Television can be harder to plan for than the movies: The odd “Lord of the Rings” spinoff excepted, premiere dates are rarely announced years in advance, and the sheer amount of programming, scripted and non-, makes it maddeningly difficult to predict what will develop into a water-cooler sensation and what will sink like a stone. If the rhythms of the calendar mean our most anticipated TV shows of 2023 are frontloaded with January and February titles, though, that doesn’t mean there’s not plenty to be excited about, from new network series to returning cable hits.
Here are 16 TV shows the entertainment experts at the Los Angeles Times are looking forward to this year.
‘The Last of Us’ (HBO, Sunday)
The 2013 Sony video game “The Last of Us” was bleak, presenting a dystopian universe where every character was dealing with some form of PTSD or grief. But it was also patient, centering its tale on a makeshift father-daughter relationship — Pedro Pascal’s Joel and Bella Ramsey’s Ellie in HBO’s adaptation. Communication, familial bonding and the hunt for companionship amid despair were treated with the same respect as video game violence, which helped make the game a narrative breakthrough. Ultimately, it’s a tale of hope, and one that raises questions about selfishness and self-sabotage when navigating desperation. The game, written by Neil Druckmann, who co-wrote the HBO series with Craig Mazin (“Chernobyl”), was compared to works such as “The Road” and “Children of Men,” which makes “The Last of Us” not only ripe for reinterpretation but hotly anticipated among fans. — Todd Martens
Review:With ‘The Last of Us,’ HBO gets its own ‘Walking Dead’
‘Accused’ (Fox, Jan. 22)
Anthology series used to be a staple of TV: Each week, dramas such as “The Twilight Zone” and “The Outer Limits” would feature stand-alone episodes featuring top stars, which would appear in themed installments. Fox will bring that concept back this year with “Accused,” exploring the cases of people who find themselves in legal peril. The 15-episode series will star a different performer each week in tales of crime and punishment. Executive producer Howard Gordon (“Homeland”) is in charge of the project, and the impressive list of stars includes Michael Chiklis (“The Shield”), Wendell Pierce (“The Wire”) and Margo Martindale (“The Americans”). —Greg Braxton
‘The 1619 Project’ (Hulu, Jan. 26)
The most ambitious (and contentious) public history project in recent memory comes to the small screen as a six-part docuseries from host Nikole Hannah-Jones and the New York Times Magazine, continuing their quest — through the initial publication in 2019, a book and a podcast — to “reframe” American history and place “the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of the United States’ national narrative.” For all the right-wing hand-wringing over the endeavor, and objections from a handful of esteemed historians, “The 1619 Project” has, throughout its lifespan, achieved what most of us in the field, current or former, can only dream: It has challenged common sense by marshaling the evidence into a compelling, provocative argument. The fact remains that the first enslaved Africans arrived in what is now the United States before the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock, and if Hulu’s version does no more than ask a broader body of Americans to reckon with that truth, it will have been worth it. — Matt Brennan
‘You’ (Netflix, Feb. 9)
Perhaps no series on TV has courted disaster as successfully, or consistently, as “You.” Launched at Lifetime in 2018 before finding new life — and a voracious audience — on Netflix, this cheeky portrait of charming serial killer Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) should, frankly, have jumped the shark years ago. Yet time and again showrunner Sera Gamble and Co. have deftly performed a narrative high-wire act, transforming a blood-soaked satire of romance tropes into a devilish two-step with Joe’s late, demented soulmate, Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti), and thence into a wicked send-up of suburban conformism. This time, Joe is off to Europe to stalk fresh once more, and I am more eager than ever to see how our “hero” and the writers behind him manage to pull it off. (Wishing on a monkey’s paw for the “Emily in Paris” crossover we deserve.) — Matt Brennan
‘Party Down’ (Starz, Feb. 24)
After a dozen years, this sharply written, superbly played series — a deft mix of farce, satire and a smidgen of romance — set among a team of luckless caterers, is back, its wit and style intact, for a long-awaited third season. (It should have been running all along.) The characters played by returning stars Adam Scott, Ken Marino, Martin Starr, Jane Lynch, Megan Mullally and Ryan Hansen, a Murderers Row of comic actors, are older — though, really, not looking it — but not appreciably wiser, yet still appealing in their varieties of hope, desperation, cynicism and cluelessness. Newcomers Jennifer Garner, Zoe Chao and Tyrel Jackson Williams fit right in. — Robert Lloyd
‘The Reluctant Traveler’ (Apple TV+, Feb. 24)
“Schitt’s Creek” did the world the favor of putting the great Eugene Levy back in the public eye, and happily he is staying in it for at least the space of this travel show, which takes him to multiple continents, trading a room in a humble fictional motel for classy digs in “remarkable” yet real hotels — the sort of places you want to stay on someone else’s dime. On the itinerary: Costa Rica, Finland, Italy, Japan, Maldives, Portugal, South Africa and the United States. The twist is that Levy, who says he had to be talked into the job, does not like to travel, and so the comedy ensues. — Robert Lloyd
‘Poker Face’ (Peacock, Jan. 26)
Natasha Lyonne (“Orange Is the New Black,” “Russian Doll”) stars in this mystery series as Charlie Cane, a boisterous, raspy-voiced, hard-drinking casino cocktail server who has the ability — almost a superpower — to instantly tell when someone is lying. As valuable as that sounds, it’s a burden for her: Charlie previously tried to profit playing poker, but that didn’t end well. “People lie all the time,” she complains. “The real trick of it is to figure out why.” And for the audience, that’s the fun part. We know when someone is lying to Charlie not by picking up on the liar’s tells but by reading Charlie’s reaction. Lyonne doesn’t have a poker face. We see the wheels turning as she realizes she’s being lied to and then tries to sort out what that means; sometimes it means a lot. Grappling with a murder mystery in the premiere, Charlie makes some dangerous enemies and goes on the run, eastbound through the underbelly of the American Southwest. In each episode, she’s in a new location, where she stumbles into another mystery. Created by Rian Johnson (“Knives Out”; “Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi”), the series boasts a stellar roster of guest stars: Featured in the premiere are Adrien Brody, Dascha Polanco (“In the Heights”) and Benjamin Bratt (in a recurring role). Guest villains, victims and witnesses this season include Ron Perlman, Chloë Sevigny, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Barkin, Nick Nolte, Judith Light, Tim Meadows and Rhea Perlman. — Ed Stockly
‘Hello Tomorrow!’ (Apple TV+, Feb. 17)
The exosphere’s the limit for a group of traveling salespeople who pedal lunar timeshares in Apple TV+’s retro-futuristic dramedy. Starring and executive produced by Billy Crudup (“The Morning Show”), the half-hour series promises a mix of midcentury optimism and modern-day doom as it follows Jack (Crudup), an ambitious entrepreneur who wholly believes in the potential of his lunar-based product. “Hello Tomorrow!” premieres with three episodes on Feb. 17 and features an impressive ensemble cast that includes Jacki Wood (“Silver Linings Playbook”), Alison Pill (“Star Trek: Picard”) and Hank Azaria (“Brockmire”). Looking forward to how this show navigates the atomic age and the dark side of the moon. — Lorraine Ali
‘Yellowjackets’ (Showtime, March 24)
Is Lottie alive? Who abducted Natalie? What happened in that haunted forest?! Three more excruciating months to go before Season 2 of the dark drama “Yellowjackets” answers all our questions (ha!) about the fate of a girl’s high school soccer team after their plane crashed in the remote northern wilderness in the 1990s. The freshman run of Showtime’s survival tale/psychological thriller wrapped up a year ago, but not before becoming a national obsession. The show enveloped viewers in an all-consuming mystery stemming from the team’s “Heathers”-meets-“Lord of the Flies” hierarchy, and a stellar cast drove the story home. Tawny Cypress, Juliette Lewis, Melanie Lynskey and Christina Ricci return this time around, alongside a few new players, with Simone Kessell as the adult Lottie. But hang on, Sherlock. Making it out of the forest in one piece doesn’t necessarily mean the Antler Queen is still alive. Remember Travis? One thing’s for sure: If Taissa really did kill Biscuit, she’s dead to me. — Lorraine Ali
‘Agatha, Coven of Chaos’ (Disney+, TBA)
Obviously, Kathryn Hahn will be the greatest Marvel villain (anti-villain?) of all time, and if this series is as good as “WandaVision,” which spawned it, the multiverse might have a chance of survival. — Mary McNamara
‘American Born Chinese’ (Disney+, TBA)
Gene Luen Yang’s acclaimed graphic novel “American Born Chinese” introduces three distinct stories — one about a Chinese American student trying to navigate school and his first crush, one about the mythical Monkey King and one about a popular jock embarrassed by his visiting, caricature-come-to-life cousin — that eventually are revealed to be interconnected. But it appears Kelvin Yu’s Disney+ adaptation will be breaking down the walls between the fantasy and real-world elements even more, and I am here for it. I’m also just as excited for the talent behind the camera as I am for the cast: The series will reunite “Everything Everywhere All at Once” stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu. In addition to Yu, the series’ executive producers include “Shang-Chi’s” Destin Daniel Cretton, and Lucy Liu is among the episode directors. — Tracy Brown
‘And Just Like That…’ (HBO, TBA)
I could sit here and tell you about all the highbrow movies and TV shows I’m looking forward to next year. Or I could be honest and tell you how excited I am for another season of “And Just Like That…,” the absolutely unhinged revival of “Sex and the City” that introduced the phrase “Che Diaz comedy concert” to the lexicon. I simply cannot wait to find out if Miranda comes to her senses after moving to California with Che, if Carrie’s new boyfriend will follow Big’s lead and die in a harrowing Crossfit incident, and what was even going on with Charlotte because I’ve already forgotten her storyline. The first season was a hot mess, there’s no doubt about it, but it also brought me more sheer joy than anything I’ve watched in years. Here’s to another round. — Meredith Blake
‘Barry’ (HBO, TBA)
Ambitious storytellers sometimes aim to “write themselves into a corner.” At the end of Season 3, the “Barry” braintrust wrote themselves into a corner and imploded the building. But even more intriguing to me than the dramatic trap they’ve created for their protagonist, the sensitive hit man who will presumably begin the upcoming final season in a maximum-security prison, is the notion that the entire season will be directed by star, co-writer and co-creator Bill Hader. Aided by an unerring supply of smart, twisty scripts and one of the best ensembles on television, Hader seems more and more self-assured behind the camera. His pacing, camera movement and off-kilter storytelling make each of his episodes absorbing — they elevate the show far above what one expects of a sitcom. Narratively, “Barry” is the story of a man laboring to reconnect with his humanity, and apparently failing. Cinematically, the series is the story of Hader’s exciting growth as a filmmaker. — Michael Ordoña
‘The Lazarus Project’ (TNT, TBA)
“The Lazarus Project,” a British import, is a time-traveling love story/thriller set mainly in London. The time travel works much the same way it did for Bill Murray’s character in “Groundhog Day.” George (Papa Essiedu) is an app developer who wakes to his alarm clock one seemingly ordinary morning, and finds himself in a time loop; the world jumps back to that same moment in time, and he remembers everything that happened. It’s here that the “Groundhog Day” similarities end. “The Lazarus Project” is dark. Very dark. Also, the repeating time loop is not one day but six months. And George isn’t alone. There is a team of time loopers, made up of carefully chosen former special forces and intelligence operatives, along with a few mutants, like George, who have an unexplained natural ability to remember the time loops. Their mission is to save the world, mostly from itself. When an international dispute escalates to nuclear war, or a global pandemic spreads unchecked, the members of “The Lazarus Project” somehow trigger a time loop and then use their knowledge of future events to avert global disasters. But they won’t invoke the time loop to save just one person, even if that one person is a fellow team member, or George’s pregnant wife (Charly Clive). Which leaves George with a dilemma: Save the world or work with a renegade ex-team member (Tom Burke) and save the woman he loves. — Ed Stockly
‘Succession’ (HBO, TBA)
With a quick getaway to Italy, the third season of “Succession” reminded us how stressful traveling with family can be. The already extensive daddy issues for the Roy siblings — especially Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) — intensified significantly at the end of the season. Just as they had finally come together to overthrow their father, Logan (Brian Cox), he was one step ahead and proved why his ruthlessness has made him unstoppable, leaving them out in the cold of the family business, Waystar Royco. And he did it all with the help of his obsequious son-in-law Tom Wambsgans (Matthew MacFayden), who, in a shocking twist, backstabbed his wife, Shiv, by ensuring her father secured enough shares of the company so he could sell it to GoJo. The fallout from all the palace intrigue is sure to make for a lively new season of familial discord, and for some impassioned deliveries of the f-word from Logan — a perfect combo. — Yvonne Villarreal
‘True Detective: Night Country’ (HBO, TBA)
The latest incarnation of the anthology series, returning to HBO after a three-year break, “True Detective: Night Country” is a promising, female-driven incarnation: The action this time unfolds during the dark of winter in Ennis, Alaska, where six men vanish without a trace from a remote research center. Actor-boxer Kali Reis and Jodie Foster (in her first on-camera TV role in nearly 50 years) play the proverbial detectives investigating the disappearance. Issa Lopez writes and directs the series, with Iceland standing in for the 49th state. — Meredith Blake
