Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, will officially launch in July (it has been available for a limited number of Comcast customers since April) with a strong slate of on-demand TV series and movies as well as live content. But later this year and in 2021, more content is coming.
This includes not only full seasons of some popular series for fans to binge-watch again or for the first time, but also some interesting new originals. What are we most looking forward to, or have high hopes about? Here’s a look at some of the most anticipated series coming soon to Peacock.
Battlestar Galactica (reboot)
This won’t be the original series but rather a reboot inspired by the story and created by Sam Esmail, known for Mr. Robot and Homecoming. Esmail has said that the new series will address our modern political climate and the “divisiveness of the current era.” It will be a new story within the same mythology, which is set hundreds of years in the future where robots have decimated the human race and anyone who managed to survive must fight to find a new home. No word yet on when the series will debut, but it remains one of the most anticipated ones for the streaming service.
Punky Brewster (revival)
Soleil Moon Frye will reprise her role as the title character from this ’80s sitcom about a young girl who is abandoned by her parents and hides out in an apartment complex, only to befriend the owner who eventually adopts her. The sitcom will include 10 episodes in its first season. Punky is now a single mother of three who meets a young girl who reminds her of herself as a child. Cherie Johnson will reprise her role as Punky’s friend and Freddie Prinze Jr. will play Punky’s ex-husband. Sadly, George Gaynes, who played the building manager and Punky’s adoptive father Henry, passed away in 2016 at the age of 98.
Saved by the Bell (reboot/revival)
It’s both a reboot and revival since while the series will follow an entirely new story, some of the original cast members will be returning to reprise their roles in present day. The single-camera series will focus on a new set of students at Bayside High. Joining the typically rich kids will be kids from working-class families who were transferred there as part of a controversial decision by California Governor Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar will reprise his role for a limited number of episodes). Morris has been receiving flack for closing down lower-income schools. Both Elizabeth Berkley and Mario Lopez are confirmed to reprise their roles, and Tiffani Thiessen may also appear in some capacity. John Michael Higgins will play the new principal who has taken over for Mr. Belding.
Brave New World
This original sci-fi dystopian drama series will join other on-screen interpretations of Aldous Huxley’s dystopian 1932 novel. At the crux of the story is the creation of a future utopian society that has found peace in eliminating monogamy, privacy, money, family, and history. Marking Demi Moore’s return to the small screen in a recurring role, it will also star Alden Ehrenreich as John the Savage and Jessica Brown Findlay as Lenina Crowne. The series was moved to Peacock in late 2019 after originally being tapped to launch on USA Network. A release date has not yet been confirmed but it is expected to launch this year.
Angelyne
Angelyne was a singer, actor, and model who appeared on a number of billboards throughout Los Angeles in 1984, catching everyone’s attention for her suggestive poses. Her true identity, in fact, including her real name and age, was never revealed until 2017. Based on The Hollywood Reporter feature that looked into the true identity of this mysterious blonde bombshell, this eight-episode miniseries will star Emmy Rossum as the title character. The real “Angelyne” has officially joined as an executive producer of this series based on her life and career.
Dr. Death
There’s high hopes for this crime drama, based on the podcast of the same name about real-life doctor Christopher Duntsch who wasn’t exactly focused on saving his patients’ lives. Meanwhile, a pair of surgeons and a young district attorney try to find a way to stop him and his sinister doings. Jamie Dornan will play Dr. Duntsch, and with his track record playing another sinister killer in The Fall, we expect big things from him. Alec Baldwin, Christian Slater, AnnaSophia Robb, Chris Sullivan, Grace Gummer, and Molly Griggs round out the cast.
Girls5Eva
Produced by Tina Fey, this comedy is about a girl group from the ’90s that gained the embarrassing title of “one-hit wonders,” only producing a single hit song before falling to obscurity. Decades later, and after all of them have hilariously dated Carson Daly at one point or another, they reunite to try to revive their careers and reach stardom once again. Meredith Scardino, whom Fey worked with on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, wrote the series.
The Capture
This British mystery crime drama originally premiered on BBC One in 2019 and will make its way to Peacock sometime after the service launches. Set in London in present-day, it follows the story of a detective inspector Rachel Carey (Holliday Grainger) who has been tasked with arresting a United Kingdom Special Forces corporal named Shaun (Callum Turner) for kidnapping and murder. Except Shaun claims he is innocent, despite CCTV footage that proves (or suggests?) his guilt. It all points to a conspiracy as they race to uncover the truth in the six episodes of the first season.
Kids Tonight Show
Peacock plans to launch the first late-night talk show designed specifically for kids and put on by kids. Modeled after The Tonight Show, it will feature children doing the monologue, playing games, and interviewing huge stars. Jimmy Fallon, host of The Tonight Show, is listed among the executive producers. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, it should be noted, will also be available to stream at launch.
Rutherford Falls
Ed Helms will make his return to the small screen in this comedy that he also co-created alongside Mike Schur, who was involved with other successful comedies like The Good Place and Parks and Recreation. Not much is known yet about the series and its plot aside from the fact that a local legend for which the New York town was named, Nathan Rutherford (Helms), sets off a series of events when he protests the decision to move a historical statue. It doesn’t sound all that exciting, but with Helms at the, well, helm, we have big expectations.
Parks and Recreation
Fans who have been missing this show, which debuted in 2009 and aired for seven seasons through to 2015, were able to tune in to a special reunion episode conducted recently, entirely over video chat. The series centered around the team working in the Parks Department of a fictional Indiana town called Pawnee. It took a comedic look at local small-town politics and red tape. Amy Poehler starred as Leslie Knope, but the series had a star-studded cast that also included Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, and Rob Lowe, among others.
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