HBO Max tops the list with The Last of Us, and Netflix scored the most spots viewers are looking forward to, according to Whip Media
The new series, based on the popular video game of the same name, follows a smuggler (Pedro Pascal) tasked with guiding a teenager through post-apocalyptic USA. Sounds pretty cool. The talent behind the camera is also top-notch, with Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin collaborating with Neil Druckmann, who developed the original game for game studio Naughty Dog.
Overall, Whip Media has compiled a look at the 20 most anticipated new shows of 2023. Whip Media’s data is based on viewer expectation data from its TV Time app, a TV and film tracking app with more than 24 million registered users worldwide.
Another important note about The Last of Us: Not only is it the most anticipated show of 2023, it’s also the second most anticipated show since HBO Max launched in 2020, behind only The House of the Dragon “.
Disney+, on the other hand, is home to the second and third most anticipated shows of the year, with “Ahsoka” taking silver and “Star Wars: The Acolyte” taking bronze.
In Ahsoka, another entry in Disney’s long line of Star Wars television series, Rosario Dawson will reprise her role as Ahsoka Tano from The Mandalorian. Dawson will also be joined by Star Wars veteran Hayden Christensen. Ahsoka will be released on Disney+ on March 12, while Star Wars: The Acolyte is scheduled for release in August 2023.
(Note: Whip Media’s rankings only include shows with announced premiere dates. That means shows like Secret Invasion, Disney’s upcoming Marvel series, won’t be included in the rankings because a premiere date hasn’t been set.)
20 Most Anticipated Shows, accordingly
The rankings move from streaming to linear for the fourth- and fifth-placed shows: Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches, the fourth most anticipated show of 2023, which premieres January 8 on AMC, and Gotham Knights. the new “Batman” series, coming to The CW in March.
Netflix makes its debut in the sixth slot with Kaleidoscope, its latest heist series starring Giancarlo Espisito and Paz Vega. “Kaleidoscope” debuted on January 1st. Netflix will also air the seventh show, That ’90s Show, a spin-off of the classic Fox series That ’70s Shows. The new ’90s show follows Leia Foreman, daughter of Eric and Donna from the original series, and features a handful of guest appearances from past stars like Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher.
Overall, Netflix tops all services and channels with four of the 20 most anticipated shows of the year.
Paramount+ has its first and only show in the top 20 in eighth place thanks to Wolf Pack. The supernatural thriller series focuses on four Californian teenagers who are werewolves. Sarah Michelle Gellar is one of the leads in the show, which will premiere on Paramount+ in late January.
Rounding out the top 10 are two network shows – “Alert: Missing Persons Unit” on FOX and “True Lies” on CBS. The latter is based on the hit 1994 action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and will feature a similar premise: a bored suburban housewife discovers her husband is a top spy, leading to a hotter personal (and professional) life for both leads.
Sean Burch is a Marketing Insights Analyst at Whip Media, a WrapPRO partner. Click here to learn more about Whip Media.
