Peacemaker, Naomi, and a real-life hero take over TV this January

It’s much too soon to know what 2022 has in store for us, but the first TV premieres of the year are full of familiar faces and concepts. James Gunn and John Cena bring Peacemaker to HBO Max, where he can bluster and blunder some more in his tighty-whities. (Full disclosure: There are no confirmed reports of said underwear making another appearance.) The CWverse welcomes Naomi, a new show developed by Ava DuVernay and based on the DC Comics superhero. ABC launches the historical drama Women Of The Movement, which tells the story of how Mamie Till-Mobley’s search for justice for her murdered son, Emmett Till, fueled the U.S. civil rights movement. Eliza Coupe co-leads the ensemble comedy Pivoting alongside Ginnifer Goodwin and Maggie Q, and Apple TV+ takes us back to Fraggle Rock.[Note to desktop users: If you’d like to view this story in a scrolling layout, you can narrow your browser window.]

After being the cause of many crime scenes in Netflix’s and as Elektra Natchios, Élodie Yung is suiting up again—but this time, she’s doing the clean-up instead of the wetwork. The actor leads Fox’s The Cleaning Lady, based on an Argentine drama series. She plays Cambodian doctor Thony De La Rosa, who comes to the U.S. to seek treatment for her ailing son. When her visa expires and she’s unable to get the help she needs, Thony works as a maid alongside her sister-in-law only to stumble into the dangerous career of cleaning up a mobster’s crime scenes. The premise is soapy but is seemingly a blend of action, crime, and drama that comments on various issues, with a steaming hot side of -style twists and mysteries. [Saloni Gajjar]

Though it might not immediately ring bells for U.S. viewers, Rebelde’s history spans two decades and multiple countries. Cris Morena’s Argentine YA telenovela Rebelde Way was adapted for Mexican audiences in 2004, when it became the mega-hit Rebelde, which spawned a massive fandom, musical careers, and some . Netflix is the latest programmer to remix Morena’s scintillating teen drama—this time, as a sequel series that includes some of the Mexican series’ cast—but the broader premise is mostly the same: A group of sexy teens navigate heartbreak, music class, class divide, and a nefarious plot… or 10. Rebelde has its spiritual successors in shows like and , but now this Mexican juggernaut wants to reclaim its vaunted place among teen dramas. [Danette Chavez]

A lot of doctor shows operate (heh) on the premise of an older, acerbic physician teaching younger doctors to be better through biting comments and a general jaded attitude toward patients. Other shows have popped up to refute that concept with TV doctors who just care so damn much that it hurts. CBS’ Good Sam puts those two doctor show ideas in direct competition with each other as Jason Isaacs’ surly Dr. Rob Griffith must figure out how to work with his new boss, Sophia Bush’s more hopeful and encouraging Dr. Sam Griffith—who is also his daughter. She’s nice! He’s mean! She plays piano, which seems like a potentially fun way to introduce some stylistic panache! Good Sam also stars Wendy Crewson, Skye P. Marshall, Michael Stahl-David, Edwin Hodge, and Davi Santos. [Sam Barsanti]

Women Of The Movement is backed by an excellent pedigree, including producers JAY-Z and Will Smith, and directors Gina Prince-Bythewood, Tina Mabry, Julie Dash, and Kasi Lemmons. The historical drama is based on Devery S. Anderson’s book Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked The World And Propelled The Civil Rights Movement, and focuses on Mamie Till-Mobley’s quest for justice for her young son, Emmett Till, who was viciously murdered in Mississippi in 1955. Till-Mobley devoted her life to making sure her son wouldn’t be forgotten, and her fight for equality was a cornerstone in the civil rights movement. Women Of The Movement promises to be an intense but necessary watch. [Saloni Gajjar]

In recent years, TV comedies like and have uprooted the coming-of-age story from its placement in adolescence to explore the vagaries of life in your 30s, 40s, and beyond. Liz Astrof’s Pivoting takes a similar approach, focusing on three best friends— Amy (Eliza Coupe), Sarah (Maggie Q), and Jodie (Ginnifer Goodwin)—who start to question their respective paths in life after the death of a friend. They all take steps to shake things up: Amy chooses to spend more time with her family, Jodie begins an affair with her trainer, and the newly divorced Sarah leaves her high-pressure job for one that gives her more time to rediscover who she is without her wife. The cast chemistry is apparent in the trailer, along with nods to , so Pivoting could really go anywhere from here. [Danette Chavez]

Ava DuVernay enters the world of superheroes with Naomi, the latest addition to the CWverse. The and director developed the series, which is based on the DC Comics character Naomi McDuffie a.k.a. Powerhouse, a powerful child of two metahumans. In the comics, Naomi’s parents send her to Earth-0 to protect her from an evil metahuman named Zumbado. In the show, Kaci Walfall portrays the titular teen as she sets out to uncover the origins of a supernatural event in her hometown, challenging everything she knows about heroes. It’s unclear which comics storylines will inform Naomi, but the odds are sky-high that she’ll interact with other characters from The CW’s DC shows while forging her own path on the small screen. [Saloni Gajjar]

James Gunn has a knack for introducing breakout characters (he is the man who brought us , after all), and there were loads of potential breakout characters in his, but it’s still a little surprising that John Cena’s Peacemaker is the one getting a solo spin-off. The second guy in the movie whose specialty is using guns to kill people and the one who ends up being kind of a villain, Peacemaker is a big douche whose apparent death in the movie is a win for the real good guys. And yet there’s something sadly likable about the dumb lug, which HBO Max’s Peacemaker show—also starring Jennifer Holland, Freddie Stroma, Danielle Brooks, and Steve Agee—is wisely latching onto for its first season. [Sam Barsanti]

Another , Archive 81 is loosely based on the podcast of the same name. In this new series, executive produced by Rebecca Sonnenshine and James Wan, ’s Mamoudou Athie plays Dan Turner, an archivist making his way through a batch of recordings left by one Melody Pendras. A documentary filmmaker, Melody ends up in over her head when she investigates a cult. Despite being separated by a couple of decades, Dan’s and Melody’s lives intersect, as the archivist finds himself just as ensnared by the mystery as she was. ’ Rebecca Thomas is set to direct half the episodes. [Danette Chavez]

Bridget Everett leads Somebody Somewhere, a new HBO comedy that is by turns wrenching and life-affirming. The multihyphenate stars as Sam, a Kansas native who returns to her hometown to look after her older sister. When her sister dies, Sam feels bereft of purpose. She’s always been at odds with her fellow Kansans, including her own family (though Mike Hagerty plays a typically abiding TV dad), so she struggles to envision the next phase of her life. A new friend, Joel (Jeff Hiller), helps her get back in touch with her real passion in life: music. Everett’s bawdy energy is kept under wraps to start, but Somebody Somewhere quickly turns into the ultimate showcase for this actor-comedian-singer. [Danette Chavez]

Several years after the first gender-swapped  followup was attempted (, starring Greta Gerwig and Meg Ryan), How I Met Your Father finally reaches the small screen. Same eponymous premise, but with Hilary Duff as the love-seeking Sophie, and Kim Cattrall as her future self telling the story. As on the original HIMYM, Sophie is surrounded by similarly romance-minded pals; even in the two-minute trailer you can spot the new Barney (a British guy named Charlie, played by Tom Ainsley) and Christopher Lowell in what seems like his millionth TV role as the obvious Robin to Duff’s Ted. Cattrall’s absence has been so painfully felt on the  sequel series , that frankly we’re just happy to see her onscreen again. [Gwen Ihnat]

Stanley Tucci and his forearms charmed viewers in the travelogue show Searching For Italy, but in Alejandro Amenábar’s La Fortuna, he’s much more “avaricious adventurer” than “Negroni-sipping bon vivant.” The AMC+ series stars Tucci as Frank Wild, a modern-day pirate who “plunder[s] items of common heritage from the depths of the sea,” including a cache of gold on a Spanish ship long thought to have been lost. Frank meets his match in a renowned maritime lawyer played by Clarke Peters, who works with a young Spanish diplomat (Álex Ventura) to try to reclaim the treasure for Spain. Given that the gold is more than likely ill-gotten imperial gains, we don’t much care where it ends up, but a Tucci-Peters grudge match is worth a look. [Danette Chavez]

If you’re a fan of or , strap in for Jason Katims’ newest series, As We See It, which is based on the Israeli show On The Spectrum. It follows three twentysomething roommates—Jack (Rick Glassman), Harrison (Albert Rutecki), and Violet (Sue Ann Pien)—on the autism spectrum as they balance jobs, friends, and their love lives. The friends all have different priorities, though, as Violet is more concerned with finding romance, Jack seeks companionship in the wider world, and Harris is more focused on navigating daily life. This Prime Video series looks poised to join Netflix’s and Freeform’s  in telling vital and nuanced stories about autistic young adults. [Saloni Gajjar]

Jim Henson’s beloved Fraggle Rock debuted in 1983, and the charming, Muppet-filled series is now set to make another return (following an animated series in 1987) on Apple TV+. Judging from the brief teaser, our favorite Fraggles Gobo, Red, Wembley, Mokey, and Boober are all back on board, but no word yet on the hard-working Doozers or giant Gorgs. There’s also no sign of Very Silly Creatures Doc and his dog Sprocket, leaving the Fraggles’ connection to the real world rather tenuous. But the return to Fraggle Rock should be able to pull off that ideal double duty of delighting children while offering a welcome dose of nostalgia for their parents. And hey, that theme song still slaps. [Gwen Ihnat]

creator Julian Fellowes jumps over the pond for his latest period series. In The Gilded Age, Marion Brooks (Louisa Jacobson), a girl from the country, comes to the New York City of 1882 to live with her wealthy aunts (Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon) after the death of her father. No doubt we will navigate the thorny social strata of 19th-century Manhattan through the wide eyes of the newcomer, as an old money/new money war rages between the aunts and a railroad tycoon (Morgan Spector) and his calculating wife (a ravishing Carrie Coon). Interestingly, Fellowes has said that he wants this series to occur in the same universe as DA, so that we might even spot a younger version of Elizabeth McGovern’s Countess at some point. And, as with his flagship series, the costumes alone make The Gilded Age worth a glance. [Gwen Ihnat]

Created by Chris Miller (of the filmmaking duo Lord and Miller), this new murder mystery comedy looks promising, thanks to its unique format and a brilliant cast that includes Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson, and Ben Schwartz. The Afterparty begins with the death of Xavier (Dave Franco) at a high school reunion; soon, Detective Danner (Haddish) is investigating all of his former classmates. Murder mysteries abound on TV, but this Apple TV+ series looks like it packs more panache than most: Each episode pairs a single character’s account of the fateful evening in question with a different popular film genre. [Saloni Gajjar]

The Woman In The House Across The Street From The Girl In The Window—try saying that three times fast—is a darkly comedic thriller that follows the heartbroken, depressed Anna (Kristen Bell). Her routine is the same every single day: drink wine, take pills, stare out the window, watch the world pass her by. Anna finds some hope when a handsome neighbor moves in across the street, but it all goes awry when she thinks she witnesses a murder. If the premise sounds familiar, that’s because it’s plucked from The Woman In The Window and The Girl On The Train. Though Netflix seems to be playing it straight for now, the show looks to be a parody of these now overplayed stories. [Saloni Gajjar]

The is dead, long live the Monarch: Fox’s new multigenerational musical drama focuses on the Roman family, headed by Dottie (Susan Sarandon) and Albie Roman (Trace Adkins), who have created a country music dynasty together. Obviously, the origins of this legacy aren’t what they seem to be, so Roman’s daughter Nicolette (Anna Friel) steps in to protect the family’s reign in the industry and ensure her own stardom in the process. Let the soapy fight for the monarchy commence. Monarch premieres with a special two-night event Sunday, January 30 and Tuesday, February 1. [Saloni Gajjar]

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