Here we are, rounding into the final third of 2019 (and the last four months of the decade, but we don’t need to talk about that). The year has already produced some heavy hitters of TV — Chernobyl, Fleabag, and Barry dominated the spring. GLOW, Euphoria, and Mindhunter have been indispensable parts of the summer. And huge sophomore seasons of Succession and The Terror are airing as we speak. There’s so much powerful TV out there already, it’s easy to forget how much more is still to come.
But come it shall. Along with progressively darker evenings in which to watch (at least in my part of the world, where curling up in a blanket with a TV show and a cup of tea is a time-honored fall coping mechanism).
There’s a lot of TV coming out soon, some of which we probably don’t even know about yet. Both Apple TV+ and Disney+ are unleashing themselves on the world this fall, meaning there are two more places to turn to in case you don’t have enough to watch already on Hulu, Cartoon Network, HBO, NBC, Amazon Prime, FXX, and Netflix. (They’re all here, by the way, giving us the most promising and exciting prospects of the season).
So here they are — in release order — the 10 most-anticipated TV shows of the rest of the year.
Undone
A mind-bending animated series from BoJack Horseman creatives Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg, this Amazon Prime original is, technically, already out as of the day of this writing. But I haven’t seen it yet, and I’m sure as hell looking forward to it, so onto the list it goes. Starring Rosa Salazar and Bob Odenkirk, among others, the series is said to follow a young woman’s new relationship with time after a near-death experience, and the shots from the trailer promise that the show will go to surreal places only animation could take it.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
People familiar with my writing, or with Film School Rejects at all, shouldn’t be surprised to see It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia on this list. Tied for the longest-running live-action comedy as of this year, the show keeps on proving that it has new and relevant and hilarious things to say. Last season’s finale, “Mac Finds His Pride,” was the most shocking and beautiful thing the show has ever done. While it’s impossible to say whether there’ll be anything quite so show-stopping this year, it’s bound to be a great ride and I’m ready for whatever the gang has to show us.
The Good Place
The Good Place is coming to an end, and while that’s sad, it might be a good thing. Not because we want it to end — oh, no — but because there’s a real satisfaction that comes with a show finishing early and on its own terms. Rather than moral philosophizing ad infinitum and resetting over and over (it’s the only show that could, realistically, do it), The Good Place is going to bow out having said exactly its piece. And hopefully, at the end of all this, our beloved humans (and their non-human friends) will have found someplace they can settle down and not be tortured for all eternity. Is that so much to ask?
Living with Yourself
Casting one actor in dual roles is a time-honored tradition that’s seen a lot of use lately. Usually, it’s as identical twins, with the exception of Orphan Black‘s inimitable Tatiana Maslany, who played a whole slew of clones. Living with Yourself promises to be a bit more in the clone vein, though much, much funnier, as Paul Rudd plays both the lead character Miles and the result of an innovative new spa treatment: an exact duplicate of Miles who is better in every way. I’ll laugh at Paul Rudd doing anything, and if I can laugh at two of him I’m more than onboard.
Castle Rock
Last year’s premiere season about a Maine town brimming with Stephen King horror elements had its spooky ups and downs (while the episode “The Queen” was beautiful, I have a personal bone to pick with the flatness of the ending). But ups and downs are still movement, and the first season was more than interesting enough to warrant excitement for the second. Will we ever find out exactly who The Kid is? I almost hope we don’t, but I’m ready to anxiously try to figure it out when the show returns.
See
One of the first Apple TV+ commodities to grace us with its presence, the Jason Momoa vehicle is set in a dystopian future in which (almost) everyone is blind. With its star, high budget, and swords-on-horseback tone, it’s a clear contender for the hole in our lives left by Game of Thrones. We’ll find out if See fills it when it premieres on the same day as the launch of the streaming service.
His Dark Materials
There’s not another show I’m more excited for this year. So much attention is being paid to the disappointment of the 2007 film adaptation that it’s easy to forget the sheer wonder of the original novels. Philip Pullman’s non-religious answer to C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series, the literary trilogy teaches children (12-year-old me included) to be brave, to question, and to be kind to others innately, not out of fear or obligation. It’s an incredible series, and the HBO adaptation is looking very, very promising.
The Mandalorian
Set to premiere the same day Disney+ is released in the US and Canada, The Mandalorian is one of the new streaming service’s flagship enterprises, as well as the testing ground for whether audiences will be willing to pay for this, among other, hot new streaming channels. Whether it’ll be a success is still up in the air, but an all-new Star Wars story with Pedro Pascal in its lead role is a good way to start.
Rick and Morty
Boy am I ready for more Rick and Morty. I’m ready to see where Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon take us next, and I’m ready for new episodes to overshadow the weird pall that a tiny sliver of fans have cast on the show. If you’d like a great, quick palate cleanser that addresses that whole mess, please watch this very funny video. Or hell, just watch the three extant seasons of Rick and Morty. I did recently. I promise it’s even better than you remember. And this new season is bound to be amazing.
The Expanse
After being canceled by SyFy last year, The Expanse joined the ranks of beloved shows championed by devoted fans to be picked up and continued somewhere else. Then it joined the much smaller ranks of shows that did, indeed, get saved. And by Amazon Prime no less, where it will be premiering its fourth season. Fans have no reason to fear, either, because it’s already been renewed for a fifth season as well.
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