Most anticipated 2024 TV shows: 'True Detective,' 'Squid Game'

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Last year was a tough one for Hollywood with the dual strikes slowing down production, resulting in fewer shows for viewers in the fall. Now that writers and actors have a new contract, production is back in full force. It’s one of the reasons to be hopeful in 2024. New series and new seasons that were held back are on the horizon, so you can expect lots more television to make its way to your screen. Here, The Times’ television writers weigh in on a sampling of shows that they’re looking forward to watching in the new year and that they recommend you put on your calendar and in your queue.

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‘True Detective: Night Country’ (HBO, Jan. 14)

Two police officers standing on a snowdrift at night, illuminated by the headlights of their truck.

It’s been four years since the last season of “True Detective,” but after a long hiatus the anthology series finally returns to HBO on Jan. 14. “True Detective: Night Country” puts an icy, female-driven spin on the regional crime drama. The action unfolds during the dark of winter in Ennis, Alaska, where eight scientists vanish from a remote research facility. Detectives Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) and Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster, in her first on-camera TV role in nearly 50 years) investigate the disappearance and, according to the show’s logline, “will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves, and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice.” Issa López writes and directs the series, which was filmed in Iceland and — if the icy trailer is any indication — makes the most of the arctic setting. Have a down comforter ready when you watch. — Meredith Blake

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‘Monsieur Spade’ (AMC, Jan. 14)

A man in a grey trench coat and hat leans against a black 1940s car.

Clive Owen, so dry as to make Humphrey Bogart sound like Weird Al, plays Dashiell Hammett‘s famous detective, living in a small town in the south of France in the early ‘60s and retired for just as long as this limited series — created by Tom Fontana and Scott Frank — takes to say “bonjour.” Among the many other things you’ll need to take notes on, the plot involves the war in Algeria, a sassy gamine in need of protection, much village drama and a lot of things popping up out of the past. With Denis Ménochet, appealing as the local commissaire, and, eventually, Alfre Woodard. — Robert Lloyd

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‘Masters of the Air’ (Apple TV+, Jan. 26)

A World War II-era pilot stands by a plane.

Producers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg add a third big miniseries to their World War II collection, turning their eyes to the war in the air. Ten episodes long with a roughly $200-million price tag, it promises the same sort of military camaraderie, romantic subplots, selfless sacrifice, bureaucratic snafus, explosive action, you-are-almost-there special effects and moments of strange poetry that made “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific” so watchable. The cast features stars like Austin Butler, Barry Keoghan and Ncuti Gatwa, but the rest of the cast is largely little-known to keep things, relatively speaking, real. — Robert Lloyd

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‘Vanderpump Rules,’ Season 11 (Bravo, Jan. 30)

The "Vanderpump Rules" Season 11 cast poses before a purple backdrop.

It seems like a fever dream now, but just 10 months ago “Vanderpump Rules’’ had the culture in a chokehold with a messy affair and breakup dubbed #Scandoval, igniting a torrent of TikToks and memes — and raising awareness of the use of galaxy lights as a coping mechanism. Those who get it, get it: Tom Sandoval cheated on Ariana Madix, his girlfriend of nine years, with Raquel Leviss, their friend and co-star on the reality series, all of which came to light after the 10th season wrapped filming. (After the scandal broke out, Bravo filmed a bonus episode that chronicled the fallout.) As the season aired, it became an all-out spectacle, with viewers dissecting each interaction for hints and clues to the affair. Leviss will not return for Season 11; meanwhile, Madix is still living with Sandoval in the home they own together, though she has made it clear she had no interest in sharing screen time with him. (Also Tom Schwartz made out with Scheana Shay? What?) If fans haven’t grown tired of the scandal, the rubbernecking is sure to continue when the cast makes its dramatic return. — Yvonne Villarreal

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‘Feud: Capote vs. the Swans’ (FX, Jan. 31)

A man in a blue blazer and yellow pants sits before a fireplace.

“Feud” premiered in 2017 with an ingenious deconstruction of the rivalry between studio system icons Joan Crawford and Bette Davis and then disappeared — at times, one feared, for good — into anthology series purgatory. Now, as if to herald co-creator Ryan Murphy’s return to the Fox (now Disney) fold, the show is finally back for Season 2, and boy, does it sound delicious. For fans of dueling biopics “Capote” and “Infamous,” it might even function as something of a coda: Where those mid-aughts movies focused on Truman Capote at the height of his stardom, basking in the success of “In Cold Blood,” “Capote vs. the Swans” depicts the writer’s agonizing decline, fueled by his falling-out with the New York society mavens who fed him the martinis — and secrets — behind his unfinished final novel, “Answered Prayers.” The cast, as it ever was with Murphy, is truly scintillating, with Tom Hollander (“The White Lotus”) an inspired choice for Capote and a cavalcade of bold-faced names (Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Chloë Sevigny, Calista Flockhart) as the swans. Plus, the pairing of Jon Robin Baitz and Gus Van Sant leaves my messy gay heart all aflutter. — Matt Brennan

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‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ (Prime Video, Feb. 2)

A couple laying face to face on the floor on their stomachs.

In 2023, Donald Glover’s credits included the breakout hit “Swarm,” which he co-created with Janine Nabers, and some voice work and cameos. But this year, he’s back in front of the camera in the new Prime Video series “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” starring alongside Maya Erskine as a secret agent. Glover co-created the series with showrunner Francesca Sloane, who previously worked on “Atlanta.” It’s based on the film of the same name (the one that brought you Brangelina); however, there are differences — namely that Jane and John Smith start out as strangers who are put into an arranged marriage as part of their spy work and it’s set in Manhattan. “Atlanta” fans will be happy to see that the series reunites Glover with director Hiro Murai. — Maira Garcia

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‘One Day’ (Netflix, Feb. 8)

David Nicholls’ bestselling novel, a melancholic romance chronicling the lives of two tentative friends-turned-lovebirds, Emma and Dexter, as their friendship and relationship deepens over the course of 20 years, got the Hollywood treatment in 2011 with a feature film starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. The story checks in on the pair on one day every year, July 15, beginning with their final night at university, and visits their evolving relationship and lives in the ensuing years. All the angst and tension and longing stares from the novel and film have been turned into a 14-episode series that romance aficionados will surely inhale before Valentine’s Day thanks to the chemistry between Leo Woodall (“The White Lotus”), who plays Dexter, and Ambika Mod (“This Is Going to Hurt”), who plays Emma. — Yvonne Villarreal

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‘The New Look’ (Apple TV+, Feb. 14)

A man in a pinstripe suit sits at a desk with open newspapers, holding a pencil.

You are probably familiar the high-end fashion houses Balmain, Balenciaga, Chanel and Dior. But what do you know about the people behind the names? “The New Look,” the forthcoming historical drama from Apple TV+, sheds some light on the fashion designers and who they were. The miniseries is set during the turmoil of World War II, when France was occupied by German Nazi forces, and it focuses on Coco Chanel and Christian Dior (Juliette Binoche and Ben Mendelsohn) as they navigate the war and Nazi forces, including the Gestapo. But it also shows how Dior revived and revolutionized women’s fashion after the war. The series is based on real events and it could raise some eyebrows about how the fashion designers intermingled with Nazis — something that viewers may not be aware of. — Maira Garcia

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‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ (Netflix, Feb. 22)

A boy sits cross-legged on a rock with his fists pressed against each other.

I’ll be honest: I think the best version of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” already exists. The animated series “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” which ran from 2005 to 2008, introduced audiences to a world where certain people have the power to manipulate elements through a sort of martial arts-infused telekinesis called “bending.” The show follows a young Air nomad named Aang, the current Avatar who can bend all four elements and is tasked with maintaining harmony in the world. Waking up in a time of war, oppression and conquest after being frozen in a glacier for 100 years, Aang sets off on a journey with his new friends Katara and Sokka to complete his training and restore balance to the world. Its Asian influences, serialized story line and complex themes set “Avatar” apart from other kid-friendly shows at the time, attracting viewers of all ages. (It also spawned a much-maligned 2010 live-action film adaptation.) Netflix’s recent spate of live-action adaptations of beloved animation gives me a smidge of hope for a show that can live up to the very high bar set by the original show. — Tracy Brown

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‘Shōgun’ (FX and Hulu, Feb. 27)

A woman in a white kimono flanked by two women in green kimonos.

I have always been a bit wary of Hollywood depictions of samurai, particularly in stories told through a Westerner’s gaze. But I have high hopes for “Shōgun,” a long-gestating project based on the acclaimed novel by James Clavell, which also will explore the perspectives of the Japanese characters in its story. A historical drama set in feudal Japan, “Shōgun” is about the politics, power struggles and eventual rise of Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) during a bit of a leadership vacuum. The 10-episode limited series also will follow shipwrecked English sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) and Lady Mariko (Anna Sawai), a translator from a disgraced family. The sociopolitical and religious dynamics of the time have all the potential for intriguing television, but the biggest appeal for me is the possibility of seeing authentic chanbara on an epic Hollywood scale and budget. — Tracy Brown

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‘The Regime’ (HBO, March 3)

A woman in a blue suit sits at a wooden table in an ornate palace.

When Kate Winslet is on HBO, good things (and Emmy Awards) follow. Think the lush melodrama “Mildred Pierce,” in which she played a hardworking single mother in the Great Depression, or the gritty murder mystery “Mare of Easttown,” in which she mastered the Delco accent and scarfed Easy Cheese. Coming next year is “The Regime,” a political drama from “Succession” writer Will Tracy, which chronicles a year inside the palace of an authoritarian regime as it unravels. (It was previously known as “The Palace.”) The series reunites Winslet, who is an executive producer and stars as a government chancellor, with director Stephen Frears 15 years after their Oscar-winning collaboration in “The Reader.” It also boasts Frank Rich as an executive producer, novelist Gary Shteyngart as a writer and a cast that includes Hugh Grant and Martha Plimpton. Let’s be honest, though: They had us at Kate. — Meredith Blake

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‘The Acolyte’ (Disney+, TBA)

Left to right, Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae and Director Leslye Headland on the set of Lucasfilm's THE ACOLYTE, on Disney+.

There is much that I love about “Star Wars,” but nothing excites me more than watching Jedi doing Jedi things, particularly while wielding their lightsabers. Not only does “The Acolyte” follow a former Jedi padawan (Amandla Stenberg) and her onetime master (Lee Jung-jae), the series is set during a time period that we know little about. Most of the “Star Wars” films and TV series have been set when the Jedi are scarce, but this upcoming series from Leslye Headland takes place during the High Republic era when the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order were flourishing, long before the events of “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace” (1999). While I am of course interested in seeing the different politics and power dynamics play out, I am especially looking forward to being introduced to a whole new cohort of Jedi who are not related to anybody named Skywalker. — Tracy Brown

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‘Squid Game,’ Season 2 (Netflix, TBA)

Competition contestants in green track suits, arranged in rows.

Netflix says it doesn’t know when Season 2 of its biggest global hit will drop (and we did ask), but they sound pretty certain (Fairly certain? Hopeful?) it’ll be in 2024. And if the competition-show spinoff “Squid Game: The Challenge” can capture so much public attention, there’s quite an appetite out there for more off the deadly calamari platter. Apart from the confirmed return of a few characters, we know little more than what creator Hwang Dong-hyuk told The Times more than a year ago: Protagonist Seong Gi-hun “begins where we left him at the end of the first season. ... Without giving away any spoilers, there is that line that Gi-hun says in the last episode: ‘I’m not a horse and I’m curious to know who did this to us.’ It’s going to be about that journey and Gi-hun proving we are, indeed, not horses; we are all human.” — Michael Ordoña

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‘Yellowstone’ (Paramount Network, November TBA)

A woman in white kneels by an older man in a black cowboy hat.

2024 will be a big year for Kevin Costner. In addition to the arrival of his epic big-screen western “Horizon: An American Saga,” Costner’s blockbuster TV drama “Yellowstone” will come to an end. The second part of the fifth season is scheduled to air in November. The final episodes have been delayed by the two Hollywood strikes and alleged conflicts between Costner and series creator Taylor Sheridan. Nearly two years will have passed since fans have seen new episodes of the neo-western, which blends its cowboy aura with intense family drama. But the Paramount Network show has grown in popularity — CBS began running the series during the strikes, and it earned top ratings with viewers who had never seen the drama. — Greg Braxton

The 14 TV shows we’re most excited about in 2024