In 2022, TV was awash with the creatures of fantasy: dragons, elves, hobbits, Jedi, superheroes. How many of us, after all, tuned in to watch Princess Rhaenys soar through the floor of the Dragonpit astride her dragon, Meleys?

The coming year in television, however, seems to veer away from fantasy and more toward a reckoning with reality—or at least some parallel version of it. In The Palace, Kate Winslet—queen of the HBO limited series—will grapple with the inner workings of an authoritarian regime as it begins to crumble. Lily-Rose Depp and Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye will, perhaps somewhat ironically, draw star power to The Idol on HBO Max, which could prove to be a scathing critique of the dark draw of fame. On Prime Video, The Power will reverse the existing gender power balance by giving all teenage girls in the world the sudden power to electrocute people at will. And in The Last of Us, also on HBO, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will craft a testament to the sheer human will to survive.

On the other side of the coin, some may seek out escapism through mystery, comedy, or the thrills of romance. Natasha Lyonne lends her signature bravado to the “case-of-the-week” mystery Poker Face on Peacock. In Bupkis, Pete Davidson—somehow always the man of the hour—will spin a fictionalized, heightened version of his life for Peacock viewers. And Golda Rosheuvel will confer her iconic charm upon the Netflix spin-off Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (Not to mention the upcoming third season of Bridgerton this year.)

Here are the TV shows we’re most looking forward to in 2023.

TBA on Hulu

Based on the 2022 book by Charmaine Wilkerson, this drama takes place in the wake of the death of a widow named Eleanor Bennett (Chipo Chung). Bennett’s two estranged children, Byron (Ashley Thomas) and Benny (Adrienne Warren), are left with a flash drive full of previously untold stories of their mother’s journey from the Caribbean—home to black cake—to America.