This week’s TV is a sort of choose-your-IP-adaptation adventure: The X-Men of the ’90s returns, complete with nostalgic animation vibes, in X-Men ’97. If you’re looking for an alternate-timeline version of a classic video game (and a kind of silly one at that), there’s the finale of Halo season 2.
Then there’s 3 Body Problem, Netflix’s big-budget adaptation of the blockbuster science fiction novel of the same name (and its follow-ups). As our executive editor Matt Patches put it in his review, 3 Body Problem “feels epic in scale while probing the messiness of human instinct.”
Among these, there aren’t really any wrong choices; it’s all TV, it’s all a good time. And it’s not even the limit: There’s still ongoing TV, and a few more new options. Here’s all the notable TV premieres and finales this week.
New shows on Netflix
3 Body Problem
Genre: Big-budget sci-fi
Release date: March 21, with all eight episodes
Showrunners/creators: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo
Cast: Eiza González, Liam Cunningham, Benedict Wong, and more
Physics is breaking, and it’s the end of the world as we know it — at least, unless a group of brilliant scientists can join forces with a shadowy detective to expose the greatest threat to humanity in all of history.
That’s about as deep as I can go without spoiling it, but the other headlines for this show are: It’s from the showrunners of Game of Thrones and The Terror season 2, and based on the hit sci-fi book by Cixin Liu.
New shows on Disney Plus
X-Men ’97
Genre: Throwback superhero cartoon
Release date: March 20
Head writer: Beau DeMayo
Cast: Ray Chase, Jennifer Hale, Alison Sealy-Smith, and more
X-Men ’97 will be continuing the story from the X-Men: The Animated Series show of the ’90s. The animation — a throwback in style and tone — will be picking up with your favorite X-Men (or, at least, the main ones) after the death of Professor X.
New shows on Paramount Plus
Halo season 2 finale
Photo: Adrienn Szabo/Paramount Plus
Genre: Video game adaptation
Release date: March 21
Showrunner/creator: David Wiener
Cast: Pablo Schreiber, Bokeem Woodbine, Natasha McElhone, and more
It’s the final episode of Halo season 2 and Master Chief is… still not on Halo (yet!). Maybe soon. At the very least, this season we have learned a lot more about the UNSC and got some time with the Arbiter. And again: Maybe Master Chief is en route to Halo right now!
New shows on Peacock
Top Chef season 21
Genre: Reality competition
Release date: March 20 at 9 p.m. EDT on Bravo, next day on Peacock
Host: Kristen Kish
Cast: A top group of top chefs who want to chef their way to being The Top Chef
You know the drill: A group of chefs compete for $250,000 and (perhaps more importantly) the prestige of being dubbed top chef. This season marks the first time the show won’t be hosted by Padma Lakshmi, with Top Chef: Seattle winner Kristen Kish taking over as host. Will this impact the show’s flavor?
New shows on Apple TV Plus
Palm Royale
Genre: Period dramedy
Release date: March 20, with 3 episodes
Showrunner/creator: Abe Sylvia
Cast: Kristen Wiig, Ricky Martin, Josh Lucas, and more
It’s 1969, and Maxine Simmons (Kristen Wiig) wants to break into the upper echelons of Palm Beach society. Loosely based on the book Mr. and Mrs. American Pie by Juliet McDaniel, Maxine’s values will be put to the test as she attempts to infiltrate (and enjoy) high society by penetrating its most exclusive club: the Palm Royale.
New shows on Crunchyroll
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
Genre: Fantasy
Release date: March 22
Based on the manga by: Kanehito Yamada
It’s the final episode of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End! Episode 28 of Frieren will be the last hopefully just for now, but it will depend on how production schedules — and the will of the gods — shakes out. Either way, be prepared to reach this Journey’s End with a bit of bittersweetness.