What's next for the series hits?

"House of the Dragon" and more - What's next for the series hits?

Fans are eagerly awaiting the sequels to their beloved hit series. But when will the new seasons of "Wednesday", "House of the Dragon", "Bridgerton" or "Stranger Things" be released? The overview.

"The Last of Us"

The video game adaptation "The Last of Us" thrilled audiences and critics alike in early 2023. The apocalyptic series starring Pedro Pascal (playing Joel, 48) and Bella Ramsey (Ellie, 20) was renewed for a second season by US cable channel HBO less than two weeks after the premiere episode aired.

However, due to the double strike by screenwriters and actors in Hollywood, the sequel has not yet been able to start production. Now that the strike is over, however, it is certain that filming will start at the beginning of 2024. However, the new episodes from season two will probably not be available until 2025. This is because the lavishly produced first season already required a full 200 days of filming. If you add to this the time required for post-production, a start in 2024 seems out of the question. This means a long wait for fans.

For season two of "The Last of Us", the extremely popular video game sequel "The Last of Us Part II" from 2020 will be adapted. As a result, the new episodes of the HBO series will probably also begin with a time jump of a few years - just like the original game. Series creators Craig Mazin ("Chernobyl", 52) and Neil Druckmann (45), developer of the original games, have already announced that the events of the second computer game will probably be told in several series seasons.

"House of the Dragon"

According to the first teaser trailer, the eagerly awaited second season of "House of the Dragon" will be released in summer 2024 on HBO and its streaming service Max and, in all likelihood, at the same time in Germany on Sky and Wow. Filming on the sequel was able to continue during the strike in Hollywood, meaning that season two is already in the can.

After the shocking death from the final moments of the premiere season, the Targaryen civil war for the rule of Westeros, known as the "Dance of the Dragons", will really get going in the new episodes. Actors and actresses of still-living characters such as Matt Smith (41), Emma D'Arcy (31), Rhys Ifans (56) and Olivia Cooke (29) are all returning. New cast members include Gayle Rankin ("GLOW", 34), Simon Russell Beale ("The Death of Stalin", 62) and Tom Taylor ("The Dark Tower", 22).

"The White Lotus"

In contrast to the series just mentioned, HBO's third hit series "The White Lotus" is still flying a little under the radar in Germany - which is a little surprising given the ten Emmy Awards for season one and 24 nominations for the second edition.

In season three, which will not be released on HBO until 2025, series creator Mike White (53) once again turns to a new location. Set in a White Lotus resort in Thailand, the sequel will be "a satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality" - as usual with a new ensemble cast. Only Natasha Rothwell (43), known from season one, is set to return as Belinda.

"Wednesday"

There are still a few question marks surrounding the second season of "Wednesday". It has been clear since the beginning of the year that the currently most successful English-language series in Netflix history will continue. However, the actors' and screenwriters' strike in Hollywood put a huge brake on production. According to US industry magazines, the cameras are now set to roll again for season two at the end of April 2024. However, a return of the main character, played so brilliantly by Jenna Ortega (21), is unlikely before 2025.

Ortega herself has held out the prospect of more horror elements for season two and mentioned in the same breath that her character Wednesday will remain single in the new episodes. The 21-year-old would find the latter in particular "really great". Beyond that, there is currently no news about the plot or cast.

According to US media reports, a spin-off of Uncle Fester, played by comedian Fred Armisen (57), is also currently in development at Netflix. However, the series spin-off has not yet been officially confirmed by the streaming service.

"And Just Like That..."

All fans of Carrie, Miranda and co. also need to be strong: The third season of the "Sex and the City" revival "And Just Like That...", which has already been confirmed since August 2023, will not be released on HBO until 2025. There was already a seemingly endless wait of 16 months between seasons one and two for viewers.

The aforementioned double strike by actors and scriptwriters in the second half of 2023 did the rest to slow down the start of filming for season three. In the sequel to the popular series, the audience will then find out, among other things, whether the main character played by Sarah Jessica Parker (58) will actually wait years for John Corbett's (62) Aidan.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power"

In contrast to many other series that were affected by the double strike in Hollywood this year, there is good news for all Tolkien fans: Shooting for the second season of Amazon's prestige project "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" could be completed in June 2023. The new episodes are therefore expected to start in the course of 2024. However, Amazon has not yet given an official date or release period.

Not too much is currently known about the plot. However, the big baddie Sauron will be more at the center of the series' plot following the revelation of his true identity. Middle-earth fans can also look forward to a major battle that is set to take place over two episodes. Some new cast members, such as Ciarán Hinds (70) from "Game of Thrones", have already been officially confirmed by Amazon.

"Stranger Things"

The extremely popular Netflix series "Stranger Things" will also return with a new season. However, the fifth and final installment of the mystery show will not appear on the streaming service until the end of 2024 at the earliest. This is because the double strike in Hollywood also prevented filming of the 'Stranger Things' sequel in 2023. However, the cameras for season five are finally set to roll at the beginning of January 2024.

Apart from that, there is not yet too much reliable information about the end of the grandiose retro series. The series finale is set to be highly emotional and dramatic. "Terminator" icon Linda Hamilton (67) is also joining the cast. It is not yet known which role Sarah Connor's first actress will take on.

"Bridgerton"

The popular Netflix series "Bridgerton" continued this year with the spin-off "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story", in which a prequel to the title character was told. However, fans should not forget that a third and fourth season of the history series, which is so popular with fans, have already been decided.

Filming for the third installment could be completed as early as March 2023. At the beginning of December, Netflix then announced that the new episodes would be released in two parts. Part one, consisting of four episodes, will be released on the streaming service on May 16, 2024. Part two, which in turn consists of four episodes, will conclude the third season on June 13.

As usual with the romantic history series, fans will have to be prepared for some changes to the cast: Season one lead actress Phoebe Dynevor (28), for example, has stated that she will no longer be appearing in the third season - after her series husband Regé-Jean Page (35) had already left after the premiere season.

Instead, the main characters from the second season will return: in the upcoming episodes, viewers will also experience the everyday married life of Anthony and Kate Bridgerton, played by Jonathan Bailey (35) and Simone Ashley (28). However, season three will focus on a new love story: this time, Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton, 30) sets off in search of a suitable wife.

"Squid Game"

"Squid Game", the most successful non-English-language series production in Netflix's history to date, also continued in 2023 - albeit as a reality series. A second season of "Squid Game: The Challenge" is coming, but what about the original?

In June 2022, Netflix officially ordered a sequel to the dark series success from series creator, writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk (52). Filming for the second season began in summer 2023 and is scheduled to last ten months. There is no official start date for season two yet, but it could be towards the end of 2024.

Returning from season one will be lead actor Lee Jung-Jae (51), who won an Emmy for "Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series" for his performance in the Netflix series. Wi Ha-joon (32), who played a policeman who infiltrated the game in search of his brother, Lee Byung-hun (53), who plays the "front man", and Gong Yoo (44), whose character recruited the players for the "Squid Game", will also be in the game again. There is currently no confirmed information on the plot of the new episodes.

"The Boys"

The eagerly awaited fourth season of "The Boys" has been filming since April 2023 and will definitely be released on Prime Video in 2024. However, the mega company's streaming service has not yet announced an exact start date. We can expect news in this regard shortly.

The illustrious cast of the superhero satire is growing once again for the fourth season. For example, "The Walking Dead" star Jeffrey Dean Morgan (57), who can be seen for the first time in the teaser trailer for the new episodes, will take on an as yet unknown role. The actress Rosemarie DeWitt (52), known from numerous Indy film productions in the past, is also joining the cast. She plays the mother of main character Hughie.

In the new episodes, villainous Congresswoman Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit, 31) is on the verge of becoming US Vice President, while Homelander (Antony Starr, 48) continues to consolidate his power inside and outside the Vought corporation. Boys leader Billy Butcher (Karl Urban, 51), meanwhile, has only a few months to live, while his team desperately searches for ways to save the entire world from the murderous 'Supes'.