The Year Ahead in TV

Sabina Graves covers genre television for Gizmodo, with a focus on inclusion in front of and behind the camera. You can follow her coverage here, and email story ideas and tips to [email protected]

The Top Story:

After production delays caused by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, 2024's television slate will likely see some shifting around—though shows like Netflix’s Stranger Things and One Piece may get fast-tracked to release the beginnings of their seasons by the end of the year. There’s lots of animation on the way for certain, so it will be interesting to see if any more live-action series get added to the schedule as the year progresses.

What We’re Waiting For:

The Penguin continuing DC Studios’ Elseworlds The Batman universe and introducing more of the Rogues Gallery of villains.Star Wars shows trying new things in The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew.The second seasons of Squid Game and Severance, both standouts in the sci-fi thriller mystery space. We want to see how they’ll be able to pull off even more surprises.House of the Dragon season two to get even more brutal as the family feud intensifies. If Netflix can follow up One Piece’s live-action success with its Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action series. The previous attempt at an Avatar live-action adaptation resulted in a not-so-great movie, but show that’s faithful to the animated series feels way more promising.Studios and streamers being put in check to really cultivate and support inclusive storytelling and creatives from marginalized backgrounds.

Shows to Follow:

Doctor Who - Disney+Echo - Disney+ Hazbin Hotel - Prime VideoSeverance - Apple TVAvatar: The Last Airbender - NetflixInvincible Season 2 Part 2 - Prime VideoFallout - Prime VideoHouse of the Dragon Season 2 - MaxStar Wars: The Acolyte - Disney+Star Wars: Skeleton Crew - Disney+The Penguin - MaxInterview with the Vampire Season 2 - AMCChucky Season 3 Part 2 - PeacockX-Men ‘97 - Disney+Agatha: Darkhold Diaries - Disney+
Creature Commandos - MaxYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man - Disney+Alien - HuluWelcome to Derry - MaxStranger Things Season 5 (we hope)

People to Follow:

James Gunn - DC Studios co-head and filmmaker overseeing the TV DC universePaul Sun-Hyung Lee, getting that major fandom cred as Iroh in Avatar: The Last AirbenderInterview with the Vampire’s hot cast

Companies to Watch

As mentioned, Netflix has two big shows with highly anticipated new seasons on the way: the final bow for Stranger Things and the second installment of 2023 hit One Piece. There’s also the Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action series, which looks very promising—and don’t forget about Squid Game season two.Will Paramount and Warner Bros./Max fuse together and create one studio and streaming service? It’s worth pointing out Max is the only service without a major legacy name attached to it, whereas Paramount+ and even Discovery+ (which still exists) do. Indie film powerhouse A24 expanding more into the televised series space.More merchandise collaborations and immersive pop-ups. Netflix has partnered up with brands to promote projects, as seen with Forever 21's Rebel Moon collection; with a few major franchises hitting the service, we wouldn’t be surprised if more were in the works. As far as immersive and ARG/VR, Netflix’s Squid Game Sandbox game has proven its popularity. And if big fan conventions like San Diego Comic-Con—which suffered some down years thanks to the pandemic and the strikes—finally return to full strength, we may see even more activations and immersive events.

A Longshot Bet:

Amazon will acquire Warner Bros. from Discovery. With their relationships already in place between DC Studios animated shows, it just makes sense. The Paramount deal feels more likely to happen, but it could still come down to whoever has the deepest pockets.

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Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.