What are the biggest web series and TV shows in March 2023? Naseeruddin Shah-led Taj: Divided by Blood leads the pack of new releases this month, alongside Rana Naidu, an Indian adaptation of the popular US drama Ray Donovan. The former is essentially a succession story set in the Mughal Dynasty, which sees King Akbar on a quest to hand over his legacy to one of his three sons. Taj: Divided by Blood is now available to stream on Zee5. Familial relationships appear to be a strong theme this month, as Rana Naidu’s (Rana Daggubati) seemingly ideal routine is shaken up when his estranged father is released from prison. The series streams March 10 on Netflix.
From the ) as Mirza Muhammad Hakim, and Dharmendra as saint Shaikh Salim Chisti, whose prophecy creates doubt in Akbar’s mind.
All 10 episodes of Taj: Divided by Blood are now available to stream on Zee5.
Rana Naidu
When: March 10
Where: Netflix
Real-life nephew and uncle duo Rana and Venkatesh Daggubati come together on screen for the first time, as a warring son and father in the upcoming Netflix series. In it, the titular character Rana Naidu is a strong-willed fixer, handling dirty work for wealthy and famous Bollywood celebrities, whilst living an honest life with his wife Naina (Surveen Chawla) and kids. The status quo is shaken up when his estranged father Naga Naidu is released five years early from prison, after having broken up his family with some undisclosed evil actions.
Clearly, there’s some tension brewing between the two, with the son Rana comparing his father to a snake who only plans on destroying his family. As past demons are brought back to light again, it seems that this is one mess Rana might struggle to handle by himself. Rana Naidu also stars Suchitra Pillai (Cold Case) as Rana’s aunt, Sushant Singh (Good Luck Jerry) as his older brother Tej Naidu, and Ashish Vidyarthi (Trial By Fire) as Naga’s brother Raj.
All 10 episodes of Rana Naidu are out March 10 on Netflix.
Ted Lasso season 3
When: March 15
Where: Apple TV+
The Jason Sudeikis-led feel-good sports comedy is coming to an end with season 3. Ted Lasso and his team AFC Richmond now compete in the prestigious Premier League, where they are the subject of ridicule as the media predicts they will finish last and get relegated back to the Championship. Adding to the stakes is the long-gestating rivalry between Lasso and his ex-protégé Nathan (Nick Mohammed), who has now moved on to become the head coach for West Ham United. Sticking by his ‘Believe’ motto and with Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) by his side as the new assistant coach, Ted Lasso season 3 sees the titular, panic-attack-prone coach tackling new challenges while having some fun at his coworkers’ expense.
Some positive character development for the always-gruff Kent is also hinted at in the upcoming season, whose romance with Keeley Jones (June Temple) continues to blossom. Things seem to be falling apart both on and off the pitch, which adds to the climactic effect for what’s billed as the 12-episode-long final season. Returning cast members include Hannah Waddingham as AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton, Jeremy Swift, Phil Dunster, and Brendan Hunt as Coach Beard.
New episodes of Ted Lasso season 3 drop every Wednesday on Apple TV+ starting March 15.
Watch the Trailer for Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso Season 3
Nick Mohammed and Jason Sudeikis in a still from Ted Lasso season 3
Photo Credit: Apple TV+
Rocket Boys 2
When: March 16
Where: Sony LIV
In the wake of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s demise, Rocket Boys 2 sees the country in another obscure, vulnerable situation. Amidst this tension, two visionaries compete to launch their big-budget projects, in what’s described as India’s formative years in the field of science. On one hand, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai (Ishwak Singh) wants to launch satellites into space — a mission that is deemed unnecessary to the common man. Meanwhile, Dr. Homi J. Bhabha (Jim Sarbh) continues his plans to create a nuclear bomb within India, often getting into conflicts with the higher-ups who want to shut down funding. Understandably, this leads to a face-off between the two visionaries, who are unable to fully realise their projects.
Amidst the global conflict, it was deemed necessary for India to become a nuclear nation, the trials and challenges of which are explored in the second season of Rocket Boys. The series brings back Regina Cassandra as Vikram’s wife and pillar Mrinalini Sarabhai, Arjun Radhakrishnan as Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Dibyendu Bhattacharya (Section 375), and Charu Shanker as Indira Gandhi. Abhay Pannu returns to write and direct Rocket Boys season 2.
All eight episodes of Rocket Boys 2 will be available for streaming on Sony LIV on March 16.
Shadow and Bone Season 2
When: March 16
Where: Netflix
The Darkling Kirigan (Ben Barnes) emerges wounded from the battlefield and now returns with an unkillable army of shadows, casting the nation Ravka into darkness. Our lead Grisha, Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li), who is determined to tear down the Shadow Fold and save the country from ruin, embarks on a continent-spanning journey to seek two mythical creatures — Firebird and the Sea Whip — that are believed to make her more powerful. The one amplifier she got in the first season clearly wasn’t enough, forcing her to negotiate with a new ally in the form of Nikolai Lantsov, a strong privateer, who takes our heroes on a trip atop the flying ship Hummingbird.
Joining her on the crusade, of course, is her best friend Malyen ‘Mal’ Oretsev (Archie Renaux), who helps her rally a powerful crusade for the war against Kirigan. The twin Heartrenders Tamar Kir-Bataar (Anna Leong Brophy) and Tolya Yul-Bataar (Lewis Tan) are introduced, with the latter being adept at a variety of weaponry. The mythical Grishaverse will expand more in Shadow and Bone season 2, as the characters travel onward to new locales such as Novyi Zen and Shu Han — with some changes when compared to the original young-adult books.
All eight episodes of Shadow and Bone season 2 stream March 16 on Netflix.
When: March 17
Where: Apple TV+
From the mind that brought us the pandemic thriller Contagion comes Extrapolations, a new Apple TV+ anthology series that depicts the harrowing effects of climate change in a fictional, near-distant future. Scott Z. Burns serves as the main writer of this eight-part series, which covers and jumps across a 33-year timespan, exploiting a devastated Earth, which powerful officials attempt to keep alive through differing accounts and important commentaries. In a timeline where a cure for cancer has been found and humans finally managed to set foot on Mars, our planet continues to struggle.
The cast lineup and VFX suggest that Apple set aside a big budget for Extrapolations. The trailer is a visual feast of disasters, ranging from forest fires, flooding due to global warming, areas covered in harmful contaminants, and an abundance of futuristic technology. As the fate of humanity is up against a ticking clock, some guilt is also implied to be in play here, with powerful families feeling apologetic for the damage they caused over the years.
Extrapolations features a massive ensemble cast including Meryl Streep, Sienna Miller, Kit Harington, Daveed Diggs, Edward Norton, Yara Shahidi, Gemma Chan, David Schwimmer, Adarsh Gourav, Marion Cotillard, Forest Whitaker, Eiza González, Murray Bartlett, Indira Varma, Tobey Maguire, and more. The series releases March 17 on the platform with a three-episode premiere, after which it will resume a weekly schedule.
Agent Elvis
When: March 17
Where: Netflix
Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar) lends his voice to a reimagined, Archer-like version of the legendary singer Elvis Presley in this new Netflix series. In Agent Elvis, the King of Rock and Roll is secretly inducted into a government spy program, in order to help battle the dark forces that threaten his country. Armed with firearms and a slew of kickass tactical spy gadgets such as night-vision glasses and red-hot laser beams, the star must now juggle between his day job entertaining the masses and fighting evil at night. For a hero of such calibre, a sidekick is a must, which comes in the form of Scatter, his mischief-making chimpanzee, who promises to drink a LOT of booze, smoke cigars, and throw up on casino tables.
Agent Elvis marks McConaughey’s debut in an animated TV series, and also brings the real Elvis’ former wife Priscilla Presley into the mix — voicing herself. She is also credited as co-creator of the series alongside John Eddie, so we can expect the series to stay true to her husband’s legacy while delivering ample comedy. It also stars the voices of Don Cheadle (Iron Man 2) as Elvis’ carefree recruiter, Kaitlin Olson (Hacks) as another secret agent, Johnny Knoxville (Jackass) as his partner in crime, and Niecy Nash (Reno 911) as a high-ranking executive.
Agent Elvis premieres March 17 on Netflix.
The Night Agent
When: March 23
Where: Netflix
Based on the eponymous Matthew Quirk novel, The Night Agent centres around the mundane life of Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso), a low-level FBI agent working in the basement of the White House, manning an emergency phone line for undercover spies that never rings – until one night, it does. This propels our protagonist into a conspiracy involving a mole, that takes his case all the way to the Oval Office. In an attempt to save the nation, an inexperienced Peter plunges into action, working with a terrorised tech CEO Rose (Luciane Buchanan), whose parents were assassinated earlier.
In a Netflix blog, creator Shawn Ryan stressed how grounded the series is, calling Peter an ‘underdog’ of sorts, who isn’t miraculously recovered after physical confrontations. The Night Agent also stars Fola Evans-Akingbola (Siren), Eve Harlow (Titans), Phoenix Raei (Clickbait), D.B. Woodside (Lucifer), and Academy Award-nominee Hong Chau (The Whale).
All 10 episodes of The Night Agent drop March 23 on Netflix.
Succession Season 4
When: March 26
Where: Disney+ Hotstar
After depriving his children of succession and control over his Waystar Royco conglomerate, Logan Roy’s (Brian Cox) deal with tech visionary Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) inches closer. With the company slowly moving far out of their grasp, the Roy siblings — Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), and Roman (Kieran Culkin) — continue to work together, as they anticipate what their lives might look like after the acquisition. Standing in their way are the comical duo Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) and Greg Hirsch (Nicholas Braun), who continue to support Logan in his plans to sell the company. The former was last revealed as the rat, tipping Logan about his children’s united crusade against him. Bear in mind he is Shiv’s husband, which begs the question – who else is he willing to throw under the bus later?
However, Shiv is aware of the treason and prepares to confront her husband in Succession season 4, who has already been hurt countless times due to her infidelity — promising some stellar, verbal conflict. Much of the ensemble cast is confirmed to be returning for the final season, including Alan Ruck as a now-married Connor Roy, J. Smith-Cameron as Gerri Kellman, Arian Moayed as the cunning Stewy, and Annabelle Dexter-Jones as Naomi Pierce.
Succession season 4 premieres March 26 on Disney+ Hotstar and HBO Max wherever available.
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