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!

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.

The Manic and Outrageous Creativity of Everything Everywhere All At Once

A24's EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE is an exhilarating and mind-bending assault on the senses. Writer-directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, also collectively known as the Daniels, have fueled the metaphysical, martial arts film in an exhilarating bombardment of utter weirdness.

Just like the numerous "what if" scenarios you might have wondered about your own life, EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE offers the various iterations of Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh)'s existence. A harried, mousy Chinese immigrant laundromat owner, Evelyn has many adulting problems. One of them is trying to save her failing business from a persistent IRS inspector Deirdre Beaubeirdra (Jamie Lee Curtis and her glorious belly). She is also trying to plan a Chinese New Year party for the community, dealing with accepting her aimless daughter Joy's (Stephanie Hsu) sexuality, and trying to shield that revelation from her disapproving, estranged father (James Hong).

Punch In For Kung Fu Season 2 on Warner TV (Premieres 10 March 2022)

Mention the “Kung Fu" series to Gen X-ers, and they will immediately remember the 1970's show which starred David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine, a half-Chinese Shaolin monk who was framed for murder, and came to America to search for his family. It is well known that martial arts legend Bruce Lee was passed over for the main role, and it has been argued that this was due to his accent, which the audience may find difficulty understanding. It just goes to show the level of discrimination Asian and Asian-American actors face, trying to get visibility in tinseltown. The original series has also been criticized for its prominent white-washing and propagating of Asian stereotypes.

With the rebooted, reimagining of the series that premiered in 2021, the creators Christina M. Kim, Martin Gero, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Robert Berens and Warner Bros TV hope to right some of the wrongs regarding Hollywood's ‘bamboo ceiling’. In this new gender-bent version set in modern times, Olivia Liang as Nicky Shen, a young Chinese American woman who ran away from her university studies and ended up learning Shaolin kungfu at a monastery in China.

The first season of KUNG FU follows Nicky's homecoming in San Francisco, to find that her parents owes the mob money due to the family's failing restaurant business. A dangerous Triad has now taken hold of her home district, and is overrun with crime and corruption. While trying to solve the mystery of her sifu's death, Nicky also makes it her mission to disentangle her family from the mobsters and use her kung fu skills to fight for justice.

Season 2 of KUNG FU premieres today (10 March 2022) on Warner TV. There is more battles ahead for Nicky, as the family reunites with a long-lost cousin named Mia (Vanessa Yao). What has Mia got to do with the Russell Tan (Kee Chan), the current season's Big Bad?

If you have yet to get on board with the show, it is still not too late to start. Red Dot Diva gives you the five reasons why you should watch KUNG FU:

MY RODE Reel 2020: Vote for Singapore Entry CLOSING TIME by Kyle Ong and Wayne Rée

A few months ago, Red Dot Diva held a livestream with her friend Wayne Rée to discuss about horror stories in this region. While introducing the South-East Asian podcast called GHOST MAPS that he is involved in, Red Dot Diva had expressed a wish for more local horror films that would appeal to today's audiences. A good scare is always cathartic when things get tense, don't you think? Like during a pandemic, for instance.

Then, suddenly... BOOO!!! just right in time for Halloween, Wayne messaged Red Dot Diva with a piece of spooky good news. Together with his GHOST MAPS collaborator and film maker Kyle Ong, they have made a horror-comedy short film called CLOSING TIME (打烊). The film had been submitted to MY RØDE REEL 2020, dubbed as The World's Largest Short Film Competition.

My RØDE Reel Short Film Competition, currently at its 7th year running, is organised by RØDE Microphones. This year, the highest cash prize ever is being offered for a short film competition. How much you ask? A glorious $1 million in cash is up for grabs!!

CLOSING TIME (打烊) is about a young couple Steven and Mavis who own a small convenience store. One late night, after an encounter with a friendly ghoul, they begin to receive several new (old?) supernatural customers in the dead of night.

Experience "AUTUMN" the unusual 12-hour live instalment for HBO's Third Day series (3 Oct, 4:30 PM)

Unlike the islanders of Osea in HBO's psychological thriller THE THIRD DAY, there are no changing of seasons in equatorial Red Dot Island. Many of those who live here have not experienced autumn before, but now you would have an opportunity to do so.

Later on, at 4:30 PM (3 October, Saturday), there will be a special 12-hour theatrical event dubbed “AUTUMN”, where you can immerse yourself in the world of THE THIRD DAY'S Osea Island via a livestream on HBO Asia's Facebook page. The island exists in real life, by the way. So does the old Roman-built causeway that can only be navigated at low tide for approximately only 4 hours a day in every 12.

The cinematic broadcast features the show's cast including lead actors Jude Law, Katherine Waterston and Florence Welch. The audience will be able to watch events unfold on mysterious Osea Island in real time in one single day, in one single take. This sounds like such a unique, trippy experience that Red Dot Diva is making plans to log on and see what this is all about. What will the Osea villagers be doing during these 12 hours? Will they be making creepy eye-contact with the camera?

HBO Asia's "Grisse" - Feisty Gun-slinging Western set in the Rojakness of South-East Asia

As a child from a primarily English-speaking home, Red Dot Diva has always fantasized of being able to watch South-East Asian tales on TV or in the movies which were spoken in English. Local TV dramas and sitcoms in the 1990's helped to bring Red Dot Island stories to the forefront, but international exposure was very limited.

It has been a long time coming, but in recent years, HBO Asia has been passionate about showcasing stories from this region to the world, and Red Dot Diva is always delighted to see and support the shows that they invest in.

Tonight, 4 November (Sunday), "Grisse", another new English language original series by the cable channel will be premiering at 9 PM. Set in 1800’s Indonesia, during the time when the Dutch East Indies were busy colonizing this region, the period drama has a unique look - a South-Asian story with an Old Western aesthetic, complete with all that dirt, dust, feisty heroines, and gun battles. The series is created by Mike Wiluan, and has eight 1-hour long episodes.

Step into the town of Grisse, and you will be greeted by people from different creeds and agendas. The Indonesian rebels have taken a stand in the gritty town, leading the way to eradicate colonialism and tyranny. Occasionally fighting alongside them are the factions consisting of the Chinese, and the "Half-breeds".

New Seasons of The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, Lethal Weapon on Warner TV Asia

Warner TV Asia, home of DC Comics' superhero shows like "Arrow", "The Flash", "Supergirl" and "DC Legends of Tomorrow", has a list of other TV series that appeal to geeky folks. Non-Arrowverse shows like "Krypton" and "Gotham" help to expand the DC Universe, and "iZombie" (loosely based on the comic book series of the same name) cater to those who like zombies but prefer something far less intense than AMC's "The Walking Dead".

Three other shows aired by Warner TV are also set to returning on screen this week. They are "The Big Bang Theory", its prequel series "Young Sheldon", and cop show "Lethal Weapon".


THE BIG BANG THEORY

Special Premiere: 25 September 2018, Tuesday, 8:10 PM
Episodes: every Friday from September 28, 8:10 PM

This will be the 12th and last season of the long running comedy series. It is in fact the longest-running multi-camera comedy series in TV history. The sitcom has told stories about eccentric geek Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and his friends, like Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco) who finally gotten married. Sheldon himself tied the knot with neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) in the finale of Season 11, with surprise guest Mark Hamill officiating the wedding! It will be business as usual in this final season, with Sheldon playing fantasy role-playing games with friends that include fellow scientists Rajesh Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar), Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Howard’s wife, Bernadette (Melissa Rauch).

Diva Watched Master Artist Salavat Fidai Transform Pencil Tips into Game of Thrones Microsculptures

Grand sweeping landscapes, massive battle scenes and memorable dramatic visuals are mainstays of HBO's award-winning fantasy drama series "Game of Thrones".

However, to promote upcoming Season 7 of "Game of Thrones", fans are invited to view their beloved TV show in a much smaller scale. An epicly miniscule scale, to be exact.

Together with art studio and curatorial space K+, HBO Asia commissioned microsculptor Salavat Fidai to carve 16 pieces of various images from the show, all on the tips of fragile graphite lead pencils.

The entire exhibit took 4 months for the Russian artist to complete.

The result is a special exhibition called "Game of Thrones: A Pencil Microsculpture Exhibition by Salavat Fidai", held at K+ Scotts Square till June 4, and admission is FREE!

Diva's Movie Review: "Hunt for the WilderPeople" Is A Clever and Superb Buddy Movie

With many of the social media timelines filled with friends who have polarizing views about the results of the USA election, perhaps there is need for some time out. A feel-good kind of time out.

Watching "Hunt for the WilderPeople", a New Zealand film written and directed by Taika Waititi, is a heartwarming panacea for all the angsty, angry discussions taking place on the internet right now. It provides assurance that a genuine friendship can be formed even when two human beings are very different from each other. Logical Red Dot Diva knows that this does not happen easily in real life, but movie escapism can sometimes be good for mental health. ;)

"Hunt for the WilderPeople" is essentially a hilarious buddy dramedy with a quirky take on the fugitives on the run trope. The movie focuses on the adventures of two unlikely characters - chubby, orphaned, city street kid Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) who thinks he's a hip hop thug and his grumpy over-60 ex-prisoner/ farmer/ super-bushman foster uncle Hec Faulkner (a very silver foxy Sam Neill).

SRT's Musical "Treasure Island" Is A Delight, Especially for Families

The Singapore Repertory Theatre's (SRT) year-end play "Treasure Island" is not the scary sort with pillaging pirates running amok committing bloody murders on board a schooner. Rather, this adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson famous book by SRT's The Little Company is a delightful, G-rated musical that will appeal to children young and old, as well as most adults, and makes for 1.5 hours of fun family time.

The musical follows quite closely to the novel except for one main twist to the storyline - Jim Hawkins (Ann Lek) has been genderbent to an adventure-loving 13-year-old girl who works at the Bentbow Inn. With Jim stumbling upon a map owned by the late Captain Flint (and the scariest pirate that has ever lived), she sets sail on an adventure to a Caribbean island together with a crew led by Captain Smollett (Erwin Shah Ismail) and Squire Trelawney (Tan Shou Chen).

Unfortunately, on board as well is Long John Silver (Dwayne Lau) who pretends to be friends with Ann Lek while plotting a mutiny together with his comrades Hands (Kimberley Chan) and O'Brien (Michell Lagos), so that they can get their greedy hands on the treasure map.

Daniel Wu (吳彥祖) Leads New AMC Martial Arts Drama Series "Into The Badlands" - Premieres 16 November 2015

Who loves watching kick-ass martial arts movies?

Red Dot Diva does.

She was brought up on a constant fodder of martial arts movies. Ever since she was a kid, she has been relishing those action movies churned out by Shaw Brothers Studio, with actors Ti Lung, David Chiang, Wang Yu and Brigitte Lin gracing the big screen with their moves. In later years, Red Dot Diva continued to get kicks out of watching Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, Donnie Yen, and Jet Li movies. Thanks to her Dad and an uncle who loved kung fu movies. She even has a cousin named after famous wuxia actress Chen Pei-Pei!

Which brings about how excited Red Dot Diva about AMC's new drama series "Into The Badlands", created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar ("Smallville"). The 6-episode show is set in a dystopian world, 500 years from now, where guns have been outlawed. This gives a great excuse for AMC to bring back martial arts to our TV screens.

Diva's Movie Review: China Box Office Hit "Monster Hunt" Needs More Bite (Minor Spoilers)

"Monster Hunt" (捉妖记) is probably one of those movies you may not have heard of, but it is the biggest hit movie in China right now.

On opening day alone, the movie raked in 162 million Yuan (SGD 35.8 mil) of box office takings. In addition, it also earned over 669 million Yuan (SGD 147.8 mil) during the first weekend. It is currently the highest-grossing film in China, having earned 1.32 billion Yuan (SGD 286.7 mil) since its first day at the box office.

These record-breaking feats got Red Dot Diva curious enough to see whether "Monster Hunt" was worth all the hype, even though generally, her taste in films do not coincide with those of most viewers in mainland China.

Directed by Dreamworks animator Raman Hui, who was also co-director on "Shrek the Third", "Monster Hunt" is a blend of live-action and VFX footage in a Sinicized-fantasy world where monsters and mankind are at odds with each other, and the monsters are driven by the humans to flee deep into the mountains.

Singapore Fans! Tune in to WarnerTV Asia To Slurp Up New TV Series "iZombie"!

A hardcore fan of cult TV series "Veronica Mars"? Call yourself an admirer of creator Rob Thomas' genius? Or, maybe you have developed a constant craving for brains and looking for creatures with similar habits to bond with?

Then, look out for WarnerTV Asia's new TV series "iZOMBiE" tonight 22 May at 9 PM! The witty and widely anticipated series is somewhat based on the Vertigo comic books of the same name. The graphic novel version was created by writer Chris Roberson and Michael Allred.

Starz' "Black Sails" - It Just Keeps Getting Better (and How to Get your Piratesexual Game On)

So you love pirate stories? However, if you are the not watching "Black Sails", you're missing out something entertaining on your TV screen. Especially so, if one is tired of cartoonish over-the-top characters and more of "the-same-the-same" from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

Cable network Starz' "Black Sails" provides the viewer with smarter mindmaps of each pirate's motivations. The series, created by Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine, is mostly about Captain Flint's past, before his famous adventures and the gold he found was regaled in Robert Louise Stevenson's book "Treasure Island". Together with other famous badasses of the sea, like Charles Vane, Calico Jack, Benjamin Hornigold and Anne Bonny, most of the series unravels in the island hangout of Nassau.

Red Dot Diva was invited for the series premiere at SDCC two years back, where before it was screened, musician Bear McCreary performed the rousing "Black Sails" theme song with his band. It was awesome. McCreary's theme song as well as the accompanying gorgeously artistic title credits is something to behold on their own.

Despite the series being hailed as Michael Bay's high-budget pirate show, Season 1 of "Black Sails" started out slow, like the lull of a low tide, where creatures started to emerge from their little hidey holes to show their true colours. A lot of time was spent on character building but Red Dot Diva assures that it's all worth it, when the series shows that it was not afraid to have one or two of your favourite characters killed off ala GRRM, the action also kicks up several notches toward the end when Flint makes a valiant bid for the Spanish gold.

"Dragon Blade" Gala Premiere - Excited Fans at GV Vivocity and A Movie Review by Vernon

The very very very expensive epic historical action movie "Dragon Blade" opens officially in cinemas island-wide today on 19 February, the 1st day of Chinese New Year.

From what Red Dot Diva was told, the movie did very well during the sneak screenings from 13-15 February, grossing about S$147,662 in just 3 days.

RED CARPET
The cast were in visibly good spirits on their first promotional stop in Red Dot Island, even though Adrien did seem jetlagged at the morning's press conference.

Later that day at GV Vivocity for the red carpet gala premiere, they seem to have perked up more. Hundreds of fans (mostly young ones, who seem to be there screaming for Choi SiWon) were lined up along the passageway leading into the multiplex, all eager to catch a glimpse of their favourite idol(s).

Jackie leads the way on the red carpet (pic from Encore)

Win A Pair of Tickets to Watch Action Flick "Dragon Blade"! (Plus Where You Can Meet the Stars!)

ICMYI -- a troupe of popular movie stars and their entourage are set to descend on our little Red Dot Island next week for promotional activities surrounding the premiere of "Dragon Blade"!

They include action superstar Jackie Chan, John Cusack, Adrien Brody, Choi Siwon, Lin Peng and Wang Ruo Xin. (Check out more details in a previous blog article here.)

The China-produced movie, which will premiere island-wide during the Chinese New Year season on 19 February, is said to have cost a vault-busting, record-breaking USD 65 million to film. This probably doesn't include the costs of the two fancy private jets that will be bringing the group here in time for the press conference on 10 February, a meet and greet at Nex's atrium as well as the Gala Premiere at GV Vivocity.

After the whirlwind of activities, Red Dot Diva was told that the entourage will then zoom off to the next promotional stop on their private jets.

"Dragon Blade" actors Jackie Chan, John Cusack and Adrien Brody in Singapore for Gala Premiere!

Lunar New Year is a time when many Chinese movies like comedies or blockbusters are released. For many Chinese communities around the world, it has become a tradition to gather a bunch of family members or good friends after the reunion dinner, and head to the cinema to catch a film.

For this coming Year of the Ram, the movie to look out for is action period drama "Dragon Blade" (天将雄狮), which stars action superstar, Jackie Chan, Academy Award winner Adrien Brody, A-lister John Cusack, Korean pop-idol Choi Siwon (Super Junior) and Chinese actresses, Lin Peng and Wang Ruo Xin.

The movie is directed by famed HK film maker Daniel Lee (“White Vengeance”, “14 Blades”) and is set in 48BC, during the Han Dynasty, when Lucius (John Cusack), a Roman general accused of treason treks into the Middle Kingdom with his pack of soldiers. While in the Gobi Desert, he befriends and forms an alliance with Huo An (Jackie Chan), a former commander forced into slavery by corrupt officials. Hot on Lucius' heels is Tiberius (Adrien Brody), the ambitious baddie son of Rome's Consul. Tiberius is leading a large troop of 100,000 soldiers toward the Chinese border, intent on capturing the runaway general.

Cinemax Asia: Relish the First Cut and Watch New Medical Series "The Knick"

When a TV watching fan's taste for hospital dramas is less soap-operish and more gory, then Red Dot Diva recommends Cinemax's new retro medical 10-episode miniseries "The Knick"!

The show premiered on 9 August (YAY! National Day, yo!) on HBO Asia's network in the following eight territories, including the Red Dot Island - Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand, with subtitles available in a few specific countries - Hong Kong (Chinese), Indonesia (Bahasa Indonesia), Malaysia (Bahasa Malaysia), Taiwan (Chinese) and Thailand (Thai).

TNT's "Mob City" - New Gangster Noir Series by Frank Darabont

Mention mobsters, the 1940's and vicious gang wars, and Red Dot Diva suddenly feels the urge to flash her gams while inhaling a puff from a slender cigarette holder (*cough cough*).  Er .. yeah... Diva doesn't smoke....

It's a good thing then, that she doesn't have to kill her lungs softly via cigarette-puffing, or run helter-skelter through a bar ducking from wild gunfire, in order to get her mobster fix.

Thanks to creator Frank Darabont (from AMC's "The Walking Dead" fame), a new drama series called "Mob City" will premiere on TNT this December 4th.

From the trailer that was released not too long ago, "Mob City" seems all ready to dish out the pulp noir-ish violence and intrigue, and the montage also includes quite an impressive body count!