DUBAI: From wizardry and spycraft to romance and replicants —the biggest shows arriving before the end of the year
Harry Potter
Starring: Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout, Arabella Stanton
Where: OSN+
When: Dec. 25
The year’s biggest show arrives just before the year ends, and it’s time to brace for another near-decade of Pottermania. The first eight-episode season covers the events of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” which introduces the eponymous boy wizard as he discovers his powers and is invited to attend the magical boarding school, Hogwarts, where he meets new friends — and foes. Considering there’s already a massively successful and beloved film series — the fourth highest-grossing in history — based on Rowling’s Potter novels, there’s a lot for the series to live up to. But hopes are that, given several hours to cover each book, the TV show will delve deeper into the wizarding world than the movies could. Whatever the end product is like — and with cast members including John Lithgow as headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Professor Snape, and Nick Frost as Hagrid, things seem promising — this show will dominate pop-culture conversations heading into 2027 and its three young stars’ lives are about to change forever.
Black Doves
Starring: Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw, Sarah Lancashire
Where: Netflix
When: Nov. 5
Knightley returns as super-spy Helen Webb in season two of Netflix’s high-octane, sharp-witted thriller. Helen and her best friend, the hitman Sam, are still working for the shady titular organization that sells state secrets to the highest bidder, but now Helen has access to even more dangerous documents, as her husband Wallace is about to become the UK’s prime minister. Helen and Sam’s latest mission, according to Netflix, “leads them back to old friends and enemies, through the dark decisions and painful sacrifices of their pasts, and right to the heart of the Black Doves.” New cast members include Ambika Mod and Neve Campbell.
12 12 12
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Jamie Dornan, Jack Kesy
Where: Apple TV+
When: Nov. 13
Eight-episode crime drama that follows career criminal Paul Galvin (Dornan) as he plans, executes, and tries to get away with, a daring raid on an underground bank vault in Zurich. Each episode unfolds across three timelines: the 12 months of planning, the 12 hours of the heist itself, and the 12 days following it. Throughout each of these, Galvin is pursued by disgraced FBI agent Jack Strickland (Mackie).
Blade Runner 2029
Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Hunter Schafer, Lewis Gribben
Where: Amazon Prime
When: Nov. 25
The first TV series in the cult sci-fi franchise, based on Philip K. Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” is a sequel to 1982’s “Blade Runner” and 2017’s “Blade Runner 2049.” The director of the former, Ridley Scott, is onboard as an executive producer, and showrunner Silka Luisa’s last outing was the gripping thriller “Shining Girls.” Add in Yeoh, and signs are very promising. According to synopses, replicants are the “power brokers” in 2099 Los Angeles, while humans are considered second-class citizens. Yeoh plays Olwen, a replicant coming to the end of her lifespan, who teams up with Cora (Schafer) — a human pretending to be a replicant — to hunt down a gang of rogue replicants.
Pride and Prejudice
Starring: Emma Corrin, Jack Lowden, Olivia Colman
Where: Netflix
When: Dec. 3
Star-studded miniseries adapted from Jane Austen’s beloved 1813 novel about the Bennet family. Mr Bennet’s fine estate in Hertfordshire is entailed, meaning it can only be inherited by a son. But Mr and Mrs Bennet have five daughters and no male heir. So one of those five daughters (at least) must “marry well” to ensure that the family’s fortune is secure. Cue a string of potential suitors and much waxing and waning of interest from both them and the Bennet daughters.
Only Murders in the Building
Starring: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez
Where: Disney+
When: Dec. 8
In season six of the comedy crime drama, our unlikely trio of podcasting sleuths head out of New York to London to investigate the murder of another true-crime podcaster Cinda Canning (Tina Fey). Recent seasons have lacked the sparky energy of the show’s magnificent early run, so here’s hoping a change of location brings some of the pizzazz back. The ensemble of British comedy talent lined up for appearances — including Olivia Colman, Nicola Coughlan, Jennifer Saunders and Richard Ayoade — promises much.
Emily in Paris
Starring: Lily Collins, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Ashley Park
Where: Netflix
When: Dec. 24
The critically divisive, though hugely popular, rom-com drama about an American woman living in the French capital is one of the best-looking shows around. The sixth, and final, season sees Emily facing “a defining choice between her career, her heart, and her life in Paris,” according to the blurb. As well as the world’s most romantic city, season six finds the marketing exec exploring Greece and Monaco, the former to visit her former downstairs neighbor Gabriel aboard his boss’s yacht.
