Welcome to my Monday Newsletter! This week, I am looking at my Top 15 Most Anticipated Shows of 2025 plus a review of Going Dutch and thoughts on the Golden Globes and the Shrinking season finale.
It's a new year so here's a look at my most anticipated shows of 2025! Some shows are dated and coming very soon. Others have much less information but here's my list based on what I know now.
Close Calls: The Night Agent Season 2 (Netflix, Jan 23), Death by Lighting (Netflix, TBD), Mid-Century Modern (Hulu, TBD), The Artist (The Network, TBD), The Hunting Party (NBC, Feb 3)
15. The Four Seasons (Netflix, TBD)
Date Night reunion alert! This project puts Steve Carell and Tina Fey together in a comedy based on the 1981 film starring Alan Alda and Carol Burnett. There is very little known about this show, which also stars Will Forte and Erika Henningsen and it's not even guaranteed a 2024 premiere. But I had to put it on the list because of Carell and Fey. They may have a few misses in their repertoire but I like the chances of this being good when they are together.
The Pitt is one of the closer attempts to a network procedural that a streamer has done. It's basically 24 in a hospital with each episode of the 15 episode first season taking place over one hour in a hospital shift. Noah Wyle's putting on the scrubs again years after ER and this seems to hit a lot of the same beats as many broadcast medical dramas that came before it (just more swearing). I tend to check out quickly on medical dramas but I'm still interested in this one, or at least interested in giving it a try especially with the solid reviews it's gotten.
13. Grosse Pointe Garden Society (NBC, Feb 23)
I'm intrigued by this show because it feels a little different than the type of shows Broadcast TV have been offering us lately. It feels like it could be more like Desperate Housewives than yet another procedural drama. I wasn't really into Housewives but I'm still intrigued with a cast that includes Melissa Fumero, Aja Naomi King, Nancy Travis and others. If this proves to be something a little bit different, I hope it is rewarded by viewers so broadcast networks will branch back out a bit.
12. Etoile (Prime Video, TBD)
I'm not sure I would be into a show set in the ballet world except that Etoile is the follow-up to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel from Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino. Maisel is one of my all-time favorite shows so I'm going to absolutely follow them to their next show, which already has a two-season order and stars Maisel's Luke Kirby. Consider me very intrigued.
Look, I'll follow Jon Hamm anywhere. Obviously he was an all-time great in Mad Men. But I also loved him in the most recent Fargo, he was one of my favorite parts of the messy third season of The Morning Show and I even like him in the ridiculous Land Man. So I'm all in on a show where he's the actual lead character and playing what sounds like another flawed, wealthy individual. Like Etoile, the series has already been renewed for a second season.
10. Paradise (Hulu, Jan 28)
Paradise marks the return of Sterling K. Brown to TV after This is Us. He's re-teaming with This is Us creator for a show that looks a lot more action driven. The trailer seems intentionally vague and I'm always a little leery when that happens because I don't like when shows don't tell us what they are. That being said, I trust the auspices here including co-stars Julianne Nicholson and James Marsden so I hope it is a strong show.
Boy I do not know what to think about this one. I'm really intrigued by the cast (Seth Rogen, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O'Hara, Kathryn Hahn) and the premise. The trailer is so, so, so stylized though. I don't quite know what to make of the tone of it and I'm curious how well it captures the tone of the actual show. This feels like a major boom or bust show. Could be a top 5 show of the year for me or one I check out on real fast.
8. The Bear Season 4 (FX/Hulu, TBD)
I'm a little more apprehensive about The Bear after its up and down third season. The second season was near perfection and then the third season, while not without its brilliant moments, was far more inconsistent. I'm hopeful though because the third season seemed to be setting up the fourth season and if it ends up being the final season, which has been rumored, I would think they'd pull ou tall the stops and include everything they want to include.
7. Poker Face Season 2 (Peacock, TBD)
I loved the first season of Poker Face. I am all for some streamers dabbling in procedural shows with the big names and production values they can provide and the first season of Poker Face was so clever and fresh despite being a very old-fashioned concept. Season 2 guest stars include John Mulaney, Cynthia Erivo, Katie Holmes, BJ Novak, Kumail Nanjiani, Ego Nwodim, Giancarlo Esposito, Margo Martindale and more. Consider me excited!
Shondaland's latest show for Netflix, The Residence, comes in March. Like Ryan Murphy, I can be a little mixed on Shondaland shows but I tend to be more positive on them. It seems like there are a lot of DC dramas this winter. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing with the current national mood. Either way, this is another star-studded affair. Uzo Aduba, Giancarlo Esposito, Jason Lee, Susan Kelechi Watson, Randall Park and more star in a White House murder mystery involving the staff. I'm definitely intrigued because Shondaland knows how to do murder mysteries, at least at first.
5. Severance Season 2 (Apple TV+, Jan 17)
After nearly three years, the return of Severance is almost here! I thought the first season was incredibly interesting and it went from a slow burn story to an explosive and thrilling finale. It's been far, far too long. This is the downside of the streaming environment. I am a little apprehensive because of rumors of behind the scenes issues with filming the second season but still hopeful it won't have a sophomore slump. I'm going to need a very long "last season of Severance" to kick off the season though because I'm sure there's a lot I forgot.
4. Zero Day (Netflix, Feb 20)
The trailer for Zero Day was definitely giving off some 24 vibes but maybe with a bit more political intrigue (so... Designated Survivor? Just kidding... I hope). The cast alone makes this show worth watching. It includes Robert DeNiro, Angela Bassett, Connie Britton, Jesse Plemons, Lizzy Caplan, Joan Allen and more. That's a star studded cast with a premise that I always find interesting if it can sustain itself. If it's truly a six episode limited series and doesn't try to become an ongoing show then I would hope it can be nice and tight.
The second season of The Last of Us hasn't been dated yet but it is expected to arrive in April. The Last of Us was not a show I should like. I've never ever been into any type of Zombie fiction. But I was so invested in the first season and completely hooked on the show. I've managed to avoid spoilers from the game for the second season and I know they'll take some liberties and make some changes anyway. I think the trailer looks spectacular and I can't wait for this show to be back.
2. Hacks Season 4 (Max, TBD)
After watching the way the third season of Hacks ended, I was wishing I could watch Season 4 immediately. I won't go back over everything I've said about this show in my Awards and my end of year rankings. I'll just say that I'm glad the show is already back filming so the fourth season can come quickly (likely before the Emmy window closes) and I have full faith that it has a great plan for the fourth season. I didn't always trust where it was going in the third season and it proved me wrong so I'm all in on their plan now.
1. The White Lotus Season 3 (HBO, Feb 16)
This should come as no surprise if you've been reading my blog for awhile. I was completely enamored with the Hawaii-set first season of The White Lotus in Summer 2021 and then loved the second season in Italy nearly as much in Fall 2022. Now it returns for a third season in Thailand and I couldn't be more excited. I completely trust Mike White and his ability to craft a brilliant season. And that cast - Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon, Leslie Bibb, Jason Isaacs, the returning Natasha Rothwell and - most exciting - Parker Posey. I can't wait to head on back to The White Lotus for my Sunday nights starting in February!
FOX's new military comedy Going Dutch was one of the first premieres of 2025 as part of a Thursday comedy block with third year comedy Animal Control. Going Dutch is set at "the least important army base in the world" in the Netherlands and the arrival of straightlaced Colonel Patrick Quinn (Denis Leary) who quickly finds himself at odds with the more relaxed members of the base, including his estranged daughter, Captain Maggie Quinn (Taylor Misiak).
There have been several military sitcoms in TV history, perhaps this is best compared to F Troop (minus the unfortunate Native American portrayals) because it's about someone new joining a military base that is known for being kind of a loose mess. The difference is that Denis Leary's character is a hardliner while Ken Berry's Captain Parmenter was equally goofy. But that's also the difference between 1965 and 2025. There's gotta be a bit more of a push and pull. The show doesn't feel super tired as far as the setting goes. While military sitcoms have happened throughout TV history, they're not super common. I don't think we've had one since FOX's Enlisted over a decade ago. The Netherlands setting is also a nice touch. But where the show does feel tired is the father-daughter dynamic.
The out of touch father reuniting with his estranged, and opposite personality, daughter definitely has a been there, done that feel. I've never been a big fan of Denis Leary, I don't think he's all that funny and his character doesn't have any real recognizable characteristics besides being a blowhard. I'm not familiar with Taylor Misiak, but she didn't make much of an impression either as the daughter so the already tired central concept doesn't have major draws in the lead roles. This comedy could benefit quite a bit from a boisterous and varied ensemble but we didn't get a great sense of that in the pilot. I didn't hate this pilot but I don't see myself sticking with the show.
SCRIPTED PREMIERES THIS WEEK
As we get out of the holidays, there are a lot more premieres this week than the past several weeks. The first full week of January is traditionally a week where the broadcast networks start rolling out midseason lineups and that is still the case even with less scripted offerings. On Tuesday, FOX premieres Doc, a new medical drama that has gotten a lot of ads during football games. Also on Tuesday, ABC has the third season premiere of Will Trent and the seventh season premiere of The Rookie sandwiching the return of High Potential at a new time. This seems like it will be the final season of The Rookie but nothing has been confirmed. Also premiering on Tuesday is the sixth season of The Oval on BET. On Wednesday, ABC has the premiere of its new Tim Allen-Kat Dennings comedy Shifting Gears, which will lead into the crossover episode between Abbott Elementary and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The streamers take over on Thursday with a couple big premieres. Max has the premiere of The Pitt, the self-proclaimed procedural drama that brings Noah Wyle back to an emergency room in a show that they are clear, for legal reasons, is NOT an ER reboot. As mentioned above, the series has 15 episodes for its first season, which is very unique for a streaming show. Also premiering Thursday is the limited series American Primeval on Netflix. The violent western comes from Peter Berg and stars his Friday Night Lights buddy Taylor Kitsch along with Betty Gilpin and others. Also premiering on Thursday is Dick Wolf's first ever streaming show, On Call, a police procedural that was originally developed for IMDB TV but is now premiering on Prime Video. Finally, Thursday also has the return of The Upshaws on Netflix for "Part 6," which is sort of like a sixth season but not called that.
ODDS & ENDS
- The Golden Globes aired last night. I don't have too much to say about an awards show that ultimately doesn't mean all that much and has become less of a zany time than it used to be. I thought Nikki Glasier was solid. She had a few good quips and while she wasn't at a Tina Fey/Amy Poehler level, she still had a good energy. The show itself had some awkwardness (the camera angles for presenters that was rightfully called out by Seth Rogen and the odd choice for only putting little pictures of the nominees while showing a wider shot of the ballroom) but it still moved alright. For the winners, it was another big night for Shogun, Baby Reindeer and Hacks, just like the Emmys so there wasn't much to talk about. The only show that wasn't eligible for the Emmys that picked up a win was Colin Farrell for The Penguin so there's not much to glean from the results.
- It's been a little bit of time now but Shrinking's second season came to an end on Christmas Eve (side note: I don't know why streamers schedule shows to premiere so they end during a holiday. The same thing happened with Fleishman is in Trouble a few years ago and it got lost in the shuffle. Why not premiere it a week earlier or with two episodes? But I digress). As I mentioned in my Top 10 shows, Shrinking went from being a show I was fine with in its first season to one of my favorite shows in the second season. The strength here is the ensemble and it became such an ensemble comedy in the second year. I would be fine with Brett Goldstein not continuing with the show in the third season aside from maybe one or two appearances because I feel like that story has been dealt with and it's time to move to other stories and not force Goldstein's Louis into the group. Harrison Ford certainly has his Emmy reel from that finale and the entire ensemble deserves to not just get nominated but win the SAG Award for Comedy Ensemble. I'm looking forward to Season Three, which is about to start filming!
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