All the new TV dramas still to come in autumn and winter 2020
We've rounded up all the highly-anticipated TV shows set to hit our screens before the end of the year.
The nights are getting longer and the days are getting shorter, which means it's time to snuggle under a blanket and watch an absurd amount of television. But what's coming up – and which shows should you put on your watch-list?
From His Dark Materials to The Crown to Bridgerton, we've rounded up all the dramas which are still to come in 2020. There's a bit of something for everyone, whether you're a fan of sci-fi, period dramas or crime thrillers; despite the coronavirus pandemic, there are clearly still new shows in the pipeline.
We've already given you a heads up for the best TV shows of 2020 as a whole. But looking at what's still to come across the BBC, Netflix, ITV, Amazon, Apple TV+, Disney Plus, Sky, Channel 4, Channel 5 and more, here's what you can expect before the New Year.
And if you're looking to the future, here are the best TV dramas of 2021 coming up.
His Dark Materials (BBC One)
Air date: 8th November 2020
Dafne Keen, Ruth Wilson, Amir Wilson and Lin-Manuel Miranda return for the second season of His Dark Materials, based on the series of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman. Now we're moving on to the events of the second novel, The Subtle Knife, and the dual stories of Lyra Silvertongue and Will Parry are set to collide in a parallel universe as they pursue the truth about Dust.
The Crown (Netflix)
Air date: 15th November 2020
Filming for season four of The Crown just about scraped over the line before the lockdown began in March, with the second incarnation of the cast shooting their final scenes before handing on the baton to the new Queen (Imelda Staunton) and co. In season four, Olivia Colman, Tobias Menzies, Josh O'Connor will pick up the story in 1977 and take us through the '80s, introducing us for the first time to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson) and Princess Diana (Emma Corrin).
Call the Midwife (BBC One)
Air date: 25th December 2020
After a monumental effort to re-start filming, Call the Midwife will be back in 2020 with the Christmas special. It's December 1965, and "nothing goes quite to plan" at Nonnatus House where our favourite characters are all hoping for a quiet and traditional Christmas. According to the BBC, "Sister Monica Joan is rushed to hospital, and Trixie is incensed to receive a subscription to a Marriage Bureau as a Christmas gift. Meanwhile, a surprise reunion for Shelagh involves her in a deeply moving birth, and the Circus arrives in Poplar, bringing new friendships, new experiences, and an exciting adventure for Nurse Crane.” The only sadness is that the Christmas special will not include Jennifer Kirby (Nurse Val Dyer), who has left the show ahead of the new season.
Industry (BBC)
Air date: Autumn 2020
Eight-part drama Industry follows a cohort of ambitious twenty-somethings as they join a top investment bank in London in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. These young graduates must chase after a limited number of permanent jobs in the cutthroat world of international finance.
The Mandalorian S2 (Disney Plus)
Air date: 30th October 2020
Pedro Pascal is back as The Mandalorian for a second season, alongside Baby Yoda (of course), Carl Weathers as bounty hunter boss Greef Karga, Gina Carano as ex-soldier Cara Dune and Giancarlo Esposito as the formidable Moff Gideon. The action revolves around a quest for the truth about The Child’s origins, and picks up (according to showrunner Jon Favreau) immediately after the events of season one.
Black Narcissus (BBC One)
Air date: December 2020
Rumer Godden’s 1939 novel about forbidden desire, religion and sexual repression has already been adapted once before, into the classic 1947 film Black Narcissus – and now the story is being told again in a new three-part BBC drama. Black Narcissus follows Sister Clodagh (Gemma Arterton), who leads the nuns of St Faiths to a remote spot high in the Himalayan mountains, where they set up a branch of their order in the palace of Mopu. There, Sister Clodagh is “increasingly attracted ” to the arrogant land agent, Mr Dean, as is the unstable Sister Ruth. The drama also stars the late Diana Rigg as Mother Dorothea, in one of her final screen appearances.
Bridgerton (Netflix)
Air date: 25th December 2020
Netflix has commissioned a nice, proper period drama called Bridgerton, based on the romance novels of Julia Quinn. It's the story of a well-to-do family in Regency-era high society London, and it has a star-studded ensemble cast including Nicola Coughlan (of Derry Girls fame), Regé-Jean Page, Phoebe Dynevor, Jonathan Bailey, Polly Walker – and Julie Andrews as the show's narrator.
WandaVision (Disney Plus)
Air date: December 2020 (hopefully)
Elizabeth Olsen stars as Wanda Maximoff, the superhero known as Scarlet Witch because of her penchant for the colour red and her abilities to manipulate minds and matter. And Paul Bettany is expected to star as android hero The Vision (hence: "WandaVision"), although nobody is quite sure how it'll work yet as he was killed in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War. Marvel fans will be watching with interest.
Small Axe (BBC)
Air date: 15th November 2020
Small Axe is an anthology of TV movies from Oscar-winning writer and director Steve McQueen, with cast including Star Wars actor John Boyega and Line of Duty's Rochenda Sandall. Set within the West Indian community, the five episodes will begin with Enoch Powell’s notorious 'Rivers of Blood' speech of 1968 and take us through to the mid-80s. The series title is drawn from a Jamaican proverb, "if you are the big tree, we are the small axe", which means that relatively marginal or small voices of dissent can successfully challenge more powerful voices. The first two films in the series, "Mangrove" and "Lovers Rock", have already been selected by Cannes Film Festival; and all of the five films will premiere on BBC One later this year.
The Undoing (Sky)
Air date: 26th October 2020
Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant lead the cast of this tense drama about a woman called whose world starts to disintegrate when her husband goes missing – leaving behind a string of terrible revelations as questions are raised about his true identity. The Undoing is based on the novel You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz.
Tin Star (Sky)
Air date: November 2020
This will be the third and final season of Tin Star – and it's also shifting location from the Canadian Rockies to the English city of Liverpool. Tim Roth, Genevieve O'Reilly and Abigail Lawrie return as the Worth family, who are back in the UK after two decades "to confront their menacing past". But the secrets they hold are a threat to a group of dangerous criminals still operating in Liverpool, including crime boss Michael (Ian Hart).
The Sister (ITV)
Air date: 26th October 2020
Luther creator Neil Cross brings us a suspenseful new murder mystery titled The Sister, starring Russell Tovey as a man with a terrible secret who is trying to escape the (literal) ghosts of his past. As Cross himself put it, this is "a tale of psychological suspense, of guilt and ghosts and murder. Oh, and love. Always love. Our job is to make viewers want to sleep with the lights on."
Worzel Gummidge (BBC)
Air date: Christmas 2020 (probably)
A revived Worzel Gummidge arrived on our screens for Christmas 2019, and now it looks like Scatterbrook Farm's much loved living scarecrow will be putting in a repeat performance. Mackenzie Crook returns as Worzel Gummidge for another feature-length episode "later this year", and we'd be willing to bet the family-friendly show is scheduled for Christmas.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina S4 (Netflix)
Air date: 31st December 2020
One of the final new dramas of the year will be the fourth season (or "Part 4") of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, a supernatural teen drama which tells the story of Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka) and her friends. We already know that the show has not been renewed by Netflix, so this will be Sabrina's final outing.
Check out what shows are on in the immediate future with our TV Guide.
