Television doesn’t sleep. The sheer amount of content—almost 500 scripted programs aired in the year 2019!—can prove overwhelming for even the most dedicated TV buffs. Television Academy voters make Emmy selections in August, and SAG-AFTRA members vote on SAG Awards in January, but their job requires tuning in all year long. Backstage is breaking down, month by month, the buzzy shows and performances that merit awards attention in the ever-growing landscape of the small screen. Mark your calendar and become a couch potato along with us!
This March touts the return of heavy hitter fan favorites and some highly anticipated miniseries from premium cable and streaming services. One of the most buzzed-about returns? HBO’s Western-science-fiction drama “Westworld” launches a revamped third season with Aaron Paul, Lena Waithe, Kid Cudi, Vincent Cassel, Michael Ealy, John Gallagher Jr., Tommy Flanagan, and Marshawn Lynch joining the cast. And the beloved “One Day at a Time” comes back triumphant, saved by Pop TV after being nixed by Netflix.
Literary adaptations are a major inspiration this month, with HBO offering up the second act in Elena Ferrante’s juggernaut book series “My Brilliant Friend,” and Hulu heating up with “Little Fires Everywhere,” bringing A-list stars Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon back to the small screen. Meanwhile, due to the merging of Disney and Fox content, new and existing FX series will be available to stream on Hulu as of March 2.
Check out the full list of March television premieres below!
Amazon Prime Video
On March 6th, “ZeroZeroZero,” an adaptation of the Roberto Saviano novel of the same name, will be added to this streaming network. The series follows a single shipment of cocaine around the world, including Mexico, Italy, Morocco, and the U.S. The eight-episode miniseries stars Andrea Riseborough, Gabriel Byrne, and Dane DeHaan. On the 13th, the newest Agatha Christie adaptation, “The Pale Horse,” starring Rufus Sewell, Kaya Scodelario, Bertie Carvel, Sean Pertwee, Poppy Gilbert, and Henry Lloyd-Hughes, joins the streaming network.
AMC
On the 1st, Jason Segel of “How I Met Your Mother” stars in a new anthology series, “Dispatches From Elsewhere,” which he created and produced as well. The 10-episode mystery series is based on an alternate reality game, called “Games of Nonchalance,” and co-stars Sally Field, André 3000, Richard E. Grant, and Eve Lindley.
Apple TV+
A reboot of director Steven Spielberg’s 1985 series, “Amazing Stories,” will launch its first five episodes March 6, with the other five of the series to come at a later date. Spielberg came back as a producer for this anthology series starring Josh Holloway, Dylan O’Brien, Sasha Alexander, Kerry Bishé, Edward Burns, and Robert Forster in his final performance before he passed away in 2019.
The CW
Season 2 of sci-fi drama reboot, “Roswell, New Mexico,” starring Jeanine Mason and Nathan Parsons, debuts on the 16th—and has already been greenlit for a third season.
Freeform
New supernatural drama “Motherland: Fort Salem,” starring Taylor Hickson, Jessica Sutton, Amalia Holm, Demetria McKinney, and Ashley Nicole Williams, launches on Freeform March 18.
FX
FX kicks off the month with “Breeders” on the 2nd, a new comedy series and co-production with UK’s Sky. Emmy and BAFTA Award winner Martin Freeman, who helped create the series, stars alongside Daisy Haggard of “Episodes” fame. Come March 5, the fourth season of Pamela Adlon’s critically acclaimed “Better Things” will launch with two new episodes, with each one newly streaming on Hulu the next day.
FXX
“Dave,” a new comedy starring the rapper and comedian Lil Dickey (David Burn) as a fictionalized version of himself, a 20-something suburbanite pursuing a rap career, will launch on the 4th.
HBO
The much anticipated third season of the award-winning “Westworld” begins airing its eight-episode season on the 15th. A slew of new stars join regulars Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, Tessa Thompson, and Emmy winner Thandie Newton. On the 16th, Season 2 of “My Brilliant Friend” debuts; “The Story of a New Name” is based on the second book in the series. That same night HBO’s newest miniseries, “The Plot Against America,” launches its first in a six episode miniseries based on the 2004 Philip Roth novel of the same name and stars Winona Ryder, John Turturro, Morgan Spector, and Zoe Kazan.
READ: Jeffrey Wright Talks Plotting His Acting Journey for HBO’s ‘Westworld’
Hulu
The much anticipated miniseries adaptation of Celeste Ng’s bestselling novel set in Cleveland Ohio’s Shaker Heights, “Little Fires Everywhere,” joins Hulu on the 18th. Featuring megawatt stars Washington and Witherspoon, and director Lynn Shelton, all of whom double as executive producers, the show also stars Joshua Jackson and Rosemarie DeWitt. On the 5th—as part of their new distribution partnership—FX debuts an exclusive show, “Devs,” for the streaming service. “Devs” stars Nick Offerman, Sonoya Mizuno, Zach Grenier, Jin Ha, and Alison Pill in a mystery series set in a tech company. The series’ first two episodes will be available on the 5th, with the following six episodes airing once a week.
IFC
On March 18, the fourth and final season of Hank Azaria’s “Brockmire” debuts on the IFC network.
Netflix
It’s a relatively slow month for the main name in streaming programming. On March 20, Oscar winner Octavia Spencer will come to Netflix in a four-part biopic about Sarah Breedlove entitled “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker.” The miniseries also stars Tiffany Haddish, Blair Underwood, Garrett Morris, Bill Bellamy, and Carmen Ejogo depicting Breedlove’s journey becoming one of the only female African-American millionaires in the early 20th century. On the 27th, Jason Bateman’s Emmy-winning “Ozark” comes back for Season 3 still co-starring Laura Linney and Julia Garner, and on the 11th the teen drama “On My Block” returns for its third season as well.
Julia Garner Is No Longer Your Favorite TV Show’s Best-Kept Secret Pop TV
Critically acclaimed and fan favorite sitcom “One Day at a Time” comes to the Pop network (after three seasons on Netflix) on the 24th, with the ensemble including Justina Machado and Rita Moreno intact. On the 13th, the Anna Paquin-led cast of “Flack” returns for a second season with new cast members Daniel Dae Kim, Sam Neill, and Martha Plimpton.
Showtime
Season 2 of “Black Monday,” a dark comedy based around the international stock market crash in 1987, starts on the 15th. Don Cheadle, Andrew Rannells, Regina Hall, and Paul Scheera return alongside this season’s guest stars: June Diane Raphael, Dulé Hill, and Patrick Fabian.
Check out Backstage’s TV audition listings!