Most Anticipated Upcoming TV Shows

 After completing a blog to highlight which films are likely to be storming the Box Office between now and December - it’s time to turn our attention to the small screen. Now this won’t be resolved completely by which show is likely to receive the most viewers but that will play a big part in this list.

Whilst streaming may certainly be having its problems, it is certainly still enjoying complete domination over regular network television. 

Honourable Mentions: 

Emily in Paris - Season 5

Release: TBC

Where to Watch: Netflix 

This one is here purely for my wife. Up until its most recent season, I had not seen any of this show and what I did see did not necessarily convert me into fan. That being said, it certainly has its legion of fans. And on the cursory glances towards the screen, it really isn’t too difficult to see why. It is a show that offers great escapism. 

Season 4 was a huge success for Netflix with the show (which was split into two parts) receiving a combined 72.6 million views within its opening four weeks which surpassed Season 3. 

Season 5 ends the most recent deal for the show with Netflix and a lot will have to do with viewership numbers to see whether Netflix presses ahead with a Season 6.  

The Paper - Season 1

Release: September 

Where to Watch: Peacock 

This is a brand new show so hard to gauge viewership. That being said, if you needed good foundations to build upon this show has it. This series is a follow-up to hugely successful American mockumentary series ‘The Office’. The original developer of the American ‘The Office’, Greg Daniels, is executive producer for his show and will follow a documentary crew as it focuses its efforts on ‘The Truth Teller’, a historic but declining Midwestern newspaper trying to resurrect itself. 

Expectations will be incredibly high for this one. Peacock might be on to a winner here. Fingers crossed.

10. Slow Horses - Season 5

Release: 24 September

Where to Watch: AppleTV+

Apple are incredibly reluctant to share viewing figures for shows and this is the case with ‘Slow Horses’. The series has commanded high popularity in recent seasons and is often found on AppleTV+’s Top 10 of shows. It can also be found quite regularly nominated for the major awards. At the Emmy Awards in 2024, Slow Horses picked up 9 nominations and went on to win 1. Not bad for a niche black-comedy about the world of MI5. 

Led by Gary Oldman who plays the lead character, Jackson Lamb, the show follows a dysfunctional team of MI5 agents who look to defend England from sinister forces. 

Dark and always hilarious, this show is a winner. Don’t take my humble word for it. The critics agree. Season 1 has a 95% Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score and that is the lowest. Season 2 and Season 4 hold a perfect 100% rating. Apple has already green-lit Season 6 before Season 5 has even aired. That is confidence.  

9. Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Season 2

Release: December 

Where to Watch: Disney+

I remember attempting to read the ‘Percy Jackson’ books when I was younger but stubbornly decided that ‘Harry Potter’ was better. Perhaps Disney+ and HBO are going to renew their battle - this time on TV. One advantage to Percy Jackson is that it’s one season up and soon to be two on Potter. 

The first season opened to very promising numbers in December 2023 with 13.3 million viewers across the first 6 days. By May 2024, Season 1 had taken the crown of the most watched Disney+ original series with 23.3% of all Disney+ accounts and a staggering 3.07 billion minutes in the US alone in its first 12 months of release. 

Two things I really like about this show - it’s not taken 3+ years to release a second season. It has taken 2 years but that was with the unknown of whether it would be returning. The second positive is that one book is a season. It’s not rushing plot points. The second season will adapt the second book ‘The Sea of Monsters’. Hopefully Disney backs this show with a good budget and it can turn it into the strong franchise that it was always destined to be.

The first season debuted to strong critical reviews with 91% positive. 

This second season will have the additional competition of a small show called ‘Stranger Things’ - not sure if you’ve heard of it. But I’m still very optimistic for this. 

8. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Release: TBC

Where to Watch: HBO

The first new release on this countdown however it feels firmly part of a larger story. The third release within the Game of Thrones series following ‘Game of Thrones’ (2011-19) and ‘House of the Dragon’ (2022-). 

This show has had a lot of time to get it right. First announced in January 2021 that HBO were developing this - another prequel series based on George RR Martin’s novella series ‘Tales of Dunk and Egg’. Now this show might actually be pushed until early 2026 but on many outlets it is still slated as 2025. 

Not much is fully known about this yet but in November 2024, HBO released a “first look” teaser for the series. 

Expect classic Westeros vibes. 

7. Nobody Wants This - Season 2

Release: 23 October 

Where to Watch: Netflix 

Well, clearly audiences did. I’m sorry. I had to get it in. Had this show panned, the headlines literally write themselves. A rarity in the streaming age that we are getting a second season to a show just twelve months later. No 2-3 year wait - Ginny & Georgia, I’m looking at you!

This show took me by surprise last year as it’s not one that I was expecting to enjoy. I love both Kristen Bell and Adam Brody but Netflix comedies are very very hit and miss. 

The show follows the unexpected relationship between an unconventional American Rabbi and an agnostic woman who hosts a podcast about relationships. 

Perhaps this show was what we all needed in 2024, a feel good romantic comedy. Strong Rotten Tomatoes score of 95%, a Critics Choice TV win for Adam Brody for ‘Best Actor in a Comedy Series’ and a very strong performance with the all important viewing figures. 15.9 million views in its opening week was enough to take the #1 spot for the week. 

Hopefully the second season can live up to the first one. 

6. Wonder Man

Release: December 

Where to Watch: Disney+

A little part of me fears that this is the Marvel fan inside of me getting slightly carried away. The final live action series of the year, I can easily see this one being pushed slightly into 2026 given the internal turbulence within Marvel Studios and Marvel Television. 

Starring ‘Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’ as Simon Williams / Wonder Man, this show explores a super-powered actor and stunt person who auditions for the lead role in a superhero television series. 

I don’t expect this show to tie into the wider MCU picture as it looks like Marvel are trying to distance themselves between film and television which in some ways is a relief but in others a real shame. If they had spent less time pumping out the content for Disney+ perhaps the shows and wider state of the franchise would be doing better.

This looks like it should be a fun and light hearted view into the world of Hollywood whilst also still being distinctly Marvel. Am I too confident on this? Maybe. But I do believe they are correcting themselves and will come back incredibly strong next year.

5. Chad Powers

Release: 30 September 

Where to Watch: Hulu

My highest ranked original show on the list. Perhaps, I’m being too confident here. Or perhaps this is a dark horse. ‘Chad Powers’ is a comedy series based on Eli Manning’s character created for ‘Eli’s Places’ The show stars the hugely popular ‘Glen Powell’ as ‘Russ Holliday’, a quarterback whose career has been nuked and disguises himself as ‘Chad Powers’. 

Glen Powell himself is listed as a creator of the show alongside ‘Michael Waldron’. Waldron was the creator of ‘Loki - Season 1’ for Marvel Studios and was the writer of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ but is perhaps best known for his work on the television series ‘Rick and Morty’. 

Perhaps the secret weapon here is the composer Natalie Holt. Her credits include ‘Loki’, ‘Paddington’ (2014), ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ (2022) and ‘Rivals’ (2024). 

4. Only Murders in the Building - Season 5

Release: TBC

Where to Watch: Hulu / Disney+

 This is a personal favourite and one that I will be watching. It’s also really nice to have a show where you can enjoy it weekly and allow for the theories to build. I have been a huge fan of this show since Season 1 and have recommended it to everyone whenever someone needs a light-hearted fix of murder mystery comedy. 

That being said, I have begun to question how many murders can be committed in one block of flats? I did wonder whether Season 4 would have been its last and to some relief it wasn’t as Season 4 really didn’t live up to the heights of the previous seasons. The first two seasons were incredible and Season 3 was incredibly strong with very memorable musical numbers. ‘Which of the Pickwhit triplets did it…?’ You’re welcome for having that stuck in your heads again. 

Hopefully they’ll be able to turn the ship around and leave it more at The Arconia and allow us to enjoy the building as well as that fabulous trio. If Season 5 isn’t the final season, I won’t be sad as long as they get it back to its former glory. 

3. Squid Game - Season 3

Release: 27 June

Where to Watch: Netflix

I have to admit something here. I was incredibly late to the party on this one. I must have been the only one as Season 1 in 2021 jumped to the top of Netflix’s streaming charts of most watched show in its first 30 days. It secured a staggering 1.65 billion views in this time. It was Netflix’s first show to break the 1 billion views mark and it’s in to its fourth year holding the number 1 spot. Even Season 2 which came out in December 2024 couldn’t come close. It once again broke the 1 billion views mark but only totalled 1.18 billion views. Only. Incredibly, only 4 shows have broken the 1 billion barrier for Netflix and two of them are Squid Game. 

I think it’s safe to say that Netflix will be expecting the third season to break the 1 billion mark but it’s tough to know whether or not it can come close to Season 1 which is so far ahead of any competition. 

One thing is for certain though, we won’t have to wait long as the third and final season releases later this month. 

However, this show is not fully done. It’s reported that a new spin-off series titled ‘Squid Game: America’ is in development at Netflix with legendary director David Fincher set to direct. According to reporting, it will be an American-set spin-off and not a direct remake. If this does huge numbers expect more and more.

2. Wednesday - Season 2

Release: 06 August 

Where to Watch: Netflix

When Season 1 of ‘Wednesday’ was released in 2022 in a very lucrative release window in late November, it took the world by storm. What i thought would be a good show and would be likely cancelled after its opening season obliterated everyone’s expectations. Most likely even Netflix. Which could explain the almost three year wait between Season 1 and 2. This show has sat proudly at number 3 on the most watched list for Netflix with 1.23 billion views in its opening 30 days. 

The big fear that I have with Wednesday is the simple one of audience. Will it be there for a show that came out three years ago? And I honestly believe it will. And perhaps even more. 

At the most recent ‘Tudum’, it wasn’t the upcoming Squid Game or Stranger Things - both approaching their finales - that closed the show but in fact Wednesday. They showed the opening six minutes and they were dark, hilarious and just perfect. If the rest of this show is like that snippet then audiences will not be disappointed. 

Legendary film director ‘Tim Burton’ is back and directing four of the episodes including the first and the last. The cast for the second season is insane. Joining for the second adventure, Steve Buscemi, Billie Piper, Thandie Newton, Joanna Lumley and Christopher Lloyd to name but a few have joined. Oh. And someone called Lady Gaga. 

Yeah. This show is going to crush the summer.

1. Stranger Things - Season 5     

Where to Watch: Netflix 

Release: 26 November

If ‘Wednesday’ is going to crush the summer, then ‘Stranger Things’ is going to dominate the winter. Netflix is going to be sitting watching the views go through the roof with this. The culmination of the Duffer Brothers 1980s nostalgia horror series and not just the show that I am most looking forward to on this list but also the show that I believe will set streaming records. 

When Season 3 aired in 2019, it became Netflix’s most watched show of all time with 582 million views in its first 30 days and is still ranked 11th. Season 4 in 2022 obliterated that with 1.35 billion views in its first 30 days and jumped straight to number 2 behind the first season of Squid Game. 

Netflix will be going all out to promote this film. Audiences were treated to its first glimpse at the recent ‘Tudum’ event on Netflix. Expect a full teaser trailer and promotion to start ramping up from the summer. With an ambitious release of November, Christmas Day and New Years; Netflix is surely anticipating this to break every viewing figure record. 

Don’t worry, A Popcorn Movie Blog will have you covered with all things Stranger Things as we will be counting down to Season 5 with plenty of news and rewatches of the previous seasons.

What are you most excited for? The real winner though (apart from us) is Netflix. In a 6 month spell, they will be releasing the only 3 shows that they have had to receive over 1 billion views in its opening 30 days. 

Bold prediction: Both Wednesday and Stranger Things break the 2 billion views mark.