The return of iconic series, with new seasons, spin-offs, sequels and prequels from "Game of Thrones" or "The Crown" to "Stranger Things", this 2022 adds premieres based on real events -"Pam & Tommy" or "WeCrashed", among them- and, finally, J.A. Bayona’s version of the very expensive "The Lord of the Rings".
In addition, there will be many proposals from the Marvel Universe -"Moon Knight", "Peacemaker", "She-Hulk" and "Armor Wars", among them- and Star Wars -"Obi-Wan Kenobi", "Ahsoka" or "Andor", waiting to confirm that they can be released in 2022 "Lando" and "The Acolyte"-, and surprises like "Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai" or "The Last of Us", the daring series adaptation of the video game of the same title.
"HOUSE OF THE DRAGON": THE ANCESTORS OF DAENERYS TARGARYEN
Based on "Fire & Blood" by George R.R. Martin, "House of the Dragon" (HBO Max), prequel to "Game of Thrones", tells the story of the Targaryens, ancestors of Daenerys. The new series, which takes place 200 years before the war for the Iron Throne began, will have the added attraction of recognizing many corners of Cáceres, where much of the series was filmed.
"THE LORD OF THE RINGS" ARRIVES IN SEPTEMBER FROM BAYONA
"The Lord of the Rings" (Amazon Prime), directed by Spanish director J.A. Bayona, does not have Sauron, Gandalf or Frodo as protagonists, since this epic series (whose budget exceeds 500 million euros) takes place thousands of years before the events narrated in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, in the legendary Second Age of the Middle-earth story of the universe created by J.R.R. Tolkien, and begins at a moment of relative peace.
ANNE HATHAWAY AND JARED LETO REVIVE THE SCANDAL OF "WEWORK"
Anne Hathaway and Jared Leto, two of the best-known faces in Hollywood, are the stars of the long-awaited Apple TV+ series "WeCrashed", the title chosen to tell the true story of the financial scandals that surrounded the coworking office company WeWork, the ambitious rise and inevitable fall of one of the world’s most valuable startups.
"PAM & TOMMY", THE SCANDALOUS LOVE OF PAMELA ANDERSON AND TOMMY LEE
"Pam & Tommy" (Disney+), the series that recreates the scandalous love story between Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, Mötley Crüe’s drummer, who married in 1995 after a 96-hour courtship. The series premieres on February 3, with Lily James and Sebastian Stan in the main roles.
CHRISTINE BARANSKI IS AUNT AGNES IN "THE GILDED AGE"
Created by Julian Fellowes, "The Gilded Age" (HBO Max, released Jan 24) takes place in the US during the Gilded Age, the heyday of the 1880s in New York City; a period drama with spectacular costumes and sets that features such prominent actresses as Christine Baranski ("The Good Fight") and Cynthia Nixon ("Sex and the City"), as aunts Agnes van Rhijn and Ada Brook.
"THE LAST OF US", FROM THE VIDEO GAME TO TELEVISION SEVEN YEARS LATER
"The Last of Us" is the television version of the action-adventure and survival horror video game of the same title, devised for the PlayStation 3 in 2013, which follows the experiences of Joel and Ellie, a couple of survivors of a pandemic in the United States that causes the mutation of human beings into cannibal creatures, a premise that the series maintains, whose premiere is expected at the end of ’22.
THE GREMLINS ARE BACK, WITH THE STORY OF THE FIRST MOGWAI
"Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai" (HBO Max) is a prequel to the famous "Gremlins" (1984), which dates back to 1920s Shanghai, where a 10-year-old Sam Wing (the old character that appears in the original films) meets the Mogwai Gizmo. There will be 10 episodes of 30 minutes.
… AND OTHER OLD FRIENDS: "FRAGGLE ROCK: BACK TO THE ROCK"
Music lovers and fun lovers Jim Henson’s Fraggles are back in a new 13-episode series, "Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock" (Apple TV+) starting January 21st, with Gobo, Mokey, Red, Boober, Wembley, Traveling Matt and a new Fraggle on adventures that speak of the magic of caring for others.
"REBELDE" IS NOT A REMAKE OF THE 2004 ONE, BUT IT KEEPS THE SPIRIT
"Rebelde" (Netflix, January 5), which premieres on January 5, is not a remake of the Mexican telenovela of the same title that swept in 2004 (itself an adaptation of the Argentine telenovela "Rebelde Way"), but a renewed version modernized with contemporary themes and visual narrative, featuring Mexican actress Lizeth Selene and Brazilian Giovanna Grigio in its cast.
"THE HOUSE", ANIMATED HORROR SERIES WITH A HOUSE AS THE STAR
"The House" (Netflix) is a stop-motion animated series that explores horror based on three stories that come together in a house: that of a 19th-century family, that of a real estate developer who today meets unexpected guests, and the third, set in a post-apocalyptic environment, telling of a landlady doing everything possible to restore this home. It features Helena Bonham Carter, Matthew Goode, Susan Wokoma and Jarvis Cocker in the cast.
NEW SEASONS: HIGH EXPECTATIONS
"Euphoria" (HBO Max, S2, January 10); "Bridgerton" (Netflix, S2) Warning: Regé-Jean Page will not appear. "The Crown" (HBO Max S5 -and penultimate-, November 2022) enters the turbulent 90s, with Imelda Staunton as the Queen; "Stranger Things" (S4, Netflix Summer 2022, three years after its previous season) or "Killing Eve" (HBO Max, S4, February), with a new writer: Laura Neal ("Sex Education").
Also, a sequel, "Vikings: Valhalla" (Netflix, February 25), which takes place a century after the end of the original series; and a prequel, "The Witcher: Blood Origin", which explains the origin of witchers, some 1,200 years before Henry Cavill’s character was born.
TREATS FOR STAR WARS LOVERS ON DISNEY+
Brought forward to December 2021 was "The Book of Boba Fett", but 2022 is a box of chocolates for Star Wars addicts:
From "Obi-Wan Kenobi", with Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen; "Ahsoka", spin-off of "The Mandalorian", with Rosario Dawson; or "Andor", prequel to the movie "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" about its character Cassian Andor; to "Lando" (Calrissian) or "The Acolyte", which begins in the last days of the era of the High Republic, and is expected by the end of ’22 (or the beginning of ’23).
MARVEL’S UNIVERSE EXPANDS
The first to arrive will be "Peacemaker" (HBO Max, January 13), starring John Cena, one of the few survivors of "The Suicide Squad" who now works for the government; "Moon Knight" (Disney+), with Oscar Isaac; "Ms. Marvel" (Disney+), scheduled for late ’22, with Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel; "She-Hulk" (Disney+), with Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk; and "Ironheart" (Disney+), at the end of ’22. "Armor Wars" (Disney+) is expected in ’23.