Best new TV shows in 2023: where to watch, trailers and UK release dates

A look at this year’s top new and returning drama, true crime, thriller and reality series

1. Happy Valley

UK release date: 1 January 2023

Seven years after the previous series of Happy Valley, Sarah Lancashire has returned as sergeant Catherine Cawood, who is “still one of television’s finest creations”, said Anita Singh in The Daily Telegraph. Cawood is played “so brilliantly” by Lancashire, “that we should just hand her the Bafta now and have done with it”. TV drama “doesn’t get much better than this”. Tell Vera that “she needn’t bother” – Ted Hastings “can stay at home too”, said Christopher Stevens in the Daily Mail. “Telly’s most capable copper is back – and she’s in no mood for nonsense.”

Where to watch: BBC One/BBC iPlayer

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2. Kaleidoscope

UK release date: 1 January 2023

New heist series Kaleidoscope represents “nothing less than a bold new vision of storytelling”, said Stuart Heritage in The Guardian. There are eight episodes in total, “but here’s the thing”, you can watch “in any order you like”. In fact there are “40,320 ways” to watch the show. Giancarlo Esposito, Jai Courtney, Tati Gabrielle and Rufus Sewell star.

Where to watch: Netflix

3. The Rig

UK release date: 6 January 2023

This Amazon Prime show about a remote oil rig has “supernatural overtones” that will give an “extra chill to long winter nights”, said Claire Gregory on Sky News. Shot entirely in Scotland – and starring Martin Compston, Iain Glen, Mark Bonnar and Emily Hampshire – the drama has provided a “welcome boost” to the Scottish TV industry.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

4. The Last of Us

UK release date: 16 January 2023

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will star in the nine-part adaptation of the “classic” PlayStation action-adventure game, said Alex Fletcher on BT.com. Taking place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed, The Last of Us looks like an “early contender for one of the best and biggest TV shows of 2023”.

Where to watch: Sky Atlantic and NOW

5. You

UK release date: part one 9 February and part two 9 March

Netflix’s “notorious serial killer” Joe Goldberg is returning to “wreak more havoc”, said Emily Gulla in Cosmopolitan. Series four, which is released in two parts, is this time set in London with a brand new cast and brand new victims. “Yikes.”

Where to watch: Netflix

6. The Mandalorian

UK release date: 1 March 2023

The journeys of the Mandalorian through the Star Wars galaxy continue. Baby Yoda will be back to “munch on more macarons”, along with Pedro Pascal (“obvs”) and Katee Sackhoff, said Laura Jane Turner on Digital Spy. The Book of Boba Fett “set the scene” for Mando’s third instalment.

Where to watch: Disney+

7. Succession

UK release date: Spring 2023

There are “so many good follow-up seasons coming this year”, including a fourth series of Succession, said Emily Gulla in Cosmopolitan. TV’s “greatest foul-mouth” Logan Roy (Brian Cox) returns along with his children as the battle for the future of media conglomerate Waystar Royco “gets even more intense”, said Alex Fletcher on BT.com. “Who will triumph in the seismic power struggle? We can’t wait to find out.”

Where to watch: Sky Atlantic and NOW

8. The Witcher

UK release date: Summer 2023

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When Henry Cavill announced that he would be “leaving the bath tub behind” and walking away from The Witcher, it was one of the “biggest pieces of entertainment news” of 2022, said Laura Jane Turner on Digital Spy. Season three will be Cavill’s swansong as Geralt of Rivia, with Liam Hemsworth confirmed as his replacement for season four.

Where to watch: Netflix

9. Doctor Who

UK release date: November 2023

It’s going to be a “bumper year” for fans of Doctor Who, said Alex Fletcher on BT.com. David Tennant and Catherine Tate will reunite in November for three hour-long specials to mark the show’s 60th anniversary before newcomer Ncuti Gatwa steps into the Tardis as the 15th Doctor at Christmas.

Where to watch: BBC One

10. Lupin

UK release date: TBC

The popular French language mystery thriller Lupin will return for a third series on Netflix in 2023. Inspired by the adventures of Arsène Lupin, the hit show is created by the British writer George Kay and stars Omar Sy as Assane Diop. Fans of Netflix’s “most suave gentleman thief” will have to wait a little longer to see him back on their screens, said Morgan Jeffery on RadioTimes.com. The streamer has confirmed that part three will land this year, “though exactly when remains a mystery”. The first series of Lupin was one of the most successful ever on Netflix.

Where to watch: Netflix

11. Our Planet II

UK release date: TBC

Netflix is “heading back into the wild” with a “major new natural history push” in 2023, said Peter White on Deadline. As well as ordering six new series including Our Universe and Life on Our Planet narrated by Morgan Freeman, the streamer has also renewed David Attenborough’s Our Planet for a second season. From the team behind Planet Earth, it will “follow more animals on the move” and “unravel the mysteries of how and why animals migrate to reveal stories in the natural world”.

Where to watch: Netflix

12. Big Brother

UK release date: TBC

Clean out the diary room, a reboot of the hit reality series is returning to our screens on ITV2. A cast of housemates from all walks of life will be locked up in a brand new Big Brother house with cameras “capturing their every move”, said Josh Darvill on Telly Mix. The new series was originally scheduled to launch in March, but it has reportedly been “pushed back to sometime in autumn 2023”.

Where to watch: ITV2

13. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

UK release date: TBC

It's “good news” for Bridgerton fans as the popular franchise is getting its very own prequel series, said Emily Gulla in Cosmopolitan. Focusing on Queen Charlotte’s younger years and her relationship with King George, Netflix hasn’t confirmed a release date, but it has “dropped a first-look teaser”.

Where to watch: Netflix

14. The Crown

Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana in The Crown

Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana in The Crown
(Image credit: Netflix)

UK release date: TBC

The sixth and final season of Netflix’s “absolute juggernaut of a 20th century epic” will “get to the heavy stuff” in late 2023, said Tom Nicholson in Esquire. In season five there was a lot of “portent and pouting” and in season six Diana’s going to die “very early doors”. From there “we’ll head into the Blair premiership proper, the wreckage of the death of Diana, the beginnings of the split between Harry, William and Charles, the demise of Blairism and Queen Lizzie’s encroaching mortality”.

Where to watch: Netflix

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