TV shows to watch in 2018

THE new year comes with a whole heap of new must-watch TV shows. These are the ones you really can’t afford to miss.

IF YOU already think there’s too much stuff on TV, brace yourself because it’s not going to let up.

There will be no shortage of must-see TV in 2018 with returning favourites and a bevy of new offerings to keep your eyes glued to the screen, Clockwork Orange-style.

Here are 25 TV shows we know you’re going to be talking about.

ROMPER STOMPER (Stan)

Twenty-five years after the explosive and controversial Russell Crowe skinhead movie, the brains behind Romper Stomper is bringing it back for a six-part miniseries, dropping on New Year’s Day. With all the turmoil of the last few years, expect it to have a scary straight-from-the-headlines relevance to race relations in Australia.

HANDMAID’S TALE SEASON 2 (SBS)

The Handmaid’s Tale, the standout hit of 2017, will be back for another round in April. That means more of Elisabeth Moss’ chilling performance and more of the intensity of living under a misogynistic theocratic regime. The first season ended on a cliffhanger and the next instalment will deviate from Margaret Atwood’s original novel, so everything will be a surprise.

AMERICAN CRIME STORY: THE ASSASSINATION OF GIANNI VERSACE

The team behind American Crime Story did such a stellar job with the O.J. Simpson trial, there is no doubt that expectations are high for the next instalment. The sensational events surrounding Gianni Versace’s murder out the front of his Florida mansion will be dramatised with Penélope Cruz, Edgar Ramirez, Ricky Martin and Darren Criss in key roles.

PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK (Foxtel)

Remaking Peter Weir’s ethereal Picnic At Hanging Rock is an ambitious move, as is stretching out Joan Lindsay’s 200-page novella into a six-part miniseries. But from what we’ve seen so far of the Foxtel series, starring Game Of Thrones’ Natalie Dormer, it promises to be a gripping gothic thriller.

Joan Lindsay’s iconic story is getting a new treatment. Picture: FremantleMedia Australia/Ben King

THE ALIENIST

A lush period drama set at the turn of the 20th century, The Alienist follows a criminal psychologist as he conducts an investigation into a series of boy prostitute deaths. The show stars Luke Evans, Daniel Bruhl and Dakota Fanning and was developed by Cary Fukunaga (True Detective, Beasts Of No Nation).

VEEP SEASON 7 (Foxtel)

When the actual White House is looking more and more like a parody, it can be hard for a political satire to compete. Alas, Selina Meyer and her gang of incompetent but brilliantly hilarious staffers will be bowing out for a final season — but probably not before inventively dropping the C-bomb about three dozen times.

THE AMERICANS SEASON 6 (Foxtel)

The final season of this incredible historical spy thriller, The Americans should finish out its superb run with more of what we’ve come to expect — excellent writing, tense storytelling and nuanced performances from Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys.

SAFE HARBOUR (SBS)

Aussie TV doesn’t get more exciting than Safe Harbour, a Brisbane-set thriller from SBS. Starring Ewen Leslie, Phoebe Tonkin and Jacqueline McKenzie, the show deals with the years-long ripple effect of the night when their sailing boat comes across an asylum seeker boat.

McMAFIA (Amazon)

David Strathairn leads a cast including James Norton and Juliet Rylance in McMafia, a crime drama about Alex, an English-raised son of Russian exiles with mafia links. All Alex wants is to build a legitimate business but his family’s shady past won’t fade away. The series was co-created by Hossein Amini, who wrote the screenplay to Drive.

JESSICA JONES SEASON 2 (Netflix)

Two-and-a-half years after the surly, hard-drinking superhero detective hit our screens, we’re finally getting a second instalment. The Netflix Marvel series has already said to expect a more emotionally hard-hitting arc.

Krysten Ritter kicks so much arse as Jessica Jones

BACHELOR IN PARADISE (Ten)

There’s no doubt a lot of Australians are really, really into the melodrama, staged or otherwise, of dating shows. And if you’re into that sort of thing, then what better way to indulge in the guiltiest of pleasures than with Bachelor In Paradise, essentially an all-stars collection of contestants past, thrown together with a lot of booze and capacity for bad life decisions. Best part? More recaps!

WESTWORLD SEASON 2 (Foxtel)

HBO’s western sci-fi was a massive hit in 2016, driven by a multilayered puzzle that had water coolers bubbling. Now that the truth of the timelines has been revealed and the robots have started their rebellion, expect some violent delights to meet their violent ends.

SPARTAN (Seven)

Channel 7’s answer to the juggernaut that was Australian Ninja Warrior, Spartan is a similar concept in almost every way except for one thing: contestants are in teams. Of course nothing will ever hold a torch to the cheesy goodness of Gladiators — let’s bring that and Kimberley Joseph back.

DOCTOR WHO (ABC)

There’s no underplaying the significance of the first female Doctor with Jodie Whittaker taking up the famous time-traveller mantle in the new series. It should breathe new life into a franchise that started in 1963.

ALTERED CARBON (Netflix)

Imagine living forever by downloading your brain into new bodies. That’s the premise of an ambitious new sci-fi series which also has a murder mystery as its central hook. The stylish Netflix series stars Joel Kinnaman, Dichen Lachman and James Purefoy and was based on a 2002 novel by Richard K Morgan.

UNREAL SEASON 3 (Stan)

Despite a thoroughly propulsive and addictive first season, UnReal came unstuck in its sophomore year after the departure of its co-creator Marti Noxon. After an 18-month break, a new showrunner has come on board for season three with the action to take place on a behind-the-scenes Bachelorette-type series — that’s right, expect loads of buff and topless men.

Oh, hello there.

COLLATERAL (Netflix)

Led by a stellar cast including Carey Mulligan and Billie Piper, Collateral is a four-part miniseries set over four days in London after a pizza delivery man’s shooting death. Mulligan plays a detective who’s convinced the death is more than it seems, searching for a darker truth beneath the surface. Collateral is a BBC and Netflix co-production.

SHARP OBJECTS (Foxtel)

Adapted from a Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) novel, the series will star Amy Adams as a crime reporter recently discharged from a psychiatric hospital who returns to her hometown to investigate the murders of two girls. The series was developed by Marti Noxon (Buffy, UnReal) and will be directed by Jean-Marc Vallee (Big Little Lies, Wild).

ATLANTA SEASON 2 (SBS)

Atlanta was one of the most exciting TV shows to break out of 2016 and creator, director, writer and star Donald Glover’s busy schedule delayed production on season two until 2018. The clever series about an aspiring music manager swept the awards circuit and earnt high critical praise.

LUTHER SEASON 5 (Foxtel)

The tortured, morally compromised detective is finally coming back for a fifth season, a miracle given star Idris Elba’s incredible busy schedule. Production for the four episodes is expected to start in early 2018.

More Idris please, all the time

KILLING EVE

A thrilling game of cat-and-mouse between two dangerous obsessive women — one an aspiring spy, the other a killer — Killing Eve is based on a series of books by Luke Jennings. The show stars Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer and was filmed in locations including Paris, Tuscany, Berlin and London.

MYSTERY ROAD (ABC)

A spin-off series from films Mystery Road and Goldstone, the Australian series stars Aaron Pedersen as an indigenous detective in the outback. The six-parter will be directed by Rachel Perkins and also features Judy Davis. Filmed on location in WA, the story hinges on the disappearances of two farm workers.

MANIAC (Netflix)

With an all-star cast including Jonah Hill, Emma Stone, Sally Field, Jemima Kirke and Justin Theroux, Maniac revolves around the fantasy lives of patients in a mental institution, based on a Norwegian TV show. All the episodes will be directed by Cary Fukunaga.

GOOD GIRLS

Good Girls is a crime drama about three suburban women who decide to pull a supermarket heist after struggling with their bills, as you do. Obviously, not everything goes exactly to plan and they end up in a whole lot more trouble than they expected. The series stars Christina Hendricks, Retta, Mae Whitman and Matthew Lillard.

TALKIN’ ABOUT YOUR GENERATION (Nine)

There’s a decent chance that Channel 9 will stuff up what was a mildly diverting show on Channel 10 way back when, but Shaun Micallef is always good for a laugh. The quiz show has scrapped the Baby Boomers team (probably because advertisers don’t care about people over 55) and replaced them with Gen Z.

PINE GAP (ABC)

The secret American/Australian defence facility at Pine Gap has always been a mystery to many Australians — guess that’s why they call it a secret. The ABC’s six-episode political thriller will be set around the base and its role — imagined or otherwise — in the global intelligence game.

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