In Development: The Top 10 Shows You're Going To Want To Look Out For
Since Netflix gained prominence as a fully independent broadcaster in its own right, the doors have been flung open to a hugely varied selection of original programming. Netflix original series Orange Is The New Black is currently the most talked about programme in the US, with even President Obama using the show’s name as a punch line in a recent speech. Meanwhile House Of Cards, starring Hollywood juggernaut Kevin Spacey, is currently riding enjoy huge success and critical acclaim. Netflix has also seen the revival of cult programmes that had been culled from the schedules of US TV networks, with such programmes such as Arrested Development granted a new lease of life by the ever-growing online streaming service.
With developers increasingly looking towards sites such as Netflix and Amazon Prime to produce original and innovative content, it seems we are in the midst of a revolution in the way programmes are made and disseminated to audiences. Viewers are now able to watch whole series in one sitting rather than waiting for weekly instalments from TV channels. That’s not to say that TV will be fading onto obscurity anytime soon.
The ageing medium still attracts millions of viewers to such universally successful shows as The Walking Dead, The Wire, Boardwalk Empire and Game Of Thrones to name but a few. With a battle between original content currently heating up between the new online streaming services and the somewhat outdated but still powerful conglomerate of US TV networks, some truly rousing developments have been announced by both parties. Here is a selection of shows that you will be sure to be binge-watching in the near future:
Marco Polo
One of the most intriguing premises planned for release on Netflix, Arrested Development’s Will Arnett and Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul have provided their vocal talents to the animated comedy BoJack Horsemen which Netflix have recently acquired from Michael Eisner’s Tornante Co. A 12-episode series which will premiere on the 22nd August, the show centres around the exploits of a semi-alcoholic humanoid horse and former TV star BoJack (Arnet) who deals with a series of personal crises alongside human sidekick Tod (Paul) as well as feline agent and ex-lover Princess Caroline, who will be played by Amy Sedaris. Created by comedian and writer Raphael Bob-Waksberg and designed by cartoonist Lisa Hanawalt, will follow BoJack as he attempts to reinvigorate his career a la Alan Partridge. Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, has described the adult-targeted show as a “brutally funny and unique take on what can happen after pop stardom”.
Better Call Saul
From the warped yet unequivocally creative minds of Andy and Lana Wachowski, responsible for such idiosyncratic sci-fi adventures as The Matrix and V For Vendetta, will come the first small screen outing from the pair. Sense8 will follow the blueprint of the pair’s previous film, Cloud Atlas, whereupon a number of separate, yet interwoven stories, will be connected by a shared vision that promises to be alarmingly violent. The characters will include a closeted Mexican telenovela hunk, an Icelandic party girl, a German safe-cracker, a Korean businesswoman, an African bus driver and a transgender American blogger. After sharing their experiences, mysterious forces will attempt to hunt down the group as they are deemed a threat to the world’s order. Cast details have been kept well under wraps but episodes can be expected later in 2014.
Narcos
Centring on the world’s most prolific drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, who has already been the subject of several films, Narcos will be the first television series to trace the life and death of the world’s most infamous drug-trafficker and crime lord. Produced in collaboration with Gaumont International Television, Robocop director Jose Padilha is thought to be at the helm of the project. Ten episodes have been commissioned and it has been announced that Brazilian actor Wagner Moura will fill the shoes of Escobar. The show will shortly commence shooting in Colombia and while the wait may be rather long until the fruits of their labours makes it to the small screen, viewers can get a taste of what it is to come by watching Elite Squad: Enemy Within, a previous collaboration between Padilha and Moura which has been described as a “chilling and sophisticated portraits of criminality and official corruption ever” by Netflix chief Ted Sarandos.
Next page: The Strain, Tyrant, Looking and more
The Strain
From the creator of Prisoner Of War, the Israeli TV series which inspired Homeland, comes Tyrant, the tale of the self-exiled son of a middle-eastern dictator who returns to his homeland for the first time in twenty years with his American family in tow. With the turbulent and clandestine world of Middle-Eastern politics as its backdrop, the FX-commissioned series engages with hugely contemporary themes that exist outside of the paranoid terrorist spectacles of 24. Harry Potter director David Yates has picked up the reigns from Oscar-winning director Ang Lee, who had to drop out of the project due to scheduling conflict and he assembles a promising cast of up-and-coming actors including Israeli Arab actor Berhom and British actor Adam Rayner, who takes the lead role. Expect a tumultuous culture clash and plenty of shady politics coming to your televisions later this year.
Looking
Homosexualism in America have long been both underrepresented and stereotyped in America, both in cinema and on TV and since the demise of Queer As Folk, accurate representation of gay life has been hard to come by. Looking, brought to the attention of the public by the exceptional programming service HBO, is a half-hour comedy drama that centres around the lives of gay men in San Francisco. Glee and Frozen star Jonathan Groff will take the lead role along with an assorted cast that includes the likes of Russell Tovey, who British audiences will recognise from the touching sitcoms of Him & Her and Being Human. The series will certainly address a niche that hasn’t been filled for some time and it opens the door towards a greater representation of minorities to be portrayed in positive lights on US TV. We’ll have to wait and see whether Looking can garner a mainstream audience to the extent as Queer As Folk or whether the show will be relegate to a peripheral concern.
Tooken
In a ground-breaking move for Netflix and Marvel it has been announced that the streaming giant will be simultaneously producing five series featuring Marvel’s assorted heroes, whose plotlines and action sequences will also interconnect. With Marvel playing host to an ever-expanding array of huge-grossing comic-book franchise films, many of which have either straddled of by-passed the hallowed billion dollar grossing figure. For the TV series, there will be a programme dedicated to Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage (formerly known as Power Man) and Iron Fist, as well as a fifth series where these heroes will team up into an elite crime-fighting unit. The sheer scale of this endeavour is both inspiring and intimidating and it marks a bold move by the minds behind the audacious plan. It will be interesting to see how successful such an endeavour will turn out to be, especially considering the huge time investment required by fans but there is huge potential here to open new pathways in the way in which series are made and enjoyed. The way of the future? We’ll have to wait and see.