"The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" - The Coen brothers are making their first series. They will direct, write, and produce a six-episode western anthology for Netflix. James Franco, Zoe Kazan, Tyne Daly, Stephen Root, and Ralph Ineson are among the confirmed cast. Tim Blake Nelson too, playing Buster Scruggs, a singing cowboy. Episode titles and synopses were released last summer. My current favorite is “The Mortal Remains,” described as "about the five very different passengers on a stagecoach of mysterious destination."
“The Romanoffs” - A good chunk of the creative team of "Mad Men" is working on the new series about modern-day descendants of the Russian royals for Amazon. The cast currently includes Isabelle Huppert, Christina Hendricks, Corey Stoll, John Slattery, and Aaron Eckhardt. It's being described as an eight-episode anthology series, but otherwise details have been scarce. I don't need them though, because with this kind of pedigree, "The Romanoffs" definitely already has me curious.
"Tong Wars" - And what has Wong Kar-Wai been up to? He's directing an epic crime series for Amazon, that begins in 19th century San Francisco Chinatown and ends in the 1970s. Paul Attanasio is writing the scripts. There hasn't been much news about this one since Amazon ordered it to series in September, and with no cast yet announced, this will probably be one that shows up very late in the year if at all. There's no doubt, however, that this is one of the most ambitious programs currently in the works.
"Altered Carbon" - There are quite a few head-turning science fiction projects currently in development. The most likely one to premiere next year is the ten-episode adaptation of "Altered Carbon," which takes place in a dystopia where human consciousness can be digitized and transferred into different bodies. It's going to be one of the most expensive Netflix series, mostly due to extensive use of CGI. Joel Kinnaman will star, and "Game of Thrones" favorite Miguel Sapochnik is directing the pilot.
"Doctor Who" - The prospect of a female Doctor Who played by Jodie Whittaker really has me intrigued. Along with the introduction of a new showrunner Chris Chibnall, this definitely marks the start of a new era for the long-running series. But along with onscreen changes, I'm also curious to see how the audience is going to react. "Doctor Who" has one of those extensive fanbases that can be a hotbed of drama. And there's no more dramatic development that's come along to this franchise in ages.
"Roseanne" - I'm happy to hear that the revival of "Will & Grace" has been doing so well, but the show was never one of my favorites. I'm a big fan of "Roseanne," however, and await its return with trepidation. This could be trainwreck, like the final season of the show, but the opportunity to look in on the lives of the Conners again is irresistible. Nearly everyone is coming back, including John Goodman and both Beckys. No word yet on Johnny Galecki, who has commitments to "Big Bang Theory."
"Young Justice: Outsiders" - I've become something of a connoisseur of short-lived superhero cartoons. "Young Justice" was definitely one of the better ones, a soapy teen drama with way too many characters by the second season, but it carved out its own niche in the DC animated universe, and maintained a strong continuity with the rest of the franchise. And the nice thing about animated shows is, of course, that the creators can pretty much pick up right where they left off in 2013 without much fuss.
"True Detective," Year Three - I didn't end up watching the second series after hearing all the contentious reactions to it. Consensus was that it suffered from being too rushed. However, I have considerably more hope for the next attempt. First, Nic Pizzolatto has gotten significantly more time to work on scripts, and David Milch joined the creative team. Also, Mahershala Ali will be starring, in his first big role since his Oscar win. With "Fargo" benched for the foreseeable future, this is my next best bet for a high-end crime series.
"The Americans," Finale - I didn't mind at all that the last season of "The Americans" got slower and more contemplative. This is a very different show that it was when it started, and the world has changed too. "The Americans" is more relevant and more powerful television now than it has ever been. And I'm very excited to see how the endgame is going to play out, especially since the show's creators have demonstrated time and again that they don't pull their punches.
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