Top 5 New TV Series For Your Watchlist - Premiere Dates January to March 2023

A new year means more new TV shows to watch! There are several series already set to return in 2023, like The Blacklist, Star Trek: Picard, The Mandalorian, The Gilded Age, and (sob!) the last season of The CW's The Flash, but if you intend to add more spice to your daily entertainment hour, there is a pile of new shows that will premiere in 2023.

Based on USA premiere dates starting from January to March 2023, Red Dot Diva recommends 5 shows that you can add to your watch list. Do note that not all shows and channels are available in Red Dot Island. Paramount Plus is one of them, so you would either have to find your own way to watch these, or pray that they will turn up on either Netflix, Amazon Prime or Disney+ SG.

Scroll down to check out Red Dot Diva's recommended list!

Happy Batman Day 2022 - Visit the Batcave at XM Studios, Catch The Batman Premiere on HBO and more!

Nana nana nana nana BATMAN!!!! Happy Batman Day, all you geeks!

On 17 September, also known as Batman Day, fans celebrate the World’s Greatest Detective's adventures for over 80 years! And he's still going strong.

So, what are the Batty things you can do with your squad on Red Dot Island for the festivities? Check out the following list of things to do:

House Of The Dragon Swoops Into SDCC With Interactive Experience, Panel And Launch Of New Niantic Game App

For those who have not gotten enough of Westeros, and still feeling unsatisfied about the finale of HBO original series' GAME OF THRONES, keep your hearts burning for a little while longer. HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, the prequel of the award-winning historical drama, will premiere 22 August on HBO GO, same time as the U.S. telecast.

Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood”, the ten-episode series is set 200 years before the events of GAME OF THRONES, and spills the fiery-fueled tea of the story of House Targaryen, their dragons, and their liaisons with the other Houses. The series stars Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans, as well as additional cast members including Milly Alcock, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Emily Carey, Harry Collett, Ryan Corr, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jefferson Hall, David Horovitch, Wil Johnson, John Macmillan, Graham McTavish, Ewan Mitchell, Theo Nate, Matthew Needham, Bill Paterson, Phia Saban, Gavin Spokes and Savannah Steyn.

Leading up to the debut of the new series, HBO Max is set to offer fans an immersive experience called “House of the Dragon: The Dragon’s Den" during San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) from July 21 (Thursday) to July 24 (Sunday). Get ready to be transported to Westeros, where you will be guided through a ceremonial dragon hatching experience as a member of House Targaryen.

Re-Enter Into Westworld - Season 4 Premieres on HBO Asia and HBO Go, 27 June 2022

HBO's dystopian science-fiction series WESTWORLD is one of the most confounding yet intriguing study on human psyche as well as the concepts of consciousness and freewill. The TV series created by husband and wife team Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, expanded on the 1973 film written and directed by Michael Crichton. Michael Crichton is known for his techno-thriller books like The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Disclosure and Prey.

As a local islander, Red Dot Diva found WESTWORLD'S Season 3 an interesting visual experience because her city-state home was transformed as future Los Angeles. Familiar spots like Lasalle College of the Arts, Oasia Hotel Downtown, Marina One, the Atlas Bar and even Pulau Ubin, were featured prominently in several scenes. Red Dot Diva never realised Red Dot Island could look so sleek and cinematic!

In Season 3, the hosts Dolores, Maeve and Bernard are no longer in the theme park. The setting shifts to the real world, mostly in a near-future Los Angeles, with Dolores aiming to start a revolution. In this timeline, humans like a man called Caleb, had to live with specified outcomes and futures determined by an AI called Rehoboam. The story was a mirror of the Delos theme park where the hosts were kept in repetitive narrative loops. In the Season 3 finale, after finding out about Serac, one of the creators of Rehoboam, as well as battling with Maeve, Dolores sacrificed herself for humanity. But not before she chose Caleb to lead the revolution.

There are several unanswered questions after Season 3's ending, like: Is Dolores really dead? Or, how did the revolution led by Caleb play out after the destruction of Rehoboam? What did Bernard find in the Sublime, and how long was he in there? And, what other nefarious deeds have the Man In Black host been up to in the real world? The answers you are seeking for may be revealed in Season 4 of WESTWORLD, which will debut at the same time as the U.S. on Monday, June 27 at 9 AM SGT only on HBO and HBO GO. There will be a same day encore on at 10 PM SGT on HBO.

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts - A Magical, Moving Reunion For The Cast And Fans

Dumbledore: "After all this time?"
Snape: "Always."

During her wee childhood years, Red Dot Diva was usually found submerged in books of fairy tales and fantasy. She devoured books like candy, and her imagination took her far far away to very British worlds of boarding schools and magical creatures like elves, wizards and centaurs.

When J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books were published, Red Dot Diva was already a grown woman, but that did not stop her from getting back in touch with her inner child. She was caught up by the detailed lore, and the books' many intriguing characters and creatures. It had been a long time since a book series have managed to capture her wild imagination. However, there was also a familiarity to the Harry Potter books.

Red Dot Diva attended an Anglican-run primary and secondary girls' school with similar terminologies, like prefects and headmistresses. Every schoolgirl was put into a school house - somewhat like the Sorting Hat. In her case, the houses were named after the colours of Red, Blue, Green and Yellow, and she had fond memories of challenges between the different houses where points were given by the teachers. So, when she was watching HBO Max's HARRY POTTER 20TH ANNIVERSARY: RETURN TO HOGWARTS, she felt like she was travelling in a personal time portal too.

Folklore Season 2 Ups The Scare Factor With More Asian Horror Stories

FOLKLORE Season 1 (2018), HBO Asia's original anthology series consisting of horror stories from Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, was a success in the international film festival circuit. Award-winning film-maker Eric Khoo is the creator and showrunner of the series, and various episodes were screened in major festivals like Toronto International Film Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival, Geneva International Film Festival, Fantastic Fest (Texas, USA) and Asian World Film Fest (California, USA).

The best thing about FOLKLORE Season 1 was how novel it was. Compared to East Asian lore, South-East Asian stories are rarely known internationally. FOLKLORE managed to lovingly capture the essence of some of South-East Asia's favourite momoks (phantoms/ bogeymen) with a high production values.

There are a couple of stories in the first season that are still visually ingrained in Red Dot Diva's mind. They are POB, the brilliantly filmed black and white Thai ghost story by reknown director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, and the more traditional and partially socio-political tale of the TOYOL by Malaysian director Ho Yuhang. That just shows how creepy and memorable Asian horror can be compared to the Westernised ones, which tend to over-explain the supernatural.

Well, come 14 November 2021, horror fans can expect more scares as FOLKLORE is set to increase the fear factor for a second season. There will be six new episodes about the human condition when faced with the deeply rooted superstitions and myths in Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore. Each of the stories is helmed by a director from their respective territory, with a special spotlight on two female directors this new season. Famous Japanese popstar Seiko Matsuda makes her directorial debut in the episode about a lonely Japanese idol, and Singaporean director Nicole Midori Woodford unveils the roots of a family trauma.

Doom Patrol Season 3 Is Staying Weird And Fun - Now on HBO Go!

One of DC's strangest superhero groups, the DOOM PATROL, is back on HBO with a brand new season.

The first 3 episodes of Season 3 have been released on 23 September on HBO Go, the media company's streaming platform in Asia. There is a lot to unpack as the metahuman misifts consisting of Elasti-Woman aka Rita Farr (April Bowby), Negative Man aka Larry Trainor (Matt Bomer), Cliff Steele (Brendan Fraser), Crazy Jane (Diane Guerrero) and Cyborg aka Victor Stone (Joivan Wade), deal with their personal trauma as well as unexpected strangers who have crossed their paths.

Gossip Girl Reboot Premieres in Asia on HBO GO, 8 July 2021

Nostalgia seems to be a popular currency these days, with reboots or shows that evoke memories of years past. Such examples include Roswell, Charmed, Cobra Kai, and the Friends Reunion. The latest toss into the pot is GOSSIP GIRL, the 2007 CW teen drama that ran for 6 seasons.

The original GOSSIP GIRL boasted of a cast of gorgeous actors, and the series helped boost the careers of many of them. Lead actor Blake Lively went on the star in movies like The Age of Adaline, The Shallows and A Simple Favour. She is currently married to A-lister and Deadpool himself, Ryan Reynolds. Co-star Leighton Meester married Adam Brody and besides acting, she carved a career as a musician, Broadway actor and social media influencer.

Zack Snyder's Justice League Is A Spellbinding Visual Wonder

After several years of hardcore fans clamouring for the Snydercut to be released, the moment of truth will be revealed to the world's audiences in just 2 days.

“ZACK SNYDER'S JUSTICE LEAGUE” aka the Snydercut is set to premiere on 18 March, streaming via HBO GO for fans in Asia (*). The director's cut entailing how the 6 superheroes - Superman (Henry Cavill), Batman (Ben Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), The Flash (Ezra Miller) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) came together as a team - consists of hours of unseen footage and alternate dialogue. The movie is rated NC16 across Asia.

Red Dot Diva had access to an official screener a few days ago, and yes, she has watched the entire thing, all 4 hours and 2 minutes of it.

Verdict? Justice is served.

The movie is absolutely epic. A beautiful opera worthy of the DC superheroes legacy we hold dear to our hearts.

The running time of “ZACK SNYDER'S JUSTICE LEAGUE” may seem daunting, but Red Dot Diva did not feel that it was a slog at all. That itself is a testament to the skilfulness of Zack Snyder and his production team regarding the film's editing and pace. The movie is segmented into 6 parts and an epilogue.

Compared to the critically panned theatrical version in 2017 which had director Joss Whedon (who was uncredited) changing parts of the script and re-shooting several of the original scenes, “ZACK SNYDER'S JUSTICE LEAGUE” is a far superior version in many ways.

*** WARNING: THE FOLLOWING MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS ***

*****

Join in the Hijinks of Tom & Jerry Movie, Premieres 11 February 2021

Believe it or not. The classic cat-and-mouse chase in the guise of Tom and Jerry is still going on after 80 years!

This year, the duo continue with their trademark cartoony violence in a full-length, mixed live action and animation movie entitled TOM & JERRY. This is the characters' first theatrical release, with actors Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Pena, Ken Jeong, Rob Delany and Colin Jost joining in the real world set. The movie is directed by Tim Story and produced by Chris DeFaria. TOM & JERRY will be opening at local theatres on 11 February.

Our favourite nimble and mischievous mouse Jerry has taken residence at a swanky New York City hotel, and has been spotted by guest, causing a massive mouse hunt to begin. Kayla (Chloë Grace Moretz), one of the hotel's employees, decided to hire a cat to solve the problem. And guess who that hapless cat turns out to be? Tom is reunited with his frenemy and their long-standing feud starts up again.

However, Tom and Jerry find out that someone else is conspiring against them as well as Kayla, and the three decide to team up together.

Zack Snyder's Justice League To Premiere 18 March 2021 on HBO GO (Asia)

Mention the name Zack Snyder and you will find mostly fans from both ends of the spectrums - those who are in rapturous worship of his works or those who bristle with snarky derision. He's the ultimate controversial hot button for any geek conversation concerning DC superhero movies.

Zack Snyder was working on the movie JUSTICE LEAGUE since 2016. Before he had the change to edit and finalise the film, Snyder left the production in 2017. His daughter had died by suicide, and he wanted to spend time with his family. Joss Whedon, well known for being the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the first two Avengers' movies, took over. The movie version released in the same year was a weird combination of Snyder's original take and Whedon's more colourful style. Not surprisingly, with an uneven tone given to the characters and the script, the movie did not turn out to be the box office hit that Warner Bros. had hoped.

Ardent fans of Snyder began calling for an original cut of JUSTICE LEAGUE, insisting that such a version exists. They flooded social media with the hashtag #releasetheSyndercut soon after the movie's release and continued promoting the grassroots campaign for years. Finally, on the date of JUSTICE LEAGUE'S 2nd anniversary, the fans efforts gained more traction when actors like Gal Gadot and Ben Afflect added their voices to the chorus. Synder also began posting more stills from the alternate cut.

The studio finally gave in despite pundits estimating that it would cost gazillions to produce this version. In May 2020, WarnerMedia announced that the infamous “Snyder Cut” will premiere on HBO's streaming services in the following year. The extended version of the movie would be about 4 hours long.

The Garden of Evening Mists Movie Premieres on HBO Asia and HBO Go, 13 September 2020

Those of us who were fortunate enough to have met our grandparents might have heard tales of how life was like in Malaya during World War II. It was a harrowing time, particularly during the Japanese Occupation where thousands of civilians died from the atrocities of war.

Many of the World War II survivors would have already passed away by now. Red Dot Diva's own maternal grandmother, who was a young girl at that time, died last year at the age of 94. The only way generations born during or after the war could imagine how it was like then, was either through oral storytelling, books or movies which depicted that era.

One of the most nuanced and beautifully told story about World War II in Malaya and its aftermath is the critically-acclaimed novel “THE GARDEN OF EVENING MISTS” by Malaysian writer, Tan Twan Eng. The book has been adapted to a movie by Astro Shaw and HBO Asia, with support from the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS) in association with CJ Entertainment.

DC FanDome Part 2 Held on 13 September; HBO Asia and Warner TV Asia Go Into DC Superhero Mode

It's only a few hours to the launch of DC FanDome, the global virtual event entirely about DC Comics and characters from the DC Universe, put together just for the fans. Red Dot Diva is definitely camping out on her iMac, lapping up the exclusive reveals while trying to stay awake via caffeine pumping.

Because the initial schedule had so many panels and sessions which will be running simultaneously, fans had found it hard to choose which ones they wanted to attend. So, to cater to the fans' needs, DC FanDome is now expanded to two separate events. The panels previously announced in the other “Verses” like WatchVerse and KidsVerse, have now been postponed to the second event.

The original event on 23 August (Sunday) has been renamed as DC FanDome: Hall of Heroes with a more streamlined schedule. The live segment will begin at 1 AM (Singapore Time) for 8 hours, kicking off with its first panel on WONDER WOMAN 1984, followed by others for The Sandman Universe, THE BATMAN, THE SUICIDE SQUAD and THE SNYDER CUT of JUSTICE LEAGUE, alongside exclusive programming on comics, games, cartoons, TV series and more. The show will air two more times during the 24-hour period, so that fans from different countries will be able to enjoy the different sessions and announcements.

A second round of the mega fan event called DC FanDome: Explore The Multiverse will be held for 24-hours only on 13 September, 1 AM (Singapore Time). A kids-friendly event called DC Kids FanDome will also launch at the same time, and can be accessed separately as DCKidsFanDome.com.

At this event, fans will have full access to over 100 hours of on-demand programming spanning the vast DC Multiverse of TV series, movies, comics, cartoons, games and more. They can then customise their own schedule, and enjoy as many exclusive panel sessions, screenings and never-before-seen content as they wish within the 24-hour window.

It costs nothing to enter in DC FanDome, so don't miss the great lineup in store on both dates. The event can be accessed on all mobile devices as well as on your desktop and laptop computers. All you have to do is go to this link: https://www.dccomics.com/dcfandome