30. “In Treatment” Season 4 (HBO)
Based on an Israeli series, 2008’s “In Treatment” felt like something of a gimmick when it first aired. A new episode aired every day of the week, mimicking each day’s regular patient for a therapist played by Gabriel Byrne. It was no gimmick show. Over three seasons, some of the best writing and acting unfolded on “In Treatment,” including Emmy-winning performances by Dianne Wiest and Glynn Turman. Other standouts over its three-year run included Mia Wasikowska, Melissa George, Josh Charles, Alison Pill, John Mahoney, Irrfan Khan, Debra Winger, and Dane DeHaan. A show that asked a lot of its audience, “In Treatment” ended in 2010, but HBO surprisingly announced it would be returning in 2021 with another Emmy winner in the therapist role, Uzo Aduba. The “Mrs. America” star is the only announced cast member so far, but shooting should be underway or starting soon, so expect other cast announcements any day now. A lot has changed in the world since “In Treatment” left the air, and this was never a show that shied away from topical, tough issues. The climate feels just right for its return.
Airdate: TBD 2021 – BT
29. “A League Of Their Own” (Amazon)
Penny Marshall’s exceptional “A League Of Their Own” is a widely cherished classic for any number of reasons. With that in mind, fans of that film would be justified in their skepticism in regards to any kind of contemporary re-imagining. Quick show of hands: anyone else remember the short-lived 1993 sitcom of the same name, based on the same source material? Hold up just a moment, though, because this new, reinvigorated, upcoming “League Of Their Own” comes courtesy of “Broad City” co-creator Abbi Jacobson and Will Graham, and will purportedly go its own way, narratively speaking, following new characters and new storylines that stray away from the 1992 sports classic. Couple that with a dynamite supporting cast, which includes “The Photograph” and “Bad Hair” standout Chanté Adams, and also D’Arcy Carden, the secret weapon of “The Good Place,” and this upcoming one-hour re-imagining only sounds more enticing.
Airdate: TBD 2021. – NL
28. “American Crime Story: Impeachment” (FX)
Everyone remembers the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal of the Clinton White House in the ‘90s, or, at least you should. The fellatio shot heard round the world rocked the American political sphere for many years, and given so many parallels to today’s soon-to-be-gone President—also impeached and featuring a controversial personal life—Ryan Murphy’s FX franchise, ‘American Crime Story,’ will surely bring the melodrama to this story. “Booksmart” breakout star Beanie Feldstein plays Monica Lewinsky, Bill Clinton will be played by Clive Owen, Sarah Paulson stars as Linda Tripp, and Annaleigh Ashford appears as Paula Jones. Murphy apparently told Lewinsky herself at a party, “Nobody should tell your story but you, and it’s kind of gross if they do. ‘If you want to produce it with me, I would love that; but you should be the producer and you should make all the goddamn money.” And well, she agreed and is an executive producer on the show. Let’s hope she’s not disappointed by his trademark excess and broadness.
Airdate: Originally set for September 27 before the election, it was delayed by COVID. Maybe mid-year?
27. “Midnight Mass” (Netflix)
After the Hauntings of Hill House and Bly Manor, psychological horror maestro Mike Flanagan reunites with Kate Siegel once again, for a new 7-episode scarefest called “Midnight Mass.” Described as taking place “an isolated island community experiences miraculous events – and frightening omens – after the arrival of a charismatic, mysterious young priest,” Flanagan’s newest sounds like it could wander into the “Midsommar”/ “The Third Day” trend, following in the footsteps of folk-horror like “The Wicker Man” (“Not the bees!” Okay, so not that one.) Also starring Zach Gilford (“The Purge: Anarchy”) and Hamish Linklater (FX’s “Legion”), production on the Netflix miniseries started shooting in Vancouver at the end of the summer, the streaming service obviously aiming to turn around the almost auteur-brand success of the prosperous genre showrunner.
Airdate: TBD 2021 – AB
26. “Pachinko” (Apple TV+)
Video-essayist-turned–filmmaker Kogonada made one of the most remarkable debuts of 2017 with “Columbus.” He already has the feature film “After Yang” with Colin Farrell due later this year, but, while we eagerly await his sophomore feature, he’ll be directing 4 episodes (including the pilot) of Apple TV+’s international drama series, “Pachinko,” adapted from South Korean author Min Jin Lee’s trilingual story so epic it is broken up into three volumes. Executive producer Soo Hugh (“The Terror”) serving as showrunner and the series is a sweeping saga of loss and forbidden love, that takes place over almost a hundred years, diving into historic periods such as Japan’s occupation of Korea, and how such events have affected assumptive prejudice across generations.
Airdate: TBD 2021 – AB
25. “The Falcon & the Winter Soldier” (Disney+)
Originally scheduled in August, Marvel’s interlocking, interconnected schedule was really thrown for a loop with the COVID-19 pandemic, but Marvel is coming back full force in 2021. Sam “The Falcon” Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) try and make sense of their lives in a post-Thanos snap, post-No Captain America world. Cap bequeathed the shield and mantle to Sam at the end of “Avengers: Endgame,” but as the trailers show, the burden and the legacy weigh heavy on the Falcon. Plus U.S. Agent/John Walker (Wyatt Russell) is shown in the trailers with the shield— something that U.S. Secretary of State “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt), is likely behind (a Black Captain America being cockblocked from being Cap by a white figure in U.S. authority, oh hell that tracks, right?) The series will also feature Daniel Brühl and Emily VanCamp reprising their past Marvel roles and will also include Adepero Oduye.
Airdate: March 19, 2021
24. “Dear White People” Season 4 (Netflix)
One of the most exciting announcements of the December Disney Investors event was the reveal that Justin Simien is showrunning a series called “Lando” about, well, you know who. Before that can happen, viewers have to say goodbye to the students of Winchester on his brilliant “Dear White People,” one of the most underrated shows of the ‘10s. For three seasons, Simien and his excellent cast—including Logan Browning, DeRon Horton, Brandon P. Bell, and Antoinette Robertson—have been examining issues of race, sexuality, and equality on college campuses in today’s climate. Without preaching or moralizing, “Dear White People” has contained some of Netflix’s smartest writing. And Simien is bringing it to a close with a ten-episode final season that was supposed to drop before the end of 2020 but now appears to be a 2021 offering. Nothing is known about where this story is going or how it’s going to end, but Simien hasn’t faltered over three years, and so it seems likely he can bring it in for a landing before taking off into the stars with Mr. Calrissian.
Airdate: TBD 2021 – BT
23. “Maid” (Netflix)
Mother/daughter acting duo Andie MacDowell (“Groundhog Day”) and Margaret Qualley (“Once Upon A Time In Hollywood…”) will perhaps hash out some real-life family demons in Netflix’s new dramedy “Maid.” Inspired by Stephanie Land’s memoir “Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive,” the concept seems to be flipping maternal responsibility on its head. Qualley plays Alex, a single mom who’s turned to housekeeping to scrape by, whereas her eccentric mother, Paula (MacDowell), is the life of every party but at the expense of repressing a lot of issues she never wanted to face. The book mainly revolves around Alex, but with the tagline of having an actual mother/daughter pairing, one imagines the show would do well to cash in on paralleling the two ladies’ generational differences as much as possible, to exploit the most narrative potential out of such a juicy sell.
Airdate: TBD 2021 – AB
22. “Loki” (Disney+)
Yes, Tom Hiddleston’s Loki character from the Marvel Cinematic Universe died in “Avengers: Infinity War,” but the same character from an alternate universe in ‘Endgame’ survived. Got that? Now, this multiversal Loki is starring in what Kevin Feige describes enigmatically as a “crime thriller.” All we know is the Time Variance Authority (TVA)— an organization that monitors the timeline and multiverse—is involved and they’re pissed off as hell. “Loki” co-stars Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Sasha Lane, and Richard E. Grant in principal roles. Will he ever cross back over into the MCU that moviegoers already know? Time will tell.
Airdate: May 2021 – AB
21. “Better Call Saul” Season 6 (AMC)
The sixth and final season of the best show on television will drop in 2021, bringing to a close the saga of Jimmy McGill’s journey to becoming the scene-stealing Saul Goodman from “Breaking Bad.” Of course, “Better Call Saul” long ago broke from its prequel status to become an incredible drama on its own terms, but fans are still speculating how exactly this series will tie-up with the beloved AMC hit. Most of all, fans are panicking over the fate of Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) because, well, she’s nowhere to be seen on “Breaking Bad.” How exactly will her arc end and what will do to shape Jimmy McGill into the Saul Goodman that people already know? And how will Saul’s post-“Bad” saga come to a close? There are only 13 episodes left in this story and it feels like every minute of them is going to matter.
Airdate: TBD 2021 – BT
