The best upcoming new TV shows we can’t wait to watch

The most expensive show ever made (Amazon has thrown billions at this thing) is based on supplementary material surrounding the Lord of the Rings books. To get away from the fact that they can’t feature any of the main LOTR characters, Amazon has wisely set this one some thousands of years before the events in the books. Morfydd Clark leads a sprawling cast that includes everyone from Lenny Henry to Peter Mullan. Expect, elves, evil and Harfoots (the predecessors to Hobbits).

Release Date: 2 September

We have to admit that the recent trailer of Willow brought a tear to our eyes. It’s fantastic to see Warwick Davis back as Willow Ufgood, the leader of a group of unlikely heroes who have to save their world again. The TV show is set some 20 years after the events of the movie which saw Willow and an infant girl battle an evil queen and the forces of darkness. Original director Ron Howard is producing this one.

Release date: 30 November

This prequel to Game of Thrones (based on George RR Martin’s sprawling Fire & Blood series) is set some 200 years before the events of GoT and focuses on the warring factions in The House of Targaryen. Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy and Paddy Considine all star in the show. HBO will be hoping it has another super-sized hit on its hands. We’re hoping that it can land its ending.

House of the Dragon will be available on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW from August 22nd (with an Entertainment Membership). All episodes of Game of Thrones are also available to stream on NOW.

It’s been confirmed that Andor will debut with a double bill episode, so we are expecting this limited series - based on Rebel hero Cassian Andor who we all met in Rogue One - to be something special. Rogue One’s Tony Gilroy has writing credits and Diego Luna returns as Andor. Disney Plus’ Star Wars shows have been impressive, most impressive this year so we are expecting big things with this one.

Release date: 31 August

Guillermo del Toro is one of the foremost filmmakers in horror and fantasy, so he’s the perfect helmer for a Netflix anthology show that is all about upending the conventions of the genres he loves. He directs one episode, with myriad fantastic filmmakers directing the other episodes - including Ana Lily Amirpour, Jennifer Kent and Panos Cosmatos. Expect lots of frights with this one.

Release Date: October (TBC)

We are big fans of The Americans, so when we heard that a new show was being made by the showrunners Joel Fields and Joseph Weisberg we let out a little squeal. This one is about a psychotherapist (Steve Carrell) who recently lost his wife, is held prisoner by a serial killer (Domhnall Gleeson) who wants him to stop him from getting urges to kill people.

Release date: 30 August

Game adaptations are all the rage right now, but that hasn't dampened our excitement for The Last Of Us. The show is based on the incredibly popular PlayStation game is being adapted by the folks behind Chernobyl and stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as the two protagonists who are trying to stay alive in a world ravaged by the infected. Only a few pictures have been released but this one looks like it's staying close to its video game roots.

Release date: 14 June, 2023

Marvel has been using its TV shows to widen its palette of late with less well-known superheroes running wild, including Ms Marvel and Moon Knight. She-Hulk is the latest to get the small-screen treatment and from its first trailer it looks like a cross between Ally McBeal and, well, The Incredible Hulk. While it’s not been confirmed, it looks like this one is following Dan Slott’s comic-book series which is bloody hilarious and focuses on the bizarre legal problems that the MCU brings up. Tatiana Maslany is the green-skinned Jennifer Walters, while Jameela Jamil is playing big bad Titania. Oh, and Mark Ruffalo is around for a cameo or two, too.

Release date: 17 August

The fantastic Mike Flanagan has teamed up with Leah Fong for this adaptation of The Midnight Club books. Based on Christopher Pike’s YA novel, it’s about a group of terminally ill teenagers who live in a hospice and meet up to tell each other scary stories at midnight. When one of them dies, strange things start to happen. Given his brilliance at adapting the works of Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe and Shirley Jackson, we have high hopes for this one.

Release Date: 7 October

Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai is a new HBO Max animated series based on the brilliant Gremlins franchise. Given that Gremlins 2: The New Batch is one of the most subversive sequels of all time, with its post-modern fun poking at the first film and the movie business in general, we are hoping that this carries on in that same vein but take aim at prequels - as that is what this show is, set some years before the events of the movies.

Release date: sometime in 2022