The very best period miniseries since the mid-90’s remake of Pride and Prejudice, Julian Fellowes’ smash hit Downton Abbey comes to the States this January, the seven episodes of the U.K. run reconfigured into four 90-minute episodes that are irresistible to lovers of quality costume dramas. Set between the sinking of the Titanic and the outbreak of World War I, Downton depicts the fortunes of the Crawley family and the changing face of England. As a vast estate hangs in the balance, Robert Crawley, Earl of Granham (Hugh Bonneville), discovers that the fortune of his wife (Elizabeth McGovern) and the fates of his daughters (Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, and Jessica Brown-Findlay) rest in the hands of a distant cousin (Dan Stevens), a middle-class solicitor with no aspirations to join the ruling class. Scandal, intrigue, and below-stairs plotting soon follow as the focus splits between the wealthy Crawleys—including Dame Maggie Smith’s Dowager Countess—and their servants. Magical and utterly unforgettable, Downton Abbey is a staggering achievement and a wonderful kickoff to Masterpiece’s 40th season. (Launches January 9 at 9 p.m. Check your local listings)
Courtesy of Masterpiece
Friends co-star Matt LeBlanc returns to television with Episodes, a sharp and biting satirical comedy that depicts what happens when a married writing team (Stephen Mangan, Tamsin Greig) travel to Los Angeles to adapt their hit British comedy about the headmaster of a boys’ boarding school. Entering the U.S. studio system, they encounter egos, lies, backstabbing, and utter ignorance as they’re forced to change the entire premise of their show (the headmaster becomes a hockey coach) and cast Matt LeBlanc—here playing a vain and arrogant version of himself—as the lead. As Brits Sean and Beverly’s relationship splinters, the duo get sucked into the lavish Hollywood lifestyle and discover just how devilish Hollywood can really be in this acid-tongued comedy from Friends' co-creator David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik ( The Class). (Launches January 9 at 9:30 p.m.)
Showtime
Based on Paul Abbott’s hit British C4 series, Shameless moves the action from Manchester to Chicago, focusing on the sprawling Gallagher family, a welfare-supported collection of downwardly mobile children and the eternally drunk Frank (William H. Macy), who is far more immature than his own kids. Shockingly crude, painfully funny, and unexpectedly touching, Shameless charts the highs and lows of the whole family, but one of the main draws is the unexpected romance that blossoms between Frank’s self-sufficient eldest daughter Fiona (Emmy Rossum) and the well-heeled Steve (Justin Chatwin) who hides a secret. Rossum is staggering to watch as the girl trying to keep her family together, and the gaggle of kids that follow in her wake each have stories—some funny, some heartbreaking—of their own to tell. Bonus: Joan Cusack—replacing Allison Janney (who had to drop out to co-star in ABC’s upcoming comedy Mr. Sunshine)—also stars as an OCD-afflicted housewife who turns a blind eye toward her promiscuous teenage daughter. (Launches January 9 at 10 p.m.)
Showtime
In FX’s latest gritty series, Holt McCallany ( CSI: Miami) stars as Patrick “Lights Out” Leary, a former heavyweight boxer who discovers simultaneously that he’s spent what was left of his prize-fighting fortune and that he’s suffering from pugilistic dementia, a degenerative disease that threatens his very mind. With a medical student wife (Catherine McCormack) and three daughters to support, Lights must find a way of generating some cash and he’s offered two: a return to the ring to take down the fighter who was his final opponent, or a brutal job as a leg-breaker. The series, from creator Justin Zackham ( The Bucket List) and showrunner Warren Leight ( In Treatment), is yet another gut-wrenching, male-driven drama from FX about the price of success, the choices we make, and the hand we’re dealt. Lights Out also stars Stacey Keach and Pablo Schreiber, as Lights’ father and brother respectively. (Launches January 11 at 10 p.m.)
Craig Blankenhorne / FX
Created by Jenna Bans and executive produced by Shonda Rhimes ( Grey’s Anatomy), Off the Map follows a group of young doctors as they head to a tiny South American village to work at the town’s understaffed and underfunded medical clinic. Not surprisingly, each of these doctors—including those played by Caroline Dharvernas, Mamie Gummer, Rachelle Lefevre, and Zach Gilford—each have a reason for fleeing their lives in the States and heading to “la ciudad de las estrellas” (the City of Stars), as likely do the clinic’s other doctors, the former UCLA Chief of Surgery (Martin Henderson), his mysterious right-hand man (Jason George), and local doctor Zee (Valerie Cruz). In true Shonda Rhimes style, the cases of the week might be part of the series’ set-up, but it’s the interplay among the characters—here young doctors out of their element—that makes this medical drama such pulse-pounding fun. (Launches January 12 at 10 p.m.)
Bob D'Amico / ABC
Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer’s polygamist family drama Big Love returns for its fifth and final season this month. Following the public outing of the Henricksons as polygamists after the election of husband Bill (Bill Paxton) to the Utah State Senate, the family—and Bill’s three wives (Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloë Sevigny, and Ginnifer Goodwin)—must grapple with what it means to be public polygamists as they return home to discover that they’re under attack from everyone: their neighbors, their employees, their customers, their kids’ friends, and even other polygamists. But on the compound, Alby Grant (Matt Ross) has plans of his own for Juniper Creek, calling for purification, even if his heart wants nothing more than vengeance against the Henricksons. With the walls closing in on the family, can they endure the psychological, physical, and emotional consequences of their actions? (Returns January 16 at 9 p.m.)
Isabella Vosmikova / HBO
A whole bunch of changes are in store for this season of the most popular show on television: gone are hypercritical judge Simon Cowell (departed for The X Factor), Ellen DeGeneres, and Kara DioGuardi; the show moves to Wednesdays and Thursdays this year; and the sole remaining original judge—that would be Randy Jackson—will be joined by Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler as judges and Jimmy Iovine as a mentor. After a ho-hum season that even many devoted fans criticized, can this venerable musical competition show regain its mojo? Find out after the break. (Returns January 19 at 8 p.m.)
Michael Becker / Fox
Greg Daniels and Michael Schur’s workplace comedy Parks and Recreation finally returns for its third season. When last we saw the Parks and Recreation Department drones, the town’s government had been shut down amid bankruptcy and the arrival of two state auditors—Rob Lowe and Adam Scott—from Indianapolis. Returning for Season 3, the gang gets back to work as Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) plans a town-saving Harvest Festival, Ann (Rashida Jones) gets closer to Chris (Lowe), the awkward courtship between April (Aubrey Plaza) and Andy (Chris Pratt) hits the skids, and soulless librarian Tammy (Megan Mullally) plots against her ex-husband Ron (Nick Offerman) once more. The first six sidesplitting episodes more than make up for the lack of Parks and Recreation these last few months. Concerned how Lowe and Scott would be integrated into the cast? Rest assured, these writers are at the top of their game. (Returns January 20 at 9:30 p.m.)
Mitchell Hasseth / NBC
USA’s string of successful light mysteries looks to continue with this charming and off-kilter legal show. There’s a certain preciousness to Fairly Legal that’s either due to the sometimes slightly saccharine touches ( Wizard of Oz codenames and amusing ringtones for mobile phone callers!) or to its leading lady, Sarah Shahi (of The L Word, and the much-mourned Life). Here, Shahi plays Kate Reed, a former lawyer and current mediator who lives in the shadow of her late father—the firm’s founder—and her icy stepmother (Virginia Williams). Armed with the ability to settle disputes without blood (or time in court), she’s put her skills to work as a top mediator, working with clients from Fortune 500 companies to splitting couples. And she’s soon to be a divorcee herself once the paperwork goes through on her divorce to ADA Justin (Michael Trucco). Plucky and cute, Fairly Legal’s success rests squarely on Shahi’s slender shoulders. (Launches January 20 at 10 p.m.)
USA
It’s weird, it’s wacky, it’s Portlandia, the new sketch comedy series created by Saturday Night Live’s Fred Armisen and Sleater-Kinney frontwoman Carrie Brownstein that revolves around the Pacific Northwest city that isn’t Seattle. In a series of painfully funny sketches, Armisen and Brownstein play a vast array of Portland-based hipsters, musicians, lovers, restaurant diners, and, um, women’s bookstore owners, as well as write and perform original songs about The City of Roses. Look for Kyle MacLachlan as Portland’s upbeat mayor, Parks and Recreations’ Aubrey Plaza as a women’s studies student, and Saturday Night Live’s Jason Sudeikis as a charismatic cult leader in the first two episodes. It’s both a love letter to and a tongue-in-cheek satire of Stumptown, a place where, as Armisen says, “young people go to retire,” and where the spirit of the ‘90’s is still alive and well. (Launches January 21 at 10:30 p.m.)
Scott Green / IFC
Starz’s ultra-violent swords-and-sandals drama Spartacus was hit with a difficult situation when series lead Andy Whitfield was diagnosed with cancer. Rather than shut down, producers expanded a Season 2 flashback episode into a six-episode limited series, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, that will serve as a prequel to the main series. (Unfortunately, Whitfield has since dropped out due to a relapse and the part will now be recast.) John Hannah and Lucy Lawless reprise their roles as the ambitious and bloodthirsty Batiatus and Lucretia, along as some other familiar faces, while newcomers Dustin Clare, Jaime Murray, Marisa Ramirez, and Jeffrey Thomas appear for the first time as we see the unfolding story of Gannicus (Clare), a gladiator vying for the title of the Champion of Capua. Given the striking visual style and shocking amount of sex and violence, look for Spartacus: Gods of the Arena to reignite viewers’ passion for this franchise. (Launches January 21 at 10 p.m.)
Starz
FX’s raunchy animated comedy returns with a new portfolio of misadventures for suave secret agent Sterling Archer (H. Jon Benjamin)—codenamed “The Duchess”—and the insane band at ISIS (International Secret Intelligence Service): Lana Kane (Aisha Tyler), Malory Archer (Jessica Walter), Cyril Figgis (Chris Parnell), Cheryl (Judy Greer), and Pam (Amber Nash). The whip-smart double entrendres, sexually suggestive situations, and slick, stylized animation make for a hilarious and often jaw-dropping comedy about oversexed spies and the assassins who loathe them. If the season opener (“Swiss Miss”) is any indication of what lies ahead, fans of Archer are in for quite a wild ride. (Returns January 27 at 10 p.m.)
FX
This riveting cop show—from The Shield creator Shawn Ryan—might just be very best broadcast network offering of the year. Set and shot on location in Chicago, The Chicago Code (formerly known as Ride-Along) stars Jason Clarke ( Brotherhood) and Jennifer Beals ( The L Word) as maverick cop Jarek Wysocki and his former partner, Teresa Colvin, who is now the first female police superintendent in Chicago. While the series might seem like a crime-of-the-week police procedural, it’s actually a canny and gripping serialized drama about corruption in Chicago politics as Wysocki and Colvin attempt to take down a powerful alderman, Ronin Gibbons (Delroy Lindo), who is as guilty as sin, and Wysocki tries to avenge his murdered brother. The show also stars Matt Lauria ( Friday Night Lights), Devin Kelley ( Tease), Todd Williams ( CSI), and Billy Lush ( The Black Donnellys). Not to be missed. (Launches February 7 at 9 p.m.)
Kharen Hill / Fox
FX’s wickedly fantastic crime series Justified returns for a second season run. With local drug kingpin Bo Crowder dead, numerous would-be usurpers to the Harlan County criminal throne rush to fill the power vacuum. This season finds U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) still stuck in Kentucky and still entangled with his former best friend Boyd (Walton Goggins), while warring with the Bennett clan, a local pot empire overseen by the tough Mags Bennett ( The Riches’ Margo Martindale). Look for Lost’s Jeremy Davies to turn up as Mags’ violent son Dickie, whose path has crossed with Raylan in the past… and who is still looking to enact his revenge against the lawman. But Raylan has troubles of his own as he’s ensnared in a romantic triangle with ex-wife Winona (Natalie Zea) and former flame Ava (Joelle Carter). The result is electrifying television at its best. (Returns February 9 at 10 p.m.)
Mark Seliger / FX
AMC's seductive new mystery takes its cues from both Damages and Twin Peaks, offering a sprawling narrative, multiple suspects, and a whole lot of trouble. Based on the hit Danish series Forbrydelsen, The Killing follows Seattle detective Sarah Linden ( Big Love’s Mireille Enos) as she prepares to move to California with her fiancé, only to get caught up in the disappearance and murder of a teenage girl on her last day at the police department. The focus of the show, adapted and executive produced by Veena Sud ( Cold Case), veers among Linden and her temporary partner Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman), a local politician (Billy Campbell) and his staff, and the dead girl’s family (including Brent Sexton and Michelle Forbes, in a gut-wrenching performance). Intelligent and gripping, The Killing is a breathtaking exploration of the dark impulses of the human heart and how murder drags a host of long-buried secrets into the light. (Launches March TBA)
AMC
Desperate Housewives’ Dana Delany returns to ABC with a crime drama that’s about second chances. Delany plays Dr. Megan Hunt, a brilliant neurosurgeon whose promising medical career was ended after a traumatic car accident left her with paresthesia in her hands. The sudden onset of her condition—numbness in her hands—left a patient dead on her operating table and ended her career. Five years later, Megan is now a medical examiner, using the skills from her former line of work to help solve the cause behind victims’ deaths, seeing the corpses as both crime scenes and puzzles to be solved. But can Megan solve the damage in her own life and repair the fractured relationship with her daughter? Body of Proof, which also stars Jeri Ryan, Geoffrey Arend, Nicholas Bishop, Sonja Sohn, John Caroll Lynch, and Windell Middlebrooks, offers ABC another chance to land an accessible crime procedural to complement its highly successful Castle. (Launches March 29 at 10 p.m.)
Donna Svennerik / ABC
