20 TV shows we can't wait to watch in 2021

Fans of this popular Netflix offering that follows the lives Karate Kid rivals Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) got a nice holiday gift when the release date for Season 3 was pushed up to Jan. 1. Now, that's the way to kick off a new year. We're all eager to see what transpires in the aftermath of that tragic, yet highly entertaining, high-school brawl to conclude the second season. Also, what does that mean for the Johnny and Daniel going forward? Plus, will Ali reappear in their lives?

Another treat set to ring in the new year on Jan. 1. This crime-drama miniseries, which was co-produced by the folks at Netflix and will appear on BBC One, details the pursuit and 1976 arrest of French thief and serial killer Charles Sobhraj, also known as The Serpent or Bikini Killer. French actor Tahar Rahim takes on the main role that has created plenty of preliminary buzz for himself and the entire project.

Now, we don't know what the fate of this Fox sitcom will ultimately be, but seeing Mayim Bialik (Blossom, The Big Bang Theory) back in a starring role is worth a look -- at least to start. Based on the British sitcom Miranda, Bialik stars as Kat, a single, late-30s woman who opens a cat cafe in Louisville with the money her parents had saved for her wedding. The series, co-produced by Bialik's Big Bang co-star Jim Parsons, is set to debut on Jan. 3. 

The fan-favorite Tim Allen series is about to begin its ninth and final season. The show has been through a lot during its lengthy run (cast changes, cancellation), and this season will pick up following a three-year time jump involving Mike (Allen) and the rest of the Baxter clan. Set to kick off on Jan. 3, the highlight of the season could be the Jan. 7 episode, when both of Allen's TV alter-ego's come face to face. 

We just can't get enough of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Then again, who really can? Following the events of Avengers: Endgame  (2019), we find couple Wanda Maximoff, aka "Scarlet Witch," (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) trying to adapt to everyday, suburban life, while also attempting to hide the powers the hold. As one can imagine, it's not easy, but highly entertaining. It's scheduled to debut on Jan. 15 on Disney+.

Season 2 of this popular CW series will have a new look come Jan. 17. Specifically, in the staring role. Kate Kane (Ruby Rose) is gone (we'll find out the back story in the season premiere). Taking her place and donning the powers and mystique of Batwoman will be Ryan Wilder (Javica Leslie). It will be interesting to see how fans of the show adapt and accept the character change. More importantly, how will it play to the dynamic of the series?

This seems like the little series that could. All American did not start off as a hit, but received acclaim and popularity through Netflix, and now is a must-see TV. Following the trials and tribulations of talented Los Angeles-area high school football player Spencer James (Daniel Ezra), Season 3 is scheduled to return to The CW on Jan. 18. Where we'll also see Spencer returning to Crenshaw High.

Another popular series on The CW, Riverdale will return for a fifth season on Jan. 20. Riverdale is arguably the cornerstone of the network's prime-time programming. The show continues to grow in popularity and critical acclaim. We don't expect either to subside during Season 5, which is expected to open with the prom. An episode that was mostly shot and completed prior to the series being halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It took some time and had many hurdles to clear, but Snowpiercer  finally hit the airwaves in 2020. Season 2 is on pace to begin on Jan. 25. With Jennifer Connelly in the main role as Melanie Cavill, an authority figure with an inquisitive and somewhat sympathetic attitude toward those on the lower-rung of the Snowpiercer train, this post-apocalyptic, dystopian drama continues to grow on viewers.

There have been numerous shows, series, movies based on The Silence of the Lambs. This one digs into the life of the film's protagonist and FBI agent Clarice Starling , originally made famous on-screen by Jodie Foster, This series, which is slated to premiere on Feb. 11, stars Rebecca Beeds (Home and Away, Pretty Little Liars) in the lead role, and takes place in 1993, one year after the events of the popular movie.

A creative and unique dramatic series about an alternate universe where it was the Russians, not the Americans, who won the space race to the moon, is headed for a second season in 2021. That season is set to blast off on Feb. 19. For those who have not experienced this project, and have access (or are thinking about subscribing) to Apple TV+, it's worth the look and time.

More from the MCU. This is actually one series that fans of the Avengers franchise should be excited about. Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), also known as "Falcon," takes over for Captain America, and joins forces with pal Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), aka "Winter Soldier," to take down an evil group of anarchists known as "Flag-Smashers." The six-episode series is set to arrive via Disney+ on March 19.

What we know is this highly antiquated series about gay, young men (starring British singer Olly Alexander) dealing with the AIDS crisis in early-1980s London is set to premiere in "early 2021" at some point. While it's being co-produced by HBO Max, it is slated to debut on the United Kingdom's Channel 4. Former How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris is also part of the series.

As we've seen, the MCU should be alive and well in 2021. Loki, the brother of Thor who we should all love to hate, gets his own turn at a streaming series. With the great Tom Hiddleston back in the lead role, Loki is set to debut on Disney+ at some point in May for a six-episode run. Owen Wilson is also part of the fun as we follow an alternate Loki in a post-Avengers: Endgame in a new timeline.

We're hearing a mid-2021 debut for this series, once again, courtesy of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The premise of this animated series is rather simple. What would happen if various, but prominent, storylines or situations within the MCU, turned out differently? The Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) stars as the narrator of a series that is scheduled for 10 episodes during its initial run.

Depending on who is doing the talking, the fourth and final season of this popular and widely acclaimed Netflix series will kick off at some point during the second half of 2021. The thinking is that the reported 14-episode final season would also spill over into 2022. Following the highly-charged, in-your-face third season, expectations are naturally high for this one, as well as for Marty (Jason Bateman), Wendy (Laura Linney), and Co. Some critics suggest each episode could have some type of a surprise in store.

One of the highlights to the stellar Season 2 of The Mandalorian was the return of famed bounty hunter Boba Fett, who was last seen being swallowed by the Sarlacc in The Return of the Jedi. While Star Wars devotees awake a possible Season 3 of The Mandalorian at some point, Boba (Temuera Morrison) is scheduled to get his own series, with Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) also in on the fun, that's slated to premiere in December 2021.

It's uncertain when during 2021 the latest installment of the Law & Order franchise will premier, but that still appears to be the plan that it will happen in the new year. What fans of the various series within the franchise should be excited about is the return of Det. Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni). After leaving Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2011 and enduring some personal tragedy, he's back to head the NYPD's organized crime task force.

Like others on this list, the expectation (or at very least the hope) is that Season 3 of this unheralded Netflix gem will come at some point in 2021. That's what we're to believe, and those supporters of this British comedy-drama should be excited about its return. We can't get enough of the sexual escapades of Otis (Asa Butterfield), Ola (Patricia Allison), and the rest of Moordale High. Not to mention Otis' sex therapist mom Dr. Jean Milburh, played brilliantly by Gillian Anderson. 

While we know the second season of this fantasy drama is coming, we just don't know, at this moment, exactly when in 2021 it will arrive. That only makes the anticipation greater for fans of Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) and princess "Ciri" (Freya Allen). The Witcher was a rather surprise hit for Netflix, starting in late 2019, so the pressure to build on that success will be something to keep an eye on for the show in 2021.