Eighteen Shows We Can't Wait to See on HBO Max in 2021

COVID-19 wreaked havoc on HBO Max its first year out of the gate, delaying many of its planned originals, including the long-awaited Friends reunion special that was originally intended to premiere on the streaming platform's launch day back in May.

2021 is promising to see a lot more from the streamer in the way of original content, and we're not even talking about the film side of things, where — in a first for a major film studio — Warner Bros has pledged to release its entire 2021 slate of films to the service day-and-date with their release in movie theaters.

On the TV side, HBO Max has announced an impressively robust roster of high-profile series reboots, new projects from longtime HBO talent like Lena Dunham, and some exciting literary adaptations coming in the months ahead. And those are just the HBO Max exclusives. As the streaming home for all things HBO (OK, most things HBO), HBO Max subscribers can also look forward to new seasons of HBO Originals like Succession and Barry, plus new series like The Nevers and Kate Winslet in Mare of Easttown.

Here are the originals we can't wait to see hit HBO Max in the coming year:

The Boondocks: The animated series, based on Aaron McGruder's long-running comic strip, aired on Adult Swim in its original incarnation for four seasons spread out between 2005 and 2014. Though the fourth and then-final season of The Boondocks was made without the participation of its creator, McGruder is back as executive producer and showrunner. In its initial run, the show was a social and political satire that navigated the American experience of the late George W. Bush and early Barack Obama eras through the perspective of a pair of Black kids and their grandpa living in the Maryland suburbs. The reboot will situate young Huey and Riley Freeman amid an analogue of the Trump presidency, and considering the first-ever episode kicked off with Huey having a dream where a Black person speaking the truth sparks a riot among white people, it's fair to say the reboot will have plenty on its mind when it returns in 2021.

Gossip Girl: It's been almost nine years since the Upper East Siders of the CW's original Gossip Girl closed up shop, having left viewers with the baffling revelation that Dan Humphrey was the titular mystery maven. Now, under the same creative leadership — showrunner Josh Safran was a writer/producer on the original show, and Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage are back as EPs as well — we return to the old universe, but with a new cast of characters. Kristen Bell will return as the voice of (a new?) Gossip Girl, while the new cast promises to be more diverse than the almost exclusively white original cast.

Station Eleven: The acclaimed novel of the same name by Emily St. John Mandel sounds almost too timely for 2021. In it, a global pandemic descends the night that a young girl witnesses the death of a famous actor on stage. The story follows her life two decades in the future, in a post-plague landscape of traveling survivors and abandoned towns, while tracking back through the actor's life and how his family ends up intersecting with the story's other characters. The show is helmed by Patrick Somerville, who created the Netflix series Maniac and was a writer on The Leftovers, and will star Mackenzie Davis, Gael Garcia Bernal, Caitlin FitzGerald, and Tenet star Himesh Patel.

Made for Love: Also from Patrick Somerville is this darkly comedic show based on the Alissa Nutting novel. Cristin Milioti plays a recently divorced woman on the run from her tech billionaire ex, but said ex has fitted her with a high-tech tracking device. Billy Magnussen plays the ex-husband, with Ray Romano as Milioti's father.

The Other Two: Two years will have passed since we last saw this delightful comedy about a pair of adult siblings (Drew Tarver and Helene York) who have to deal with their own disappointments while their younger brother (Case Walker) breaks out as a teen pop sensation. It was announced last August that The Other Two would migrate from Comedy Central to HBO Max for its second season, similar to Search Party's move from TBS. Since the first season ended with the intimation that the Dubek kids would be dealing with their mom (Molly Shannon) becoming a lifestyle guru, Season 2 could well be a fantastic ride.

Tokyo Vice: Baby Driver star Ansel Elgort is set to star in this adaptation of Jake Adelstein's memoir of the same name. Elgort will play Adelstein, an American journalist who embeds himself with the Tokyo police department. Playwright J.T. Rogers, who wrote the Tony-winning Oslo, and Destin Daniel Cretton, who wrote and directed the Brie Larson film Short Term 12, helm the series while Michael Mann is set to direct the pilot episode. Alongside Elgort, the series is stars Ken Watanabe (Inception), Rachel Keller (Legion), and Rinko Kikuchi (Babel).

Peacemaker: With Disney and Marvel kicking off the MCU's TV chronicles this month with WandaVision, it's worth looking ahead to Warner Brothers trying to do the same with its DC properties on HBO Max. This is slated to kick off with Peacemaker, based on the D.C. character of the same name, and spun off from the upcoming The Suicide Squad film. Both projects are written and directed by James Gunn, who had much success on the Marvel side of things, directing the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies. John Cena stars in the title role, whom Gunn has described as a "superhero/supervillain" and "the world's biggest douchebag." The character will first appear in The Suicide Squad, which is currently slated to premiere in August, and then spin off onto the TV series.

The Sex Lives of College Girls: This half-hour comedy series from producer Mindy Kaling follows the sexually active lives of three freshman college girls at school in Vermont. The series will star Pauline Chalamet, Amrit Kaur, Renée Rapp, Alyah Chanelle Scott, and Dylan Sprouse.

And Just Like That...: It's adorable that HBO Max is going with this as the title of their 10-episode limited series when all anybody is going to call this is the Sex and the City reboot, because IT'S THE SEX AND THE CITY REBOOT. One supposes out of respect for Kim Cattrall's Samantha Jones, who will not be joining Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie, Cynthia Nixon's Miranda, and Kristen Davis's Charlotte, that we shouldn't refer to it as the same show. Executive producer and writer Michael Patrick King will be back, however, and Parker has already stated that the city of New York will be the fourth lead character, so those who took issue with Sex and the City 2 can rest easy.

Generation: Since we're bringing Sex and the City back, we may as well also welcome Lena Dunham back to HBO for another half-hour dramedy about girls and sexuality. With Generation, though, Dunham is neither writing nor starring, just producing. The series comes from father/daughter creators Daniel and Zelda Barnz, and will star Martha Plimpton, Justice Smith, Chloe East, Haley Sanchez, Uly Schlesinger, Nathanya Alexander, Lukita Maxwell, and Chase Sui Wonders. It's described as "a dark yet playful half-hour following a group of high school students whose exploration of modern sexuality (devices and all) tests deeply entrenched beliefs about life, love and the nature of family in their conservative community."

Hacks: Currently in production, this dark comedy series from Parks and Recreation creator Mike Schur stars Jean Smart as an aging Las Vegas diva who mentors an entitled 25-year-old. Broad City writers Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky created the series.

The Prince: Will & Grace producer and Family Guy writer Gary Janetti comes to HBO Max with The Prince, an animated satire about the imagined life of young Prince George of England. Boasting an all-star voice cast that includes Iwan Rehon and Lucy Punch as William and Kate, Orlando Bloom as Prince Harry, Condola Rashad as Meghan Markle, Frances De La Tour as Queen Elizabeth, as well as Alan Cumming, Sophie Turner, Dan Stevens, and Janetti himself as Prince George.

Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai: This animated prequel series will tell the origin story of Gizmo (voiced by Howie Mandel in the movies, but not here) in China before he was exported to the United States. Joe Dante, the original film's director, is serving as a consultant.

Nicki Minaj: Sure to be incredibly entertaining is this upcoming six-episode docuseries on rap superstar Nicki Minaj. The star and executive producer of the series announced the project on social media, saying "It’s going to give you guys a raw unfiltered look at my personal life and my professional journey and I can’t wait to share it with you."

It's a Sin: Queer as Folk and Years and Years creator Russell T. Davies will come to HBO Max this year with a five-part miniseries about the AIDS crisis in 1980s Britain. Olly Alexander, queer activist and member of the synth-pop group Years & Years (hey, coincidence!) will star, along with Omari Douglas, Keeley Hawes, Neil Patrick Harris, and Stephen Fry. The series premiered last week on England's Channel 4. It will debut on HBO Max Feb 18.

Friends: And of course, there is the loooooong awaited and much-trumpeted Friends reunion, which feels like it's been in the works as long as the show has been off the air. This was originally set for May 2020, before COVID-19 came along, seemingly intent on destroying HBO Max's crown jewel of nostalgia programming. The timetable remains up in the air, though Matthew Perry recently stated they plan to start filming in March.

Joe Reid is the senior writer at Primetimer and co-host of the This Had Oscar Buzz podcast. His work has appeared in Decider, NPR, HuffPost, The Atlantic, Slate, Polygon, Vanity Fair, Vulture, The A.V. Club and more.