The continuation of “Peak TV” means that there were 495 (!) scripted shows on the air over the course of 2018—and it doesn’t look like 2019 has any intentions of slowing down. It’s probably for the best that most of the 13 shows we’re looking forward to next year are returning ones, featuring everything from the next step in Eve and Villanelle’s fabulous cat-and-mouse game to Spock’s smile. But there are also some new series on our radar, including The Umbrella Academy and What We Do in the Shadows, not to mention the conclusion of at least one show (we will see Killjoys off with a Viking funeral, dammit). Ah, the TV circle of life.
Roswell, New Mexico (January 15)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTk24tf_cyY
I missed the WB’s Roswell when it first aired in the late ’90s/early ’00s, but I remember snatches of the freaky alien plot and steamy forbidden love between human Liz and alien Max. I am delighted to report that The CW’s reboot builds on all of that and much more, layering in a double dose of immigration issues and aging the characters by a decade, which somehow makes the high school-related stakes feel even more monumental. —Natalie Zutter
Star Trek: Discovery (January 17)
So far everything that’s showing up in the season two trailers seems cause for celebration; a more lighthearted tone, a space mystery, Spock and Pike, Michael getting to have some fun with her brother. The first season was bumpy as all get-out, but I’m still all in. I love these characters and want to see what they can do. —Emmet Asher-Perrin
The Magicians (January 21)
I’m SO WORRIED ABOUT ELIOT, YOU GUYS. Margo says “He’s trapped in there,” so hopefully our boy can come back from this … possession? But that’s only one small part of what’s going on here: The Library’s creepy idea about what safety is, Penny’s mustache, Margo in an eyepatch again … there isn’t a moment in this trailer that doesn’t get my hopes way, way up for this season—and that’s saying a lot, given how much I adored season three. I love how it’s taken the books’ original premise and built something entirely new out of it, to the point that characters that didn’t exist or were really different in the books (hi, Kady!) are some of the most important parts of the show. It just keeps getting better, too. —Molly Templeton
The Umbrella Academy (February 15)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMeqY7ogdF8
I first saw a teaser for Umbrella Academy at New York Comic Con, and have been waiting for what feels like ever for everyone else to get to see it, and to share my enthusiasm for this screwed-up family of superpowered weirdos, Mary J. Blige as a time-traveling assassin, and poor Ellen Page as the normal one in the bunch. (Sort of. You know: the normal ones are always the ones to watch out for.) The tone is just right, the song choice is just perfect, and that cast is superb across the board. —Molly
American Gods (March 10)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EJEa9aW5PQ&t=4s
I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was nervous about the new season of American Gods after the departure of Bryan Fuller and Michael Green. BUT, I also trust Neil Gaiman and the cast to shepherd their divine creations into a new season, and let’s be real, I’m so excited to finally see the House on the Rock that I’m along for the ride no matter what. —Leah Schnelbach
Please, I just need that carousel ride, okay? We’ve waited so long, and right as it was getting to the crazy good part. —Emily
I’m just here to second what Emily said. Let me on the carousel, show! —Molly
The 100 (TBA)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giiIq7t4oMQ
Almost nothing in this trailer from last season reflects where The 100 is at by the end of season 5… and that is fantastic. After the six-year time jump between seasons 4 and 5 gave us Blodreina, THE DARK YEAR, and Clarke’s questionable maternal instincts, this batty sci-fi show retooled itself yet again, by a factor of 10. Without giving too much away (because you really should hitch a ride on this Ark if you haven’t yet), season 6 looks like how Passengers should have gone—with a more compelling love story, to boot—and that pesky question of whether Earth is worth saving has been answered with an entirely new question. What’s Trigedasleng for “my body is ready”? —Natalie
We’ve already had cannibalism. Where the heck are we going next? —Molly
Good Omens (TBA)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZSXlNRRoGU
YES. Yes, now, immediately. —Leah
This is probably more important to me than any TV of 2019; I used to be so active in this fandom on LiveJournal, y’all have no idea what I will do to see this thing realized on any screen at all, put it in my face and let me absorb it’s glory. —Emily
Killing Eve (TBA)
One of my greatest pleasures of last year was discovering how hilarious and devastating this show was, and then introducing it to everyone I knew. Not so this year—I expect all y’all to catch up before the season 2 premiere, whenever that is. There are only eight episodes—trust me, by the end you will be lamenting that it’s so few. —Natalie
Killjoys (TBA)
We don’t even have a premiere date yet for my beloved Killjoys‘ fifth and final season and I am already certain that I am not ready for the rollercoaster of drama, flirting, extremely stupid wisecracks, face-punching, frenemy-making, drinking, sex, and murder that this season is bound to be. Killjoys‘ first season was fun and quirky and absolutely lived on the chemistry between its three leads (please sign Hannah John-Kamen in particular up for every smart action movie ever), but as the seasons progressed, it got darker, and more complicated, and more intensely focused on the idea of found families: the good ones, the bad ones, the really bad ones, and the ones you never expected to matter. I really can’t imagine what’s going to fill the Dutch-and-Johnny’s-friendship-shaped hole in my heart when it’s all over. Get your space booze and your tissues ready. —Molly
Pretty sure I put this on my “looking forward” list for 2018 and then failed to watch it. I will not make that mistake again in 2019! —Natalie
Lost in Space (TBA)
Give us back our space army dad and space science mom. GIVE THEM BACK. —Emily and Molly
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (TBA)
I literally got into Clone Wars right after it ended, and I was SO MAD that I wasn’t watching along with it as it aired. Give me back my baby Ahsoka. Also give me back the only Anakin Skywalker who makes sense, and also Rex, and also my patronus aka Sarcastic Battletime Obi-Wan Kenobi. —Emily
I completely slept on Clone Wars on its first go-round, so I am ready for a second chance to be on the right side of Star Wars history. —Natalie
The Tick (TBA)
The Tick wasn’t just my favorite show last year, and it wasn’t just a wonderful riff on a beloved character. It was a light in the darkness, a moment of joy piercing a bleak emotional landscape, a spark of hope in a desolate realm…it was almost Paddington. While there isn’t a release date yet, it is supposed to return sometime in 2019, and the New York Comic-Con panel promised more of Ms. Lint, more time with The Tick and Arthur on patrol, and more absurdist Ben Edlund characters, and I want it in my eyeballs nowwwww. —Leah
What We Do in the Shadows (TBA)
I got to see the pilot episode at New York Comic-Con, and I am not allowed to talk about it. I am allowed to say, however, that you will be doing your limited time on Earth a disservice if you don’t watch it. It builds on the 2014 film in some ingenious ways, and the addition of Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, and Harvey Guillen as a quartet of new characters brings new, um, life to the vampiric shenanigans. —Leah
This feels like such a no-brainer for excellent TV after seeing the movie. I cannot wait. —Emily
What new and returning TV shows are you excited about in the new year?
