David Farnor | On 07, Jan 2017

Go to the gym. Eat less cake. Don’t stay up so late. Arrive at work on time. The start of a new year is a time for making resolutions and improving your life, right? You’ll find no judgement here. The only improvements we care about are the new shows coming your way that’ll enrich your TV diet, give you something to talk about at work and give your arm plenty of exercise picking up that remote.

Without further ado, then, find your calendar and grab a pen. Here’s our guide to the TV shows of 2017. (Bookmark it: We’ve only included shows we know have a British broadcaster, so we’ll be updating the below and adding a few more to the list, as UK release dates are announced.)
 

January

Taboo

Tom Hardy and Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight reunite for this new eight-episode drama. Exec produced by Hardy alongside Ridley Scott, it sees the actor play James Delaney, a man presumed dead in Africa many years ago. He reappears in 1814 London both changed and haunted, finding his father, Horace Delaney, dead and a country at war with France and the United States. Set to inherit what’s left of a shipping empire, James’ arrival not only threatens to disrupt the plans of his half‐sister Zilpha and her husband Thorne, but also the political ambitions of the mighty East India Company, chaired by Sir Stuart Strange (Jonathan Pryce).

Chewing Gum: Season 2

Michaela Coel took her character of teenager Tracey from the stage to the screen for E4’s comedy Chewing Gum. The result was funny, vibrant and showed a new side to life on UK council estates. If you missed Season 1, that’s all the more reason to tune in for Season 2.

Acquitted

All 4’s online channel dedicated to foreign-language TV has been a veritable highlight of UK TV in the last year. It kicks of 2017 with Norway’s biggest TV drama, Acquitted. Set against the mesmerising and unusual backdrop of the beautiful fjords, if sees a successful business man Aksel Borgen (played by Nicolai Cleve Broch) return to his home town to save an ailing local firm from bankruptcy. Despite being acquitted for the murder of his high school sweetheart 20 years ago, Aksel is still haunted by his past and his return opens old wounds for the villagers who turned their back on him all those years ago.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Neil Patrick Harris looks to be on wonderfully creepy form as Count Olaf in this epic adaptation of the Lemony Snicket novels.

Sneaky Pete

Giovanni Ribisi plays Marius, a con man who gets out of prison only to find himself hunted by the vicious gangster he once robbed. With nowhere else to turn, he takes cover from his past by assuming the identity of his cellmate, Pete, and then “reunites” with Pete’s estranged family, who don’t realise he’s not their long-lost loved one. But they have secrets and lies of their own that threaten to drag Marius into a world every bit as dangerous as the one he’s trying to escape.

Frontier

This historical epic, which is created by Discovery Canada as a co-production with the streaming giant, stars Jason Momoa and follows the chaotic and violent struggle for wealth and power in the North American fur trade in the 18th century.

Voltron: Legendary Defender: Season 2

“Might be the best thing to happen to cartoons since The Legend of Korra,” is how we described Netflix’s reboot of the cult anime. Read our review of Season 1, before Season 2 arrives.

Homeland: Season 6

“I don’t think you understand how vulnrable you are.” “I don’t think you do.” After Season 5’s return to form, and a moving finale, Carrie and co. return for a sixth outing of espionage and emotional facial expressions.

Fortitude: Season 2

Dennis Quaid and Michelle Fairley (Game of Thrones, Resurrection) joins Sky’s thriller, which sees the titular Arctic town face a spooky blend of murder, corruption and something more paranormal. After Season 1, the tight-knit community of Fortitude will be rocked again, as a fresh murder plunges the residents into turmoil. At the start, Quaid’s character discovers Fairley’s character collapsed in the snow and refuses to accept medical help for a mystery condition – but how will they intersect with the other cast members, including additional newcomers Parminder Nagra, Ken Stott and Robert Sheehan. Season 1 is available as a box set.

Riverdale

Netflix has snapped up the rights to The CW’s teen drama, based on the characters by Archie Comics. Written by Archie Comics’ chief creative officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and executive produced by Arrow, Supergirl and The Flash’s Greg Berlanti, the show follows Archie, Betty, and Veronica in the titular town, as locals reel from the recent death of high school golden boy Jason. Molly Ringwald co-stars as Archie’s mum, Mary. Episodes arrive weekly on Netflix, following their US premiere.

Black Sails: Season 4

The last run of the Starz original series, which is a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, follows a dramatic Season 3, which set the stage for the rise of John Silver (Luke Arnold) and the potential fall of the pirate way. The 10-episode climax will bring the high seas drama to a heroic conclusion, as our seafaring outlaws prepare for war in the West Indies.

February

The Path: Season 2

Aaron Paul, Michelle Monaghan and Hugh Dancy deliver excellent performances in this drama about a family inside a closed-off cult commune. As doubts loom, secrets come to the surface and outsiders intrude, the result is brilliantly layered and superbly acted study of religion in practice as well as in theory, one that fascinates as much as it frustrates. Every time you think you’re out of it, it pulls you back in. A Hulu original in the USA, the first three episodes of Season 2 arrive on Amazon Prime Video on Monday 6th February, with episodes then arriving weekly shortly after their US premiere.

The Expanse: Season 2

Netflix nabbed Syfy’s sci-fi series last year, with episodes of new seasons set to premiere online in the UK hot on the heels of their US broadcast. Set in the 23rd Century, when humans have colonised the solar system (with the U.N. controlling Earth and Mars an independent military power), Earth and Mars are on the brink of war. Agents unknown are trying to turn that Cold War hot, and the key to who they are and what their game-changing plan is seems to be rich-girl-turned-revolutionary Julie Mao – now missing. Tasked with tracking her down in Season 1 is grizzled detective Joe Miller (Thomas Jane), who works for corporate law enforcement on dwarf planet Ceres. His investigation is expertly structured, with each episode ending on a stonking cliffhanger that’ll have you clicking onto the next instalment. So if you haven’t binge-watched the first season, get on it quick. (Read our full Season 1 review.)

Legion

Dan “The Guest” Stevens stars in this X-Men series from Fargo’s Noah Hawley. If that sentence doesn’t get you interested, the fact that Aubrey Plaza is starring in it should have you convinced. Stevens plays David Haller, a.k.a. Legion, a haunted man with power beyond comprehension. His power does not come free, but at the steep cost of David’s mind. Plagued by numerous split personalities – each commanding a different aspect of his power – David is trying to find his way back to sanity. But he’s getting tired and about to give up, until he meets the girl of his dreams.

Reign: Season 4

Life changed for Mary Queen of Scots in the third season of The CW’s historical drama. Season 4 of Reign finds her rising to the challenge, taking back her country and establishing her rule in Scotland, the land of her birth but a wild nation foreign to her, and now, once again, her home.

The Walking Dead: Season 7 Part 2

After the brutal introduction of Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan, flipping the world of Rick and friends upside down, can anyone take down the hard-hitting villain and his trusty Lucille? Catch up with the first six seasons (and the first half of Season 7) from 30th January on Sky Box Sets and NOW.

24: Legacy

Stand aside Jack Bauer. Corey Hawkins (Straight Outta Compton) takes on the franchise’s new lead role in this new 12-hour real-time thriller. Hawkins will play Eric Carter, a military man who returns from war to find himself at the centre of a terrorist conspiracy. Terrorists? Conspiracy? A race against time? Sounds like classic 24 to us. And, sure enough, creators Manny Cotto and Evan Katz are on board, so you can expect the usual combination of shouting, running and clocks.

Santa Clarita Diet

Joel (Timothy Olyphant) and Sheila (Drew Barrymore) are husband and wife realtors leading vaguely discontented lives in the L.A. suburb of Santa Clarita with their teenaged daughter Abby, until Sheila goes through a dramatic change sending their lives (and her diet) down a road of death and destruction… but in a good way. Maybe.

Ultimate Beastmaster

Gladiator meets Street Fighter in this new series from Sly Stallone. The show will see elite athletes from across the world go head-to-head in a tournament that will exhaust their physical and mental stamina and push them to their breaking points.

Girls: Season 6

Lena Dunham’s Golden Globe-winning comedy about an aspiring writer and her three friends as they struggle to navigate the choppy waters of 20-something life returns for one final season.

Billions Season 2

Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis star in this gripping drama set in the ego-driven world of New York high finance. With Season 2 returning to Showtime in February, expect it to arrive on partner channel Sky in the UK too.

SS-GB

Bond writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade head to the BBC for this series inspired by Len Deighton’s novel. Set in Nazi-occupied London, the five-part thriller is based on the premise that the Germans won the Battle of Britain. With Sam Riley, Kate Bosworth and Aneurin Barnard in the cast, if you liked The Man in the High Castle, you’ll likely love this.

March

Iron Fist

The final solo superhero outing before Marvel and Netflix’s crossover series, The Defenders, Iron Fist stars Finn Jones as billionaire Danny Rand, who returns to New York City after being missing for years. He fights against the criminal element corrupting New York City with his kung-fu mastery and ability to summon the awesome power of the fiery Iron Fist.

Hap and Leonard: Season 2 – March TBC

Sundance’s swamp noir reunites James Purefoy (The Following) and Michael Kenneth Williams (Boardwalk Empire) for a second adventure based on the novels by Joe Lansdale. Created by Jim Mickle and Nick Damici, who previously adapted Lansdale’s Cold in July for the screen, the story takes place in the late 1980s and follows the titular two best friends – Hap Collins, an East Texas white boy with a weakness for Southern women, and Leonard Pine, a gay, black Vietnam vet with a hot temper. Season 2 will see Mickle step down as showrunner, replaced by Hell on Wheels’ John Wirth, with Lansdale’s Mucho Mojo inspiring the plot – a murder mystery that sees the duo stumble upon a skeleton. This time around, Purefoy and Williams will be joined by Brian Dennehy (First Blood), Irma P. Hall (Soul Food), Dohn Norwood (Hell on Wheels), Tiffany Mack (iZombie) and Cranston Johnson (Atlanta). Episodes will premiere on Amazon Prime Video shortly after their US debut, mostly likely beginning on Friday 17th March. Season 1 is already available.

Into the Badlands: Season 2 – March TBC

AMC’s stunning martial arts TV show is set in an apocalyptic future world, where a warrior – Sunny (Daniel Wu) – and a young boy – M.K. (Aramis Knight) – search for enlightenment in a ruthless society controlled by feudal barons. Season 2 will begin with Sunny and M.K. separated and imprisoned, with Sunny aiming to fight his way back into the Badlands and M.K. still struggling to control his powers. The show will air on AMC in the US on Sunday 19th March, so you can expect episodes to arrive on Amazon Prime Video in the UK weekly from Monday 20th March, within 24 hours of their US debut.

Big Little Lies

Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon star in HBO’s miniseries about three mothers whose apparently perfect lives unravel to the point of murder. Written by David E. Kelley and directed by Dallas Buyers Club helmer Jean-Marc Vallée, this has HBO’s seal of awesomeness all over it.

April

Better Call Saul: Season 3

Bob Odenkirk returns for the third season of AMC’s Breaking Bad prequel, which continues to chart the transformation of Jimmy McGill into everyone’s favourite bent lawyer, Saul Goodman. Also returning this season is Gus Fring, with Giancarlo Esposito promising a similar glimpse of the drug kingpin and chicken shop owner’s rise to his eventual position in Albuquerque’s underworld. Episodes arrive on Netflix on Tuesday mornings, within 24 hours of their US broadcast.

Guerrilla

Penny Dreadful’s Rory Kinnear and Line of Duty’s Daniel Mays star alongside Idris Elba in this new Sky drama from 12 Years a Slave’s John Ridley. Guerrilla is a love story set against the backdrop of one of the most politically explosive times in UK. history. It tells the story of a couple whose relationship and values are tested when they liberate a political prisoner and form a radical underground cell in 1970s London. Their ultimate target becomes the Black Power Desk, a true-life, secretive counter-intelligence unit within Special Branch dedicated to crushing all forms of black activism. Expect brutal, provocative viewing.

May

Sense8: Season 2

Following its Christmas special, The Wachowski’s sci-fi epic returns, picking up where Season 1 left off, as Capheus (Toby Onwumere), Kala (Tina Desai), Lito (Miguel Angel Silvestre), Nomi (Jamie Clayton), Riley (Tuppence Middleton) , Sun (Donna Bae), Will (Brian J. Smith) and Wolfgang (Max Riemelt) come together both physically and mentally, plunged into the middle of each other’s tragedies and triumphs.

Twin Peaks

One of the most groundbreaking series of all time, David Lynch’s weird, fascinating, funny and unsettling drama centred on the inhabitants of a small American town who all come under suspicion when local teenager Laura Palmer is found murdered. 25 years later, the story continues, with 18 hours of new mysteries. The series will begin with a double-bill simulcast at 2am UK time on Monday 22nd May, with a later repeat at 9pm on Tuesday 23rd May. The episode will be available on-demand following the simulcast, so that UK fans can watch it when they want, without having to wait for Tuesday or risk seeing spoilers.

House of Cards: Season 5

The fifth season of Netflix’s political drama sees Kevin Spacey return as Francis Underwood and Robin Wright as his wife, Claire Underwood. The presidential couple have always been each other’s strongest allies, but cracks continue to show in their relationship…

Also Coming Soon

American Gods

Neil Gaiman’s fantasy novel, first published in 2001, is an expansive tale of gods in the modern day, the kind of story that seemed destined to head to the screen – and now, Starz is stepping up to do the deed, with Hannibal’s Bryan Fuller and Heroes’ Michael Green as writers and showrunners. The story follows a war that is brewing between old and new gods: the traditional gods of biblical and mythological roots from around the world steadily losing believers to an upstart pantheon of gods reflecting society’s modern love of money, technology, media, celebrity and drugs. Britain’s own Ricky Whittle (of Hollyoaks, Dream Team and The 100 fame) plays protagonist Shadow Moon. Expect something special.

Star Trek: Discovery

CBS’ reboot of the iconic sci-fi franchise will take place around 10 years before the original series, with the lead character set to be a female lieutenant commander on the titular Federation starship. Michelle Yeoh will play Captain Georgiou, leader of the Starship Shenzhou, while the Discovery’s crew will include Hellboy’s Doug Jones as Lieutenant Saru, a Science Officer and a new alien species not seen before in Trek, and Anthony Rapp as fellow Science Officer Lieutenant Stamets, an “astromycologist” and a fungus expert. He will be gay, marking the first time that a gay character will be included in Star Trek on the small screen.

The Defenders

Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist join forces in Netflix’s big crossover event series, which will star Sigourney Weaver as the villain. Super-hyped stuff.

Clique

Clique is a brand new six-part drama created by Jess Brittain and written by Jess Brittain, Kirstie Swain and Milly Thomas. Childhood soulmates Georgia and Holly are only a few weeks into the so-called best years of their lives at Edinburgh Uni, when Georgia gets drawn into an elite clique of alpha girls, led by lecturer Jude Monroe. Jude’s brand of feminism is alluring, just like the circle of bright students she surrounds herself with. Georgia’s effortless entry into the clique leaves Holly out in the cold. But Holly’s jealousy soon escalates to panic as Georgia begins acting erratically. Alarmed by this transformation in her best friend, Holly is compelled to follow her into Jude’s closely guarded circle…

Gypsy

Naomi Watts stars in Netflix’s new series about Jean, a therapist who begins to develop dangerous and intimate relationships with the people in her patients’ lives. Produced by Universal Television and Working Title, the show is written by Lisa Rubin, who serves as en executive producer, alongside Liza Chasin, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Andrew Stearn and Naomi Watts. Billy Crudup co-stars, with Sam Taylor-Johnson directing the first two episodes.

Valkyrien

A top surgeon teams up with a deranged doomsday prepper to create an illegal hospital in an abandoned war bunker under Oslo in order to cake for his wife who has fallen into a coma. This Norwegian thriller has a lot of buzz coming with it.

Game of Thrones: Season 7

The penultimate episodes of HBO’s fantasy epic are finally upon us, as Season 7 marks just 13 chapters left in the adaptation of George RR Martin’s novels. Even the production has super-sized, with the release pushed back until summer 2017 to allow for the changing weather. Oh yes, winter has come. And it’s set to be spectacular.

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