Invariably, a new year brings with it a consortium of things to anticipate. That is no different within the context of entertainment, as 2024 promises to both introduce a flurry of original content, as well as capitalize further upon already extant content. Successor seasons abound in the domains of fantasy, science fiction, drama, and comedy, compelling boundless prognostications, and convivial discourse among fans.
In this article, we’ll explore 5 shows of particular interest, ones which have already generated a high amount of speculation and excitement. Here are the 5 shows, available via the typical streaming services, that we’re most eager for in 2024.
Rings of Power
Streaming on Amazon, “The Rings of Power” relates the creation story of the original rings of power in Tolkien’s Middle Earth. An antecedent to “Lord of the Rings,” the “Rings of Power” is a visually stunning television show, replete with luminous visuals, complex relationships, and archetypal themes.
Set in the Second Age, the Noldorin elf Galadriel sets out on a vindictive quest to avenge her brother, Finrod, who was slain in battle by Sauron the Maia, the eventual wielder of the One Ring. Galadriel ventures through the northern reaches of Middle Earth, desperately leading a legion of elves through frigid terrain, to no avail. After her failure, she is recalled to Eregion, where Gil-Galad, the High King of the Elves, orders her to set sail to the Undying Lands, Valinor.
Torn, Galadriel accedes to the voyage, only to later abjure the journey, leaping off her sea vessel within sight of Valinor. Caught in the tempestuous waters of the Belegaer, Galadriel avoids drowning only by the grace of a curious man named Halbrand. Carrying the signet of an ancient house of Men, the heritage of Halbrand initially remains a mystery.
Galadriel and Halbrand come to arrive in Numenor, the island-home of the Edain, or Men blessed for their loyalty to the Valar during the wars of the First Age. There, Galadriel manages to persuade Tar-Miriel, acting regent of Numenor, to assemble a host to defend the Southlands, an area inhabited by common men in Middle Earth, against an emerging shadow.
The first season of the show concludes in Eregion, with the Elven smith Celebrimbor, in consultation with Halbrand, forging the three great Elven rings. In a foul turn of events, Halbrand is revealed to be Sauron in disguise. After unsuccessfully attempting to persuade Galadriel to join him in the now desecrated Southlands, victim of a violent volcanic spasm, Sauron escapes Eregion and flees; leaving the Elves to wonder of his intentions.
Season 2 of “The Rings of Power” is set for release in 2024. Many questions still abound in this sprawling epic. What will Sauron do? How will he forge the One Ring? What of Adar, the seeming champion of the Southron Orcs? How will the Elves choose to wield their own rings of power? What of the wizened old man we meet during Season 1, referred to obliquely as “The Stranger?” What is he seeking, with Norrie the Halfling, in Rhun? What of the dwarves, and the terror lurking beneath their stone dwelling in Moria? There is much to answer and much to anticipate. I, for one, am ripe with excitement.
The Boys
“The Boys,” also streaming on Amazon, is in all likelihood the most lewd and explicit show presently streaming. A show about the tawdry, fiendish, and arrogant exploits of superheroes, it doesn’t hesitate to cross the boundaries of social propriety. For instance, in one scene during Season 3, at a superhero orgy playfully referred to as “Herogasm” a superhero powered with the ability to shrink diminishes himself to the size of an ant, enthusiastically enters another superhero’s urethra, accidentally sneezes, returning to full-size; and in the process explodes the human recipient of his entry. The poor man’s innards thus decorate the orgy.
The show, alas, is not merely about the sexual antics of superheroes. It’s a show about the ramifications of glorifying people with seemingly extraordinary abilities, and how those people consequently prosecute the power we as a society have given them. The antagonist of the show, Homelander, who is essentially Superman without a moral compass; is a polarizing figure made vastly more powerful by his cultural patron, Vought, who provides him a political platform to advance his self-seeking objectives.
The only individuals with enough temerity to oppose Homelander are called “The Boys,” spearheaded by a rugged, brash, ill-tempered git named Billy Butcher. Butcher’s wife was raped by Homelander, bore Homelander’s son, and Butcher becomes a perseverant grudge-holder. He views “supes” as nothing but domineering, arrogant, frivolous beings who behave as though they were demi-gods, not merely capricious mortals with a propitious bit of serum coursing through their veins.
Season 3 of “The Boys” ended with Homelander lasering a wayward protester in eyesight of his son, Ryan, who menacingly smiles in apparent delight. Isolated for years under the protective auspices of his mother, Butcher’s wife, Becca, Ryan hasn’t yet fully grappled with the nature of his supernatural abilities. Were it exclusively up to the dictates of his father, Ryan would likely become equally as callous and unhinged as he. Before dying, however, Becca made Butcher promise to her that he’d protect Ryan from Homelander.
Correspondingly, the overall direction of Season 4 will likely revolve around a contest for Ryan’s soul: whether he will elect to protect ordinary people per our traditional conception of superheroes; or whether he will turn renegade like his father. If “The Boys” remains true to form, the answer will likely fall somewhere in the middle. We’ll soon see.
Stranger Things
“Stranger Things” is a show nostalgic for the 80s, concerned with the meanderings of a group of boys in Hawkins, Indians, that are enthralled with games like “Dungeons and Dragons.” In Season 1, their friend Will is abducted (literally, not fantastically) by a being from another realm called “The Upside Down.” In partnership with a psychokinetic girl named “Seven,” Will’s friends seek to rescue him from a dimension they do not understand.
Three proceeding seasons followed, all encapsulating the increasingly imperiled situation of both Hawkins and the mortal world. There are subplots associated with the Soviet Union, monsters obliterating small-town malls, the undulations of teenage angst, budding romances, and so forth.
Season 5 is set to resolve the problem of Vecna, a pernicious creature with psychokinetic abilities similar to Seven, living in the Upside Down. The Hawkins Gang will undoubtedly redouble their efforts to eradicate Vecna’s presence in the final season the show.
House of the Dragon
“The House of the Dragon” is set in the same world as HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” before derived from George R.R. Martin’s sprawling saga: “A Song of Ice and Fire.” “The House of the Dragon” tells the tale of the splintering of the reigning Targaryen dynasty, who imposed their rule through fire and blood, through fire made flesh, in the form of dragons.
The Targaryen’s are of the blood of Old Valyria, an ancient empire whose inhabitants possessed the ability to harness and control dragons. At one point, ever-intent on expansion, the Valyrians established a fort on an island called Dragonstone, off the shores of Westeros in Blackwater Bay. When “The Doom” — a series of volcanic fulminations shattering the Valyrian Empire — came to Valyria, the Targaryens were one of the only remaining Valyrian families left, surviving in exile on their outpost at Dragonstone.
The eyes of the Targaryen’s turned westward, toward Westeros and a new empire. Upon Balerion the Black Dread, Aegon the Conqueror and his three sisters subjugated the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros – The North, The Reach, The Stormlands, The Crownlands, The Riverlands, The Vale, Dorne and the Iron Islands – in an inferno of dragonfire. Hence, the Targaryen dynasty in Westeros was born.
“The House of the Dragon” occurs at the apex of Targaryen power, with the ailing old king, Viserys, struggling to identify a legitimate successor among his several children. Once the old king expires, the realm of Westeros erupts in division, with factions supporting the king’s eldest daughter, Rhaenyra; and those supporting his eldest son, Aegon II.
Season 2 begins with the dynastic battle in full swing, with the repercussions of Rhaenyra’s eldest son, Luke, being murdered on a diplomatic mission to Storm’s End, home of House Baratheon, still being meted out.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
“Curb Your Enthusiasm,” a comedy written by and about the quintessential misanthrope, Larry David, is releasing what is said to be its final season in 2024.
Details about the next season are sparse, though, as with any season of “Curb” it is sure to delight in its naughtiness.
In an interview, Larry David himself properly commented on “Curb” finally ending, saying “As ‘Curb’ comes to an end, I will now have the opportunity to finally shed this ‘Larry David’ persona and become the person God intended me to be – the thoughtful, kind, caring, considerate human being I was until I got derailed by portraying this malignant character…And so, ‘Larry David,’ I bid you farewell. Your misanthropy will not be missed. And those of you would like to get in touch with me, you can reach me at Doctors Without Borders.”
Touche, Larry.
For additional information on entertainment in 2024, reference the following links:
10 Shows To Stream In The New Year