LOS ANGELES, Dec 31 — After 12 months of quality TV pickings in 2018, the series on offer in the new year will likely keep small screens blazing, with a crop of new releases, as well as new seasons of well-established favourites, including Game of Thrones, Stranger Things, Veep and The Handmaid’s Tale. Here’s a roundup of the most eagerly-anticipated TV series out in 2019.
‘Game of Thrones’
The final season is coming. The series based on the fictional world created by George RR Martin will draw to a close with this ultimate eighth season of six episodes, to begin airing in April 2019. The war between the living and the dead is set to come to a head in the Seven Kingdoms. Jon Snow may have reunited the Houses of Targaryen and Lannister, but having breached the Wall, the White Walkers and the Night King are dangerously close to Winterfell.
‘True Detective’
Returning to HBO from January 13 to March 3, the third season of detective series is set in three distinct time periods and will star Mahershala Ali. The Moonlight Oscar winner will play police detective Wayne Hays, who arrives in the Ozark Mountains to investigate a baffling crime.
‘Big Little Lies’
In the wake of the runaway success of the first season, the girls from Monterey are back for a second season on HBO in 2019. Although no release date has been disclosed, seven new episodes are expected. Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern and Zoë Kravitz will reprise their roles.
‘Orange Is The New Black’
After six seasons, the inmates of Litchfield prison are back for a seventh outing. Netflix hasn’t revealed a release date, but if the season follows the format of previous offerings it should comprise 13 episodes. According to reports, fans of the saga may have get to see their favourite characters in a second show now that Lionsgate Television is mulling a follow-up.
‘Stranger Things’
Not much is known about the third season of this sci-fi-fiction series, but Netflix has released a teaser with the titles of the upcoming episodes: Suzie, Do You Copy?, The Mall Rats, The Case of the Missing Lifeguard, The Sauna Test, The Source, The Birthday, The Bite and The Battle of Starcourt. Following the 1984-set second season, the new episodes will take place in 1985, with Millie Bobbie Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Winona Ryder and David Harbour reprising their roles.
‘Good Omens’
Neil Gaiman penned this adaptation of the novel Good Omens, which he co-wrote with Terry Pratchett. Coming to the small screen as an Amazon Prime Video flagship series, the saga stars David Tennant and Michael Sheen. It recounts the exploits of the emissaries of Heaven and Hell, who have been sent to Earth in a bid to avert an apocalypse. Jon Hamm, Miranda Richardson and Nick Offerman also star.
‘Peaky Blinders’
The Shelby family are set to continue their criminal activities in pre-war Birmingham, led by Tommy (Cillian Murphy). The plot is set against the economic crises in 1929. First broadcast on BBC Two, the latest season of Peaky Blinders will air on BBC One sometime next year. Netflix will take charge of international distribution.
‘Veep’
In a further mandate set to begin on April 22 on HBO, Julia Louis-Dreyfus continues as President Selina Meyer for the seventh and final season of Veep, which will air two years after the release of season six. Shooting was delayed to allow the lead actress time undergo treatment for cancer.
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
Despite a second season which failed to emulate the success of its predecessor, Hulu renewed the show for a third round. Elisabeth Moss and Samira Wiley will be back to reprise their roles in the dystopian drama based on the novel by Margaret Atwood.
‘The Crown’
The cast of The Crown gets a complete overhaul for the third season. Claire Foy, who occupied the throne as Queen Elizabeth II for the first two seasons, hands over to Olivia Colman. Tobias Menzies and Helena Bonham Carter also star in the Netflix series' new season. — AFP-Relaxnews
