Best Shows in March 2024: 3 Body Problem, The Regime

Left to right: Palm Royale, We Were the Lucky Ones, The Regime, 3 Body Problem, Manhunt (Photos: Apple TV+/Hulu/HBO/Netflix; Primetimer graphic)

Who says March Madness applies only to college basketball? This year, the networks and streaming services once again pull out the big guns as the end of the Emmys eligibility window approaches. Beyond Kate Winslet's return to HBO in The Regime, March brings a variety of big-budget adaptations and heady thrillers. If you're looking for something factual, Apple TV+ depicts the search for John Wilkes Booth in Manhunt and Hulu brings Holocaust drama We Were the Lucky Ones to the screen — or for something steamier, Netflix serves up Supersex, an Italian series about famed porn star Rocco Siffredi.

Whether you prefer the mind-bending science fiction of 3 Body Problem or the musical stylings of Girls5Eva, you'll be able to find something to queue up this month. To help ease the burden, we've put together the most exciting TV shows of March 2024, plus a few additional premiere dates to keep in mind over the next few weeks.

The Regime, HBO

Premieres March 3

Part Veep, part The Great, The Regime is a darkly comedic look at an autocrat's unraveling over the course of one year. In her third collaboration with HBO, Kate Winslet plays Chancellor Elena Vernham, the leader of a fictional European nation who forms an unlikely bond with a violent soldier, Corporal Herbert Zubak (Matthias Schoenaerts).

Elena is easily swayed by Herbert's influence, but when he begins pushing a series of reforms, he and the chancellor come into direct conflict with members of her cabinet, palace staff (led by Andrea Riseborough as Agnes, Elena's right-hand woman), and international leaders, including Martha Plimpton's U.S. Secretary of State. While the political satire couldn't be more different from Mare of Easttown or Mildred Pierce, Winslet is just as devoted to the character — she even treats viewers to a choreographed performance of "Santa Baby" that's all but guaranteed to make waves online.

Supersex, Netflix

Premieres March 6

Netflix doesn't have a great track record when it comes to shows with "sex" in the title, but Supersex has the potential to change that. The Italian series stars Alessandro Borghi as Rocco Siffredi, a man of humble beginnings who went on to become the world's most famous porn star. Siffredi, known as the "Italian Stallion," has already given Supersex his stamp of approval, which is the best possible indicator that the biographical drama doesn't approach his career with judgment or prudishness. That, and Borghi's admission that he filmed nearly 50 "boundary-pushing" sex scenes for the show, of course.

The Gentlemen, Netflix

Premieres March 7

Between Leo Woodall's One Day and now Theo James' The Gentlemen, it's been a banner month for The White Lotus Season 2 stars headlining their own Netflix dramas. In The Gentlemen — a spin-off of Guy Ritchie's 2019 film — James steps into the expensive loafers of Eddie Horniman, who discovers his late father's country estate is part of a massive cannabis empire. With Britain's most dangerous (and in the case of Kaya Scodelario's Susie Glass, most beautiful) criminals angling for a piece of the pie, Eddie must go to extreme lengths to protect his family's fortune, even if it means embracing the underworld himself. There's no mistaking the action-packed, testosterone-fueled fight that follows for anything other than a Guy Ritchie special, although it remains to be seen how he translates his unique cinematic sensibility to the small screen.

Apples Never Fall, Peacock

Premieres March 14

"Secrets will poison any family." That's the ominous theme that runs throughout Apples Never Fall, a new mystery based on Liane Moriarty's bestselling novel. Like Moriarty's previous work (Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers), the Peacock drama probes the darkness lurking beneath a seemingly picture-perfect facade. When matriarch Joy Delaney (Annette Bening), a former tennis coach, suddenly disappears, her four adult children (Jake Lacy, Alison Brie, Conor Merrigan-Turner, and Essie Randles) begin to question their father Stan (Sam Neill), and as they dig deeper, they're forced to rethink everything they knew about their parents' marriage. Expect plenty of twists as the Delaney children search for the truth — and if the trailer is any indication, more than one scene of them taking out their aggression on the tennis court, Bridesmaids-style.

Girls5Eva, Netflix

Premieres March 14

After getting the ax at Peacock, musical comedy Girls5Eva jumps to Netflix for its third season. Though Season 3 consists of only six episodes — a bummer for fans expecting a greater investment from Netflix — Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Paula Pell, and Busy Philipps make the most of their return as their one-hit-wonder group Girls5Eva hits the open road for a comeback tour. That means more performances, new guest stars, and a surprising amount of introspection as the women determine whether they really want to be famous 5-eva.

The Girls on the Bus, Max

Premieres March 14

Not to be confused with the plot of Girls5Eva Season 3, The Girls on the Bus follows four journalists (Melissa Benoist, Carla Gugino, Natasha Behnam, and Christina Elmore) as they cover a contentious presidential election. Each woman has a different worldview and reporting style, but they bond over their deep commitment to the work and the daily stresses of life on the campaign trail. Though the constant reminders that "democracy is at risk" — Amy Chozick and Julie Plec adapted the drama from Chozick's 2018 memoir Chasing Hillary — run the risk of being cheesy, the mere fact that The Girls on the Bus is advocating for journalism as a valuable profession at such a dire time for the industry earns it a few extra points, in our book.

Manhunt, Apple TV+

Premieres March 15

The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln isn't the end of the story, but the beginning in Apple's new historical drama. Based on James L. Swanson's nonfiction book of the same name, Manhunt centers on the 12-day search for John Wilkes Booth (Anthony Boyle), the stage actor who shot and killed Lincoln (Hamish Linklater) in April 1865. With Secretary of War Edwin Stanton (Tobias Menzies) on his heels, Booth seeks refuge among former members of the Confederacy. The ensuing power struggle exposes the lingering tension between the North and South in the months following the Civil War (which carries on to this day), giving Manhunt a timely edge.

Alice & Jack, PBS Masterpiece

Premieres March 17

Move over, One Day, there's a new decade-spanning romance taking over TV. When Alice (Andrea Riseborough) and Jack (Domhnall Gleeson) first meet, their connection is dizzying and immediate, but real life, with its emotional baggage and obligations and expectations, soon gets in the way. Over the course of 15 years, the two flit in and out of each other's lives, always striving to make their relationship work, but never quite syncing up. Is love enough? Whatever the answer, keep those tissues handy as the six-episode season marches toward an emotional finale.

Palm Royale, Apple TV+

Premieres March 20

Armed with a flowing blond wig and a bucketload of bronzer, Kristin Wiig sets her sights on Palm Beach high society in Palm Royale. Fed up with her outsider status, Maxine Simmons (Wiig) tries to ingratiate herself with the wealthy patrons of the Palm Royale club, but climbing the social ladder proves more difficult than she could've imagined. As befits its stylish setting, the 1969-set comedy is filled with dazzling costumes and lavish parties, and with stars like Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Ricky Martin, and Carol Burnett leading the way, it's poised to be one of the most anticipated (and certainly the most colorful) new series of the spring.

3 Body Problem, Netflix

Premieres March 21

Nearly five years after Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss struck a massive overall deal at Netflix, their first major project is finally here. And what a project it is: The duo have partnered with Alexander Woo to bring Liu Cixin's sci-fi novel series to Netflix, transforming it into a global, generation-spanning epic along the way. The plot is almost too complex to describe here — this is an oversimplification, but a decision made in 1960s China causes the laws of nature to unravel, and a group of scientists (played by Jovan Adepo and Eiza González, among others) in the present day set out to investigate — but fans of the books should take heart in the fact that no expense has been spared in the transition from page to screen.

We Were the Lucky Ones, Hulu

Premieres March 28

As unlikely as it sounds, We Were the Lucky Ones aims to be one of the more uplifting Holocaust dramas out there. Hulu's adaptation of Georgia Hunter's novel (itself inspired by the experience of Hunter's grandfather) follows a Polish Jewish family as they fight to reunite after they're separated at the onset of World War II. The subject matter is personal for stars Joey King and Logan Lerman, both of whom have family members who escaped Europe during the Holocaust, and they're eager to bring awareness to the story of the courageous Kurc family, who maintained hope even in the darkest of circumstances.

Parish, AMC

Premieres March 31

While AMC's last collaboration with a Better Call Saul star didn't work out, Giancarlo Esposito's Parish shows early promise. Gracian "Gray" Parish (Esposito) is a proud family man, but when his son is murdered, he's drawn back into the life of crime he left behind years prior. Like any hero out for revenge, Gray must make moral compromises to protect his family, but that may not be enough to fend off the many nefarious players in New Orleans, from gangster The Horse (Zackary Momoh) to brutal businessman Anton (Bradley Whitford). At least he has an ally in Colin (Skeet Ulrich), an acquaintance from his wheelman days, though if Esposito's past work has taught us anything, it's that a friend can become an enemy at a moment's notice.

More Notable March Premieres

BMF (Starz): Season 3 premiere, March 1
The Cleaning Lady (Fox): Season 3 premiere, March 5
Extraordinary (Hulu): Season 2 premiere, March 6
Full Swing (Netflix): Season 2 premiere, March 6
The Reluctant Traveler (Apple TV+): Season 2 premiere, March 8
Young Royals (Netflix): Season 3 premiere, March 11
The Amazing Race (CBS): Season 36 premiere, March 13
Invincible (Prime Video): Season 2, Part 2 premiere, March 14
Grey's Anatomy (ABC): Season 20 premiere, March 14
90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? (TLC): Season 8 premiere, March 17
X-Men '97 (Disney+): Series premiere, March 20
Top Chef (Bravo): Season 21 premiere, March 20
American Rust (Prime Video): Season 2 premiere, March 28
A Gentleman in Moscow (Showtime/Paramount+): Series premiere, March 29