2014 TV Preview
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Justified
Network: FX
Season Premiere: 1/7/14
One of FX’s signature dramas makes its fifth season bow as Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) finds himself in conflict with the Crowes, a ruthless crime family led by Dale Crowe (Michael Rapaport).
Meanwhile, Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) is decidedly less stable this season as he attempts to get Ava (Joelle Carter) out of prison while working alongside Wynn Duffy (Jere Burns) for the Detroit mob.
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Helix
Network: Syfy
Series Premiere: 1/10/14
In the past few years, AMC and FX have stolen Syfy’s thunder with wildly successful genre series while the network that brought us “Farscape” and “Battlestar Galactica” is now better known for Sharknado and other allegedly hilarious bad TV movies.
Will “Helix” be the start of Syfy’s comeback? “BSG” veteran Ronald D. Moore is back with the network and executive producing “Helix;” which follows a CDC team assigned to investigate a potential viral outbreak in the Arctic that may be more dangerous than anyone suspected.
One thing is for sure, this isn’t going to be one those “Blue Sky, sci-fi” shows that Syfy loves so much.
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True Detective
Network: HBOSeries Premiere: 1/12/14
In a way, “True Detective” is HBO’s answer to “American Horror Story.” Like “AHS,” “True Detective” is an anthology series that will rotate cast members and begin a brand new storyline in subsequent seasons. HBO has taken it a step further by placing Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as the stars of “True Detective” Season 1; and that’s a duo that could easily headline a feature film.
This season’s storyline will follow McConaughey and Harrelson’s characters over the course of 17 years as they attempt to solve a bizarre series of murders in Louisiana.
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Archer
Network: FX
Season Premiere: 1/13/14
“Archer” is taking over Mondays on FX, as Adam Reed’s hilarious animated spy series shakes up the premise of the show in the fifth season premiere. The first episode of “Archer” Season 5 was screened at New York Comic Con and it was one of the most insane stories in the entire series. This could be a season of big changes for "Archer."
But one thing hasn’t changed: Sterling Archer (H. Jon Benjamin) is still the same dickish (and yet surprisingly competent) secret agent that he’s always been.
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Sherlock
Network: PBS
American Season Premiere: 1/19/14
“Sherlock” fans in the United Kingdom are already enjoying the brief, three episode season featuring the reunion of Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman) after nearly two years since the end of the second season.
Later this month, American fans will get their chance as “Sherlock” returns to the PBS Sunday lineup. If you’re wondering why BBC America isn’t showing “Sherlock,” keep this in mind: PBS’ “Downton Abbey” ratings rival the numbers that the broadcast networks pull in on Sunday nights. And those are much higher numbers than BBC America has ever gotten.
Expect “Sherlock” Season 3 to hit ratings highs for PBS, as it already has a passionate American following. The only downside is that it will probably be another two years before we see “Sherlock” Season 4.
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Black Sails
Network: STARZ
Series Premiere: 1/25/14
Technically, “Black Sails” is a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island,” but it honestly doesn’t seem to have much to do with that novel aside from the inclusion of John Silver and his leader, Captain Flint two decades before the events of Stevenson’s story.
Basically, it’s an excuse to capitalize on the popularity of Pirates of the Caribbean and feature some pirate action and all the sex scenes that STARZ has become known for after “Spartacus.” This is actually taking over the Friday night slot once held by “Spartacus,” but it remains to be seen if Flint and his crew can compare to the former signature series of the network.
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House of Cards
Network: Netflix
Season Premiere: 2/14/14
Kevin Spacey is almost always a great villain, and “House of Cards” puts him on the center stage as Francis Underwood, a politician who is one of the most ruthless protagonists of the modern era.
The new season finds Underwood installed as the new Vice President of the United States. But does anyone think that Underwood is going to stop there? Oh no, not at all.
As the only Netflix original drama on this list, the new season of “House of Cards” comes with the added bonus of every episode from season 2 launching on the same date.
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The Americans
Network: FX
Season Premiere: 2/26/13
Get ready to go back to the ‘80s, as KGB spies Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell) deal with some internal suspicions from their daughter while attempting to serve the agenda of their true homeland without arousing further suspicion from their FBI agent neighbor, Stan (Noah Emmerich).
Supporting cast members Susan Misner, Annet Mahendru and Alison Wright have all been promoted to regular cast members for “The Americans” Season 2. This means that Stan’s wife, Sandra; vengeful Soviet mole, Nina and Philip’s mole/sham wife Martha will have much bigger roles this season.
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Hannibal
Network: NBC
Season Premiere: 2/28/14
Last season on “Hannibal,” the infamous Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) successfully manipulated FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and framed him for several murders which Hannibal committed himself.
Season 2 kicks off with Will still imprisoned, but he is well aware of who and what Hannibal is. And what will Hannibal do as a followup to getting Will locked up? It’s a pretty safe bet that Hannibal won’t hold back his murderous impulses for any extended period. So expect the iconic serial killer to shock us yet again before preparing to eat his victims in new and inventive ways.
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Bates Motel
Network: A&E
Season Premiere: March 2014
Forget “Duck Dynasty.” “Bates Motel” is the only original show on A&E worth watching, if only because it’s the craziest damn show on television.
Do you remember when Norma Bates (Vera Farmiga) shared the story of how her older brother raped her while she a child? Well guess who’s coming to town! “The Shield” veteran, Kenny Johnson is set to play Caleb, the uncle from hell.
And then there’s Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) himself, who may have committed his second murder in the first season finale. But if Norman didn’t kill Miss Watson, then who did?
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Orphan Black
Network: BBC America
Season Premiere: 4/19/14
BBC America’s cult hit is coming back for another season, as Tatiana Maslany gets her clone on once again. Last season ended with Sarah on the run while looking for answers about who created the clones and why.
Expect Maslany to once again resume the roles of the surviving clones and a few new ones, including Rachel, the clone who made her debut near the end of season one.
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Penny Dreadful
Network: Showtime
Series Premiere: Spring 2014
Imagine if all of the classic monsters co-existed. “Penny Dreadful” does just that, as Dracula, Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray and other literary characters cross paths in this new series from Skyfall director Sam Mendes and screenwriter John Logan.
Not much about the story has currently been revealed, but since “Penny Dreadful” is a Showtime series, expect nothing to be held back in terms of content. This could be the R-rated monster tale that we’ve always wanted to see.
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Believe
Network: NBC
Season Premiere: Spring 2014
By the time that “Believe” appears on NBC, Alfonso Cuarón could be holding a few Oscars for “Gravity.” Cuarón co-wrote and directed the pilot of “Believe,” which follows a young girl with extraordinary powers named Bo (Johnny Sequoyah) and a wrongly convicted death row inmate named Tate (Jake McLaughlin) who finds himself tasked with protecting her.
J.J. Abrams.is attached as an executive producer of “Believe.” NBC has a shaky history when it comes to genre shows. But perhaps Cuarón and Abrams can finally breakthrough that curse.
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Game of Thrones
Network: HBO
Season Premiere: Spring 2014
Those of you looking forward to another epic battle in “Game of Thrones” should be very happy with the upcoming fourth season. Early indications are that the battle from “Blackwater” may be matched late in the season.
But in the interim, expect more intrigue in King’s Landing as Joffrey’s wedding approaches and The Red Viper aka Prince Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal) seeks vengeance against the Lannisters. Elsewhere, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) continues her quest to reclaim the seven kingdoms while war closes in on Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and the Night’s Watch.
