Sophia Michaels
This month, viewers will have their choice of fictional dystopias (in addition to the real one happening outside our doors, naturally). You can visit an alternate reality America in which fascism has taken hold, clock in at a tech company with a possibly sinister secret, or simply dip back in to the A.I.-run-amuck nightmare that is Westworld. If that’s not scary enough, there’s also a new dark comedy about parenthood and a chance to relive the 2016 election. All this, plus a reboot of Steven Spielberg’s anthology show from the ’80s. Here’s what to watch this March.
Amazing Stories (Apple TV+, Mar. 6th)
Running for two seasons between 1985 and 1987, Steven Spielberg’s anthology TV show was supposed to revolutionize television via an assortment of A-list directorial talent — Clint Eastwood! Martin Scorsese! Joe Dante! Burt Reynolds! — to tell stories filled with thrills and whimsy. (Spoiler: It did tell such stories. It did not revolutionize TV.) Now, because old must become new again, Spielberg returns with a revival of the series for Apple TV+, complete with tales of superheoric grampas and time-bending romances. It’ll have a hard time topping the original’s great opening credits sequence.
Breeders (FX, Mar. 6th)
The world may not need another show about how parenting can be an ordeal — but if we’re going to get one it may as well star Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard (Episodes) and come from the pens of a pair of Thick of It writers. Expect clutter, vomit, exasperation, and cutting one-liners. (Bonus: Michael McKean shows up as Freeman’s father.) If you’ve ever wanted to see the original Jim from The Office scream obscenities at a newborn, this is the series for you.
Dave (FX, March 4th / Hulu, Mar. 5th)
Lil Dicky (a.k.a. David Burd) found breakout success creating funny, grandiose hip-hop out of the mundane. This Kevin Hart-produced sitcom find him playing himself, sort of — he takes on the role of Dave, an unremarkable suburbanite with delusions of rap grandeur. Will the wry, self-deprecating rhymes that work on YouTube play on television? Can he find happiness and success when he’s not rocking a mic? Will he be able to, in fact, $ave dat money? You’ve got to tune in to find out, folks.
Devs (FX, March 5th / Hulu, Mar. 6th)
With Ex Machina and Annihilation, Alex Garland established himself as a writer-director with a knack for turning sci-fi scenarios into outright creepfests. This FX/Hulu miniseries is more of the same, focusing on a tech company with a secret project and a habit of employees disappearing when they get to close to finding out what, exactly, is going on in that lab in the center of campus. Nick Offerman stars as a cryptic CEO; frequent Garland supporting player Sonoya Mizuna steps into a starring role as an engineer trying to find out what happened to her boyfriend.
Dispatches From Elsewhere (AMC, Mar. 1st)
Making a return to television as both star and creator, Jason Segel’s new series follows four characters (played by Segel, Sally Field, Andre Benjamin, and Eve Lindley) drawn into what may or may not be an elaborate alternate reality game masterminded by the head of the cryptic Jejune Institute (Richard E. Grant). Set in Philadelphia, the twisty, unusual drama draws inspiration from the 2013 documentary The Institute.
Hillary (Hulu, Mar. 6th)
Nanette Burstein directs this four-part look at Hillary Clinton from cradle-to-the-2016-campaign, made with extensive access to the former Secretary of State herself. The docuseries made headlines thanks to some choice quotes about Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, but Burstein (American Teen) is an experienced, measured director and four hours gives her a lot of space to explore a complex, fascinating career. You are guaranteed to walk away from this portrait learning something new about one of the most divisive public figures in recent years regardless of where your political affiliations lie.
Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu, Mar. 18th)
The last time Reese Witherspoon appeared in a miniseries adaptation of a bestselling novel, the result was Big Little Lies. Enough said. Now Witherspoon and Kerry Washington star (and co-executive produce) this adaptation of Celeste Ng’s 2017 novel about secrets, racism, romance and arson in the suburbs. We have a feeling that lightning could strike twice here.
The Plot Against America (HBO, Mar. 16th)
In 2004, when Philip Roth published his novel about an alternate timeline in which fascism rose in 1940s America thanks to the charismatic celebrity populism of Charles Lindbergh, it read like a dark vision of what might have been. In 2020 it seems a little more timely, a comparison. That undoubtedly didn’t escape longtime collaborators David Simon and Ed Burns, who created this miniseries adaptation starring Winona Ryder, Zoe Kazan, and John Turturro.
Westworld (HBO, March 15th)
As usual, we know very little going into the new season of HBO’s hit sci-fi show beyond this: Season Three’s first few teasers almost look like they belonged to a different show. What we do know: it looks like the action will spill even further beyond the borders of the Old West amusement park that’s served as ground zero for a robot revolt. Also, there’s now a World War II section of the park (!), plus Aaron Paul and Vincent Cassel join the cast as an ally and a bad guy, respectively.
ZeroZeroZero (Amazon Prime, Mar. 6th)
Italian writer Roberto Saviano knows a thing or two about crime in the 21st century: His book on Southern Italy’s organized crime racket, Gomorrah, has been adapted into both a film and a TV series. He followed it up in 2013 with ZeroZeroZero, which unpacked the ins and out of the international cocaine trade — and now serves as fodder for this new series starring Anderea Riseborough, Dane DeHaan, and Gabriel Byrne. If he takes on the drug world with half as much anthropological rigor and connect-the-dots storytelling as he did when he tackled the Mafia, we’re in for a treat.
Featured via: Rollingstone
