This year, SXSW has leaned harder than ever into showcasing TV series and I can’t be more excited. While some episodic premieres have happened at the film festival, TV series coming to SXSW 2023 span genre, studio, and length. With so much to offer we’ve rounded up our most anticipated TV Series at SXSW 2023 to watch
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Beef
Showrunner: Lee Sung Jin
Director: Jake Schreier, Hikari
“Beef follows the aftermath of a road rage incident between two strangers. Danny Cho, a failing contractor with a chip on his shoulder, goes head-to-head with Amy Lau, a self-made entrepreneur with a picturesque life. The increasing stakes of their feud unravel their lives and relationships in this darkly comedic and deeply moving series. In partnership with A24, the series will debut on Netflix this Spring.”
Rabbit Hole
Showrunner: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa, John Requa
Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Screenwriter: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
“In Rabbit Hole, John Weir, a master of deception in the world of corporate espionage, is framed for murder by powerful forces who have the ability to influence and control populations.”
American Born Chinese
Showrunner: Kelvin Yu
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
“Jin Wang starts his sophomore year, hoping to make the soccer team and “level up” his social status, all while impressing his crush. But his plans are derailed when he’s assigned a new student “shadow” from China named Wei-Chen Sun. At home, Jin’s parents Simon and Christine argue over Simon’s job. Meanwhile, Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, searches for his magical Iron Staff, which has been stolen.“
I’m A Virgo
Showrunner: Boots Riley, Tze Chun
Director: Boots Riley
Screenwriter: Boots Riley
“This is a fantastical coming-of-age joyride about a 13ft-tall young Black man who lives in Oakland, CA. It’s called I’m A Virgo. The series stars Jharrel Jerome, Brett Gray, Kara Young, Allius Barnes, Olivia Washington, Walton Goggins, Mike Epps, and Carmen Ejogo. (World Premiere)”
Swarm
Showrunner: Janine Nabers
Director: Donald Glover, Adamma Ebo
“From Janine Nabers and Donald Glover, Swarm follows Dre (Dominique Fishback), a young woman whose obsession with a pop star takes a dark turn.”
Mrs. Davis
Showrunner: Tara Hernandez
Director: Owen Harris, Alethea Jones
Screenwriter: Tara Hernandez, Damon Lindelof
“Mrs. Davis is the world’s most powerful Artificial Intelligence. Simone is the nun devoted to destroying Her. Who ya got?”
Demascus
Showrunner: Tearrance Chisholm, Kirk Moore
Director:Solvan “Slick” Naim, Theodore Witcher
We meet Demascus in a moment of great inner strife. He’s just turned 33 (“It’s my Jesus Year. My year to be a martyr.”), and he’s suffering from arrested grief after the death of his mother. Plus the current state of the world has him feeling a bit out of step. Up is down. Black is white. The truth is nebulous. His career, his love life (or lack thereof), his identity is all up for debate. Quarter life crisis? Existential breakdown? Black man dual conscious paradox? Whatever you wanna call it, it has our protagonist with hella questions and very few answers.
In honor of his martyr year, he chooses the burgeoning field of digital psychiatry as his penance. His cross to bear? Introspection.
Chiuchi & Adaliz
Showrunner: Ashley Soto Paniagua
Directors: Dani Adaliz, Ashley Soto Paniagua
Screenwriter: Ashley Soto Paniagua, Dani Adaliz, Jocelli Paniagua
“Set in the Bay area, buddy comedy “Chuchi & Adaliz” is a five episode single-camera digital series that follows childhood besties who, despite having a shared racial and ethnic identity as AfroPuerto Ricans, couldn’t be more different from each other as adults. When Adaliz loses her high powered corporate job in San Francisco and moves in with Chuchi in Oakland, the audience watches avatars of San Francisco (Adaliz) and Oakland (Chuchi) and how their socioeconomic differences shape behavior, as San Francisco is 54.4% more expensive to live in than Oakland. They’re in for a rude awakening when they realize that what brought them together as kids isn’t enough to keep them together as adults.”
Slip
Showrunner: Zoe Lister-Jones
Director: Zoe Lister-Jones
Screenwriter: Zoe Lister-Jones
“Mae works at an art museum and has been living with Elijah for thirteen years. While there is still love between them, there is little romance to be found, and they have hit a standstill around Elijah wanting a child and Mae feeling apprehensive. When Mae “slips” and has a one night stand with Eric, she wakes up the next morning in a panic, only to realize she has somehow entered a parallel universe in which she and Eric are now married, and all traces of her life with Elijah have been wiped from existence.“
The Big Door Prize
Showrunner: David West Read
Director: Anu Valia, Molly McGlynn
Screenwriter: David West Read, Sarah Walker, Craig Rowin
“Based on M.O. Walsh’s novel of the same name, The Big Door Prize tells the story of a small town that is forever changed when a mysterious machine appears in the general store, promising to reveal each resident’s true life potential.“
And this is just a selection of TV series at SXSW 2023. By leaning into television even more, SXSW only stands to be better than before. Did one of your most anticipated TV series coming to SXSW 2023 not make the list? Let us know on social media.
