With the new year comes a raft of new TV shows, from prequels and spin-offs to the eagerly awaited return of favourite performers such as Jason Segel and Natasha Lyonne.
Here are 10 new TV and streaming shows that you shouldn’t miss this year – although do note that some might be on platforms that aren’t necessarily available in Malaysia. Still, it’s good to be in the know!
• ‘Velma’
“Scooby-Doo” zaniness returns with this new series focusing on Velma, the head of the gang of young detectives. She’s of South Asian descent in this version, voiced by writer and actress Mindy Kaling, who shares the spotlight with Constance Wu as Daphne.
Sammy is played by Sam Richardson and Fred by Glenn Howerton, while Jane Lynch, Wanda Sykes, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Shay Mitchell and Nicole Byer are also part of the voice cast.
The adult-oriented but family-friendly series, which follows the title character’s journey of self-discovery, will address some sexual tension experienced by Velma – while the Scooby gang investigates a murder in their high school.
Release date: Jan 12 on HBO Max
• ‘The Last of Us’
Netflix has been successful with the adaptation of the “Witcher” video game starring Henry Cavill, and it’s now HBO’s turn to reveal its version of another popular gaming title, “The Last of Us”.
Two actors from “Game of Thrones” will play the main roles: Bella Ramsey, aka Lyanna Mormont, and Pedro Pascal, the unforgettable Oberyn Martell.
Pascal will play Joel, a survivor in a post-apocalyptic world 20 years after the destruction of civilisation, who is hired to sneak a 14-year-old girl out of a quarantine zone.
Release date: Jan 15 on HBO
• ‘That ’90s Show’
One of the most anticipated reunions of 2023, Netflix is going all out with the launch of a sequel to “That ’70s Show”. This time around, the story will focus on Leia Forman (Callie Havera), daughter of Eric (Topher Grace) and Donna (Laura Prepon) from the original, who visits her grandparents Kitty and Red (returning series regulars Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith, respectively).
The rest of the gang – Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Wilmer Valderrama – will also be present. Ten episodes make up this new series, which is produced by the creators of the original.
Release date: Jan 19 on Netflix
• ‘Poker Face’
After “Russian Doll” on Netflix, Natasha Lyonne is back on small screens with “Poker Face” from Rian Johnson, writer and director of “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”. The actress plays Charlie Cale, who has the gift of knowing when someone is lying. She uses this power to investigate murders.
In the manner of old-school detective shows, the heroine will have to solve a case each episode. Ten episodes make up the first season, with the first four dropping all at once, followed by one episode per week every Thursday.
Release date: Jan 26 on Peacock
• ‘Shrinking’
Jason Segel is back on small screens in a new comedy after “How I Met Your Mother”. In “Shrinking”, the actor shares the spotlight with Harrison Ford, Bill Lawrence, and Brett Goldstein (“Ted Lasso”).
Segel plays Jimmy Johns, a grieving therapist who, after reaching the point of no return, begins to say everything he thinks to his clients – an unconventional method that changes his patients’ lives as well as his own.
The eternal Indiana Jones, meanwhile, will trade in his whip for a couch as Dr Phil Rhodes, a quick-witted, rule-following therapist specialising in cognitive behavioral therapy who learns he has Parkinson’s disease. This will be one of Ford’s first major full-time small-screen roles.
Release date: Jan 27 on Apple TV+
• ‘Wolf Pack’
2023 is the time of many comebacks, particularly for favourite performers from cult series of the past. Sarah Michelle Gellar makes her return this year in yet another supernatural series.
The “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” vet stars as Kristin Ramsey, who is in charge of investigating arson in California.
Meanwhile, Everett and Blake are two teenagers who see their lives change after a supernatural creature is awakened following a forest fire. Upon meeting Harlan and Luna, identical twins adopted 16 years ago by a forest ranger, the four teens feel a strong connection with one another and learn they have been bitten by a werewolf.
Release date: Jan 26 on Paramount+
• ‘Freeridge’
Netflix continues to capitalise on spin-offs with “Freeridge”, which takes place in the universe of “On My Block!”, in the same Los Angeles neighbourhood.
In this 10-episode series, sisters Gloria and Ines and their friends Cameron and Demi have to find a way to get rid of a curse.
Release date: Feb 2 on Netflix
• ‘White House Plumbers’
Taking yet another look at the Watergate affair, this new HBO miniseries tells the story of E Howard Hunt (Woody Harrelson) and G Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux), who inadvertently ruined Richard Nixon’s presidency.
Lena Headey, aka Cersei of “Game of Thrones” fame, plays Dorothy, a CIA agent and Hunt’s wife.
Release date: March on HBO
• ‘Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies’
Nostalgia is clearly the watchword of 2023 television! After “That ’90s Show” and “Freeridge”, Paramount+ wants viewers to relive the “Grease” era with “Rise of the Pink Ladies” – a musical series of 10 episodes that takes place in 1954, four years before the events of the cult film.
Tricia Fukuhara, Marisa Davila, Cheyenne Wells, and Ari Notartomaso will star as the Pink Ladies, a group of independent girls who have come together to change Rydell High.
Release date: early this year on Paramount+
• ‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’
The prequels trend continues with this show that traces the young years of Queen Charlotte from “Bridgerton”. Viewers will discover the young 17-year-old monarch’s early days at court and her arranged marriage to the king.
Be prepared to also meet Lady Danbury in her youth, played by Adjoa Andoh. As usual, the “Bridgerton” universe will be all about power, love and friendship.
Release date: sometime this year on Netflix