With the holiday season coming and going in a flash, the focus now turns to what there is to forward to heading into the new year, and there is plenty, as teased in Screen Rant’s 2023 winter TV preview. Gone are the days when network hiatuses meant impatiently waiting for shows to return in the cold winter months. With streaming services taking over the small screen and growing exponentially, there are no longer significant gaps when it comes to new releases.
Of course, major networks will be returning with new and returning programming, but major streamers like Disney+, Paramount+, Peacock, and Prime Video are gearing up for notable releases. HBO is also getting in on the fun in 2023 as the network awaits the arrival of House of the Dragon season 2. As winter officially begins on December 21, here’s what TV shows to look forward to through early 2023 in order of their release, including exclusive video clips, images, and quotes given to Screen Rant.
Jack Ryan Season 3 – December 21, 2022
After appearing in one of 2022’s most memorable sequences thanks to his cameo as Mr. Fantastic in the Doctor Strange sequel, John Krasinski is heading into the new year celebrating the arrival of Jack Ryan season 3. The Prime Video show, which has been on a hiatus since October 2019, stars Krasinski as the titular CIA agent first created by author Tom Clancy. For Jack Ryan season 3, however, Krasinski’s character is on the run from the CIA after going rogue. Screen Rant was given an exclusive clip of what’s in store for Jack Ryan in season 3, and the video can be seen below:
Going rogue will be a core theme in Jack Ryan season 3, as Krasinski’s character sets out across Europe to stop a Russian faction from attempting to restore the Soviet Empire. As seen in the clip with Jack and Michael Kelly’s Mike November, there aren’t many people the agent can trust, especially when he’s being hunted by his own government, including old allies. As for other characters set to appear in Jack Ryan season 3, the list includes Michael Peña, Nina Hoss, Peter Guinness, and Betty Gabriel. Those excited for Jack Ryan season 3 will also be happy to hear that the show has already been renewed for a fourth season.
The Witcher: Blood Origin – December 25, 2022
Production is underway for The Witcher season 3, but fans of Andrzej Sapkowski’s book series don’t have to wait to return to the fictional universe. Netflix is using Christmas day to gift viewers a prequel miniseries titled The Witcher: Blood Origin, which is set 1,200 years before the adventures of Geralt of Rivia seen in the initial Netflix show. By taking the prequel route, Blood Origin has the opportunity to reveal the creation of the first “witcher” as well as a deeper look into the universe’s Elven civilization. One of those mysterious elves can be seen above in an exclusive image of The Witcher: Blood Origin, depicting Michelle Yeoh’s Scian seemingly threatening Sophia Brown’s Éile.
Scian, specifically, is on a mission to recover a blade stolen from her tribe, and that blade could be the very one she’s holding to Éile’s throat. Éile, on the other hand, is a warrior and a member of the Queen’s guard who allies with an unlikely group in an era when the once-powerful Elven civilization is being threatened. The events of Blood Origin will provide more details into Conjunction of the Spheres and what led to monsters wreaking havoc in The Witcher. Those looking for direct connections between the two shows will also instantly recognize Joey Batey as the actor is reprising his role as Jaskier in The Witcher: Blood Origin.
Hunters Season 2 – January 13, 2023
Following the release of Jack Ryan season 3, Prime Video is bringing back another major show that viewers have been anticipating for quite some time: Hunters. The drama from David Weil is returning after it initially aired in February 2020, with season 2 taking place two years after the events of Hunters season 1. The Nazi hunters, including Jonah (Logan Lerman), have since disbanded, but they come together for a special mission in Europe. Their reunion stems from the revelation that Hitler is very much alive and hiding in South America. Meanwhile, Travis has been busy for the Fourth Reich, building a Nazi army while incarcerated.
Hunters season 2 will also feature the return of the show’s heavy hitter in Al Pacino, who originally played Meyer Offerman. Granted, Meyer was revealed to be Wilhelm Zuchs, a former Nazi doctor known as “The Wolf” who tortured Jonah’s grandmother at Auschwitz. Upon the discovery, Jonah killed Zuchs, but season 2 flashbacks will feature Pacino’s Zuchs hiding behind his fake Jewish identity to form his team of Nazi hunters. Hunters season 2 will also feature Jennifer Jason Leigh in the 1979 timeline, serving as another skilled hunter.
The Last Of Us – January 15, 2023
A decade after Naughty Dog released The Last of Us, the post-apocalyptic tale is getting the live-action adaptation treatment at HBO. Viewers will have the chance to spend the winter months following Pedro Pascal’s Joel as he escorts a young teen, Ellie (Bella Ramsey), across the United States. The long trek is dangerous enough, but Joel and Ellie must also face numerous territories teeming with zombie-like infected humans, some known as Clickers, and warring revolutionaries hellbent on eliminating outsiders. As the truth behind Joel and Ellie’s mission unravels, it becomes clear that the weight of the world could be on the duo’s shoulders.
Like The Last of Us video game, Joel and Ellie will encounter several survivors on their journey. The HBO series features those close to Joel and Ellie, such as Sarah, Tommy, Tess, and Riley, in addition to leaders of different movements like Marlene and Kathleen, played by Melanie Lynskey, who isn’t in the game. HBO’s The Last of Us is also honoring the story’s Naughty Dog roots with cameos from Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, who portrayed Joel and Ellie for the video games. Granted, it’s not necessary to have played the games in order to watch as HBO is sharing the story from the beginning and expanding on what’s presented in the source material.
Night Court – January 17, 2023
Those looking for a sitcom to get into in early 2023 would be happy to hear another long-running series is getting a revival. This time, NBC is bringing back Night Court, a show that initially ran 192 episodes between 1984 and 1992. Returning nearly 30 years after the sitcom first ended, Night Court will feature one critical returning character: John Larroquette as prosecutor Dan Fielding. Meanwhile, Melissa Rauch, who memorably played Bernadette on The Big Bang Theory, will star as Abby Stone, Judge Harry Stone’s daughter from the original series.
Like her father, Abby serves as a Judge tackling outlandish cases that call to the courtroom’s night shift, as seen in the exclusive first-look image above. She will also have exciting encounters with staff aside from attorney Dan Fielding. New cast members for the Night Court revival include India de Beaufort as a fellow prosecutor named Olivia, Kapil Talwalkar as the floor clerk, Neil, and Lacretta in the role of bailiff Donna “Gurgs” Gurganous.
That ’90s Show – January 19, 2023
17 years after That ’70s Show came to a close, Netflix is revisiting the world of Point Place, Wisconsin, with the beloved sitcom’s official sequel, That ’90s Show. Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp are back as Red and Kitty Forman, but this time, they will be stepping into roles never seen in That ’70s Show: grandparents. At the forefront of That ’90s Show is Leia Forman, the daughter of Eric (Topher Grace) and Donna (Laura Prepon), who will have her own set of friends akin to Eric and Donna’s crew from the ’70s. That ’90s Show co-creator Lindsey Turner exclusively told Screen Rant what it means to revisit the Forman family:
“How do I put this? Eric and Donna bringing Leia back to their hometown where they grew up, is what I think it could be like for a lot of viewers watching. It’s like coming back home, only now the next generation is in the basement. And it’s somehow familiar and new all at once.”
Though Leia and the new teens will be the focus, plenty of other That ’70s Show vets will be making cameo appearances aside from Grace and Prepon. Red and Kitty will be core characters, and to no surprise, they haven’t changed much in That ’90s Show’s time period. Co-creator and executive producer Terry Turner hyped the new show, telling Screen Rant, “One of the best reasons to tune in is to watch Red’s reaction to a new generation of dumbasses.” Fellow creator and executive producer also had exclusive insight to add, mentioning what kinds of mysteries That ’90s Show will solve:
“We had fun asking questions and then had fun answering them. Fans of the original can watch so they can know: What happened to the Vista Cruiser? Who moved into the Pinciotti house? Are Kitty and Red still having sex? Whose ass will earn Red’s foot?”
Poker Face – January 26, 2023
Following the positive reception of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Rian Johnson is gearing up to release yet another project in the form of a comedy-drama titled Poker Face for Peacock. The TV show will be a Columbo-esque ‘murder mystery of the week’ format. With Poker Face coming on the heels of the Knives Out sequel, it sure looks like Johnson is building a name for himself in the whodunit genre.
Poker Face is set to star notable names such as Natasha Lyonne as the central character Charlie, a woman who can tell when someone is lying. During a trip, she comes across a crime at each of her stops encountering eccentric sets of characters played by actors such as Adrien Brody, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Stephanie Hsu, Chloë Sevigny, Nick Nolte, Luis Guzmán, and many others. Though Peacock subscribers can enjoy Poker Face into March, the first four episodes will be released on January 26.
Wolf Pack – January 26, 2023
January 26 will be a big day for Paramount+ and creator Jeff Davis. Not only is his long-awaited sequel, Teen Wolf: The Movie releasing that day, but the streamer will also be releasing Wolf Pack. Despite the name and the fact that Wolf Pack also follows teenage werewolves, it actually has no connection to Teen Wolf, the long-running show that first aired on MTV. Wolf Pack is based on the book by Edo van Belkom and will follow four teens who are brought together as they share the same secret: they are all werewolves.
Wolf Pack will also star Sarah Michelle Gellar as Kristin Ramsey, an arson investigator from California brought in to catch the person behind a destructive Los Angeles wildfire. The event, however, also causes the return of a supernatural entity. Kristin, along with the four teens, becomes swept up in something far beyond anything they could imagine.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 – February 16, 2023
Paramount+ is wasting no time bringing back Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard after its season 2 finale aired in May 2022. Star Trek: Picard season 3 launches on the streamer in mid-February with another 10-episode installment that will last through April. Despite being Picard‘s third and final season, it will be a celebratory viewing event, bringing back numerous Star Trek characters from various franchise titles.
After being sent back in time, Picard season 3 will feature Stewart’s character reuniting with his old crew for one final adventure. Among the returning characters are LeVar Burton as Geordi, Michael Dorn as Worf, and Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher. However, Picard season 3 also features the return of notable adversaries like Brent Spiner’s Lore, in addition to an unknown villain. While the reunion of the USS Enterprise crew is exciting, it’s important to note that Star Trek: Picard season 3 could be the last time many of the characters are seen in the franchise.
The Mandalorian Season 3 – March 1, 2023
The Mandalorian season 3 marks the second major show Pedro Pascal is set to star in during the early months of 2023. Not only is it one of Disney+’s most anticipated releases, but it’s also one of the biggest releases across all titles. The Mandalorian season 2 came to a close in December 2020, ending with Luke Skywalker taking Grogu to train as a Jedi. Granted, there was no need to wait over two years to see Pascal’s Din Djarin and Grogu again, as both appeared in The Book of Boba Fett. The Mandalorian season 3 will follow the events of their reunion after Grogu chose Din over Luke.
Din might have his adopted son by his side once again, but he still has his own issues to deal with, including atoning for his sins on Mandalore to make good with the very few Mandalorians left in existence. There’s also the unsolved conflict with Bo-Katan Kryze, who has her sights set on the Darksaber as well as the throne in Mandalore. While The Mandalorian season 3 will feature a few returning characters, the big name joining the Star Wars series is Christopher Lloyd. Though, details regarding his character are still unknown.
