FX President John Landgraf has estimated that there were over 400 television series in 2015 between cable, network, and streaming options, which works out to a very conservative estimate of 4000-5000 total hours. This is a staggering, almost relentless amount television. And 2016 is shaping up to more of the same, even with the lengthy list of shows that said farewell last year. Shows like Better Call Saul and Mr. Robot are coming back to cable to build off of stellar first seasons, and Daredevil and Bloodline are doing the same on Netflix, and in April HBO rolls out its murderer’s row Game of Thrones/Silicon Valley/Veep lineup again to monopolize our Sunday nights. It’s really quite a lot.
And guess what: There’s a lot more coming. Below, please find a list of just some of the new shows set to premiere in 2016. Consider this all great news if you love quality television and/or never leaving the house.
Colony (USA, Jan. 14)
There was a time, not very long ago (like, six months ago), when the phrase “a USA original series about an alien invasion” would not have inspired much excitement. But then Mr. Robot happened and veered USA away from its “hotshots who have secrets and wear sunglasses” reputation, and it was announced that Colony would reunite former Lost executive producer Carlton Cuse and Lost veteran Josh Holloway and heeeeyyy we might have a show on our hands now. What a world.
Angie Tribeca (TBS, Jan. 17)
The theory behind this show, reduced down to a thick flavorful goo, goes something like this: Naked Gun but spoofing modern-day police procedurals and starring Rashida Jones. It’s a big swing that could result in a home run or a mighty whiff (as is the idea to roll-out season one in a 25-hour marathon), but if it works, it could be a lot of fun.
Billions (Showtime, Jan. 17)
Billions is a high stakes cat-and-mouse game between a legendary hedge fund trader played by Damien Lewis and an undefeated Manhattan U.S. Attorney played by Paul Giamatti. It’s got star power and an interesting premise, which is a solid start.
Mad Dogs (Amazon, Jan. 22)
This new series from Shawn Ryan — he of The Shield and Terriers — focuses on four friends who find themselves in the middle of an upper class murder mystery in Belize. (You know, that old story.) The pilot has been up on Amazon for a while now as part of an annual selection process, so definitely check it out at some point if you haven’t already. The ending is, uh, really something. We’re optimistic on this one.
The X-Files (Fox, Jan. 24)
You probably have the gist of this show by now: Creator Chris Carter and stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are bringing back the creepy supernatural series for a limited run, and they’re getting weird as hell. Is it strange that the thing I’m most excited about in all of this is the presence of Joel McHale? We should bring back more shows with Joel McHale. Like The O.C. He can play Ryan’s boss at the architecture firm. I’m just giving these away for free over here.
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX, Feb. 2)
FX has let Ryan Murphy make a miniseries about the O.J. Simpson murder trial starring Cuba Gooding, Jr. and John Travolta. And David Schwimmer is playing Robert Kardashian. Ross from Friends is playing Kim Kardashian’s father. If there’s a God in heaven who cares about us at all, this series will either be really good or really, really nutty and out there. Anything in the middle will be a spectacular disappointment.
Vinyl (HBO, Feb. 14)
An HBO series about the music industry in the 1970s that is executive produced by Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger and described as “a ride through the sex- and drug-addled music business at the dawn of punk, disco, and hip-hop” that is “seen through the eyes of a record label president, Richie Finestra, played by Bobby Cannavale, who is trying to save his company and his soul without destroying everyone in his path.” Yup, has my attention so far.
11.22.63 (Hulu, Feb. 15)
This upcoming Hulu series comes from J.J. Abrams and Stephen King. It is based on a book by King about a teacher who travels back in time to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. It stars James Franco as the teacher. He wears lot of hats. The trailers and teasers have looked both as intense as and as good as all hell. This show, based on just the sentences in this paragraph, might be the most promising of all. (I like hats.)
Love (Netflix, Feb. 19)
Judd Apatow returns to television to co-write and executive produce a new series starring Paul Rust and Community veteran Gillian Jacobs. According to Netflix, the show “follows nice guy Gus (Rust) and brazen wild-child Mickey (Gillian Jacobs) as they navigate the exhilarations and humiliations of intimacy, commitment, love and other things they were hoping to avoid.” Probably worth a shot based on the track record of everyone involved, if nothing else.
The Path (Hulu, March 30)
Friday Night Lights showrunner Jason Katims is making a show where Aaron Paul joins a cult led by Hugh Dancy. There’s very little wrong with that sentence. Between this show and 11.22.63, it’s starting to look like 2016 will be the year Hulu really comes gunning for Netflix and Amazon.
Time Traveling Bong (Comedy Central, April 20)
So here’s what happening: Comedy Central gave Broad City star Ilana Glazer a three-episode series about a time-traveling bong that allows her and a friend to “ride high as they blaze through time,” and the whole thing debuts on 4/20. The most amazing development of 2016 to date is that there are two time-travel series premiering within three months of each other and James Franco is starring in the one that isn’t about a magical bong.
Marvel’s Luke Cage (Netflix, TBD)
When we last saw Luke Cage, he was beating up a group of ruffians in a bar and taking a power saw to his superhuman abdomen on Jessica Jones. When we see him next he’ll be starring in his own Netflix series. Daredevil and Jessica Jones were both dark and weird and great, and Mike Colter was awesome in the limited amount of screen time he got, so let’s go ahead and file this next chapter under “very optimistic.”
Preacher (AMC, TBD)
The entire idea of this series is fascinating, for two main reasons:
- AMC is adapting another bloody, beloved comic, hoping to mimic the success of The Walking Dead with this series about a Texas minister literally searching for God with the assistance of a girlfriend and a drunk vampire. As one does.
- It is being adapted by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.
So, yeah.
The Get Down (Netflix, TBD)
Baz Luhrmann is making a series about the dawn of hip-hop in 1970s New York and one of its stars is Jaden Smith. That sentence does not at all clarify whether the series will be good, but it does vault it into the category of required viewing. Luhrmann does nothing small, so even if this doesn’t end up working it will be a mess of spectacular, visually stunning proportions. Probably worth a watch just to find out.
Good Place (NBC, Fall)
The creator of Parks and Recreation is returning to NBC this fall with a new show about “a woman from New Jersey who comes to realize that she hasn’t been a very good person” who “decides to turn over a new leaf by learning what it actually means to be ‘good’ or ‘bad,’ and then trying to make up for her past behavior,” starring Kristin Bell as the troubled woman and Ted Danson as her “guide through her self-designed self-improvement course.” Yes. Yes, this will do just fine.
