As we make our way into the new year, most of us are still quarantined in our homes and waiting for our favorite shows to come back. From Netflix’s “Stranger Things” to Nickelodeon’s long-awaited reboot of “iCarly”, there is so much to look forward to in 2021. So just when are your favorite shows returning? Let’s find out!

Stranger Things Season 4: The fourth season of the Netflix Emmy-nominated science fiction horror series remarked as “compelling” by critics is highly anticipated. The Duffer brothers released a statement saying, “We’re excited to officially announce that production for Stranger Things 4 is now underway—and even more excited to announce the return of Hopper! Although it’s not all good news for our ‘American’; [Hopper] is imprisoned far from home in. the snowy wasteland of Kamchatka, Russia, where he will face dangers both human… and “other. Meanwhile, back in the States, a new horror is beginning to surface, something long buried, something that connects everything…” Gaten Matazarro who plays Dustin on the show said, “I think most would probably say it’s the scariest [season] out of the previous three, which I love because it’s very fun to film.” Producer Shawn Levy said, “I’ll just say the pandemic definitely massively delayed shooting and therefore the launch of our current Season 4, date still TBD. But it impacted very positively by allowing the Duffer brothers, for the first time ever, to write the entire season before we shoot it and to have time to rewrite in a way that they rarely had before so the quality of these screenplays are exceptional, maybe better than ever.”

Never Have I Ever Season 2: The Netflix coming-of-age comedy from Mindy Kaling Variety called “smart and refreshing” follows the life of an Indian American girl Devi in Sherman Oaks. Two news actors will come aboard for the new season including Tyler Alvarez who plays Malcom, “a boy who went to elementary school with Devi and her friends but left when he was cast in a Disney Channel show”, and Megan Suri who plays another “new student whose confidence and radiance poses a threat to Devi.” Maitreyi Ramakrishnan who plays Devi hopes her character embraces her culture because that is so important in a world where identity is everything. It’s how you portray yourself. It’s how you show yourself to the world and how everybody will view you, but also how you accept yourself.

Outer Banks Season 2: The Netflix teen drama that amassed unexpected popularity last summer is returning for a second splash this year. The original cast members, Chase Stokes (John B), Madelyn Cline (Sarah Cameron), Madison Bailey (Kie), Jonathan Daviss (Pope), Rudy Pankow (JJ), Austin North (Topper), Drew Starkey (Rafe), Deion Smith (Kelce), and Charles Esten (Ward Cameron) are all returning, and the show is said to take place in the Bahamas this time. Bailey said, “We start season 2 with the three Pogues [Kie, JJ, and Pope] in the Outer Banks grieving and figuring out their life without John B, Sarah, and what that means for the mission. How are we going to go about this when it’s just us? Then you get to see John B and Sarah in the Bahamas doing their thing.” They will be seeking revenge for the presumed death of John B, and there will be “a whole new dynamic.”  Pankow said, “Justice is going to be served, but it’s just a matter of who does it.” Cline said she hopes to see her character “match John B’s crazy—like a Bonnie and Clyde-type dynamic between them. That sounds like a lot of fun to play as an actor. I want to see her grow into her own person, and not be under the influence or control of her dad.”

iCarly reboot: The revival of the immensely popular and acclaimed Nickelodeon show following the lives of a girl and her two best friends who run a webshow is slated to appear on Paramount+ and will be developed by Jay Kogen and Ali Schouten. Dan Schnieder who created the original iCarly is not supposed to be a part of the project. The show ran from 2007-2012 and was nominated five times for the Primetime Emmys. Miranda Cosgrove, Nathan Kress, and Jerry Trainor will all reprise their previous roles.

Gossip Girl extension: The soapy teen drama labeled by New York magazine as “the most important show of our time” is returning on HBO Max with a new generation of Upper East Side private-school teens who have to navigate a whole new world of social media-driven gossip. According to Deadline, “The prestige series will address just how much social media—and the landscape of New York itself—has changed in the intervening years.” The original creators, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, are on board the revival, but the original cast is not. Schwartz said, “We felt that a version with just our cast grown up, regardless of the challenges of getting those actors, didn’t feel like a group of adults controlled by “Gossip Girl” made much sense. We felt there was something interesting that we are all “Gossip Girl” in our own way and how that’s evolved, morphed and mutated and telling that story through a new generation of Upper East Side high school kids felt right.” The new cast members will include Emily Alynn Lind, Eli Brown, Whitney Peak, Evan Mock, Zión Moreno, Thomas Doherty, Jordan Alexander, Savannah Lee Smith, and Tavi Gevinson. The head of HBO original content said, “We have gotten the first script and I can tell you we all breathed a big sigh of relief because it’s quite good. You can imagine the bar is very high. I think that one of the benefits of having the original creators involved, they’re very clear of what the essential elements of the show are and are not.” The original costume designer, Eric Daman, is also returning, as well as the voice of Gossip Girl Kristen Bell. The show will reportedly venture beyond the Upper East Side into Brooklyn and will be more diverse. Producer Josh Safran said, “There’s a lot of queer content on this show. It is very much dealing with the way the world looks now, where wealth and privilege come from, and how you handle that.” 

American Idol: On Valentine’s Day, this long-standing competitive singing competition is to air its fourth season on ABC. American Idol premiered in 2002 on Fox, but due to its reclining rates, the show was cancelled back in 2016 but rebooted in 2018. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the contestants and judges will be live in the studio taking necessary precautions in order to keep everyone safe. This season, judges include: Katy Perry, Lionel Ritchie, and Luke Bryon. Ryan Seacrest will return again as the show’s host, claiming the title of the only original cast member left. People watching at home have the power to vote and decide who stays and who goes home. Fans of the show must be 13 years or older, live in the U.S., the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico in order to vote at AmericanIdol.com/vote. Make sure to tune into ABC on February 14th and vote for your favorite artists.

You: This dark and mysterious show is said to make a comeback on Netflix for its third season. On January 14, 2020, Netflix announced there would be another season, but did not specify any date. TVLine then confirmed the next installment of the next season would arrive in 2021. “You” revolves around Joe Goldberg, played by Penn Badgley, and the great lengths he would go to in order to get the woman of his dreams. Insider states, “But underlying all the blood and gore, Goldberg’s unhealthy fixation on those he loves might be attributable to a surprisingly common condition called love addiction — a desperate need to find someone to love unconditionally fueled by the irrational fear of being alone or being rejected.” Senior Isabella Orus said, “I’m so excited for season three of “You” because the last episode left us on a huge cliffhanger. This show is probably one of my favorites on Netflix.”

These are only a few new seasons to come in the first half of 2021, but during these difficult times when many of us are spending a lot of time at home, some fresh entertainment is better than none.