20 New TV Shows To Look Forward To In 2018

13. McMafia (AMC) – February 26 

AMC generally has a good track record with television shows, especially when it comes to acquiring properties from BBC One. While the main headlines about McMafia are the massive loss of viewerships overseas, it shouldn’t be as worrisome as people think. Humans, another BBC One/AMC partnership, also had a dramatic drop-off in viewers but is still one of the best sci-fi shows on television.

McMafia isn’t science fiction though, it’s based on a nonfictional novel by journalist Misha Glenny. Halt and Catch Fire, Turn, and Mad Men display the network’s ability to craft compelling period dramas and McMafia has a lot of potential to be a success.

James Norton, from the 2017 remake of the movie Flatliners, plays Alex Godman or the son of a Russian mafia leader but grew up in London. His life is uprooted when his father gets in contact with the hope of escaping organized crime. However, things are more complicated than they seem because Godman also has a fiancee (played by Juliet Rylance) and a new life he’s started apart from the legacy he started.

It won’t be the first time that a man is torn between his past and his future on television, but it’s still a compelling story to watch. With Russia becoming such a big topic in the modern day, McMafia will offer a new perspective on the infamous mafia.