Two weeks into 2020, everyone is still hung up on 2019. It makes sense. Afterall, 2019 brought us the cultural phenomenon that is Baby Yoda, and award season is in full swing, so everyone is abuzz about the best movies from last year.
Even so, looking forward, it’s easy to see that 2020 might just overtake 2019. Our screens, big and small, will be graced by old favorites and possibly some new ones. Here’s a quick glance at what is in store for us in the coming year.
First up, a few new and returning television series:
- New: Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
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Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist follows Zoey, played by Suburgatory’s Jane Levy, a San Francisco-based coder who gains the ability to hear people’s innermost thoughts in song form after an MRI gone wrong. According to Daniel Fienberg of the Hollywood Reporter, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist is “a likably inspired musical dramedy boasting a strong cast led by a never-better Jane Levy and running the risk of being too quirky for broadcast and not quirky enough for cable.”
Where to watch: First episode streaming now on NBC, Hulu, Youtube, and Facebook.
- Returning: How to Get Away with Murder
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Viola Davis will reprise her Emmy-winning role for the last six episodes of How to Get Away With Murder starting in April. After five seasons of surprising twists and turns, series creator Peter Norwalk assured that season six’s ending will be fateful — “Every character’s going to have a different ending; some that they choose, and some that they don’t.”
Where to watch: Thursdays at 10 pm on ABC.
- New: Hunters
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From executive producer Jordan Peele, this Amazon Original follows Holocaust survivor Meyer Offerman, played by cinematic legend Al Pacino, as he gathers a band of highly skilled Nazi hunters to thwart efforts to create a Fourth Reich within the United States. With a supporting cast rounded out by former teen heartthrob Logan Lerman, sitcom star Josh Radnor, and comedian Carol Kane, series creator David Wail described the series as many things: “It’s a coming-of-age tale, a historical drama and a vengeance thriller. Think of it as an Arthur Miller morality play imbued with overtones of a Frank Miller graphic novel.”
Where to watch: Streaming on Amazon Prime starting February 21, 2020.
- Returning: Stranger Things
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Netflix’s flagship title, Stranger Things, left fans devastated after its season three finale, leaving viewers to speculate what comes next and whether things were as the episode made them seem. The Duffer Brothers have long-stated that season four will likely be its last. Why? Actor David Harbour explained: “We’re going to give you something fun and then we’re going to get out before we’ve worn out our welcome. We have a specific story that we’re going to tell.”
Where to watch: Streaming on Netflix in late 2020.
- New: Party of Five
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Loosely based on the 1994 series of the same name, Party of Five follows the same premise of five siblings being left parentless with one major twist: instead of their parents dying, the parents of the Acosta siblings were deported. Writing for Variety, Caroline Framke listed the series’s strength as its ability to find “a way to balance its political dissections with its characters’ individual journeys, thus underlining its points even more effectively.”
Where to watch: Wednesdays on Freeform.
- Returning: Grown-ish
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Picking up with the start of protagonist Zoey’s junior year of college, the Black-ish spinoff promises another season of humor, heartbreak, and perhaps the most realistic take on college life. The first trailers for season three launched fans into a frenzy with the reveal that one of the main characters will be five months pregnant at the start of the season — but who?
Where to watch: Thursdays on Freeform.
- New: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
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Endgame spoiler warning: After Captain America’s decision to retire, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will likely delve into how his two former sidekicks cope with a world without Steve Rogers. In addition to Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie reprising their roles as the title characters, Emily Vancamp and Daniel Bruhl will return as Sharon Carter and Helmut Zemo, respectively.
Where to watch: Streaming on Disney+ in Fall of 2020.
- Returning: Killing Eve
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Killing Eve is expected to bring more thrills and kills to the small screen this spring. Emmy award-winning actresses Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer will appear in the third season of the BBC drama as well as Fiona Shaw, Sean Delaney and Nina Sosanya, among others.
Where to watch: Premiering spring 2020 on the BBC.
- New: WandaVision
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Originally slated to premiere in 2021, WandaVision will see Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen reprise their roles as Vision and the Scarlet Witch. Though it is set after Avengers: Endgame, few story details have been revealed, and the only clues fans have received come from Olsen, stating “We’re gonna go deep, we’re gonna have lots of surprises, and we’re gonna finally understand Wanda Maximoff as the Scarlet Witch.”
Where to watch: Streaming on Disney+ in 2020.
- Returning: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
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After being revived by Netflix once before, Star Wars: The Clone Wars will deliver its seventh and final season on Disney+. Hailed as the series that made fans like the prequels, this animated series fills in the gap between Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, providing insight into the Jedi Order and the clone armies of the Republic.
Where to watch: Streaming on Disney+ February 21, 2020.
Looks like 2020 will give us plenty of reasons to opt for the couch instead of the club, and though production of the Lizzie McGuire reboot has been delayed, we still have Baby Yoda to comfort us this upcoming fall.
Be sure to check in next week when I give the run down on some of the most anticipated movies of 2020.