Spring 2024 TV Preview: 20 Shows to Watch

March 29: “A Gentleman in Moscow” (Showtime)

An eight-episode limited series at Showtime, “A Gentleman in Moscow” adapts Amor Towles’ novel of the same name. The 2016 work of historical fiction is Towles’ second best-seller after his earlier “Rules of Civility,” and almost had Kenneth Branagh in the lead role. Instead, Ewan McGregor stars as Count Alexander Rostov, a Russian elitist born in Saint Petersburg at the turn of the 19th century. He’s later imprisoned by a Bolshevik tribunal for his crimes as a “social parasite” and sentenced to live out his life under house arrest.

Sweeping period cityscapes surround the beautifully rendered Hotel Metropol, Rostov’s unusual permanent residence where he’ll meet a film actress with a unique fondness for nudity. She’s played by an icy blonde Mary Elizabeth Winstead — who, fun fact, is McGregor’s spouse in real life — and surrounded by a cast of ever stranger characters. Alexa Goodall, Johnny Harris, Fehinti Balogun, and more also appear in the smartly composed cast, with showrunner Ben Vanstone (“The Last Kingdom”) at the helm. Sarah O’Gorman (“The Last Kingdom,” “The Witcher”) and Emmy-nominated Sam Miller (“I May Destroy You,” “Luther”) direct. —AF

March 29: “Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show” (HBO)

Jerrod Carmichael, it appears, is in a state of constant creative expansion. After breaking through as a young stand-up in Los Angeles, he launched a throwback sitcom of sorts: “The Carmichael Show” took on a conventional format (multi-camera setup, live studio audience, etc.) but broached topical issues in ways that would make Norman Lear proud. He continued to evolve his stand-up, especially in the Emmy-winning HBO special “Rothaniel,” while taking on various acting roles (“Poor Things”), prominent hosting gigs (“SNL” and the Golden Globes), and even directing a feature film, “On the Count of Three,” which earned strong reviews out of Sundance.

Now, he’s back with HBO but doing something totally different. “Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show” is exactly what its title implies: Carmichael is letting cameras track his daily life, whether he’s getting ready for a first date or hanging out with friends. A prominent focus — as it was in “The Carmichael Show” — is family. Early footage showed Carmichael having frank discussions about his sexuality with his father (after coming out in 2022), but that’s about all we know about where “Reality Show” is going or why Carmichael decided to embrace another new genre. SXSW will be the first to find out more, before “Reality Show” premieres March 29. —BT

March 31: “Parish” (AMC)

From the folks who turned Bob Odenkirk’s scene-stealing “Breaking Bad” run into “Better Call Saul” comes a welcome spotlight vehicle for Giancarlo Esposito, from showrunners Eduardo Javier Canto and Ryan Maldonado (it’s based on a British series from Danny Brocklehurst and Jim Poysner). Esposito plays Gracian “Gray” Parish, a New Orleans man who ends up embroiled in the criminal web of a man known as “The Horse” (Zackary Momoh) after his son’s murder. Also starring Bonnie Mbuli, Ivan Mbakop, Paula Malcolmson, Skeet Ulrich, Arica Himmel, and Dax Rey, with Bradley Whitford and Amanda Brugel. —PK

April 3: “American Horror Story: Delicate” Part 2 (FX)

Ryan Murphy shows are infamous for petering out, and his FX horror anthology never met a seasonal theme it couldn’t fumble. Which is why you’d be forgiven for not realizing “American Horror Story: Delicate” isn’t finished yet. Based on Danielle Rollins’ thriller novel “Delicate Condition,” this disappointing “Rosemary’s Baby” redux stars Emma Roberts in a classic female hysteria whodunnit about a pregnant actress being stalked for her baby.

“Delicate” wasn’t split in half for storytelling reasons. No, the adaptation was bisected thanks to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes — leaving showrunner Halley Feiffer (who also wrote the season) and TV audiences on the narrative hook for almost a year. Last we saw heroine Anna she seemed ready to sell her soul to win an Oscar. We’ll see how that pans out for her in four new episodes (“Opening Night,” “Ave Hestia,” “Little Gold Man,” and “The Auteur”), beginning on April 3 and releasing weekly after that. The show won accolades for its costumes, make up, and hair which is maybe the best reason to revisit the troubled title. —AF

April 4: “Ripley” (Netflix)

Most film buffs would agree it’s utterly foolhardy to even touch Anthony Minghella’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” but even the biggest skeptic likely paused to gasp when Netflix announced its limited series adaptation from Steve Zaillan and starring Andrew Scott (in black-and-white!). Scott becomes the eponymous antihero (tapping into his humble and twisted “Sherlock” origins), with “Lovesick”s Johnny Flynn as Dickie and Dakota Fanning as Marge. Tom Ripley isn’t an easy man to catch, but we expect he’ll still be a delight to watch. —PK

April 5: “Mary & George” (Starz)

Starz’ bread and butter is a steamy historical drama, and this real-life tale of mother and son Mary and George more than fits the bill. Starring Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine (“Red, White and Royal Blue,” forthcoming “The Idea of You”) the series follows the real-life duo as they scheme their way into English court all the way up to seducing King James I (putting a whole new spin on mother-son bonding, we imagine!).

Based on the book “The King’s Assassin” by Benjamin Woolley expect historical fiction fans (hi!) to gobble this one up. —ES

April 5: “Sugar” (Apple TV+)

On the one hand, “Sugar” is a TV show like any other. The drama follows private investigator John Sugar once he’s been hired to find the vanished granddaughter of an esteemed Hollywood producer. In other words, there’s a missing girl, a powerful family member, and a lone detective out to discover the truth — truth, undoubtedly, that’s more than he bargained for. But “Sugar,” too, may be more than its familiar genre trappings suggest. For one, the titular P.I. is played by Colin Farrell, marking his first starring TV role since the little-seen AMC+ import, “The North Water,” and, before that, the widely seen (and disliked) second season of “True Detective.” Now with an Oscar nomination to his credit, Farrell returns for another go at prestige TV, and he’s not alone: The enticing cast counts fellow Oscar nominee Amy Ryan and Kirby Howell-Baptiste as series regulars, alongside recurring heavyweights in James Cromwell, Anna Gunn, and Miguel Sandoval. Adding to the excitement is pilot director and executive producer Fernando Meirelles (“City of God”) and an air of secrecy around the entire project. “Genre-bending” is a term that’s popped up around “Sugar,” as the eight-episode first season will branch out from a dramatic detective story into the realm of science-fiction, as well. How, exactly, is part of the mystery, but there are more than a few good reasons to come knocking for a bowl of “Sugar” come April 5. —BT

April 11: “Fallout” (Prime Video)

Co-created by Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner, “Fallout” is on standby to become the next great video game adaption on TV. “Yellowjackets” Ella Purnell stars as hero Lucy, a survivor in a post-apocalyptic version of Earth decimated by nuclear warfare at the end of World War II. At the start of the series, Lucy emerges from a 200-year-old bunker to find a raging resource war going on topside — making her introduction to a world she’s never known even more right for serialized adventure.

Like players of the original title from Bethesda Game Studios, Lucy will navigate this dangerous alternate history with ample ammunition and a trusty canine companion at her side. Walton Goggins plays the primary antagonist in the major Prime Video investment; he’s an especially dangerous mutant in a sea of visual effects that must have cost a fortune. Aaron Morten, Kyle MacLachlan, and more fill out the cast of this sci-fi series, a no-brainer one-to-watch if you loved or even just liked HBO’s “The Last of Us.” —AF

April 12: “Franklin” (Apple TV+)

This is, somewhat surprisingly, Michael Douglas’ first time in a period piece — and boy did he pick an interesting one for his first time at bat. (He also executive produces the show.) This eight-part Apple TV+ series follows Benjamin Franklin’s exploits in France during 1776 as the fate of the United States hangs in the balance. Based on Stacy Schiff’s book, “A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America,” the show’s press release sets the stage thusly: “At age 70, without any diplomatic training, Franklin convinced an absolute monarchy to underwrite America’s experiment in democracy. By virtue of his fame, charisma and ingenuity, Franklin outmaneuvered British spies, French informers and hostile colleagues to engineer the Franco-American alliance of 1778 and the peace treaty with England in 1783.”

Directed by Tim Van Patten, the show also stars Noah Jupe, Thibault de Montalembert, Daniel Mays, and Theodore Pellerin. —ES

April 14: “The Sympathizer” (Max)

Adapted from Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and directed by none other than “Oldboy” and “Decision To Leave’s” Park Chan-wook, “The Sympathizer” is a six-episode limited series about The Captain (Hoa Xuande), a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy who flees Vietnam near the end of the war to continue his covert duties stateside. Along the way, he runs into politicians and film directors, fellow communists and avid capitalists, all while being torn between the identity he presents to others and the one he’s sworn to keep hidden. Co-starring in the A24 production are Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Phanxine, Vy Le, Ky Duyen, Sandra Oh, and Robert Downey Jr. (the latter of whom plays at least four roles). Matching its protagonist’s striking duality, “The Sympathizer” is an earnest, dramatic character study as much as it’s a black-comic satire. In the hands of Chan-wook, it can’t be missed. —BT

April 17: “Under the Bridge” (Hulu)

Adapting the late Rebecca Godfrey’s nonfiction book of the same name (the author died in October 22 at age 54 from lung cancer), “Under the Bridge” tells the tragic true crime tale of 14-year-old Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta). Godfrey’s 2005 book recounts her investigation into Dirk’s violent death. The young Canadian girl, an immigrant from India with religious parents, experienced extreme bullying at school and died after she was brutally beaten and left for dead in a river in 1997. Riley Keough stars as Godfrey for the Hulu dramatization; the author died just weeks after the streamer announced the series. Chloe Guidry, Izzy G, Ezra Farouke Khan, and more — including Lily Gladstone — round out the cast. —AF

April 26: “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story” (Hulu)

This four-part docuseries is straightforward but somehow a first; an all-access look into the past, present, and future of Bon Jovi after the band’s 40-year career. Starting in the present (February 2022) and folowing on the band’s journey, the series revisits key moments from their history through unreleased videos, audio, lyrics, and images. Gotham Chopra serves as director and executive producer. —PK

April 30: “The Veil” (FX)

Elisabeth Moss has one of the better resumes in television. From “The West Wing” to “Mad Men,” “Top of the Lake” to “The Handmaid’s Tale,” if Moss is in more than a few episodes of a TV show, odds are it’s worth checking out, if not a full-on classic. (Even her award-less 2022 Apple series, “Shining Girls,” was an exciting thriller with incredible atmospherics.) Now, she’s back with “The Veil,” a limited series written by “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight and co-starring Josh Charles, Yumna Marwan, Dali Benssalah, and Haluk Bilginer. Though few details have been leaked in advance, the story follows a spy and her charge on the road from Istanbul to Paris and London. Along the way, Moss’ espionage agent has to extract a vital secret from her travel companion, all while the CIA and French DGSE steer things from behind the scenes. Knight’s previous FX collaborations have been so-so, starting on a relative high with Tom Hardy in “Taboo” and before middling adaptations of “A Christmas Carol” and “Great Expectations.” Here’s hoping Moss’ involvement tips the scales back in his (and our) favor. —BT

May 2: “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” (Peacock)

An upcoming drama for Peacock, “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” is an adaptation of Heather Morris’ 2018 Holocaust novel with the same title. The true love story is based on the lives of Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew imprisoned at Auschwitz, and his wife Gita Furman, who he would come to know while tattooing at the concentration camp. Harvey Keitel and Jonah Hauer-King each play Sokolov at different ages opposite Polish actress Anna Próchniak as Furman. Melanie Lynskey also stars as Morris.

The book has received some criticism for its changing of facts, but was originally written with a screenplay in mind. The show will be scored by Hans Zimmer and Kara Talve and is directed by Tali Shalom Ezer, an accomplished Israeli filmmaker with a particular knack for bringing complex character psychology to screen. —AF

May 8: “Dark Matter” (Apple TV+)

Based on the bestselling novel by Blake Crouch, “Dark Matter” is a new drama series about Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton), your average physics professor and family man who gets “abducted into an alternate version of his life” (per Apple’s synopsis). His curiosity spiked, Jason explores what could’ve been before realizing he may be losing what actually is (or was). How does he get back to his true family amid the array of realities confronting him? Fans of the book shouldn’t have to worry about too many deviations: Crouch is the series’ showrunner (as well as an executive producer and writer). His enviable cast includes Edgerton (also an E.P.), Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga, and Jimmi Simpson. —BT

May 9: “Love Undercover” (Peacock)

Peacock is digging further into the reality TV dating game with “Love Undercover,” an unscripted series about international soccer stars who travel to the United States in search of romance. Think “Welcome to Wrexham” meets “The Prince & Me.” Stripped of their wealth, status, and cleats, the goofy globe-trotting footballers will attempt to win over women without any of the flashy resources that make them borderline royalty abroad. It can’t be love at first sight if your would-be One sees you on the world stage first. But it’s anyone’s game in America. —AF

May 2: “Hacks” Season 3 (HBO)

A comedy that is *actually* funny finally returns! The third season of the Emmy-winning (and most quotable) show, starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbender, picks up a year after the Season 2 finale, where Ava (Einbender) is branching out on her own and Deborah Vance (Smart) is back on top of the stand up world. The nine-episode third installment also marks the promotion of Paul W. Downs (co-creator) and Megan Stalter to series regulars — thank god. If you’ve somehow not checked this one out yet, the first two seasons make a delightful binge. —ES

May 12: “Interview With the Vampire” Season 2 (AMC)

AMC’s stylish and seductive second installment based on Anne Rice’s novels (and part of a growing Rice universe on the network) returns after Louis (Jacob Anderson) and Claudia (Delainey Hayles) attempted to kill Lestat (Sam Reid). Louis continues his interview with Daniel (Eric Bogosian), the tale now picking up in Europe as he and Claudia meet with other vampires, including Armand (Assad Zaman) who will become Louis’ great love. —PK

May 16: “Bridgerton” (Netflix)

After more than two years off the air (not counting Netflix’s breakout “Queen Charlotte” spinoff), “Bridgerton” returns, with Jess Brownell stepping in as showrunner. Instead of a mysterious new love interest, Season 3 (released in two parts) will focus on established characters Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan). With Pen now determined to find a husband in her third year on the marriage mart, she indulges in some light masochism by agreeing to let Colin assist her. Any romcom expert knows that fake sparks lead to real ones, but Pen’s secret identity as Lady Whistledown might threaten everything — including the match she never dared to think possible. —PK

May: “Evil” Season 4 (Paramount+)

Robert and Michelle King have been on quite the hot streak, and CBS executives should be thanking them a hundred times over. What began with “The Good Wife” in 2009 has blossomed into two excellent spinoffs (“The Good Fight” and the just-released “Elsbeth”) along with “Evil,” a horror series starring Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, and Aasif Mandvi about a trio of investigators tasked with sorting out supposed supernatural incidents. With strong chemistry from the cast and riveting atmospherics from the production team, “Evil” quickly stood out as more than a modern spin on “The X-Files” (although X-Phillies will find plenty to appreciate). It’s frightening, both in the immediate sense of getting spooked by whatever monster (human or otherwise) is hiding around the corner, as well as the lingering sense of unease steadily conjured by a growing stack of unnerving cases. After starting on CBS before moving to Paramount+ in Season 2, “Evil” will begin its fourth and final season in May — a blessing, really, if only because the days are longer in the summer, and night is when the ghouls come out to play. —BT