It seems that the TV Gods have blessed us with some action-packed new arrivals coming to our screens throughout 2017. With the honourable mention going to ‘The Young Pope’ and ‘Scandal’, I have whittled this list down to the top 10 TV-Shows to watch out for this year.
10 – THE HANDMAID’S TALE
The feminist dystopian classic The Handmaid’s Tale is coming to our screens in 2017. That’s right, Margaret Atwood’s best-selling novel will arrive in the form of a series adaptation on streaming-service Hulu this year. With acclaimed actresses including Samira Wiley and Elisabeth Moss set to star in this series, it is definitely going to be worth a watch.
9 – TWIN PEAKS
It has been confirmed that the new season of the American cult show Twin Peaks is set to be released on 21st May this year. It has also been rumoured that the episodes are set in present day and that this shift in time frame plays a very important role in the plotline.
8 – A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS
Despite the film adaptation not being particularly successful, Netflix have given Daniel Handler’s book series A Series of Unfortunate Events another chance. This series airs on January 13th in the form of eight episodes starring Neil Patrick Harris in the role Count Olaf.
7 – SENSE8
Speaking of Netflix-original series, the American science fiction drama Sense8 is due to (finally) return with a second season in May this year. Hopefully the five-month wait between the Christmas special until then won’t be too painful.
6 – HOUSE OF CARDS
The hit American political drama series House of Cards is set to return for a fifth season, Netflix has confirmed. However, the creator and showrunner Beau Willimon is departing the popular series after five years of leading the show. I have no idea what this means for the programme, but with a large team of executive producers, we can only hope that the show’s fantastic standard is maintained.
5 – DOCTOR FOSTER
Doctor Foster, the British drama TV-series is returning to our screens for a second season this year. The show earned multiple nominations at the National Television Awards after the first season of this sensational thriller. With over 10.1 million viewers tuned into the season finale in 2015, it is clear that the show’s return is highly awaited.
4 – ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK
After the traumatic cliff-hanger ending to season four (don’t worry, no spoilers here!) fans will be glad to know that a fifth season of Orange Is the New Black is set to air this year. With the series having an average “tomatometer” of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, it is obvious that this series is one of the most beloved shows that Netflix have released.
3 – SHERLOCK
After a year-long wait since the last Sherlock adventure, the long-awaited series four premiered with ‘The Six Thatchers’ on New Year’s Day. For those who watched, I think we can agree that Sherlock, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, certainly came back with a vengeance. With Sherlock battling with grief from recent events and his failed promise to Watson, the future looks bleak for the duo. Make sure you tune in to BBC One at 9pm on the 15th January to avoid missing the rest of this series. As the rather shocking premiere has shown us, it is going to be a hell of a ride.
2 – GAME OF THRONES
Usually HBO have a habit of releasing new Game of Thrones episodes in the spring, but this year it seems it’ll be launched a little later, in the summer months of 2017 to accommodate the shooting schedule for the winter theme. The penultimate series of the American fantasy television series is set to be as action-packed as always. With only 7 episodes to conclude the next season of Game of Thrones, in contrast to the usual 10 episode seasons, but production taking longer to shoot less episodes – it can only be assumed that the quality will be far better. With the end in sight it seems inevitable that there is more drama to come so be sure to check out the teaser trailer to keep you going until summer.
1 – STRANGER THINGS
At number one for the most anticipated show of 2017, we have the return of the hit show Stranger Things. The American science fiction-horror TV series aired last year and took the internet by a storm. The first season focused on the disappearance of a young boy and how his friends, with the help of a telekinetic girl, embarked on a journey to find him. The season ended with a rather tear-jerking twist but with Millie Bobbie Brown confirming her appearance for season 2, it is clear that there is much more to come. So make sure you keep your eyes peeled for the release date for season 2. I know we’re all eager to find out what happened to Eleven.
Adina Rees
Image credit: Screenrant