25 of the most buzzworthy new shows for Fall 2018

Maniac – Netflix

What you’re watching: It’s a black comedy starring Jonah Hill and Emma Roberts (Superbad-style) that takes place in an alternate reality of sorts. It’s adapted from a 2014 Norwegian half-hour comedy of the same name. The Netflix version is directed by Cary Fukunaga, of True Detective fame, and the network is being pretty tight-lipped about its major plot points.

What we do know is that Roberts and Hill play two strangers who take part in a pharmaceutical trial which allows them to live inside their own imaginations. The original story is told from two opposing points of views, one from a patient in a mental asylum and the other from someone who was rendered overweight in their real life, while his imaginative self was wealthy and heroic. Aside from Stone and Hill, the Netflix series will also feature Sally Field, Justin Theroux, and Girls-star Jemima Kirke.

What it reminds you of: The premise sounds a lot like any given episode of Black Mirror, but with Fukunaga behind the camera, it will have a distinctly gritty feel to it. It also seems to have an updated Matrix vibe to it, with a little dash of the ubiquitous concept of artificial intelligence.

Long-term potential: Although we don’t know much about plot points or even have a release date, we do know the show is set for a full ten episodes, all written by new-comer Patrick Somerville. Ten is nothing to binge right through, but we’ll have to wait to see if Netflix picks it up for another season before we can make any commitments.