensibly growl his way through all eight episodes of season 1 was, genuinely, a bit of a TV highlight for me. The actor played James Keziah Delaney so enigmatically, punctuating his normally guarded exterior with moments of extreme violence and near-insanity, making for a show that felt delightfully unpredictable to the end.
Now that Delaney and his friends are off to claim the (fun-to-say) Nootka Sound for themselves, we’ll likely see an adventure set in America, with more tense diplomacy and - very likely - substantially more violence than the original season. Perhaps we’ll get to the bottom of Delaney’s visions, and the suggestion that he’s practising witchcraft. Maybe that was already explained in the first series, but Hardy’s growl was just too low-pitched for the human ear to comprehend.
Castle Rock season 1
Where and when can I watch it? Sometime in the future on Hulu in the US, with a UK airing location still TBC.
Okay, this one is very, very exciting indeed, more than a little weird, and has the potential to be the breakout horror hit of the year. A Stephen King adaptation headed up by JJ Abrams, Castle Rock isn’t based on any one specific King novel or story, but all of them. Set in the titular town, which acts as the setting for, and a reference point in, tons of King’s writing, the show is an attempt to connect the King universe in some tangible, but currently unexplained, fashion, with a teaser trailer that references characters and concepts from pretty much the author’s entire body of work. With iconic King movie actors Sissy Spacek (Carrie), and Bill Skarsgard (It 2017) on board as unspecified characters, this whole show only gets curiouser and curiouser.
Daredevil season 3
Where and when can I watch it? Sometime in the future on Netflix.
Following on from Matt Murdoch’s implausible survival at the very end of The Defenders, it seems likely Daredevil will begin with his recovery at the hospital before leading to more city-saving, baddo-punching action. The final scene of Defenders echoes the Daredevil ‘Born Again’ comic plotline, in which Wilson Fisk (currently jailed) learns Daredevil’s true identity. Karen and Foggy - both alive, kicking, and liberally hopping between Marvel TV shows - will almost certainly be back.
The hot money is on Bullseye being the main antagonist in this season, although who he’ll be played by and what he’ll actually want is very much a mystery. Will we see cameos from other Marvel characters? Well, that seems inevitable after The Defenders, although let’s hope the Immortal Iron Fist has decided to go on retreat to some far-away land for the duration of this season. No-one wants his sulky brand of punching in this show.
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