22 of the biggest new shows coming to TV in 2021

It’s a new year, which means everyone has officially had their fill of TV series like The Queen’s Gambit and The Mandalorian. And now it’s time to set your sights on all of the anticipated new shows coming your way. From Marvel’s biggest and brightest, to critical underdogs, to shows that are expected to make a big social media splash, here are 22 new series to check out in 2021.

Batwoman

The CW, debuts on January 17

Okay, so technically this isn’t a new series, but it feels fresh and new now that Javincia Leslie has replaced Ruby Rose as the lead. The actor isn’t taking over the same role, though—when the show picks up, Kate (Rose) has disappeared, and it’s a woman named Ryan Wilder who dons the Batsuit instead after she accidently stumbles upon it and decides to take justice into her own hands.

Bel-Air

Peacock, debut date TBA

Are you still drying your eyes over that surprisingly emotional Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion? Well get ready to have all the feels over this updated take, which is based on Morgan Cooper’s viral video. The dramatic version is produced by Will Smith, Quincy Jones and Cooper, and it promises to take a hard look at what it means to be Black in America today.

Colin in Black and White

Netflix, debut date TBA

Ava DuVernay is bringing former NFL star and activist Colin Kaepernick’s story to the small screen with this six-part scripted series. The show digs into Kaepernick’s high school years and traces all of the experiences that led him to become the person he is today. Jaden Michael stars as the man himself, while Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds) and Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) play his adoptive parents.

Dad, Stop Embarrassing Me

Netflix, debut date TBA

If you needed more Jamie Foxx in your life then this upcoming comedy is here to provide. The Oscar winner plays a dad in this buzzy series, which is inspired by the relationship between Foxx and his real-life daughter, Corinne (played on the show by Kyla-Drew). David Alan Grier, Porscha Coleman and Jonathan Kite also star.

Dexter

Crave, debut date TBA

If you hated the ending of the original Showtime series revolving around a serial killer, you weren’t alone—even star Michael C. Hall has admitted the way it all wrapped was less than satisfactory. Thank goodness for reboots then, because this limited-series return will hopefully answer all of those lingering questions while also introducing a new formidable Big Bad, played by the one and only Clancy Brown.

The Dropout

Hulu, debut date TBA

Is there anything Kate McKinnon can’t do? The answer is no, if this incoming limited series is any indication. The Saturday Night Live Emmy-winner is tackling the more serious role of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. The dramatic retelling traces the real-life story of a woman who raised hundreds of millions of dollars for a start-up, despite the fact that her “revolutionary” blood-testing machine didn’t actually work.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Disney Plus

Disney Plus, debuts on March 19

Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan team up for this limited series, which is based on the MCU characters and picks up following the events of Avengers: Endgame. Follow along as they traverse the world and fight the anarchist Flag-Smashers, finding equal footing in their seriously mismatched partnership. Emily VanCamp, Wyatt Russell and Daniel Brühl also star.

Girls5eva

Peacock, debut date TBA

Tina Fey and Robert Carlock are together again and it feels so good. The 30 Rock duo are unrolling a musical comedy about a one-time, one-hit-wonder girl group who are desperate to reclaim their stardom. Basically you can go ahead and call it the comedy 2021 deserves. Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Busy Phillips and Paula Pell star.

Gossip Girl

Crave, debut date TBA

Hey Upper East Siders, are you ready for another Lonely Boy tale? Okay, so Dan Humphrey won’t be the surprise antagonist in this remake, which takes place years after the original. And thank goodness. This time around the series features a more diverse cast, updated storylines, and the resurrection of the famous masked blogger who made life oh-so-difficult for the upper elite high school crowd. You know you love it.

Impeachment: American Crime Story

FX, debut date TBA

Remember when the most shocking thing to happen to U.S. politics was a blue dress? Go back to simpler times with the latest iteration of Ryan Murphy’s American Crime Story, which spotlights the Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton scandal. The series was originally supposed to air before the 2020 election, but with an all-star cast including Sarah Paulson, Beanie Feldstein, and Annaleigh Ashford, it’s still as anticipated as ever.

In Treatment

Crave, debut date TBA

Any excuse for more Uzo Aduba on our screens is a good one, but fans everywhere are eagerly anticipating her debut as the lead therapist on this HBO revival. The Orange is the New Black star takes over the gig originally played by Gabriel Byrne for a whole new season, in which she’ll welcome a slew of patients with varying problems and personalities.

Inventing Anna

Netflix, debut date TBA

If you’re still replaying the Taylor Swift sex montage from Bridgerton in your head, know that more innovative Shonda Rhimes goodness is headed your way. The Grey’s Anatomy creator may have produced Bridgerton for Netflix, but Inventing Anna is the first series she’s actually writing and showrunning under her massive streaming service deal. The series stars Emmy winner Julia Garner (Ozark) as the title character, AKA a pretend German heiress who faked her way into New York high society. It's based on the 2018 New York magazine story.

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin

Crave, debut date TBA

Got a secret? Can you keep it? Not if A has anything to say about it. Settle in for a reboot of this popular series revolving around murder, high school, and a seriously creepy stalker. This show, which features a whole new cast and creative team (Riverdale and The Chilling Tales of Sabrina’s Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is overseeing things), follows young girls who are targeted because of the acts of their parents more than two decades ago.  

Lisey’s Story

Apple TV, debut date TBA

If you need a new horror offering in your life, Julianne Moore and Stephen King have your back. The pair are teaming for this eight-episode thriller, which is based on King’s 2006 horror-romance novel of the same name. Notably, King writes each episode in the series, while J.J. Abrams, who worked with King on the limited series 11.22.63, produces.

Losing Alice, Apple TV

Apple TV, debuts on January 22

When a 48-year-old director named Alice becomes obsessed with a 24-year-old screenwriter, she finds herself giving up everything—morals, integrity and more—in order to achieve her wildest dreams of success. Now doesn’t that sound like the stuff high-end, neo-noir thrillers are made of? Of course it does. Ayelet Zurer and Lihi Kornowski star in this Israeli drama.

Maid

Crave, debut date TBA

Shameless may be ending but creator John Wells is hoping to spark some of that magic with his latest dark comedy. Maid stars Margaret Qualley (Fosse/Verdon) as a single mother working as a housekeeper in order to provide for her family. Like Shameless, it is expected to showcase poverty in America in a whole new light. Nick Robinson and Andie MacDowell also star.

The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers

Disney Plus, debut date TBA

Quack, quack, quack… get ready to bang those hockey sticks and form a flying V because one of the greatest sports film franchises is coming to the small screen, and fans everywhere can’t wait to see Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez) back in action. Lauren Graham also joins in on the fun this time around, giving fans everywhere yet another reason to tune in.

Nine Perfect Strangers

Hulu, debut date TBA

Fans of Liane Moriarty books (Big Little Lies) have been counting down the days until this limited series (based on her novel of the same name) finally debuts. In it, Nicole Kidman stars as a woman who runs a wellness centre, where she believes she can help nine strangers completely transform their lives. Need more star power? Melissa McCarthy, Luke Evans, Michael Shannon, Manny Jacinto, Regina Hall and Samara Weaving also star, while David E. Kelley executive produces.

Pretty Hard Cases

CBC, debuts on February 23

Rookie Blue fans were positively giddy when this new Canadian series from writers Tassie Cameron and Sherry White was announced, and now it’s (finally) almost here. Formerly known as Lady Dicks, the series stars Meredith MacNeill and Adrienne C. Moore as two female detectives in their early 40s who are dealing with a world of problems both on and off the job.

Underground Railroad

Prime Video, debut date TBA

Colson Whitehead’s 2017, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Underground Railroad is getting the small screen treatment this year, and filmmaker Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) has been tasked with bringing it to life. The limited series follows a woman in the antebellum South who escapes a plantation for the rumoured railroad, discovering a whole new world in the process. Newcomer Thuso Mbedu stars.

Walker

The CW, debuts on January 21

Supernatural fans seemed pretty divided by the series finale, but one thing they know for sure is that the show won’t be the last they’ll see of star Jared Padalecki. Not now that he’s heading up the small-screen remake of Walker, Texas Ranger, at any rate. Catch him as the title character when this series, which also stars Lindsay Morgan and Keegan Allen, debuts.

WandaVision

Disney Plus, debuts on January 15

Marvel fans have had a long wait for the debut of this Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch and Vision series, but it’s finally here. The series follows the supes as they live their best suburban lives, but they quickly realize that domestic bliss isn’t exactly the reality they were hoping for. Leads Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany are joined by an all-star cast including Kat Dennings, Evan Peters and Katheryn Hahn.