The ’80s Genre That Outshined Punk Rock Is Finally Getting the Spotlight It Deserves [Exclusive]
By Ryan O’Rourke
May 12, 2026
The 1970s and 80s were a revolutionary time for alternative music. Punk rock emerged as a response to the corporatization of rock music at the time and gave life to renowned bands like The Clash, The Ramones, and Sex Pistols, among others. With its rise, however, soon came another genre that broadened punk culture, adopted more pop sensibilities, and became the more palatable alternative for many — New Wave. From synth-pop to post-punk, this all-encompassing banner defined a generation, altered culture as a whole, and has left an imprint on both rock and pop music forever. Now, MGM+ is giving that era the exploration it deserves with a new docuseries titled, simply, New Wave.
As part of Collider's Exclusive Preview series, we're thrilled to share that New Wave will premiere on the platform on November 23 and share the first image highlighting one of the icons of the genre — Duran Duran guitarist John Taylor. Few figures were as popular during the rise of New Wave as the band behind "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Rio," selling over 100 million records, racking up countless awards and top-40 hits in the U.S. and U.K., and even originating the theme song to the James Bond film A View to a Kill. They headlined the Second British Invasion and reached a level of fame akin to Beatlemania, so Taylor, understandably, has a lot of stories to share and authority to discuss the genre. The docuseries will provide much more than just his reflections on the era, though.
New Wave will span four parts and tell the story of New Wave music from its rebellious roots as a radio-friendly offshoot of punk to how it reshaped the music industry. It's set to cover ten years, from 1977 to 1987, when, amid a widespread embrace of alternative culture, this new sound took root and flourished. Fashion, music, and more shifted to meet the moment, as the genre zagged from the rest of the industry with its greater inclusion of women and the queer community and acceptance of new technology to stand out. In its wake came new artists into the mainstream, like Talking Heads, The Police, Tears for Fears, The B-52s, Depeche Mode, The Go-Gos, Culture Club, New Order, The Cars, Elvis Costello, Billy Idol, and many more who are often still beloved today. Yet, it's also an era defined by one-hit wonders, like a-ha with "Take on Me," A Flock of Seagulls with "I Ran (So Far Away)," and Nena with "99 Luftballons."
At the helm of New Wave as both writer and director is Douglas Tirola, who's no stranger to music documentaries. He's perhaps best known for the acclaimed 2021 feature Bernstein's Wall about legendary classical music figure Leonard Bernstein and his life both within and beyond the concert hall. His 4th Row Films banner is backing the series, alongside This Machine Filmworks in association with Polygram Entertainment. Executive producers include his 4th Row partner Susan Bedusa, This Machine's Elise Pearlstein, RJ Cutler, Trevor Smith, Mark Blatty, and Margaret Yen, Polygram's David Blackman and Madeline Post, and Tess Ranahan. Richard Blade also serves as a consulting producer.
New Wave premieres on MGM+ on November 23. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on the hottest television and film titles from our summer preview series throughout the coming weeks.
