From returning favorites like Bridgerton to new fare like the Game of Thrones prequel.
Long gone are the days when we waited until September for new and returning TV shows. We now live in a time when TV shows premiere all throughout the year. And with a new year comes a new crop of shows, whether they’re brand new or returning. But there was a time recently when that wasn’t guaranteed. There was a point during Covid when we were all binge-watching Tiger King for the third time when we started to hear rumblings of something called a “content drought.” Since production had to be shut down on so many sets to stop the spread of the virus, the thought was that eventually, studios would run out of new content to stream. Even though the premiere dates for some new and returning series have been pushed, the drought seems to have missed us because there is no lack of amazing content slated for the new year. With that said, patience is a virtue, and it’s one that fans of shows like Stranger Things are going to have to practice for a few months longer than anticipated.
Even so, there is a plethora of can’t-miss titles coming to the small screen next year, some as early as January. So mark your calendars, and in the meantime re-watch the last season of Ozark before it comes back for its final season.
2022’s New TV Shows and Premiere Dates
Ozark Season 4 (Returns 1/21/2022 on Netflix)
Every time we think Ozark can’t get any better (or more shocking), the dark and thrilling series tops itself. So while we’re devastated that the Laura Linney/Jason Bateman starrer is finally coming to an end, we’re confident that it’s going to go out with one heck of a bang. The show follows Bateman as Marty Byrde, a financial planner who finds himself in a heap of trouble after he learns that his business partner has been working with a Mexican drug cartel. In order to save his own life and the lives of his wife and kids, the Byrdes relocate to a small summer community in the Ozarks where they begin a series of money laundering schemes to keep the cartel at bay. The idea of the good guy gone bad might not be totally original (ever heard of Breaking Bad?) but this series will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Inventing Anna (Premieres 2/11/2022 on Netflix)
If you haven’t already read the explosive articles in The Cut and Vanity Fair that introduced the world to scam-artist-turned-fake-heiress Anna Delvey, then hold onto your hats. It’s an enthralling and captivating tale of lies, deceit, and scandal thrust upon the New York elite by one enterprising young grifter, and it’s a story so crazy you almost can’t believe it’s true. Well, some genius at Netflix realized this would make one heck of a TV series, and thus, Inventing Anna was born. The series, which premieres in February on Netflix, stars the incredibly talented Julia Garner (who you may recognize from her role in Ozark!) as Delvey, and we can’t wait to see the chaos she delivers to our screens.
House of the Dragon (Premieres 2022 on HBO Max)
If you were one of the thousands of angry fans who signed the petition to get HBO to remake the final season of Game of Thrones, the new Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, will hopefully offer you a bit of peace. The highly anticipated series, which has been years in the making at HBO, takes place 200 years before the fall of the throne when House Targaryen ruled the seven kingdoms with the help of their fleet of dragons. While we don’t yet know the premiere date of this one, HBO has assured us that it will be sometime in 2022. So in the meantime, more wine.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4 (Returns 2/18/2022 on Amazon Prime Video)
When we last left our heroine Midge Maisel (played by Rachel Brosnahan), she was in a bit of a tough spot. After securing a career-making gig opening for the legendary performer Shy Baldwin (played by LeRoy McClain) on a six-month world tour, Shy invites her to perform at the legendary Apollo Theater. Unsure of how to connect with the all-Black audience, Midge begins joking about Shy’s sexuality, and the crowd loves it. Unfortunately, Shy, who is in fact gay, does not, and he fires her from the tour right before she steps onto the plane. Midge is left on the tarmac sobbing with her manager Susie (played by Alex Borstein) who is equally devastated — she was banking on the tour money to cover her mounting gambling debts. The finale left our two heroines at rock bottom, but hey — there’s nowhere to go but up, right?
Pam & Tommy (Premieres 2/2/2022 on Hulu)
This is the celebrity scandal story turned scripted series that we aren’t totally sure we needed, but that we’re definitely going to watch. The series chronicles the tumultuous marriage of legendary Baywatch bombshell Pamela Anderson (played by Lily James, who some makeup wizard transformed into the spitting image of Anderson) and Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, played by Sebastian Stan. The couple had only known each other for 96 hours when they decided to get married back in 1995. After their honeymoon, the couple’s world is turned upside down when their sex tape is stolen and leaked to the public, and they find themselves on the cover of every tabloid in America.
The Crown Season 5 (Returns November 2022 on Netflix)
When Netflix announced back in January of 2020 that season 5 would be The Crown’s last, we tried our best to keep a stiff upper lip. But like the Prince Charles to our Diana, they were just playing with our emotions, later announcing that the show would go on. So, feel free to get inappropriately attached to an amazing new cast of royals, including Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Phillip, Dominic West as Prince Charles, and Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana. The only nibble of the new season that Netflix has fed us so far is the above video of Staunton as Queen Elizabeth, and let’s just say she looks poised and ready to inherit that crown.
Bridgerton Season 2 (Returns 2022 on Netflix)
While The Duke of Hastings will not be making a return this season (we have no tears left to cry over this news) we still have high hopes for the second season of the TV show that is probably best described as a lady in the streets but a freak in the sheets. Like the book series the show is based on, each season will follow a different member of the Bridgerton family. Season two will follow Anthony Bridgerton (played by Jonathan Bailey), the playboy nobleman with a fantastic head of hair who is having a bit of trouble filling his late father’s shoes as the head of the family. In the first teaser of the new season released by Netflix, Anthony Bridgerton meets a gorgeous and opinionated young woman who seems less than charmed by his displays of masculine bravado.
Untitled Lord of the Rings Series (Premieres 9/2/2022 on Amazon Prime Video)
If there’s one thing we can rely on Amazon for, it’s sticking to a delivery date. Even before they came up with a name for their new Lord of the Rings series, they’ve already given us a premiere date to look forward to — as well as one beautiful image, which you can see above. This is another prequel and is set in the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history, centuries before Frodo was even a twinkle in his father’s eye. The series starts in a period of peace when an ensemble cast of characters must confront the re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. If you’re a Tolkein fan, we think you’re going to be very pleased.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Premieres 2022 on Disney+)
The series, which began shooting in April, stars Ewan McGregor, with Hayden Christensen returning as Darth Vader. The story begins ten years after the unforgettable events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. In the biggest Star Wars plot twist of all time (maybe), Anakin Skywalker, the soon-to-be father of Luke Skywalker, went from being Kenobi’s Jedi apprentice and BFF to the evilest guy in the galaxy far far away: Sith Lord Darth Vader.
Stranger Things Season 4 (Returns Summer 2022 on Netflix)
Goodbye, Hawkins, Indiana, hello, California. Season four finds our ragtag group of preteen pals living their best lives in the golden state. And they deserve it because as you might remember, the finale of Stranger Things season three was a doozy. The gang finally has a big old showdown with their enemy from the upside-down, the Mind Flayer (who has inhabited the body of Billy, a.k.a. the most gorgeous man Hawkins has ever seen), at the Hawkins mall. Although the forces of good win (duh), everyone’s favorite grumpy dad, Hopper, sacrifices himself to save the kids, leaving Eleven all alone to be adopted by Joyce, Jonathan, and Will. It seems like it’s a bittersweet finale that could end the show forever…until one last scene shows us that Hopper is not actually dead, but being held in a Russian prison! If you’ve never seen the show before, this is a big deal, we promise. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait until this summer to see what becomes of Russia’s newest prisoner.
Brideshead Revisited (Premieres 2022 on BBC)
When the novel Brideshead Revisited was first published in 1945, people were here for it. The book, which spans 20 years of the life and loves of a British aristocrat named Charles Ryder, has already spawned a popular 1981 miniseries and 2008 film. In 2020, it was announced that the story would be remade as a series yet again by BBC, with a possibility of U.S. distribution through HBO. While we don’t have any assets to share from the upcoming series (even some of the casting decisions are still hush-hush — but some huge names, including Andrew Garfield, Rooney Mara, Ralph Fiennes, and Cate Blanchett, are reportedly already attached to the project), here’s the trailer for the 2008 film version to get you in the mood.
This is Us Season 6 (Premieres 1/4/2022 on NBC)
Get ready to say goodbye to Mandy Moore in overdone age makeup, because unfortunately, This Is Us is now This Is Over. The show that’s had us ugly crying while simultaneously fantasizing about what Milo Ventimiglia would be like as a husband in real life since 2016 will make its final bow in 2022. So grab the tissues, listen to Adele’s new album a few times to get you in the mood, and get ready for the last 18 episodes.
Billions Season 6 (Returns 1/23/2022 on Showtime)
If you feel like you’ve already watched a billion episodes of Billions, just wait! There’s more! In January, Billions will start its final season. If this makes you sad, we’ve got more bad news…Damian Lewis, a.k.a. Bobby Axelrod, is leaving the series. We’re crossing our fingers for a cameo, but we’ll be watching either way because this season will focus on another guy we absolutely love to hate: Axe’s former rival, Michael Prince, played by Corey Stoll.
How I Met Your Father (Premieres 1/18/2022 on Hulu)
Some may say, why ruin the legacy of a perfectly good comedy series by making a spinoff that might be absolutely horrible? Well, we’re willing to give How I Met Your Father the benefit of the doubt, at least until we learn a bit more about it. We know very little about the series, as Hulu is keeping it pretty close to the vest, but Hilary Duff will be in it, and that’s reason enough for us to tune in. We think Barney would approve.
