Severance season 2, Skeleton Crew, Netflix’s XO, Kitty, and more new TV this week

It’s the doldrums of the new year now; we’re over the hump, past the exciting bits, and settling back into a rhythm (albeit, in the States, with an eye toward the early three-day weekends of the year). But TV is not having those same slow times. No — right now it’s go go go, with plenty of high-profile shows premiering and ending. For me, this week, I’m keeping an eye on XO, Kitty and Severance, two sophomore seasons that both surprised me with their sturdiness. Both are examples of a show returning with exactly the same spirit of the original season, just with new obstacles pooling out from dramatic season 1 cliffhangers. (Though clearly in very different ways — one is about the navigating the laborious, often byzantine matters of nefarious corporate structure, and the other is about navigating the laborious, often byzantine matters of what we owe to each other, and also how to not fail out of boarding school while wrapped up in several romantic entanglements.) But that’s not all that’s out there! Here are the best premieres and finales happening in TV this week. Table of Contents New shows on Netflix XO, Kitty season 2 [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkaNg-0RIsM] Genre: Teen romance Release date: Jan. 16, with all episodes Showrunner/creator: Jenny Han Cast: Anna Cathcart, Gia Kim, Sang Heon Lee, and more In XO, Kitty season 2, Kitty (Anna Cathcart) is three things, officially: bi, back, and seriously confused. The love triangle that first greeted her in South Korea is not the one that is currently plaguing her — or even the other one that’s causing her head to spin. Love abounds on XO, Kitty, which is all the better for the perfect soapy plunge. Castlevania: Nocturne season 2 [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQt-irbJtq8] Genre: Action-horror Release date: Jan. 16, with all episodes Showrunner/creator: Clive Bradley Cast: Edward Bluemel, Thuso Mbedu, Pixie Davies, and more After adopting a new member of the team at the end of season 1 (the son of Dracula, no less), the vamps of Castlevania: Nocturne have found themselves in a race against time. Erzsebet Báthory (Franka Potente) seeks the full power of the goddess Sekhmet so she can plunge the world into endless night, making her even more powerful than she was in season 1. There will be more promise, more power, more locales, and more opera. New shows on Disney Plus Skeleton Crew season 1 finale [Image: https://platform.polygon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/GR-023052_R.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] Genre: Star Wars Goonies Release date: Jan. 14 Showrunners/creators: Jon Watts and Chris Ford Cast: Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Jude Law, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, and more Season 1 of the Star Wars show is wrapping up and bringing the kids… back to At Attin? To the Jedi academy of their dreams? A third, even more canonical location? We’ll have to wait and see what Tuesday’s finale brings. (And whether it wraps up the show entirely or leaves room for season 2.) New shows on Max Harley Quinn season 5 [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FrB7mJoesg] Genre: Raunchy animated comedy Release date: Jan. 16 Showrunner/creator: Paul Dini and Bruce Timm Cast: Kaley Cuoco, Lake Bell, Alan Tudyk, and more Perhaps you got into Harley Quinn because you heard about the Harley/Poison Ivy stuff. Perhaps it’s because you love DC or animated comedies (or both). Maybe you were late to the bandwagon, but just eager to see what all the fervor over Nightwing’s butt was. Either way, Harley Quinn and its titular bat-wielder are back for more. New shows on Apple TV Plus Severance season 2 [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UXKlYvLGJY] Genre: Prestige mystery box Release date: Jan. 17, with one episode Showrunner/creator: Dan Erickson Cast: Adam Scott, Britt Lower, John Turturro, and more In season 1, Innie Mark (Adam Scott) learned that Outie Mark’s (also Adam Scott) wife was still alive, though being held in the bowels of Lumon, for… whatever reason. Then the finale cut us off. Season 2 picks up moments later in Innie Mark’s life, as he and his fellow innies have to figure out what to do now, and Severance dives deeper into the mysteries of what the company’s deal is.