Television doesn’t sleep. Backstage is breaking down, month by month, the buzzy shows and performances that merit attention from awards voters and couch potatoes in the ever-growing landscape of the small screen.
March is coming in like a lion—and we don’t just mean the weather. This month sees TV roaring back to life after the long winter with a whole host of premieres and returning series.
Much-beloved faves are making a comeback with the return of Starz’s “Outlander” on March 6, Donald Glover and FX’s “Atlanta” on March 24 (following a four-year hiatus!), and Netflix’s steamy “Bridgerton” on March 25.
Meanwhile, the small screen’s obsession with true crime and con artists continues apace. Amanda Seyfried stars as infamous Silicon Valley grifter Elizabeth Holmes on Hulu’s “The Dropout” (March 3); Apple TV+ charts the fall of WeWork on the Jared Leto–starring “WeCrashed” (March 18); and Elle Fanning takes the lead on Hulu’s “The Girl From Plainville,” about a woman who allegedly spurred her boyfriend to suicide via text message (March 29).
If you’re in the mood for thrillers, Samuel L. Jackson stars on “The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey” on Apple TV+, about a man with dementia who’s temporarily able to remember his past (March 11); Jamie Dornan, on the other hand, loses his memory after a car accident in the Australian outback on HBO Max’s “The Tourist” (March 3); and over at Netflix, Toni Collette plays a mother with a dark past on “Pieces of Her” (March 4).
Read on for our picks of the top three series to check out this month, plus a full schedule of what’s coming to your TV screen this March.
Nat Wolff on ‘Really Painful Process’ of Playing Joe Exotic’s Husband on ‘Joe vs. Carole’ “Joe vs. Carole”
It’s a co-star match made in heaven: John Cameron Mitchell and Kate McKinnon, flexing their high-camp muscles on Peacock’s limited series inspired by (and about) 2020 docuseries hit “Tiger King.” The two play Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin, respectively, dueling big-cat obsessives on a quest for mutual revenge. “Joe vs. Carole” comes from Etan Frankel (“Shameless,” “Friday Night Lights”) and director Justin Tipping (“The Chi,” “Twenties”). The series also stars Kyle MacLachlan, Nat Wolff, and William Fichtner, and premieres March 3.
“Pachinko”
In an era when awards bodies are finally shining a bright light on foreign language films, Apple TV+ is bringing the trend to the small screen with the trilingual epic “Pachinko” (dropping March 25). Based on Min Jee Lee’s bestselling novel of the same name, the miniseries charts the travails of a Korean family through four generations, sweeping the 20th century from the 1910s to the late ’80s. “Minari” Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung stars alongside Lee Min-ho (“Boys Over Flowers”), Jimmi Simpson (“Westworld”), and newcomer Yu-na Jeon. Soo Hugh (“The Whispers”) created the series, which is co-directed by Justin Chon (“Blue Bayou”) and Kogonada (“After Yang”).
“Moon Knight”
MCU fans are getting their first big release of 2022 with “Moon Knight,” premiering March 30 on Disney+. Oscar Isaac stars as Marc Spector, a former mercenary with dissociative identity disorder who becomes an unlikely superhero. Jeremy Slater, who’s already demonstrated his quirky comic book adaptation chops with Netflix’s “The Umbrella Academy,” created the limited series. Marvel continues to bring in acting heavyweights: Along with Isaac, “Moon Knight” stars Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham, Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke, and the late Gaspard Ulliel.
Acorn TV
March 7 – ”The Chelsea Detective” premiere
ALLBLK
March 17 – “Millennials” Season 2
Amazon Prime Video
March 4 – “The Boys Presents: Diabolical” premiere
March 11 – “Upload” Season 2
Apple TV+
March 11 – “The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey” premiere
March 18 – “WeCrashed” premiere
March 25 – “Panchinko” premiere
BET+
March 10 – “Ruthless” Season 3
CBS
March 31 – “How We Roll” premiere
The CW
March 9 – “Kung Fu” Season 2
March 11 – “Charmed” Season 4
Disney+
March 23 – “Parallels” premiere
March 30 – “Moon Knight” premiere
Oscar Isaac in “Moon Knight,” Courtesy Disney
Freeform
March 9 – “Good Trouble” Season 4
Fox
March 17 – “Welcome to Flatch” premiere
FX/FXX
March 3 – “Dicktown” premiere
March 24 – “Atlanta” Season 3
Hallmark
March 6 – “When Calls the Heart” Season 9
HBO/HBO Max
March 3 – “Our Flag Means Death” premiere
March 3 – “The Tourist” premiere
March 6 – “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” premiere
March 17 – “Minx” premiere
March 31 – “Julia” premiere
Hulu
March 3 – “The Dropout” premiere
March 18 – “Life & Beth” premiere
March 29 – “The Girl From Plainville” premiere
NBC
March 6 – “Transplant” Season 2
March 8 – “The Thing About Pam” premiere
March 15 – “Mr. Mayor” Season 2
March 15 – “Young Rock” Season 2
Joseph Lee Anderson and Bradley Constant in “Young Rock,” Courtesy NBC
Netflix
March 1 – “The Guardians of Justice” premiere
March 1 – “Worst Roommate Ever” premiere
March 2 – “Against the Ice” premiere
March 4 – “Pieces of Her” premiere
March 18 – “Human Resources” premiere
March 18 – “Light the Night” Season 3
March 18 – “Standing Up” premiere
March 25 – “Bridgerton” Season 2
Paramount+
March 3 – “Star Trek: Picard” Season 2
March 24 – “Halo” premiere
PBS
March 20 – “Sanditon” Season 2
Peacock
March 3 – ”Joe vs. Carole” premiere
March 10 – “Bust Down” premiere
The Roku Channel
March 18 – “The Newsreader” premiere
Starz
March 6 – “Outlander” Season 6
March 6 – “Shining Vale” premiere
Sundance Now
March 3 – “Echoes” premiere
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