Winter TV Preview: The 14 Best Shows to Watch

Winter TV season is well underway. Big premieres of anticipated shows like 1923, Jack Ryan Season 3, and The Last of Us have already happened, but there are still a number of shows worth keeping an eye on, like Rian Johnson's new mystery series Poker Face, the fourth season of Netflix's stalker drama You, and the Party Down revival. If you're looking to find out what releases are worth checking out during these cold days, we've got you covered with this helpful guide.

Below, you'll find our preview of the best shows to watch from December through February, plus a few other highlights we think you'll want to have on your radar.

The Best Shows to Watch This Winter 

Riches (Dec. 2, Amazon Prime Video)

Soon, every network and platform will have its version of Succession: Paramount Network has Yellowstone, Showtime has Billions, Hulu has The Great, and now Amazon Prime Video has Riches. Created by Abby Ajayi, the series revolves around an exorbitantly wealthy family that spins out into chaos after the sudden death of their patriarch (Hugh Quarshie). His body isn't even cold before his cutthroat adult children plot ways to tear each other apart as they scramble for control of his cosmetics empire. [Trailer]

Kindred (Dec. 13, Hulu)

Spooky season isn't over until you say it's over, and Kindred looks mighty spooky. Adapted from Octavia E. Butler's novel of the same name, Mallori Johnson stars as Dana, an aspiring writer who suddenly finds herself in the disorienting position of being yanked back and forth through time. She keeps ending up at a 19th-century plantation, which has an unsettling link to her own family lineage that she's forced to confront. If the premise isn't enough to hook you, Kindred has an exciting creative team behind it that includes director Janicza Bravo and executive producers Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Darren Aronofsky, and The Americans' Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields. [Trailer | Review]

National Treasure: Edge of History (Dec. 14, Disney+) 

It's time to steal some historical documents again, baby! No, Nicolas Cage won't reprise his role as Benjamin Franklin Gates in this new series, which serves as an extension of the National Treasure films, but new franchise star Catherine Zeta-Jones might be using the five-finger discount at the Smithsonian. The material has also gotten a modern update, with Lisette Olivera starring as Jess, a young Dreamer who goes searching for a Pan-American treasure in the hopes of finding answers about her family. Here's everything we know about Edge of History so far. [Trailer]

1923 (Dec. 18, Paramount+)

Maybe Taylor Sheridan will eventually run out of years to name Yellowstone spin-offs, but that day hasn't come yet. 1923, set about 30 or 35 years before the birth of Kevin Costner's John Dutton III and about 40 years after the events of 1883, stars Harrison Ford (!) and Helen Mirren (!), and finds the Dutton family struggling to survive Prohibition, a historic drought, and an epidemic of cattle theft. I hope the next entry in the universe introduces us to the Duttons of the future. Maybe they can try to colonize Mars. [Trailer | Review]

Jack Ryan Season 3 (Dec. 21, Amazon Prime Video)

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan hasn't aired new episodes since 2019, if you can believe it. But we won't have to wait much longer to see John Krasinski return as the title character, and the action-thriller series seems to be in for a shake-up as Jack becomes implicated in a larger conspiracy after being tipped off about a secret plan to restore the Soviet Empire. He's on the run from his own government and racing against the clock to stop a global crisis, and the dads of the world will be on the edge of their seats the whole time. [Trailer]

The Witcher: Blood Origin (Dec. 25, Netflix)

You heard it here first: The Witcher is Yellowstone for fantasy nerds. OK, no it's not, but both series do have sprawling cinematic universes, so you can see where we're coming from. Blood Origin is the first live-action Witcher spin-off, taking place 1200 years before Geralt of Rivia (the role Henry Cavill just vacated) held the title of Witcher. Blood Origin will also tell the story of the creation of the first of Geralt's monster-hunting kind. The great Michelle Yeoh co-stars, trading in her hot dog fingers for elf ears. [Trailer | Review]

The Last of Us (Jan. 15, HBO)

One of the best video games of the past decade gets its long-awaited, and very promising-looking, live-action adaptation in The Last of Us. The drama is set in a desolate, post-apocalyptic version of the U.S. that has been overrun by cannibalistic creatures and follows a survivor's (Pedro Pascal) journey to smuggle a teenage girl (Bella Ramsey) out of the quarantine zone. The series was co-developed by Chernobyl's Craig Mazin and the game's creative director Neil Druckmann, with an ensemble cast that reads like a Who's Who of great TV character actors like Murray Bartlett, Anna Torv, and Melanie Lynskey. [Trailer | Review]

The 1619 Project (Jan. 26, Hulu)

This six-part docuseries builds on the project of the same name from The New York Times Magazine and journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones. Hosted and executive produced by Hannah-Jones, The 1619 Project reframes American history with a focus on its roots in slavery, exploring how the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans have shaped every aspect of American life. Oprah Winfrey is among the producers. -Kelly Connolly [Trailer]

Poker Face (Jan. 26, Peacock)

Rian Johnson is doubling down on making mystery his brand. The Knives Out director's new dramedy follows the classic case-of-the-week format and stars Natasha Lyonne as a woman with an uncanny ability to suss out when someone is lying. It's Columbo for the streaming age, with a stacked guest cast that includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Adrien Brody, Hong Chau, and Nick Nolte. [Trailer]

Wolf Pack (Jan. 26, Paramount+)

Teen Wolf creator Jeff Davis is behind this series about four California teens who are drawn together after being attacked by a vicious creature (spoiler: it's obviously a werewolf) on the night of a mysterious wildfire. The full moon is rising and the pack is assembling and Sarah Michelle Gellar is there, presiding over it all. What are you going to do, not tune in? [Trailer]

You Season 4 (Feb. 10, Netflix)

Hello, you. It's almost time for the biggest freak on TV to return, and this time he's taking his reign of terror across the pond. When we last saw Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), he was relocating to France after murdering his wife (Victoria Pedretti), leaving his infant son behind, and faking his own death. Since then, for cost-saving reasons, Season 4 has moved to London, and now he has a new job as a professor and a group of young minds to shape and I'm sure things will be different this time. Call it the re-introduction of Joe Goldberg, or maybe just Emily in Paris for stalkers. [Trailer]

Hello Tomorrow! (Feb. 17, Apple TV+)

Billy Crudup, Hank Azaria, Alison Pill, Haneefah Wood, and Dewshane Williams star in this sci-fi dramedy about a group of traveling salespeople living in a retro-futuristic world who make their living selling timeshares on the moon. An intriguing Apple TV+ sci-fi show with a strong cast quietly premiering early in the winter? We've heard this tale before.

Party Down Season 3 (Feb. 24, Starz)

Party Down, the beloved comedy about a group of aspiring actors working as caterers, is one of those cult shows that has only grown in popularity since its cancellation, which is why its getting a long-awaited third season 13 years after it last aired. The revival picks up a decade later as the crew crosses paths again at a reunion, with Adam Scott, Jane Lynch, Ken Marino, and the rest of the original cast (save for Lizzy Caplan) returning. Jennifer Garner is a new addition to the group of regulars, while Quinta Brunson and James Marsden will guest star. Are we having fun yet? [Trailer]

Miracle Workers: End Times (TBA, TBS)

It's kind of crazy that Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi have been starring on a consistently funny TV show for years and no one really talks about it. Now in its fourth season, the anthology series is going full Mad Max, set in a dystopian future that finds Radcliffe playing a warrior and Geraldine Viswanathan playing his wife. The couple face their own domestic version of dystopia as they settle into their new suburban home. Miracle Workers is still having the kind of goofy fun every other show wishes it was having. It was originally slated to premiere in Jan. 16, but was pulled from TBS' schedule at the last minute and is awaiting a new date, supposedly later in the year. We wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't air on TBS at all, as TBS is no longer producing scripted shows. Keep your eye on HBO Max, where the first three seasons are streaming. [Trailer]

More recommendations:

• The Ultimate Guide to What's on Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, Hulu, and More in January 2023
• 2022-23 TV Scorecard: Which Shows Are Canceled? Which Are Renewed?

More Winter Highlights 

Slow Horses Season 2 (Dec. 2, Apple TV+) 

The British spy dramedy about MI5 screwups banished to Slough House, where they try to rebuild their reputation, returns for its second season less than eight months after its first. This show is great. I don't know why more people aren't talking about it. Gary Oldman, Olivia Cooke, Jack Lowden, and Kristin Scott Thomas star. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

His Dark Materials Season 3 (Dec. 5, HBO Max) 

The final season of HBO's underrated adaptation of Philip Pullman's fantasy trilogy finds its characters preparing for the looming inevitability of war, and Lyra (Dafne Keen) and Will (Amir Wilson) embarking on a dangerous journey to the land of the dead. [Trailer]

Emancipation (Dec. 9, Apple TV+) 

The reception to Will Smith's first movie since his infamous five-finger-one-palm how do you do to Chris Rock at the Oscars should be interesting. Smith plays an escaped slave who joins the Union Army, and Antoine Fuqua goes behind the camera. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

Little America Season 2 (Dec. 9, Apple TV+) 

The long-awaited (by us, at least) second season of the comedic anthology based on real-life stories of American immigrants finally arrives. Season 1 was a quiet treasure when it premiered in early 2020. Kumail Nanjiani and Alan Yang serve as executive producers. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

Emily in Paris Season 3 (Dec. 21, Netflix)

Mon dieu, is it that time already? Oui, oui, it is! More Emily in Paris! What new hunks will Emily (Lily Collins) make out with? What crazy new outfits will she wear? We can't wait to find out. [Trailer]

All Creatures Great and Small Season 3 (Jan. 8, PBS)

TV's most comfy show is based on James Harriet's novels about a vet in the English countryside, and will whisk you away to relaxing bliss as you watch James (Nicholas Ralph) tend to adorable animals and bat eyelashes at his crush Helen (Rachel Shenton). –Tim Surette [Trailer]

Velma (Jan. 12, HBO Max)

Mindy Kaling voices the brainiest member of the Scooby Gang in this adult animated show that finally(?) gives the world her origin story. The voice cast also includes Sam Richardson, Constance Wu, and Glenn Howerton as Shaggy, Daphne, and Fred, respectively. Scooby himself is not in it. That's right, this is Scooby-Doo without Scooby-Doo. For fans of Harley Quinn. [Trailer] 

Servant Season 4 (Jan. 13, Apple TV+)

The final chapter of M. Night Shyamalan's claustrophobic thriller finds Leanne (Nell Tiger Free) escalating her war with the Church of Lesser Saints, threatening the entire city of Philadelphia and beyond. We'll miss this show's inimitable color palette and commitment to unsettling food design most of all. [Trailer]

That '90s Show (Jan. 19, Netflix)

In this revival of That '70s Show, it's 1995, and Eric (Topher Grace) and Donna's (Laura Prepon) teen daughter spends the summer in Wisconsin with her grandparents, Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp), and hang out in their basement. You remember the basement. [Trailer]

Not Dead Yet (Feb. 8, ABC)

It's hard to find a network comedy that sticks these days (they can't all be Ghosts), but maybe this one — about a down-on-her-luck obituary writer (Gina Rodriguez) who discovers she can communicate with ghosts — will have some staying power. Maybe it can also be Ghosts. [Trailer]