TV Series To Watch Out For That We *Know* Are Coming To The UK In 2018!
We’re back with a brand new year, which means a load of new tv series to keep you entertained for the next 12 months! We thought it might be good to have a look at some of the new shows we know are definitely going to land on UK tv screens in 2018. There are, of course, a number of excellent looking US shows, such as ‘Castle Rock’, ‘Happy!’, ‘Krypton’, and ‘Marvel’s Runaways’, but none of these as yet have been picked up by the UK.
There are also some great returning series, such as ‘Jessica Jones’ (Netflix – 8th March 2018), ‘Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events’ (Netflix – 30th March 2018), ‘Timeless’ (E4 – 2018), ‘Riviera’ (Sky Atlantic – 2018), ‘Legion’ (Fox – 2018) and ‘Taboo’ (BBC One – 2018), plus many, many more! But this list is about the new shows we know are coming your way.
Britannia – Sky Atlantic – 18th January 2018
Sky Atlantic has been building up a great selection of original series over the past few years, but this looks to be the most epic so far! Set in 43AD, the drama follows the Roman army as they return to crush the Celtic heart of Britannia, a mysterious land led by warrior women and powerful Druids who claim to channel the powerful forces of the underworld. Like never before, the nine-part series tells the story of the emotional and physical power struggle between three tribes: the Druids, Celts and Romans, who battle for the heart of Britannia. Written by multi-award-winning Jez Butterworth (‘Spectre’), the drama stars Mackenzie Crook (‘Pirates of the Caribbean’), Kelly Reilly (‘True Detective’), David Morrissey (‘The Walking Dead’), Nikolaj Lie Kaas (‘The Killing’), and Zoë Wanamaker (‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’.)
Black Lightning – Netflix – 23rd January 2018
https://youtu.be/IxcX2qVOnoM
The people that brought you the Arrowverse now bring to life another DC comic book hero. Jefferson Pierce made his choice: He hung up the suit and his secret identity years ago, but with a daughter hellbent on justice and a star student being recruited by a local gang, he is pulled back into the fight as the wanted vigilante and DC legend “Black Lightning”. Unlike Greg Berlanti’s other DC shows, this one (at least, for now…) does not share a world with the other Arrowverse DC characters, so the fact it’s coming to Netflix and not Sky One shouldn’t cause any issues.
Altered Carbon – Netflix – 2nd February 2018
This show is another one of the many reasons you need a Netflix subscription this year. Based on the classic cyberpunk noir novel by Richard K. Morgan, ‘Altered Carbon’ is a story of murder, love, sex, and betrayal, set more than 300 years in the future. Society has been transformed by new technology: consciousness can be digitized; human bodies are interchangeable; death is no longer permanent. Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman – ‘Suicide Squad’, ‘The Killing’) is the lone surviving soldier in a group of elite interstellar warriors who were defeated in an uprising against the new world order. His mind was imprisoned, “on ice”, for centuries until Laurens Bancroft (James Purefoy – ‘Hap and Leonard’, ‘The Following’), an impossibly wealthy, long-lived man, offers Kovacs the chance to live again. In exchange, Kovacs has to solve a murder… that of Bancroft himself.
Stargate Origins – Stargate Command – 15th February 2018
It’s been early 7 years since a Stargate tv show was on our screens, but now it returns to a brand new service with the prequel series ‘Stargate Origins’. The 10-episode digital series explores a brand-new chapter in Catherine Langford’s (Ellie Gall – ‘Blind’, ‘A Midsummer’s Nightmare’) early history surrounding the extraordinary portal. For those of you trying to remember you Stargate history, Catherine was the old lady who originally brought Daniel Jackson to the Stargate program and whose father uncovered the original Earth Stargate. In this new show, Young Catherine embarks on an unexpected adventure to unlock the mystery of what lies beyond the Stargate in order to save Earth from unimaginable darkness. The show isn’t coming to a traditional channel but is available on ‘Stargate Command‘, a new site dedicated to all things Stargate. There is a one-time fee of $20.00 (around £15), but that gives you permanent access, not only to the new show, but also all the previous tv series and the original movie, so I’d say it’s a bargain for any Stargate fan!
Absentia – Amazon Prime – 2018
https://youtu.be/D-po9ukcrp0
We don’t have an exact date for this yet, but the new series which stars ‘Castle’s’ Stana Katic looks like it’s going to be a good one! FBI Agent Emily Byrne (Katic) goes missing for six years while working on a case, leaving her 3-year-old son Flynn and loving husband Nick behind (Patrick Heusinger). Emily is presumed dead, the victim of a serial killer. She appears 6 years later with no recollection of what has happened, and that life has moved on without her. Nick is remarried to Alice (Cara Theobold), and Flynn (Patrick McAuley) doesn’t recognise his mother. Initially, she finds herself being treated as a victim but soon becomes the main suspect in a new series of murders…
Instinct – Sky Living – 2018
We’ve been looking forward to this one ever since the show was announced by CBS last year. ‘Instinct’ is an adaptation of the novel ‘Murder Games’ from James Patterson (‘ZOO’) & Howard Roughan, which centres on a former CIA operative, Dylan Reinhart (Alan Cumming – ‘The Good Wife’, ‘Web Therapy’, ‘The X-Men’). Now working as a professor and writer, he is pulled away from his new life and back to his CIA past when the NYPD detective Lizzie Needham (Bojana Novakovic – ‘Shameless US’) needs his help catching a serial killer.
SEAL Team – Sky One – 2018
Another CBS acquisition, this time starring ‘Bones’ and ‘Angel’ actor David Boreanaz. ‘SEAL Team’ is a military drama that follows the professional and personal lives of the most elite unit of Navy SEALs as they train, plan, and execute the most dangerous, high stakes missions our country can ask of them. Also starring are Neil Brown Jr. (‘Insecure’, ‘Straight Outta Compton’), A. J. Buckley (‘CSI: NY’, ‘Murder in the First’), Max Thieriot (‘Bates Motel’, ‘Point Break’.)
Knightfall – History UK – 2018
‘Downton Abbey’s’ Tom Cullen trades the 1900s for the 13th century as he takes on the role of Sir Landry du Lauzon, a senior brother of the Knights Templar in ‘Knightfall’. The drama goes deep into the clandestine world of this legendary brotherhood of warrior monks who were entrusted with protecting Christianity’s most prized relic – the Holy Grail. From their battles in the Holy Land, to their complex relationship with the King of France, to the betrayal that would ultimately lead to their tragic dissolution, the show covers the rise and fall of the mysterious military order.
Bodyguard – BBC One – 2018
Bodyguard
The BBC has a number of great dramas coming this year, but this is the one that really stands out to us – mainly due to the fact it’s from ‘Line Of Duty’ creator Jed Mercurio and stars Richard Madden (‘Game Of Thrones’, ‘Cinderella’, ‘Electric Dreams’) and Keeley Hawes (‘Line Of Duty’, ‘The Durrells’, ‘The Missing’.) Set in and around the corridors of power, ‘Bodyguard’ tells the fictional story of David Budd (Madden), a heroic but volatile war veteran now working as a Specialist Protection Officer for the Royalty and Specialist Protection Branch (RaSP) of London’s Metropolitan Police Service. When he is assigned to protect the ambitious and powerful Home Secretary Julia Montague (Hawes), whose politics stand for everything he despises, Budd finds himself torn between his duty and his beliefs. Responsible for her safety, is he actually her biggest threat?
The Umbrella Academy – Netflix – 2018
‘The Umbrella Academy’
If you’ve spent any time on the site in the last 12 months, you know how much we’ve been looking forward to this show! Adapted from Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba’s 2007 comic book series, the story is set in a world where, at the instant of the final blow in a cosmic battle, 43 superhuman infants are simultaneously born to unconnected women who showed no previous signs of pregnancy. Seven of the super-powered infants survive and an alien in human disguise called Reginald Hargreeves, A.K.A. ‘The Monocle’ adopts and raises them as the superhero team – ‘The Umbrella Academy’ – preparing them for an unnamed future world-ending event. Cast includes Ellen Page (‘Juno’, ‘X-Men’, ‘Inception’), Tom Hopper (‘Game Of Thrones’, ‘Black Sails’, Merlin’) and Robert Sheehan (‘Fortitude’, Love/Hate’, ‘Misfits’.) We have also learnt recently that our old friend Jeff Russo, who is the composer on ‘Legion’, ‘Fargo’, ‘Star Trek: Discovery’, and a ton of other shows, will be providing the music for the series!
Lost In Space – Netflix – 2018
Lost In Space
Winner of this years Geektown Award for ‘Most Anticipated New TV Series‘, this reimagining of the classic 60’s series centres around the Robinson family, who is forced to come together in a time of crisis. Stranded light years from their intended destination, they find themselves battling a strange new alien environment and also their own personal demons. Stars Toby Stephens (‘Black Sails’) as father & commander John Robinson, Molly Parker (‘House of Cards’) as mother & biochemist Maureen Robinson, and Parker Posey (‘Search Party’) as Dr Smith.
That’s just a small highlight of some of the many shows to look out for in 2018. For a full list of new and returning tv shows in the UK, make sure you check out the ever-updating UK TV Air Dates page for the latest premiere info!
