The best shows coming soon to TV and streaming services

2023 is primed to be an exciting year for TV. Our emotions have already been put through the wringer by The Last of Us and we’ve witnessed the end of Happy Valley, and we’re only partly through 2023. Here’s our guide to the best upcoming TV shows.

With networks and streaming services competing for your hard-earned subscription fee, there’s no shortage of TV shows to gorge on this year. There are crime capers in Class of 09, technotopia in Black Mirror and the return of True Detective to look forward to. So, from Netflix binges to weekly viewing, here are some of the TV shows we can’t wait to tune into this year.

Additional copy by Esat Dedezade and Ian Evenden

I Think You Should Leave – Season 3 (Netflix)

I Think You Should Leave may be the most quotable show currently on Netflix. This US sketch comedy is a portal to the truly absurd. An unlikely hit, so much so it’s actually been renewed past two seasons, ITYSL stars a smorgasbord of US comedy stars, including co-creator Tim Robinson, Andy Samberg, Tim Heidecker, Bob Odenkirk, Patti Harrison and tons more. For fans of shouty, strange and often cringe-inducing TV, look no further than I Think You Should Leave.

We don’t have a trailer just yet, so let’s enjoy some season 2 snippets instead.

Release date: 30 May

Black Mirror (Netflix)

Think technology isn’t so bad? Well…THINK AGAIN. No doubt anyone reading this is familiar with the Black Mirror premise by now. An ordinary life + spooky phone/computer/VR = good show. In true Black Mirror fashion, we won’t quite know exactly what happens until we watch it (and even then, we might not be sure). But for now, we have a pretty stellar cast to get excited about. Quirky RomCom favourite John Hannah, Atlanta‘s Zazie Beetz, Aaron Paul, Josh Hartnett (yes, the Josh Hartnett), Industry‘s Myha’la Herrold, Rory Culkin of Succession and ‘the Culkin family’ fame and much more will all be popping up throughout.

Release date: June

The Days (Netflix)

The Days is a Netflix Japan show coming to the UK this summer. Set amidst the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant following the earthquake and tsunami in 2011, The Days shows how events folded from the perspectives of government and corporate interests, alongside those putting their lives on the line to help contain the disaster.

Described by Netflix as a ‘dark and understated’ drama, the cast includes well-known Japanese stars Koji Yakusho and Kaoru Kobayashi, the latter of whom provided the dubbed voice for President Bartlett in the Japanese release of The West Wing.

Release date: June 1

Gen V (Prime Video)

Fans of Prime Video’s runaway gorefest that is The Boys will be happy to hear that we’re getting a superhero origin story with Gen V, which is pretty much a version of American Pie if Quentin Tarentino was the director. Gen V takes place at America’s only college for teenage superheroes. With that comes all the coming of age drama, awkwardness and ‘finding yourself’ one would expect, but with the added risk of accidentally getting blown to pieces in freshers week.

Release date: 7 July 2023 (rumoured)

True Detective – Season 4 (Max)

True Detective may be a little hit and miss, but there’s something about this sinister series that keeps us coming back. And given how the fourth series of this crime thriller stars Jodie Foster as a cop on the beat in the barren Alaskan plains, we’re ready to dive in and potentially be disappointed once again. Joined by her partner played by Kali Reis, Foster is tasked with investigating the disappearance of eight men who simply vanished into the cold, dark night. Will we see a Silence of the Lambs-esque performance from Foster? Here’s hoping.

Release date: 2023

M. Son of the Century (Now TV, Sky)

There’s no shortage of wartime epics out there from the American and British perspective. Band of Brothers, Catch-22, The Man in the High Castle, The Pacific, we could go on. The eight-part M. Son of the Century, though, will show Italy’s wartime role in a TV drama format. Based on the novel by Antonio Scurati, directed by BAFTA-winner Joe Wright (Darkest Hour, Atonement, Cyrano) and written by Stefano Bises (Gomorrah), M. Son of the Century charts the rise of fascism in Italy, and with it Mussolini’s grasp on power.

Release date: TBA, 2023

Mr and Mrs Smith (Prime Video)

Harking back to the origin story of Brangenlina, Mr and Mrs Smith (the forthcoming TV series) is based on the same storyline as Pitt and Jolie’s 2005 spy caper. But this time, Donald Glover (AKA Childish Gambino) and Maya Erskine, star of the hilariously absurd PEN15, star as the titular couple. Throw the I May Destroy You writer and actress Michaela Coel into the mix, and we have a very exciting show to look forward to.

Release date: TBA, 2023

Bodies (Netflix)

Stephen Graham. This Is England actor. National treasure. Master of the gritty drama and now, star of the crime epic Bodies. Based on the 2015 graphic novel of the same name, Bodies follows four detectives in four different eras who all find themselves investigating a murder committed under very similar circumstances. The catch is that, whether in the 1890s, 1940s, 2010s or a post-apocalyptic 2050, the victim is always the same person.

Release date: TBA, 2023