What To Watch: Upcoming Television & Film

As we embark upon a brand new year while in the midst of a pandemic, here is a list of some television and film titles that will be premiering or returning after a significant hiatus and therefore on our 2022 radar to watch. Enjoy.

GRAND CREW – NBC

From Phil Augusta Jackson (Writer/Producer/Director, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) and Dan Goor (Creator, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) comes a new comedy that proves life is better with your crew. This group of young professionals are all trying to navigate the ups and downs of life and love in Los Angeles – and they always find time to gather at their favorite bar to “wine down” and unpack it all. 

POWER BOOK II: GHOST – STARZ

The Starz series, Power Book II: Ghost left us on an intriguing midseason cliff hanger that is sure to be one to watch in the new year. In its return, episode 206 is titled “What’s Free” and Tariq reflects on where he is in his life and who he can trust. Brayden must decide whether to protect his family or help save Tariq’s. Monet’s faced with a new world order within her own family. 

NAOMI – CW

From Oscar® nominee/Emmy® winner Ava DuVernay and Jill Blankenship (“Arrow”), and starring Kaci Walfall in the title role, the DC drama NAOMI follows the journey of a cool, confident, comic book–loving teenager as she pursues her hidden destiny. Based on the characters from DC, when a supernatural event shakes her hometown of Port Oswego to the core, Naomi sets out to uncover its origins. As Naomi journeys to the heights of the Multiverse in search of answers, what she discovers will challenge everything we believe about our heroes. 

OZARK – NETFLIX

Ozark is a thrilling drama set in the present-day and follows the Byrde family’s journey from their normal, suburban Chicago life to their dangerous criminal enterprise in the Ozarks, Missouri. The series explores capitalism, family dynamics, and survival through the eyes of (anything but) ordinary Americans. Season 4 of Ozark will be released in two parts consisting of 7 episodes each. Part 1 will be released on Netflix on January 21.

MARCH – CW

MARCH showcases the dedicated and energetic group of college students at Prairie View A&M University—from drum majors and dancers to the flag team and all the section players—as they navigate performing in one of the most prestigious HBCU marching bands along with tackling a rigorous academic schedule and maintaining a high grade point average. The series chronicles their pressure-filled journey to become the highest ranked HBCU band in the land, including electrifying performances at homecoming, Texas A&M and Southern University. As MARCH shares the personal and unique stories of individual members and staff of the over 300-person marching band, it also explores the legacy and culture of Prairie View A&M and highlights how the Marching Storm band is an integral part of that rich history.

MILLION DOLLAR HUSTLE – LIFETIME

Welcome to the world of transformational marketing, a multi-billion-dollar industry dominated by women whose glamorous lifestyles are supported by a gritty, competitive world of selling products and events and self-branding at all costs. Million Dollar Hustle follows health and fitness influencer, author, entrepreneur and self-made millionaire Stormy Wellington and her elite group of unstoppable leaders, called the Circle of Bosses, including Dianna Williams (aka Coach D from Bring It!), Maniya Essence Canty (Stormy’s daughter), Nathalie Nicole Smith, Bawselady, Tammy Price, Bianca Shadai and Ana Cantera.

MY KILLER BODY WITH KMICHELLE – LIFETIME

As one of the very first celebrities to come forward with her personal health struggles after silicone injections nearly took her life, R&B chart topper K. Michelle will help men and women desperate to correct plastic surgery procedures and get their lives back in My Killer Body with K. Michelle.  With the number of cosmetic surgeries on the rise and an alarming number of these procedures resulting in post-surgery suffering and trauma, each episode will follow two patients who desperately need help as well as K. Michelle’s ongoing personal story. Prior to the premiere, fans will be given an early look with a sneak peek of the series on January 28th at 10/9c.

SWEET MAGNOLIAS – NETFLIX

Sweet Magnolias centers around three best friends (Maddie, Helen, and Dana Sue) born and raised in Serenity, SC, a small southern town where everybody knows everybody and everybody knows everybody’s business. As Season 2 opens, Maddie, Helen, and Dana Sue learn who is in the car. But that’s just the first of many surprises that come out of Prom Night — surprises that reshape relationships all over town. Friendships flounder. Old loves end and new loves begin. Long-hidden secrets disrupt jobs, change lives, and shift the balance of power in Serenity. Everyone is affected. But in laughter and in loss, the Sweet Magnolias continue to fight for what is right for themselves and the people they love — even when those efforts come with a high price tag. Will they find there are some problems not even Margarita Night can solve? Come pour it out and find out.

LINE SISTERS – LIFETIME

Line Sisters follows four sorority sisters- Valerie (LeToya Luckett), Cassandra (Kierra Sheard-Kelly), Simona (Ta’Rhonda Jones;) and Dominique (Drew Sidora) – as they reunite at a Black Greek Weekend celebration held on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  Having pledged the Alpha Beta Omega Sorority, Inc., they share more than the bonds of sisterhood, after the mysterious death of the dean of pledges 15 years prior. But the past comes knocking on their door as they arrive to the island and strange and inexplicable things begin to happen to each one of them, threatening to unearth the deadly secret that may tear them apart.

ALL AMERICAN: HOMECOMING – CW

ALL AMERICAN: HOMECOMING is a young adult sports drama set against the backdrop of the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) experience at Bringston University, where Black excellence is a way of life. The series follows Simone (Geffri Maya, “All American”), a young tennis hopeful from Beverly Hills who is trying to fight her way back to great after some time away from the court, and Damon (Peyton Alex Smith, “Legacies”), an elite baseball player from Chicago who is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. After Simone’s aunt Amara Patterson (Kelly Jenrette, “Manhunt”), a journalism teacher and activist, exposes a scandal that threatens to derail the school’s beloved baseball program, new coach Marcus Turner (Cory Hardrict, “The Outpost”) is determined to bring a championship back to Bringston the honest way — with Damon’s help.

*BONUS PICK*

BRIDGERTON -NETFLIX

Bridgerton is a romantic, scandalous, and quick-witted series that celebrates the timelessness of enduring friendships, families finding their way, and the search for a love that conquers all. The series also stars Golda Rosheuvel, Jonathan Bailey, Luke Newton, Claudia Jessie, Nicola Coughlan, Ruby Barker, Sabrina Bartlett, Ruth Gemmell, Adjoa Andoh, Polly Walker, Ben Miller, Bessie Carter and Harriet Cains and Julie Andrews as the voice of Lady Whistledown. The series is inspired by Julia Quinn’s best-selling novels.