The Most Anticipated TV Shows of 2018

Image via Complex/Jonathan Fouabi

Network: Freeform

Premiere Date: Jan. 3

The spinoff to black-ish, grown-ish (which stars Yara Shahidi, who is reprising her role as Zoey), could be easily described as A Different World 2K18. That's not everything baked into the show, but it's definitely got those vibes. A daughter from a successful sitcom about a black family going off to college and figuring out her place in the world alongside a nutty cast of characters? It's all there. From the episode names borrowing from the titles of some of your favorite hip-hop artists' tracks (the first two episodes are titled "Late Registration" and "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe") to the show maintaining the same wit from its parent series, grown-ish is already an early winner. —khal

Network: Showtime

Premiere Date: Jan. 7

From Emmy Award-winning writer Lena Waithe and Dope director Rick Famuyiwa comes The Chi, a gritty look at life in the city of Chicago. Featuring a number of great rising black actors—Moonlight's Alex Hibbert, Mudbound's Jason Mitchell, Sleight's Jacob Lattimore, and more—this ensemble cast takes the coming-of-age tale(s) involved and truly highlights one of America's most dangerous, and most vibrant, cities in a way we've not seen on television before. —khal

Network: The CW

Premiere Date: Jan. 16

Quiet as kept, DC’s TV products on The CW have been everything their current cinematic efforts have not: lighthearted, entertaining, and fun. So word of a new super-powered series featuring an African American lead on the horizon is enough to pique my interests about Black Lightning. Throw in the fact that it’s executive produced by Salim and Mara Brock Akil—the same husband-wife duo behind top-notch shows like Girlfriends, The Game, and Being Mary Jane—and Krondon, of Cali rap trio Strong Arm Steady, is co-starring as the series’ big bad Tobias Whale, and I’m all in. I'm still curious as to why Black Lightning isn’t part of The CW's Arrowverse (yet), but my DVR is already set for this one. —Anslem Samuel Rocque

Network: FX

Premiere Date: Jan. 17

In 2016, Ryan Murphy's The People v O.J. Simpson kicked off his latest anthology series for FX, American Crime Story. After gobbling up a number of awards and even more critical praise, Murphy's series has returned for its second season, this time looking into the murder of Gianni Versace, which took over the American news cycle in a similar fashion to the Trial of the Century, with even more mystery and scandal. One performance to watch will be Penélope Cruz, who is on board to portray the iconic Donatella Versace. —khal

Network: Netflix

Premiere Date: Feb. 2

Fans of the cyberpunk genre should be excited for Altered Carbon, the Netflix series based on Richard K. Morgan's classic noir novel of the same name. It takes place more than 300 years in the future, and tells an intriguing tale of sex, betrayal, love, and murder in a world where death is no longer a permanent status and your brain can literally be put on ice until further use. —khal

Network: USA

Premiere Date: Feb. 27

In the wake of American Horror Story and American Crime Story, anthology series are all the rage now. The latest to enter the fold is Unsolved. Dubbed The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G., the inaugural series is based off the experiences of former LAPD Detective Greg Kading, who led multiple task force investigations into the still unsolved murders of Biggie and Pac. After a pair of subpar biopics, it’ll be interesting to see how the life and untimely deaths of two of hip-hop’s biggest stars unfolds over the course of an 11-episode season. —Anslem Samuel Rocque

Network: The Paramount Network

Premiere Date: Mar. 7

Based on the iconic 1988 black comedy of the same name, Heathers is set to drop on The Paramount Network (fka Spike TV) and fall in line with a batch of interesting programs they have scheduled for this year. This series, which was initially set to debut on TV Land, was said to be an anthology series featuring Veronica Sawyer taking on a modern-day version of the Heathers clique, with Selma Blair set to be a recurring character. Hopefully it can live up to the legacy of its source material. —khal

Network: SYFY

Premiere Date: Mar. 21

Essentially a prequel to whatever your favorite Superman television series or movie is, Krypton is set two generations before the Man of Steel’s home world got blown to bits. The story revolves around Superman’s grandfather Seg-El, a young man struggling to bring honor to the House of El. This isn’t the same goody two shoes protagonist we’ve come to expect; Super Gramps is said to be more rough around the edges than Kal-El (Superman's government name). He’s also in an “it’s complicated” relationship with a Kryptonian cadet named Lyta Zod—yes, that’s the same last name as one of Superman’s main villains. This series just got a whole lot more interesting. —Anslem Samuel Rocque

Network: ABC

Premiere Date: Mar .27

In the early 1990s, Roseanne Barr's Roseanne was highly successful, showcasing a side of American life that didn't get touched on in most sitcoms. Many outlets have called it one of the greatest TV shows of all time, even if the ninth and final season of the show was kind of trash. Surprisingly, ABC announced in 2017 that the entire cast (including John Goodman, who's character Dan died in the ninth season) would be back for a nine-episode tenth season . It'll be interesting to see how they a) write Dan back into the show and b) seemingly cap off this iconic series. —khal

Network: Freeform

Premiere Date: June 7

Set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Freeform's Cloak & Dagger tells the story of two teens who obtain superpowers. In realizing that their powers work better together than apart, the series delves into their work as a unit... and what that might mean for the duo outside of their superlives. It also appears to introduce entities like villainous corporation Roxxon, which will be interesting for the future of the MCU. —khal

Network: HBO

Premiere Date: Summer 2018

Considering anything Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn writes is gold, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that Sharp Objects, another compelling crime drama, would be getting a screen adaptation sometime soon. Turns out “soon” is 2018, as Amy Adams and Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Marti Noxon join forces for a limited series adaptation of the book. Sure, it’s early, but I’m ready to call it: Sharp Objects is about to become this year’s Big Little Lies. —Aubrey Page

Network: Hulu

Premiere Date: TBA

After the It remake blew everyone’s minds last year, we couldn’t be more ready for more Stephen King. That’s where Castle Rock comes in: an anthology series that incorporates tons of King mythology into one, creepy AF TV series for Hulu. Count me allll the way in. —Aubrey Page

Network: Whatever DC Comics' digital service will be called

Premiere Date: TBA

Are you a fan of the animated Teen Titans series? Get ready for the live-action version, which stars Brenton Thwaites as Dick Grayson (aka Robin), who assembles a band of young DC heroes from all corners of their universe, including Starfire and Raven. It was in development for TNT as far back as 2014, but over the last few years, was redeveloped to be released on whatever DC Comics' upcoming digital service is called. Get hype, DC fans. —khal

Network: Netflix

Premiere Date: TBA

Even if you haven’t heard of Maniac, there’s a good chance that you’ve known it was shooting for a while. The reason? Those insane on-set pics of Jonah Hill looking like a discount store Post Malone that made the rounds online a few months ago. And while I want to see Hill wilding out as much as the next person, the real draw for Maniac is True Detective’s Cary Fukunaga, who returns to TV with the Netflix comedy series, featuring assists from Emma Stone, Justin Theroux, Sally Field and more. —Aubrey Page

Network: Netflix

Premiere Date: TBA

A live-action adaptation of the comic book series of the same name, The Umbrella Academy sounds like a cross between The Addams Family and X-Men. A dysfunctional family of superheroes—including Spaceboy, Kraken, Rumor, Séance, Number Five, Horror, and Vanya—reunites to uncover who killed their father The Monocle. But working together as a united front proves easier said than done. Admittedly, there are a glut of superhero shows on the air right now but the premise for The Umbrella Academy presents an intriguing addition to the growing genre. —Anslem Samuel Rocque

Network: TBA

Premiere Date: TBA

One of the biggest cult characters in the Marvel Comics Universe is Squirrel Girl. She has a whole squirrel tail, is down with all of the squirrels, and is just a lovable character who finds her way out of jams more often than usual. When word that Squirrel Girl was hitting television hit the 'net, many fans wanted Shannon Purser (aka Barb from Stranger Things) to play the role, but we ended up with Milana Vayntrub starring in the upcoming New Warriors. The series (which is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) has reportedly tested well but wasn't able to fit into the programming schedule of its original home, Freeform. While the show gets shopped around, we just hope that the half-hour comedy series ends up SOMEWHERE so we can see how Vayntrub (who has already voiced the character in the upcoming animated film Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors) and the squad can do. —khal