In 2023, a Hollywood mega-strike involving writers and performers saw the production of many popular television shows grinding to a halt.
Lasting 146 days, the impact on the entertainment industry was huge, leaving many fans without their favourite shows.
Almost one year on and TV fans can rejoice, with many shows set to return in the near future or early next year. Here are just some of the much-loved shows that we can't wait to come back to the small screen.
The White Lotus
In July 2021 this biting social satire, which gloriously examines and dissects privilege and power dynamics, became the most-talked about show of the year - and now nearly three years on, fans' appetite for the show hasn't gone away.
Mike White's delicious anthology series follows the intertwined relationships between groups of wealthy holiday makers who find themselves entangled in murder and mystery - and it Jennifer Coolidge's best work to date.
In both seasons, guests and employees at a luxurious resort experience a transformative week, as the truths behind the characters' seemingly idyllic lives are unveiled.
The lauded first series, which was set in Hawaii, was nominated for 20 Emmy Awards and bagged a whopping 10 trophies. Season two, which aired in 2022 and was filmed in Sicily, took home an impressive five Emmys.
Season three was initially tipped for a 2024 release, but alas, last year's Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes pushed the new air date out to 2025.
Earlier in the year, it was confirmed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), that new episodes of the dark comedy would be filmed in Bangkok, Phuket and Ko Samui.
With season three landing a stellar cast from Walton Goggins to Natasha Rothwell and girl group Blackpink's Lisa, we are so ready to check in.
The Last of Us
The first season of HBO's The Last of Us - a TV adaptation of a hit game - was an undeniable success with 8.2 million tuning in to HBO's streaming platform for the finale – and it looks like co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have even bigger plans for season two.
In an interview with Deadline, the showrunners said the upcoming series will be shorter than season one with seven episodes. They are also planning to continue the story into a third season since the source material is more extensive than that for the first season.
The eagerly-awaited second season of the video game adaptation is set to zoom forward four years, with Pedro Pascal reprising his role as Joel and Bella Ramsey returning as Ellie as they continue their journey through a post-apocalypse world overrun by zombies.
Earlier this month, director Neil Druckmann confirmed that his time filming in Vancouver had officially wrapped.
"My time in Vancouver has come to an end," he captioned the post. "I've had a wonderful time collaborating with some incredibly talented and kind cast and crew. Can't wait for y'all to see what we're cooking!"
With new line-up, including Riverdale's Spencer Lord, You's Tati Gabrielle, Top Gun: Maverick's Danny Ramirez, Runaways' Ariela Barer, Beef's Young Mazino, Schitt's Creek's Catherine O'Hara, Transformers' Isabela Merced and Dopesick's Kaitlyn Dever, the second outing definitely has a lot of bite. Roll on 2025!
The Traitors
There's been a massive TV void on Wednesday, Thursdays and Fridays ever since the hit psychological reality show has finished up.
Thankfully, season three has just wrapped up in Scotland and according to host Alan Cumming, there'll be even bigger twists in store for the third outing.
The new series is expected to launch in January 2025 and will feature big names from the reality world - including Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval, Rob Mariano, and Dorinda Medley.
"It's got a load more twists. I think the thing about doing a show like this is, especially when it’s new, you’ve got to sort of keep people guessing and not make people think they understand or they can sort of work out the way that it’s going," Cumming told TV Insider.
Cumming, who has been nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Reality Competition Host category, added: "It’s very twisty and very kind of pulling the rug from under everybody all the time. It’s also got some lovely moments in it as well, in a way that we haven’t had before. It’s very different to the other two seasons — in a really good way."
Cumming also teased his "bonkers" new season wardrobe, adding: "My outfits last year, they kind of did this type of thing of matching my outfits to the missions. This year, there's some of that, but it’s more just kind of like bonkers."
Bad Sisters
After being released to critical acclaim, it wasn't surprising that Bad Sisters was picked up for a second season. While there's no official air date for the next series, we couldn't be more excited to see how events pan out for the Garvey siblings, and of course, find out more about THAT revelation.
With an impeccable leading cast of acting greats - Sharon Horgan, Anne-Marie Duff, Eva Birthistle, Sarah Greene, and Eve Hewson - the first season of the darkly comedic murder mystery series ended on quite the cliffhanger - and we need to know more..... NOW!
The Apple TV+ is written by Emmy Award nominee and BAFTA Award-winning executive producer and star Horgan and season two will also see the return of cast members Claes Bang, Brian Gleeson, Daryl McCormack, Assaad Bouab, with newcomer Saise Quinn making her debut.
Speaking to hosts Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett on the latest episode of podcast, Dish from Waitrose, Anne-Marie Duff, who plays Grace in the much-loved show teased the show's return, saying "there's a twist and turn" in the highly-anticipated second series.
"Oh, baby, there's a twist and turn! I can't tell you, I suspect there are snipers everywhere."
She continued: "You know, I really didn't guess it, so it was a great [surprise]… And the amount of people who would chat to me about that show, it's been insane. And really surprising.
"I was on Hampstead Heath, and there was a group of men running, like a running club, and they all came up and went, 'Oh my God, we're all watching Bad Sisters.' And I was like, oh! Sweaty rich men! No, no, no!
"But the amazing thing out of that was one of them said, 'Yeah, and it's really made us think about one of our friends and how he treats his wife.' Because I expected a lot of women to be cracked open by it. It's great, huh? You just never know which way a story will land, you know?"
Duff also confirmed that filming on season two has now ended, saying about their choice of location: "This time around, we just wrapped the second season, it's more in Ireland.
"I think they kind of went, 'Listen lads, you're making an Irish show here.' Yeah. So, yeah, so there's more beautiful [scenery]. Sharon [Horgan] is a genius. She's a genius, isn't she?"
The Morning Show
Wow, how are we talking about series four of The Morning Show already? The utterly addictive series received an early renewal in April 2023, five months before season three debuted.
It was recently announced that Jeremy Irons has joined the cast for the hugely-successful Apple TV+ hit's fourth season, playing Martin Levy, the father of Jennifer Aniston's character Alex.
US entertainment trade publication Deadline reported that longtime Co Cork resident Irons's casting in the behind-the-scenes drama follows that of another Oscar winner, French star Marion Cotillard.
Cotillard will play Celine Dumont, described as "a savvy operator from a storied European family".
Returning alongside stars and executive producers Aniston and Reese Witherspoon for the new season of The Morning Show are Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Nestor Carbonell, Karen Pittman, Greta Lee, Jon Hamm, and Nicole Beharie. Deadline added that Julianna Margulies will not be returning in season four.
A premiere date has yet to be announced but we will be keeping our eyes peeled for this one!
Emily in Paris
In May, Netflix announced season four of Emily In Paris will land later this year.
The romantic comedy-drama sees Lily Collins playing Chicago marketing executive Emily Cooper, as she navigates life in Paris after landing her dream job.
Since the show began in 2020, there has been an uptick in visitors to the Place de l'Estrapade, where Emily has her apartment building. People just can't get enough of Emily and Co.
Season four of Emily in Paris sees its main character torn between feelings for two men, while the marketing agency Agence Grateau navigates personnel shake-ups, and Mindy Chen (Ashley Park) and her band prepare for Eurovision.
EMILY IN PARIS SEASON 4 IS ON HER WAY 💝
— Netflix (@netflix) May 3, 2024
Part 1 on August 15 🥐 Part 2 on September 12 pic.twitter.com/FwfjLQsY3d
Netflix revealed the air date for part one as 15 August, with part two landing on 12 September.
During the clip, Collins describes the latest instalment as "vulnerable" and "adventurous".
Her fellow cast members sum it up as being "chaotic" and "heartbreaking" as well as full of "revenge".
The show also stars Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Ashley Park, Lucas Bravo, Samuel Arnold, Bruno Gouery, Camille Razat and William Abadie.
It was recently announced that Rupert Everett is set to join the cast of the upcoming season as the owner of a global interior design firm based in Rome.
The 65-year-old, who has appeared in films including St Trinian's and My Best Friend's Wedding, will be introduced as a decades-long friend of the character Sylvie Grateau, who has featured in the Netflix series since season one.
Giorgio is described as being "the life of every party" and someone who "makes it his business to know everyone else’s business".
Also joining the cast will be Thalia Besson, the daughter of Fifth Element director Luc Besson. She will play Genevieve, the 20-something daughter of Saint Tropez nightclub owner Laurent G.
Less than a month to go until we can feast our eyes on all of the glorious fashion and juicy storylines again - but sure who's counting?
Kin
Fans are desperate to know when Kin season three might be on our screens following the cliffhanger ending to the second instalment of the Irish crime drama.
The RTÉ show following the Kinsella family's growing drug empire proved a ratings winner at home and abroad, with the second season earning a place in the top five most-watched shows when it landed on the BBC iPlayer in February 2024.
Written by Peter McKenna, the crime drama, which boasts a cast including the likes of Aidan Gillen (The Wire), Ciarán Hinds (Game of Thrones) and Charlie Cox (Daredevil), has also proved popular with AMC+ viewers in America and Canada.
Despite devoted fans calling out for more Kinsella family drama, the third run of the stellar crime drama was put on hold after its production company went bankrupt.
Last August, RTÉ issued a statement saying they hoped the show would be back soon.
"RTÉ would very much like Kin to return and continues to work with our international partners to make it happen. We hope to have a further update in relation to season 3 in the coming months."
In January, Emmett J. Scanlan, who stars as Jimmy Kinsella, told RTÉ Entertainment that he really hopes there will be a third outing.
"It's the one of the main things that I get asked. I was really delighted that BBC bought season one and that Britain has gotten to see it. The response from where I live actually, in Britain, has been nothing short of absolutely remarkable.
"I had a feeling that they would take it into their hearts as well as their homes. They've given it so much love and respect like the Irish people have back home.
"And in answer to your question. Do I think there'll be a season three? You know, I've seen great shows disappear. And I've seen not-so-great shows continue to thrive. So this industry is hugely unpredictable."
He continued: "I hope there will be a season three, I really do. That's kind of the energy I like to marinate in anyway. I'm not a negative person. I genuinely have no answer whether it's gonna happen or not, but there are rumblings around the place, positive rumblings, where it might find a new home, it might find a backer and it might go into a season three.
"It certainly has the potential of going to season three and maybe four, who knows what will happen. When the credits rolled [at the end of the second season] I thought, 'It can't end like that'. So, fingers crossed."
Fingers crossed, indeed!
