The main complaint with television these days is that “there’s just too much of it.” Netflix originals, HBO, Showtime, and now even Apple TV+ are taking over the entertainment universe and making it so that all anyone has time to do is click from one show to the next.
The good thing about all this TV is that even with the overwhelming selection, there is almost certainly something that will feel like it was made just for you. From sexy popes to Stephen King adaptations to Disney+’s first entries into the Marvel TV shows, these are the most exciting things to watch in 2020.
1. Messiah (January 1)
Ever get skeeved out about the idea of someone (kind of like Donald Trump) showing up and telling everyone he’s the messiah? Then you might want to avoid, well, Messiah. Starting on January 1, a new political, sci-fi thriller follows a man who arrives in America with a message: he’s the (new) chosen one.
2. The New Pope (January 13)
If this sounds similar to the Paolo Sorrentino series The Young Pope, that’s a good instinct. This show is a continuation of the Jude Law show. In this nine-episode (mini)series, Law reprises his role as Pope Pius XIII, while John Malkovich stars as Pope John Paul III, the titular new pope.
3. The Outsider (January 13)
Stephen King stories are never not going to be adapted for television or film. HBO has decided to tackle the May 2018 King novel about how a town grapples with the death and apparent rape of an 11-year-old boy.
4. Duncanville (February 16)
Amy Poehler never stops working. This is a new animated family comedy from Poehler and Mike and Julie Scully about a kid named Duncan who dreams of having a big successful career—sans suit and tie.
5. Little America (TBD)
Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon are set to release their anthology series, Little America, which follows the stories of immigrants to America. No set date on this one yet, but the Apple TV+ series is sure to be a kind-hearted one.
6. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TBD)
The Disney+ series doesn’t have an exact release date yet, but the Marvel show is going to be massive for the new streamer. For true Marvel nerds, you can watch the whole Comic Con panel and theorize until it lands on your TV.
7. Normal People (TBD)
If you’re a Sally Rooney fan, then you know what that title means. The massively popular novel is getting the television adaptation treatment. Following a complicated relationship from high school to university, this one comes with a built in fanbase.
8. Nine Perfect Strangers (TBD)
To continue to book to television trend, Nicole Kidman will be starring in Nine Perfect Strangers: a story about a spa owner who has nine cityfolk who come to her spa for relaxation and get way more than they signed up for.
9. Run (TBD)
We don’t know much about HBO’s Run, outside of the fact that Phoebe Waller-Bridge is at the helm, and the brief description that reads: “Ruby, a woman living a humdrum existence, gets a text inviting her to fulfill a youthful pact promising true love and self-reinvention by stepping out of her life to take a journey with her oldest flame.”
