Our top picks of the best TV shows launching or returning in 2024

Now that 2023 is drawing to a close, it’s time to look forward to all that 2024 has to offer – one of which being lots of brilliant TV!

With the production of many of our favourite shows, such as Stranger Things, Wednesday and more, delayed due to the recent writers’ and actors’ strikes, it is unlikely that we will be seeing these titles returning in the next twelve months. However, there are still a lot of exciting shows to look forward to!

Below, we have devised a list of some of the incredible TV shows confirmed to be airing throughout 2024. Whether it be the return of a beloved series or the start of a brand new hit, we can’t wait to see what the small screen brings across this year. Take a look at some of our top picks below:

The Traitors season 2 – BBC One, January 3

Back in 2022, millions of viewers became obsessed with this brutal cat-and-mouse game, and now, The Traitors is back for its highly-anticipated second season! In short, presenter Claudia Winkleman takes 22 strangers to a castle in the Scottish Highlands, where several of them are chosen to be ‘Traitors’. The rest of the gang, known as the ‘Faithfuls’, must work out who amongst them are Traitors, before they are ‘murdered’ and eliminated from the game, losing out on the chance to win up to £120,000.

Trigger Point season 2 – ITV1, January

Line of Duty’s Vicky McClure is back in this high-octane thriller, all centred around a bomb disposal expert. After the dramatic events of Trigger Point’s first series, we can expect to see McClure’s character Lana Washington being put in even more terrifying situations, as she and her team attempt to keep the city of London safe from those who threaten to destroy it.

True Detective: Night Country – HBO, January 14

10 years on from the launch of True Detective’s first series, we have a brand-new case to look forward to this year! The new series of the anthology, titled Night Country, stars Jodie Foster as a detective in Alaska who is hunting for a prolific serial killer. However, as the area itself is constantly in pitch-black darkness, the killer always manages to slip through the grasp of Detective Liz Danvers. We have no doubt that this new series will be bone-chilling stuff!

One Day – Netflix, February 8

David Nicholls’ bestselling novel One Day was originally adapted into a movie back in 2011, and now it is getting the small screen treatment! Netflix has taken over the reins this time, turning the beloved book into a 14-episode miniseries. The show will tell the star-crossed lovers' tale of Emma Morley (Ambika Mod) and Dexter Mayhew (Leo Woodall), two university students whose lives happen to intertwine on the same day each year. Over the course of 20 years, follow the two best friends as they battle their feelings of heartbreak, anger, grief and longing.

Bridgerton season 3 – Netflix, May 16 & June 13

Season three of Netflix’s raunchy period drama was set to be released in 2023. However, due to the lengthy actor’s strike, Bridgerton was later pushed back to 2024. However, what we do know is that fans can expect to see the concluding love story between Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), aka Lady Whistledown. While we have no trailers just yet, Netflix did finally confirm that Bridgerton's third season will be split into two parts, premiering a month apart.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz – HBO, TBA

Based on the bestselling book of the same name by Heather Morris, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is guaranteed to be an emotionally fulfilling watch. Fresh off his success as Prince Eric in the re-imagined The Little Mermaid, Jonah Hauer-King plays Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian in Auschwitz who has the role of tattooing the identification number of each new prisoner. There, he meets and instantly falls in love with Gita (Anna Próchniak). The two of them dream of being able to fully start their life together, if the Holocaust ever ends – but will they get their chance?

Black Doves – Netflix, TBA

Who is ready for a new spy thriller? Set in London at Christmas, Black Doves will star Keira Knightley as Helen Webb, a professional spy who regularly passes on information from her husband to her spy organisation, the Black Doves. When Helen's secret lover Jason is killed, her spymaster Reed (Sarah Lancashire) calls in unnerved assassin Sam Young (Ben Whishaw) to protect her. Together, the pair vow to uncover the truth of Jason's death, leading them to a much more sinister conspiracy. Filming for Black Doves began in November, and while we have no official release date yet, we're anticipating that its Christmas setting might lead to a festive release date in 2024.

Rivals – Disney+, TBA

Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Jilly Cooper, Rivals already has an all-star cast with names such as David Tennant, Aidan Turner and Danny Dyer. Teased by Tennant himself as being a “little bit saucy”, the eight-part drama will follow the ruthless world of British TV executives in the 1980s, as a rivalry between two of the industry’s most powerful men threatens to explode. 

You season 5 – Netflix, TBA

After four chilling seasons filled with stalking, murders and head-scratching twists, Netflix’s You will be returning this year for a fifth and final season. Presumably, the final outing with Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) will pick up right where the previous season left off, with him back in his native New York as himself, with girlfriend Kate (Charlotte Ritchie) still by his side. Continuing his narrative of being ex-wife Love Quinn’s escaped victim, we have no doubts that Joe’s assumed ‘redemption’ will not last very long at all, leading to an epic final showdown.

Heartstopper season 3 – Netflix, TBA

Fans of the LGBTQ+ comic Heartstopper will be delighted to know that season 3 should be on its way in this New Year! After braving their feelings for one another in its first season, Heartstopper's second outing saw Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor) enjoy a school trip to Paris and their first prom together, all while dealing with their own family struggles and mental health battles. The end of season two saw Charlie being on the cusp of saying those three little words to his boyfriend – but will he pluck up the courage to do it, and how will Nick react? Production on Heartstopper's third season wrapped just before Christmas, and so we expect it won't be long before Charlie, Nick and the rest of the gang will be back on our screens.