This year, prestige TV may reach its based-on-a-true-story saturation point. Just in March alone, we’re getting shows based on the stories behind WeWork, Tiger King, Theranos and even Julia Child! Get ready for a lot of actor transformations—and at least one fake nose—in the shows we can’t wait to binge this spring.
Joe vs. Carole
Look, at this point I’m not sure how to feel about Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin or the whole Tiger King phenomenon. Or about the semi-exploitative nature of the many fictionalized shows based on recent scams and scandals with which we are inundated lately. But I do know that a show in which Kate McKinnon and John Cameron Mitchell just get buck wild playing these absurd characters is probably worth my time, and possibly yours as well. Premieres March 3 on Peacock.
The Dropout
The national appetite for details on the Theranos scandal certainly hasn’t abated. First came reportage, then the podcast, then the documentary and now the scripted limited series. Hulu’s The Dropout is based on the 2019 ABC News podcast of the same name and stars Oscar nominee Amanda Seyfried as the captivatingly creepy Elizabeth Holmes. Streaming March 3 on Hulu.
The Shining Vale
This wry, spooky comedy from co-creator Sharon Horgan owes a little bit to Blithe Spirit and a little bit to Stephen King. Courtney Cox stars as a frustrated writer who movies with her husband (Greg Kinnear) and kids to a suburban house haunted by the ghost of Mira Sorvino! Premieres March 6 on Starz.
The Thing About Pam
Another ripped-from-the-headlines series—this one literally ripped from NBC’s Dateline—this suburban crime drama find Renée Zellweger swaddled in layers of foam to play Pam Hupp, a woman accused of plotting the murder of her neighbor Betsy Faria (Katy Mixon) and framing the victim’s husband (Glenn Fleshler). Premieres March 8 on NBC.
Minx
In 1970s Los Angeles, an idealistic young feminist (Olivia Lovibond) teams up with a “low-rent publisher” (Jake Johnson) to create the first-ever erotic magazine for women. If nothing else, you know there will be some fantastic retro looks in this show! Streaming March 17 on HBO Max.
Life & Beth
It’s been too long since we had some Amy Schumer in our lives, right? The comedian returns to TV, writing, directing and starring in this romantic dramedy about a successful woman reevaluating her life and looking to get her groove back. Streaming March 18 on Hulu.
WeCrashed
Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway star in this Apple TV+ limited series based on the founding and ultimate implosion of WeWork. Leto gets to try on another accent and prosthetic nose to embody WeWork founder Adam Neuman, whose messianic self-regard led the rise and fall of the infamous startup. Hathaway, meanwhile, gets to play Lady Macbeth-by-way-of-Goop in the form of Neuman’s new age obsessed wife Rebekah who helped turn the company into something of a cult. Streaming March 18 on Apple TV+.
Julia
Move over Meryl Streep! Happy Valley’s Sara Lancashire is sure to cook up a delightful portrayal of the original TV chef, Julia Child, in this eight-episode limited series. The show explores “the emergence of public television as a new social institution, feminism and the women’s movement, the nature of celebrity and America’s cultural evolution,” all via Child’s pioneering cooking show, The French Chef. Streaming March 13 on HBO Max.
Conversations with Friends
Hulu’s previous Sally Rooney adaptation, the Emmy nominated Normal People, was one of the best shows of 2020 and made stars of its leads, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal. The team behind that series has reconvened to tackle Rooney’s debut novel, Conversations with Friends. The limited series follows college student Frances (Alison Oliver) as she “navigates a series of relationships that force her to confront her own vulnerabilities for the first time.” Streaming in May on Hulu.
More Spring 2022 Entertainment Preview:
- Spring 2022 Movie Preview: ‘The Batman,’ ‘The Northman,’ Alex Garland’s ‘Men’ and more
- Spring 2022 TV Preview: When Do ‘Outlander,’ ‘Bridgerton’ and Other Favorite Shows Return?
