Aoife Rooney breaks down some of the most anticipated TV series set to grace the small screen this year.
While last year bore most of the brunt of pandemic related delays to television release scheduling, this year is seeing both the return and premiere of some of the most talked-about TV. Starting the new year with one toxic bang, Euphoria is back for season two. The long awaited HBO Max series first captivated viewers in 2019, so the return is one of the most anticipated releases of the year. The season premiere saw viewers settle back into the chaos, with more abuse, relationship trauma and good old fashioned teen angst than ever before. The show’s winning formula is not accomplished without the exquisite makeup and style choices, the specific and transporting soundtrack, or the Emmy-award winning cast. But the jolting and often unhinged plot lines are what keeps viewers enthralled in the downward spirals of the show's characters.
On the topic of downward spirals, The Drop Out, which is due for a March release, chronicles the journey of Elizabeth Holmes, a Stanford dropout in her journey to attempt to develop a blood testing product that was set to revolutionise the medical device and diagnostic industry. The miniseries, which can be streamed on Hulu, will see Amanda Seyfried step into the shoes of the Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs fanatic. Holmes’ business history is a long and complex journey that ultimately led the entrepreneur to a prosecution of wire fraud and the defrauding of investors.
“Holmes is set to be sentenced later this year, so viewers have plenty of time to enjoy the series before the real-life ramifications on the founder are realised.”
Her company Theranos developed a blood testing product, the Edison, that was marketed as being able to bypass long waiting times and discomfort in extraction for patients and was to save the American health system hundreds of billions. Over ten years after the company launched, and had garnered an evaluation of over $9 billion, it all came crumbling down around Holmes when it was revealed that the product was not able to accomplish what it claimed to. Holmes is set to be sentenced later this year, so viewers have plenty of time to enjoy the series before the real-life ramifications on the founder are realised. There is a podcast of the same name available on Spotify, which will equip those who are interested with the background of the case before the series premieres this spring.
Closer to home, the adaptation of Sally Rooney’s first novel, Conversations with Friends is set for a 2022 release date on BBC One for Irish viewers. The series was still filming up until recently so is likely to be released in the latter part of 2022. Following the overwhelming success of Normal People, Irish filmmaker Lenny Abrahamson will return as director and executive producer. The story, like it’s predecessor, will examine class, politics and the distinctly Irish affliction of having bad communication skills through the lens of Frances and Bobbi, college students dealing with romantic relationships and friendships. Frances and Bobbi are played by Alison Oliver and Sasha Lane respectively, with Joe Alwyn and Jemima Kirke set to fulfil the role of the married couple the friends find themselves intertwined amongst. The series is set to show viewers an examination of life in Ireland and the curse of the millennial in 21st century Dublin.