Photo TVLine

Photo of posters for “The Umbrella Academy,” “Abbot Elementary” and “Found,” returning to TV after the actors strike.

Finally, after four months, TV will be returning back to normal. For months during the strike, many of our favorite television shows, movies and podcasts were placed on pause to honor the SAG-AFTRA strike which began on July 14. The strike began because the actors and other SAG-AFTRA members were fighting for fair working conditions and better pay. Now that the strike is over, all of our favorite entertainment series are back and better than ever. Here are the top five TV shows and movies to look forward to that are brand new or being released.

1. “Abbot Elementary”:  “Abbot Elementary” follows the lives of a devoted group of teachers within the Philadelphia public school system. This group of passionate teachers is determined to do anything to help their students succeed. In its second season, the series concludes with an exciting field trip to the museum where Gregory finally expresses his feelings for Janice. Season three picks up with a time jump of five months in the school year with flashbacks to make the time jump make sense. The anticipated season three of “Abbot Elementary” premiered on Feb. 7 airing on ABC and is available for streaming on Hulu.
2. “Blood and Water”: “Blood and Water” is one of Netflix’s most popular South African teen crime series. Set in Cape Town, South Africa, the show centers around estranged sisters Puleng Khumalo and Fikele Bhele. The story begins when Khumalo transfers to Parkhurst High when she suspects that Parkhurst High’s most popular student may be her sister, who was abducted as a baby. Season four will be picking up where we left off: on a cliffhanger of whether Khumalo will be saved from the human trafficking ring that abducted her sister. Season 4 is available for streaming on Netflix.
3. “Criminal Minds: Evolution”: “Criminal Minds: Evolution” is a spinoff of the long-running CBS series, Criminal Minds, which aired for 15 years. The original show followed an elite team of FBI profilers who delved into the minds of criminals to anticipate their next moves. The spinoff of the show follows SSA’s Emily Prentiss, Jennifer ‘JJ’ Jareau, Penelope Garcia, Luke Alvez, David Rossi and Tara Lewis. In its first season, the rebooted series tackles the BAU’s toughest challenge yet: a criminal who has utilized the COVID-19 pandemic to his advantage to form a network of serial killers. As the world reopens, the network becomes operational, prompting the team to hunt down these serial killers one by one. Season two is currently in production and is set to premiere in the fall of 2024. This season will feature a hybrid format, with some episodes continuing an ongoing storyline while others will be stand-alone. The upcoming season will address the consequences of Voit’s actions and the uncovering of the Gold Star conspiracy. Fans can catch season two of Evolution on Paramount Plus where it will be available for streaming.
4. “The Umbrella Academy”: “The Umbrella Academy” is a Netflix original series that follows the lives of seven children born on Oct. 1, 1989, to women who showed no sign of pregnancy. Adopted by an eccentric billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves, the children grow up as a team of superheroes. In season three, the siblings find themselves in a new timeline where their father adopts different children, presenting unexpected challenges. Season 4 promises to explore Viktors’s struggles as well as reuniting Luther’s search for his missing wife Sloane, and the complex reunion of Reginald Hargreeves with his wife. The final season is available to stream on Netflix.
5. “Found”: “Found” follows Gabi Mosely a survivor of kidnapping who leads a team dedicated to locating missing individuals overlooked by the media. Mosely and her team work tirelessly to reunite families, focusing on marginalized groups. However, Mosely harbors a dark secret. She collaborates with Sir, her former captor, now imprisoned in her basement. Season 1 concluded with a daring finale that changed the show’s trajectory completely. Sir’s escape and promise of revenge against Gabi sets the pace for season 2 adding tension between the team. As Gabi confronts her troubling past, the fallout of her actions reverberates hinting at potential rifts in the team and fallouts within the group while the group still takes on their normal caseload of finding missing individuals. Found season two is available for streaming on Peacock.