Damn, January comes out swinging with its loaded TV content. After a somewhat lackluster December, this new year is immediately busy with a lot of highly anticipated shows. True Detective is back after five years, with none other than Jodie Foster leading the charge. Marvel kicks off 2024 with Echo. Ted makes its way to the small screen on Peacock. Mandy Patinkin gears up to play a detective. Ryan Murphy brings Feud back. Plus, there are other promising TV series led by Michelle Yeoh, Sofia Vergara, Nicole Kidman, and Ruth Wilson. To prep you for the month, here is The A.V. Club’s guide to the 17 major shows to watch out for, and a list of other TV returns.
The Brothers Sun (Netflix, Jan 4)
The Brothers Sun (Netflix, Jan 4)
Michelle Yeoh in an action comedy already sounds promising. The actor leads The Brothers Sunpunchy family bonding. [Saloni Gajjar]
Grimsburg (FOX, Jan 7)
Grimsburg (FOX, Jan 7)
Fox is putting a surprisingly bright spotlight on this new animated show starring and executive produced by Jon Hamm, giving it a prime spot on the Sunday night “Animation Domination” lineup in place of Family Guy—which is moving to Wednesdays. Hamm voices detective Marvin Flute, who returns to the titular town to reconnect with his ex-wife and a son he’s never bonded with. Will GrimsburgFamily Guy? Probably not (what is?), but Fox is giving it more of a chance than some other shows get: It’s already been renewed for a second season. [Sam Barsanti]
Echo (Disney+, Jan 9)
Echo (Disney+, Jan 9)
Picking up where the 2021 series Hawkeye left off, Echo finds Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) returning to her Native American roots in Oklahoma. It’s because she learns that Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio, reprising his DaredevilReservation Dogs alumni Devery Jacobs and Zahn McClarnon, Chaske Spencer (the Twilight films), and Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil. Echo is the first release under the new Marvel Spotlight banner, a showcase for characters not connected to the greater MCU continuity, and will run simultaneously on Disney+ and Hulu. [Cindy White]
Ted (Peacock, Jan 11)
Ted (Peacock, Jan 11)
We’ll admit it, the idea of Ted—the living stuffed bear from the Mark Wahlberg-starring movies—having to go to school with a teenage version of Wahlberg’s character doesn’t make any sense, but it’s not like Seth MacFarlane’s Ted movies made any sense. Besides, nobody should let logic get in the way of seeing Ted wearing his little suit or carrying a little backpack while dropping f-bombs around people with very aggressive Boston accents. It looks like Ted. So if you liked the movie, perhaps it’s the TV show for you. [Sam Barsanti]
Boy Swallows Universe (Netflix, Jan 11)
Boy Swallows Universe (Netflix, Jan 11)
Criminal Record (Apple TV+, Jan 12)
Criminal Record (Apple TV+, Jan 12)
Peter Capaldi leads the British crime thriller Criminal Record, sharing top billing with The Good Wife’s Cush Jumbo. The two go head to head as police detectives engaged in a battle of wills over a former murder conviction. When Detective Sergeant June Lenker (Jumbo) discovers new evidence that could overturn the case, DCI Daniel Hegarty (Capaldi) steps in to prevent her from reopening the investigation that made his career. The series comes from veteran producer Paul Rutman, creator of the acclaimed police drama Vera. [Cindy White]
True Detective: Night Country (HBO, Jan 14)
True Detective: Night Country (HBO, Jan 14)
Could we be more excited about the return of True Detective? That’s a hard no. And there are so many reasons why. There’s a new showrunner, Issa López (Tigers Are Not Afraid), the return of none other than Jodie Foster to the cold world—literally, in this case—of investigation, those stunning-looking Alaska environs (actually filmed in Iceland), the tight six-episode run, that creepy symbol in the trailer, and so much more. Kali Reis co-stars as the other lead detective here, with Christopher Eccleston, Fiona Shaw, and the great John Hawkes rounding out the cast. [Tim Lowery]
Monsieur Spade (AMC, Jan 14)
Monsieur Spade (AMC, Jan 14)
Speaking of true detectives, Clive Owen, who is having quite the TV moment, as he just finished his run on FX’s chilly miniseries A Murder At The End Of The World, takes on the iconic, cig-smoking sleuth Sam Spade in AMC’s new stylish-looking series. This time, Spade is—as you may have guessed from the title—in France, and this revitalization of Dashiell Hammett’s character is helmed and co-written by The Queen’s Gambit’s Scott Frank. [Tim Lowery]
Death & Other Details (Hulu, Jan 16)
Death & Other Details (Hulu, Jan 16)
Gather around for another ensemble-heavy whodunit. Death And Other DetailsMandy Patinkin, Rahul Kohli, Violett Beane, Linda Esmond, Jayne Atkinson, Lauren Patten, and Angela Zhou. It centers on Imogene Scott (Beane), who finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time when she’s named the prime suspect in a murder that takes place on a luxury Mediterranean cruise. Every guest and crew member is under scrutiny, and the case is in the hands of brilliant detective Rufus Cotesworth (Patinkin). Let the Knives Out
Wild Cards (The CW, Jan 17)
Wild Cards (The CW, Jan 17)
This co-production between Canadian network CBC and The CW is a lighthearted cops-and-robbers procedural with major rom-com vibes. In Wild Cards, Vanessa Morgan (Riverdale) stars as Max, a clever con artist who teams up with a disgraced police detective Cole Ellis (Grey’s Anatomy’s Giacomo Gianniotti) to help him solve his cases and keep herself out of jail. Canadian national treasure and Beverly Hills, 90210 veteran Jason Priestly is also on board as Max’s father, who taught her everything she knows about the art of the con. [Cindy White]
Hazbin Hotel (Prime Video, Jan 19)
Hazbin Hotel (Prime Video, Jan 19)
Created by Vivienne Medrano, Hazbin Hotel
The Woman In The Wall (Paramount+/Showtime, Jan 19)
The Woman In The Wall (Paramount+/Showtime, Jan 19)
British miniseries The Woman In The Wall
Griselda (Netflix, Jan 25)
Griselda (Netflix, Jan 25)
Sofia Vergara is synonymous with her Modern FamilyGriselda, playing Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco, also dubbed the Godmother of Cocaine. The show charts how she rose to criminal notoriety, creating one of the biggest cartels in the underworld of Miami and orchestrating hundreds of deaths. Her co-stars include Alberto Guerra, Vanessa Ferlito, Karol G, Maximiliano Hernández, Martin Rodriguez, and Juliana Aidén Martinez. [Saloni Gajjar]
In The Know (Peacock, Jan 25)
In The Know (Peacock, Jan 25)
Co-created by Zach Woods and Mike Judge, In The Know
Expats (Prime Video, Jan 26)
Expats (Prime Video, Jan 26)
Lulu Wang follows up on the fantastic The Farewell with her first small-screen venture, Expats, starring Nicole Kidman, Sarayu Blue, Brian Tee, Ji-young Yoo, Jack Huston, Flora Chan, and Will Or. A close-knit expatriate community in Hong Kong experiences grief, loss, love, and friendship in the six-part limited series. Margaret (Kidman) and Clarke (Tee) experience tragedy when their young son goes missing, fracturing her bond with her friend, Hilary (Blue), and the other people in their lives. [Saloni Gajjar]
Masters Of The Air (Apple TV+, Jan 26)
Masters Of The Air (Apple TV+, Jan 26)
Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Gary Goetzman, Masters Of The Air turns its attention to the skies. This World War II drama takes its inspiration from Donald L. Miller’s book Masters Of The Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought The Air War Against Nazi Germany, a lengthy title that lays out the premise of this nine-episode limited series pretty well. Austin Butler stars as Major Gale Cleven, one of several pilots of the Air Force’s 100th Bomb Group, nicknamed the “Bloody Hundredth” due to the many casualties it suffered in combat during the war. The cast includes Barry Keoghan, Ncuti Gatwa, and more British actors doing their best approximation of an American accent. Apple beat out HBO in a bidding war for the project and spent somewhere between $200 and $250 million to produce a feature-quality spectacle. [Cindy White]
Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans (Jan 31, FX)
Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans (Jan 31, FX)
It’s been nearly seven years since the last season of Feud, which centered on Bette Davis and Joan Crawford filming Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? and its aftermath. The upcoming second season of the anthology series has its sights set on a topic just as campy with personalities just as big: Truman Capote and the “swans,” his circle of female socialites whom he counted as close friends. While Ryan Murphy—who created and executive produces the show—has been spread pretty thin as of late, there is reason to believe this season will be new ground. Besides the top-notch cast that includes Tom Hollander, Calista Flockhart, Demi Moore, Diane Lane, and many more, all eight episodes are to be directed by Gus van Sant. [Drew Gillis]
Other TV shows premiering in Jan 2024
Other TV shows premiering in Jan 2024
season two (Peacock, Jan 12)
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season three (Max, Jan 18)