‘Succession,’ ‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘Yellowjackets’ — March TV madness is here. Put these 11 shows on your must-watch list

March, it’s a middling month, isn’t it? One that teases spring while winter overstays its welcome, and can we put away these damn puffy coats already? If you’re a television fan, however, there’s enough going on this month to keep you glued to your screen and away from the changeable weather.

The fact that “Succession” and “Yellowjackets” are both back for new seasons — and just two days apart — is reason enough for a TV fan to cheer. Throw in the return of cult hit series “Luther” in a Netflix movie; new episodes of “Star Wars” spinoff “The Mandalorian” and Emmys darling “Ted Lasso”; the long — really long — awaited sequel to Mel Brooks’ “History of the World: Part I”; Kiefer Sutherland and Bob Odenkirk returning to series TV; the debut of “Daisy Jones & the Six”; a new horror show co-created by Donald Glover and I haven’t even gotten to the period dramas yet, a personal favourite.

Herewith, I give you 11 reasons (see, there’s so much I couldn’t stick to 10) why March might just be the most interesting month for TV all year. And note, if you’re behind on some of the shows I’m about to mention, there are spoilers ahead.

‘Succession’ makes its final moves

The Season 3 finale of “Succession” is up there with the best episodes of TV I’ve ever watched. Tom — yes, sycophantic Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) — stabbed wife Shiv (Sarah Snook) and her siblings deep in the back to make a deal with the devil, a.k.a. their father Logan Roy (Brian Cox), over control of the Roy media empire. How do you move on from a betrayal that epic? We’re about to find out as Season 4 debuts and creator Jesse Armstrong has made it known this is the last one. Can it top Season 3? I’m willing to bet a cousin Greg Rolex it can. March 26, 9 p.m., HBO/Crave

‘Yellowjackets’ goes back to the woods

This was one of the buzziest shows of 2021 and not because it has the name of a wasp in its title. The events in its dual timelines proved irresistible: teenage girls’ soccer team goes feral and cannibalistic in the wilderness after a plane crash in the 1990s; in the present, the now adult survivors struggle to keep the darkness of their past under wraps while indulging in more darkness. As Season 2 debuts, the show’s producers seem to be keeping the new plot twists close to their chests. We know that the killer main cast (pun intended) is returning, including Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis and Christina Ricci, while new additions include Lauren Ambrose, Simone Kessell, Elijah Wood and Canadian François Arnaud. March 24, Crave

‘Luther’ is back and still brooding

British cop John Luther, played with broody intensity by Idris Elba, is kind of the ne plus ultra of troubled detectives: over five seasons his estranged wife was killed; two of his partners and other colleagues died; his serial killer lover was offed (well, apparently); he’s been accused of multiple murders. That’s a whole lot of trouble and then there are the gruesome homicides he’s had to solve. In the film “Luther: The Fallen Son,” Luther breaks out of jail to once again don his tweedy grey overcoat and take on another maniacal killer, played by Andy Serkis, to the displeasure of his former police bosses. The movie didn’t get great reviews on its theatrical release, but if you’re a “Luther” fan you’re going to watch it anyway. March 10, Netflix

‘The Mandalorian’ and Grogu ride again

Before Pedro Pascal captured our admiration as a reluctant father figure to Bella Ramsey’s character “In the Last of Us,” he captured our admiration as a reluctant father figure to Grogu, a.k.a. Baby Yoda, in space western “The Mandalorian.” Sure, “Andor” has been the most prestige TV-like of the “Star Wars” spinoffs so far, but don’t tell me you’re not reduced to a puddle of goo watching Pascal’s Din Djarin, a.k.a. Mando, with that big-eared baby alien as they travel the galaxy together. Season 3 debuted on Disney Plus last week and promises the usual mix of action scenes, cool guest stars (including Canada’s Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Captain Carson Teva) and CGI creatures, but mostly we want to see Mando and Grogu bond. New episodes Wednesdays, Disney Plus

The last of ‘The Last of Us’ … for now

Speaking of “The Last of Us,” the video game adaptation that has become a major hit for HBO and its latest water-cooler show reaches the conclusion of its first season. I have seen the finale and won’t spoil anything for anybody, but if you’ve been enjoying the growing closeness between Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) you won’t be disappointed. And don’t worry, the show has already been renewed for a second season. March 12, 9 p.m., HBO/Crave

‘Ted Lasso’ is back on the pitch

It’s still an open question whether this third season of multi-Emmy-winning soccer sitcom “Ted Lasso” will be its last. If it is, it looks set to go out on its signature combination of corny humour and prodigious heart while promising a David and Goliath battle between AFC Richmond and rival West Ham United, now coached by former Lasso confidante turned villain Nate (Nick Mohammed). March 15, Apple TV Plus

‘Daisy Jones’ takes the spotlight

Book-to-screen adaptations are nothing new, but it’s fair to say “Daisy Jones & the Six” was one of the more anticipated transformations given the popularity of the 2019 Taylor Jenkins Reid book of the same name. Like the book, the show is about the meteoric rise and sudden fall of a famous 1970s rock band as told by the band members, in this case 20 years after the fact. Critics have not been kind since it debuted last week, but it got one thing right: its Daisy, played by Elvis Presley granddaughter Riley Keough, can sing. New episodes Fridays, Prime Video

No more ‘Saul,’ but here’s ‘Lucky Hank’

No, there’s no more “Better Call Saul,” but Bob Odenkirk, the actor who made its final season both heartbreaking and redeeming (and has consistently been robbed by the Emmys) is back in a new TV series. “Lucky Hank” puts Odenkirk back in his comedy-drama sweet spot as Hank Devereaux, the disenchanted head of the English department at a mediocre Pennsylvania college. Paul Lieberstein of “The Office” is co-showrunner and Mireille Enos plays Hank’s high school vice-principal wife. March 19, AMC/AMC Plus

Kiefer Sutherland goes down a ‘Rabbit Hole’

Speaking of leading men returning to TV, Jack Bauer himself, Canadian actor Kiefer Sutherland (“24,” “Designated Survivor”), has a new series in which he stars as a corporate espionage operative who has the tables turned on him when he’s framed for murder. It promises to get into the fraught topics of digital surveillance, manipulation and disinformation while allowing Sutherland to polish his action hero cred. March 26, Paramount Plus

Donald Glover sets ‘Swarm’ loose

Now that the comedy-drama “Atlanta” has wrapped, multi-hyphenate Donald Glover has a new non-screen role as co-creator with Janine Nabers of “Swarm,” a horror thriller about a young woman who becomes dangerously obsessed with a pop star. The talented Dominique Fishback (“The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey,” “The Deuce”) stars as the superfan. If that’s not enough, Malia Obama, daughter of the former president, is one of the writers and Paris Jackson, daughter of Michael Jackson, is in the cast. Said to be inspired by Beyoncé’s Beyhive of fans, “Swarm” has a SXSW premiere March 10. March 17, Prime Video

History of the World: Part II

Sequels and reboots are de rigueur these days, but 42 years must set a record between an original production and its followup. Mel Brooks’ film “The History of the World: Part 1” came out in 1981 and became a comedy classic, spoofing the epic film genre while mining the past for funny bits. The new series comes from the 96-year-old Brooks (who also narrates) alongside Nick Kroll, Wanda Sykes and Ike Barinholtz, and parodies both history and pop culture. Having seen the first episode, I can’t say every sketch slays, but there’s surely something for everyone in the eight-part series. March 6, Disney Star

‘Great Expectations’ for period dramas

It looks to be another banner year for period dramas. The big one this month is the Dickens adaptation “Great Expectations” and I’m cheating a bit here. It’s on Hulu in the U.S. March 26, but its Disney Plus debut has yet to be confirmed. Still, how can you ignore Oscar and Emmy winner Olivia Colman in the role of vengeful Miss Havisham, so fixated on being jilted as a young woman she refuses to take off her wedding dress? Even if our “Great Expectations” go unmet, there’s still the final season of Jane Austen adaptation “Sanditon”; a new take on doomed queen “Marie Antoinette”; and Season 12 of “Call the Midwife” all on PBS. Plus BritBox has “The Confessions of Frannie Langton,” about a former Jamaican slave accused of murdering her white employers in London. March 19, PBS; March 8, BritBox

Debra Yeo is a deputy editor and a contributor to the Star’s Entertainment section. She is based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @realityeo

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