Top New TV Shows in 2017

One of the highest-rated dramas on PBS in 20 years, Victoria’s premiere season was hailed as a “gem” by The Hollywood Reporter and a “breakout hit” by Harpers Bazaar. In 1837, a diminutive, neglected teenager is crowned Queen Victoria, navigates the scandal, corruption, and political intrigues of the Court, and soon rises to become the most powerful woman in the world. Victoria stars Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who) as Queen Victoria in a highly anticipated series that follows the drama of the candid, spirited monarch who was perhaps the first woman to seem to have it all. Following Victoria from the time she becomes Queen through her passionate courtship and marriage to Prince Albert, the lavish premiere season of Victoria dramatizes the romance and reign of the girl behind the famous monarch. In addition to Ms. Coleman, the stellar ensemble includes Rufus Sewell (The Man in the High Castle, Zen, The Pillars of the Earth) as Lord Melbourne, her first prime minister and intimate friend and Tom Hughes (Page Eight, Dancing on the Edge) as her husband Prince Albert.

Legion is an American cable television series created for FX by Noah Hawley, based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller / Legion. It is connected to the X-Men film series, the first television series to be so, and is produced by FX Productions in association with Marvel Television. Hawley serves as showrunner on the series. Dan Stevens stars as Haller, a mutant diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age. Rachel Keller, Aubrey Plaza, Bill Irwin, Jeremie Harris, Amber Midthunder, Katie Aselton, and Jean Smart also star. FX and Marvel Television announced a new collaboration to create a television series based on the X-Men character Legion in October 2015, with Hawley signed on to write, and direct the pilot. Casting began by January 2016, and filming took place in Vancouver. Hawley wanted to show Haller as an "unreliable narrator", including mixing 1960s design with modern-day elements, and filming the series through the title character's distorted view of reality. The eight-episode first season of Legion premiered at the Pacific Design Center on January 26, 2017, ahead of its FX debut on February 8. The series received critical acclaim, particularly for its visuals and departure from superhero genre standards. A second season, of ten episodes, was ordered in March 2017 and is planned for a February 2018 release.

The new school year is haunted by the mysterious death of Jason Blossom, but Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) has his own problems: a damaged friendship with Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse), the end of his relationship with music teacher Ms. Grundy, and singer Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray) doesn't want to help him with his music. Betty Cooper's (Lili Reinhart) crush on Archie could be an issue between her new friend Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), who just moved to Riverdale. And then there's trouble from Jason's twin sister Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) in Greg Berlanti's live-action, present-day adaptation of the popular comic series

From Paolo Sorrentino, director of the Academy Award®-winning film 'The Great Beauty,' 'The Young Pope' tells the controversial story of the beginning of Pius XIII's pontificate. Born Lenny Belardo, he is a complex and conflicted character, so conservative in his choices as to border on obscurantism, yet full of compassion towards the weak and poor. The first American pope, Pius XIII is a man of great power who is stubbornly resistant to the Vatican courtiers, unconcerned with the implications to his authority. The ten-episode series stars two-time Academy Award® nominee Jude Law as Pius XIII, and Academy Award® winner Diane Keaton as Sister Mary, a nun from the U.S. now living in Vatican City. Sorrentino, who also directed of the upcoming 'Youth,' says the series is about "the clear signs of God's existence. The clear signs of God's absence. How faith can be searched for and lost. The greatness of holiness, so great as to be unbearable when you are fighting temptations and when all you can do is to yield to them. The inner struggle between the huge responsibility of the Head of the Catholic Church and the miseries of the simple man that fate (or the Holy Spirit) chose as Pontiff. Finally, how to handle and manipulate power in a state whose dogma and moral imperative is the renunciation of power and selfless love towards one's neighbor." The series is produced by Wildside, and co-produced by Haut et Court TV and Mediapro. Executive producers for Wildside are Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani together with John Lyons. Executive producers for Haut et Court TV are Caroline Benjo, Carole Scotta and Simon Arnal. 'The Young Pope' is a co-production of HBO and Sky.

Best friends and fledgling ad men Sam and Tim may not have the money, connections or talent that the big corporations do, but they have more than enough ambition to build a local advertising empire. Whatever they do, they do it together. And no matter what, Tim and Sam’s love for each other and their city never wavers in this new show co-executive produced by Lorne Michaels and Jason Sudeikis.

Sneaky Pete is an American crime drama series created by David Shore and Bryan Cranston. The series follows Marius Josipovic (Giovanni Ribisi), a released convict who adopts the identity of his cell mate, Pete Murphy, in order to avoid his past life. The series also stars Marin Ireland, Shane McRae, Libe Barer, Michael Drayer, Peter Gerety, and Margo Martindale. The pilot debuted on August 7, 2015, and was followed by a full series order that September. Shore left the project in early 2016 and was replaced by Graham Yost, who served as executive producer and showrunner for the remaining nine episodes. The series premiered in its entirety on January 13, 2017, exclusively on Amazon Video. On January 19, 2017, Amazon announced that Sneaky Pete had been renewed for a second season.

The Sony Pictures TV comedy, from Norman Lear and showrunners Mike Royce and Gloria Calderon Kellett, bowed in January to rapturous reviews. The multicamera laffer puts a contemporary spin on the groundbreaking 1970s CBS sitcom about a divorced mother. Justina Machado stars as a newly single mother trying to raise her two children, with the help of her mother.