Image via Complex
True Detective. Atlanta. Game of Thrones. The Punisher. It's easy to talk about all of the shows everyone knows will be back in 2019, but how many of you are up on the series debuting this year?
HBO, Netflix, Showtime, Amazon, and other platforms and channels are set to bring a number of shows to your screens in the months to come. Some might feel like stuff you've seen—dramas about teens doing drugs, superhero-driven stories, modern takes on TV classics—but it's dope to see these services and channels expanding on familiar ideas with shows that will challenge, excite, and educate viewers.
With that in mind, we've sorted out our picks for the most anticipated brand-new television series of 2019. We imagine that there are a number of upcoming streaming titles that haven't been announced but based on what's been hinted at, these should provide the most bang for your buck this year. Here are the most anticipated new TV shows dropping in 2019.
'Deadly Class'
Network: SyFy
Stars: Benjamin Wadsworth, Lana Condor, Benedict Wong
Premiere Date: January 16
Based on the acclaimed Image Comics series, Deadly Class takes place in the '80s and is all about a school (King's Dominion) for kids who are destined to become assassins. Think of it as a regular prep school, but the kids are the offspring of Yakuza members and crime lords. We follow Marcus, who is the latest addition to King's Dominion. He has a dark past and immediately rubs his classmates the wrong way. Think Heathers, but everyone is a murderer.
'Black Monday'
Network: Showtime
Stars: Don Cheadle, Andrew Rannells, Regina Hall, Paul Scheer
Premiere Date: January 20
The story of Black Monday—aka October 19, 1987, the day of the worst stock market crash to hit Wall Street—has been a mystery to many...until now. From the minds of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (Preacher), Black Monday takes us back to a year prior to Black Monday, with Don Cheadle starring as a coked-out Wall Street maven who knows how to wheel and deal his way to excess. With a cast that also features Regina Hall and Paul Scheer, this one is dripped head to toe in '80s references, but based on the pilot (which you can watch for free up above), it looks like there are some layers to this comedy.
'American Soul'
Network: BET
Stars: Sinqua Walls, Jason Dirden, Iantha Richardson
Premiere Date: February 5
The story of Don Cornelius hits BET in this new series. Cornelius' journey to bring Soul Train to masses that weren't understanding African-American culture in the 1970s is broken down. Sinqua Walls, who you may remember from The Breaks, plays Cornelius, alongside a number of special guests, including Destiny's Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams (as Gladys Knight and Diana Ross, respectively), Bobby Brown, K. Michelle, and many more.
'Boomerang'
Network: BET
Stars: Tequan Richmond, Tetona Jackson, Leland Martin, Lala Milan
Premiere Date: February 12
In 1992, Eddie Murphy starred among a massive cast in Boomerang, one of the greatest hip-hop romantic comedies of all time. It found a player and executive at an ad agency (Murphy) meeting his match when an equally able woman (Robin Givens) joins his firm and plays him at his own game. He ends up finding love with another woman (Halle Berry), and lives happily ever after. For this BET series, their children show that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, updating the iconic film for 2019. With Berry and Lena Waithe on as executive producers, Boomerang the series should be hilarious and necessary.
'The Umbrella Academy'
Network: Netflix
Stars: Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, Mary J. Blige
Premiere Date: February 15
Netflix picked up on this intriguing comic book series, which follows a world in which 43 children were born on the same day to women who prior to that day hadn't shown any signs of pregnancy. The remaining children band together to save the world. The Dark Horse comic series won the Eisner Award for Limited Series in 2008, and with the likes of Ellen Page, Mary J. Blige, and others in the cast, this feels like it'll be one of the wilder series to hit Netflix this year.
'Doom Patrol'
Network: DC Universe
Stars: April Bowlby, Diane Guerrero, Joivan Wade, Brendan Fraser, Alan Tudyk, Timothy Dalton, Matt Bomer
Premiere Date: February 15
DC kicked off their DC Universe streaming service with one new series, Titans, in the fall of 2018. The show followed the formation of Robin's super squad. Introduced in the first season, the Doom Patrol, in its spin-off series, picks up where Titans left off. Cyborg (not the one you saw in the Justice League film) calls the Doom Patrol together for a mission they can't avoid. Among the cast are names like Brendan Fraser, Alan Tudyk, and Timothy Dalton, which makes it look like DC is making sure their original series aren't to be slept on.
'Desus & Mero'
Network: Showtime
Stars: Desus Nice, the Kid Mero
Premiere Date: February 21
Following a memorable run on Complex and a long-standing podcast, Desus Nice and the Kid Mero took their talents to Viceland, owning late-night television for two seasons with their hilarious series. After leaving the channel in the summer of 2018, they make their grand return to TV via their new Showtime series, which appears to expand on their skill sets, adding a room of writers and (hopefully) sketches to the equation.
'Turn Up Charlie'
Network: Netflix
Stars: Idris Elba, Piper Perabo, JJ Feild, Frankie Hervey
Premiere Date: March 15
Idris Elba, who's everyone's favorite actor and a real-life DJ, will kick off his Netflix series this March. Playing a DJ and bachelor, he has to make some scratch, so he becomes a "manny." Hilarity ensues. With Piper Perabo on board, and the promise of Idris being seen in situations we'd never imagine, Turn Up Charlie will at least be worth a trial run.
'Harley Quinn'
Network: DC Universe
Stars: Kaley Cuoco, Lake Bell, Diedrich Bader, Alan Tudyk
Premiere Date: October
With Harley being close to Deadpool in the DC Comics Universe, it'd make sense that they'd angle for more from the madcap madam. This animated series is part of the DC Universe's slate of new material for 2019 and features Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) playing the titular character. Aside from Alan Tudyk, actors in this show include Giancarlo Esposito, Wanda Sykes, and JB Smoove.
'The Central Park Five'
Network: Netflix
Stars: Jharrel Jerome, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, Freddy Miyares, Justin Cunningham
Premiere Date: TBA
Netflix's next project from Ava DuVernay is the Central Park Five miniseries, which will bring to light one of New York's most memorable true crime tales. The series will follow five individuals from 1989, when they are wrongly convicted for the rape of a jogger, through 2014, when they are finally cleared. With Moonlight star Jharrel Jerome, Leftovers star Jovan Adepo, and legends like Michael K. Williams, John Leguizamo, Niecy Nash, and Storm Reid in the cast, we're hype for what Ava has in store.
'City on a Hill'
Network: Showtime
Stars: Kevin Bacon, Aldis Hodge, Jonathan Tucker
Premiere Date: TBA
Based on an original idea from Ben Affleck (who is on as an executive, alongside Matt Damon), this Showtime series stars Kevin Bacon, who takes on organized crime in Boston with a D.A. from Brooklyn. While it may feel like a normal crime drama, City on a Hill might be more akin to The Wire, with both sides of the coin being taken to task.
'Euphoria'
Network: HBO
Stars: Zendaya, Storm Reid, Maude Apatow, Algee Smith
Premiere Date: TBA
When it comes to HBO's new series Euphoria, we know more about who's behind it than what it's actually about. Everyone from indie film powerhouse A24 to October's Very Own's Drake is attached to this show, which stars Zendaya (alongside Storm Reid, Algee Smith, and others) and follows a batch of high schoolers who are living their lives chock-full of drugs and drama.
'First Wives Club'
Network: BET
Stars: Michelle Buteau, Jill Scott, Ryan Michelle Bathe, Mark Tallman, RonReaco Lee, Malik Yoba
Premiere Date: TBA
In 1996, Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, and Bette Midler starred in The First Wives Club, a film about three friends getting revenge on their significant others. Based on a 1992 novel, this new BET series falls under the same premise. It was initially given a pilot order from TV Land, but after moving to Paramount, it found its home at BET, with Jill Scott as part of the show, which not only features callbacks to the film, but a re-recorded version of "You Don't Own Me."
'Good Omens'
Network: Amazon
Stars: David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Anna Maxwell Martin, Jon Hamm
Premiere Date: TBA
David Tennant fans have been anxiously awaiting this series—based on the 1990 novel Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch—since trailers dropped around New York Comic Con last fall. Tennant plays the demon Crowley opposite Michael Sheen as the angel Aziraphale, as the two squad up in an effort to halt the final battle between heaven and hell. Also on board are Jon Hamm (as archangel Gabriel) and Frances McDormand (as the voice of God).
'Hanna'
Network: Amazon
Stars: Esme Creed-Miles, Joel Kinnaman, Mireille Enos
Premiere Date: TBA
In 2011, a young Saoirse Ronan starred in Hanna, a film in which Eric Bana trained her to be an assassin. At some point, Cate Blanchett decided that she was a problem and set out to eliminate the girl. Amazon's bringing this story back for 2019 with this new series, which features Esme Creed-Miles as Hanna, who is on the run.
'Raising Dion'
Network: Netflix
Stars: Alisha Wainwright, Ja'Siah Young, Michael B. Jordan, Jason Ritter, Jazmyn Simon
Premiere Date: TBA
Executive produced by (and featuring) Michael B. Jordan, this upcoming Netflix series is another take on the superhero genre. A mother finds out that raising her son, Dion, following the death of his father will be crazier after discovering that he has superhero-esque abilities. The trick is keeping them a secret from forces that might be wanting to take Dion out. Raising Dion, which has already been made into a comic book and a short film, could follow in the vein of projects like Unbreakable, giving us more grounded tales of extraordinary people.
'Swamp Thing'
Network: DC Universe
Stars: Andy Bean, Derek Mears, Crystal Reed, Maria Sten
Premiere Date: TBA
You don't need to have been a reader of comic books to be up on Swamp Thing. The character's had two feature-length films (including the first, directed by Wes Craven), a live-action TV series, and an animated TV series. While this one will be airing on DC Universe, it will not share continuity with Titans or Doom Patrol. It will feature the likes of Ian Ziering and Virginia Madsen as cast members, and is being described as a hybrid "superhero/romance/horror/drama" series.
'The Boys'
Network: Amazon
Stars: Karl Urban, Elisabeth Shue, Erin Moriarty, Antony Starr, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher
Premiere Date: TBA
The Boys, a comic series from the mind of Garth Ennis (Preacher), is getting the television series treatment from Amazon. You ever wonder who polices superpowered beings? The Boys, of course. Developed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, this show appears to lean in on the funny, although it'll be interesting to see if it can do what Ennis set out to do with the comic book series and "out-Preacher Preacher."
'The Mandalorian'
Network: Disney+
Stars: Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Nick Nolte, Giancarlo Esposito
Premiere Date: TBA
The first announced series for Disney's upcoming Disney+ streaming service, The Mandalorian finds Disney taking no prisoners. Written and produced by Jon Favreau, scored by Ludwig Göransson, and set in the Star Wars universe (sometime between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens), this series follows a lone Mandalorian gunfighter and his journey far from the Republic. That's all we know, aside from the fact that that info alone has us AMPED.
'The Twilight Zone'
Network: CBS All Access
Stars: Sanaa Lathan, Adam Scott, Kumail Nanjiani, John Cho, Allison Tolman, Jacob Tremblay, Erica Tremblay, Steven Yeun, Greg Kinnear
Premiere Date: TBA
Jordan Peele bringing back The Twilight Zone? That's enough to make us want to cop a CBS All Access subscription. Similar to Rod Serling's series (including having its creator, in this case, Peele, host each episode), it will deliver standalone, creepy tales featuring familiar Hollywood faces (including Steven Yeun, Jacob Tremblay, Sanaa Lathan, and Adam Scott). It's a tall order, but if anyone is bound to ascend to what Serling crafted back in 1959, it has to be Peele, right?
'Watchmen'
Network: HBO
Stars: Regina King, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Gossett Jr.
Premiere Date: TBA
The late-'80s Watchmen comic book series is seen as a landmark in the graphic novel medium. Taking place in an alternate history in which costumed heroes helped change the course of humanity, it told a tale about what happens after heroes save the day and have to deal with their actions. Zack Snyder brought the story to the cinema in a polarizing 2009 film, and now Damon Lindelof (the brain behind Lost and The Leftovers) is bringing it to HBO. Little is known about this new series, aside from the fact that it appears to be nodding to the graphic novel while also charting its own path. With a cast featuring Regina King, Don Johnson, Jeremy Irons, and many more? It's appointment television off those working parts alone.