March 2020 is set to be a fantastic month for new series on both traditional TV as well as streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. Heck, even Apple’s TV+ has some new content set to be released that people are buzzing about. Netflix is obviously the most popular streaming service out there right now, so let’s focus on that for a moment. Next month alone, Netflix is set to release a whopping 55 new original movies, specials, and complete seasons of TV series. Fifty-five! Netflix spends a fortune on content and as we all know, it’s definitely paying off. No other streaming service out there comes anywhere close to matching Netflix when it comes to original content. Heck, no traditional TV networks come close, either.
You should definitely check out all of Netflix’s new original releases coming in March in our earlier coverage, but there are a few in particular that are hot enough to have made it to the list of March’s most hotly anticipated new releases. And incredibly, perhaps, there’s a show from another network that beat out all of Netflix’s originals to climb to the top of the list.
We regularly share TV Time’s roundups of the hottest new content on TV and streaming services each week. In fact, we covered the latest one just yesterday, revealing the 10 hottest shows out right now that everyone is binge-watching. Netflix’s original content occupied five different spots on that list, including the top two positions. But when it comes to hotly anticipated new content set to premiere in March, there’s another network that beat out all of Netflix’s best March premieres.
When it comes to popular shows with new seasons set to debut next month, HBO managed to top all of Netflix’s big premieres to top TV Time’s list of shows returning in March. That’s right, Westworld topped the list despite a second season that was so convoluted, it managed to scare away a huge chunk of the show’s audience. Those who stuck with it apparently can’t wait to see what happens next after season 2’s crazy cliffhanger, and you can count us in the group. In case you’re wondering, the first half of season 2 was a mess but it finished very, very strong.
Apart from Westworld, the remaining slots in the top 5 list of returning shows in March are all Netflix series. You’ll find Elite at #2, Paradise PD at #3, Ozark in the #4 slot, and Castlevania at #5. We can’t believe Ozark didn’t rank higher on the list, but it does have some stiff competition next month.
The top portion of the graphic above shows the other half of TV Time’s list, the top 5 most anticipated new shows set to premiere next month. Little Fires Everywhere and Devs top the list in the #1 and #2 spots, which is a huge win for Hulu. We’re looking forward to Devs in particular — considering how great Ex Machina and Annihilation were, we can’t wait to see what Alex Garland does with even more time to tell the story. HBO’s The Plot Against America is #3, Apple’s TV+ show Amazing Stories is #4, and AMC’s Dispatches From Elsewhere rounds out the top 5.
As for TV Time’s methodology, the company maintains an iOS and Android app used by millions of people to track the TV shows they’ve watched as well as the shows they plan to watch. The company anonymizes the data and uses it to gauge which series the most people are looking forward to each month.
