The Most Anticipated TV Shows of 2014

In 2013 the Starks attended the Red Wedding, Don Draper's emotional walls crumbled at the sight of a Hershey's bar, and the White family imploded. Those are just a handful of 2013's biggest life events according to television, a year that also saw The CW's Arrow improbably become a genuinely good series, Netflix strongarm the scripted programming game, and reimaginings of Sleepy Hollow and Hannibal debut, against all odds, as must-watch television.

Can 2014 keep up? Of course it can. As we say goodbye to Sons of Anarchy and begin the funeral arrangements for Mad Men, new seasons from all of 2013's best and brightest are due, (save Breaking Bad of course), as are the premieres of several shows that have the potential to become the new talk of Twitter. The debate of whether or not TV is in a golden age will have plenty of reasons to rage on.

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Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins, Nick Searcy, Joelle Carter, Erica Tazel, Jacob Pitts, Jere Burns, Natalie Zea
Premiere date: January 7

Similar to Boardwalk Empire, Justified aired a transcendent fourth season in 2013 that reminded fans why they love it and woke some critics out of their stupor of ignoring it. After a particularly somber ending that saw Raylan and Boyd accept both their respective roles in Harlan and their fates, the series can start building to what it’s been promising since year one: an epic showdown between the former friends.

Before that, though, it looks as if season five will feature a return to the Big Bad format that the show abandoned last year in favor of the season-long Drew Thompson mystery, with Michael Rapaport coming aboard as a new nemesis who, of course, has a history with Raylan. So, another thirteen episodes of the most colorful dialogue on TV punctuated with the occasional hail of bullets. Yes. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Tobey Maguire, Kristen Wiig, Tim Robbins, Jessica Alba, Val Kilmer, Haley Joel Osment, MIchael Sheen, WIll Ferrell, Carey Mulligan
Premiere date: January 9

Produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay with Funny or Die, The Spoils of Babylon is an epic miniseries TV event that spoofs every other epic miniseries TV events. A mix of '80s dramas like The Thorn Birds and Winds of War, the series, adapted from fictional author Eric Jonrosh's (Will Ferrell) fictional novel of the same, will span three generations and several countries. International espionage, the perils of war, illegal arms dealing, and forbidden love run rampant in this hodgepodge of a production.

With Tobey Maguire and Kristen Wiig leading the cast, it promises to be can't-miss comedy. —Tara Aquino

Stars: Geoff Stults, Chris Lowell, Parker Young, Keith David, Angelique Cabral
Premiere date: January 10

FOX has both a family and a workplace comedy on its hands with Enlisted, which finds three disagreeable brothers stationed at a Florida army base, left behind to take care of the upkeep after most of their unit gets deployed for action overseas. With familiar faces like Chriss Lowell and Geoff Stults, this is poised to become the next must-see single camera sitcom. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Antony Starr, Ivana Milicevic, Ulrich Thomsen, Frankie Faison, Rus Blackwell, Matt Servito, Trieste Kelly Dunna, Lili Simmons, Ben Cross, Ryann Shane, Demetrius Grosse
Premiere date: January 10

The saga continues of the most convincing ex-con in America, so good that he's assumed the identity of the deceased sheriff in the small town of Banshee, Pa. Given the town's large Amish community, you'd think our man Lucas Hood (Antony Starr) could lay low, keeping up appearances by ticketing the occasional horse and buggy. Not in Banshee, though. This is Alan Ball, formerly of True Blood, territory, after all, and things are regularly insane.

Expect more crime and craziness when Banshee returns for its second season this week. Meet the sexy Amish woman of your dreams! Punch someone in the face for no reason! Hide from Ukrainian gangsters! It's all waiting for you here. —Ross Scarano

Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin Dunn, Tory Kittles, Michael Potts, Alexandra Daddario, Elizabeth Reaser
Premiere date: January 12

HBO strikes again. Matthew McConaughey continues his quest to make us forget his rom-com days, teaming up with the always great Woody Harrelson for an awesomely dark serial killer crime series set in the muggy swamps of Louisiana. With only an eight-episode order, it seems as if the case—which spans across two decades and ping pongs between multiple timelines—will unfurl at a brisk clip, with no time to stall for unnecessary detours.

And if you were wondering why two of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors would choose to chain themselves to a TV series, it’s because True Detective is set to be, much like American Horror Story, an anthology series. That’s right, not only will the mystery’s pacing be on point but a resolution is promised to make way for new characters and a new case next season. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, Adam Driver, Alex Karpovsky
Premiere date: January 12

This season Lena Dunham’s going even deeper into the lives of Brooklyn’s four favorite, emotionally complicated twenty-somethings. In addition to exploring each character’s backstories, Dunham also promises more “time alone” with each girl to contrast how they behave with themselves as opposed to within the group.

And, of course, there’ll be romance and sex, because it wouldn’t be the same show without Hannah, Marnie, Jessa, and Shosh awkwardly breaking hearts. Of particular note: how will Charlie be written out since Christopher Abbott chose to leave the show? —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Matt LeBlanc, Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan, John Pankow, Kathleen Rose Perkins, Mircea Monroe
Premiere date: January 12

Showtime’s otherwise low-profile Hollywood showbiz satire has been a great, late-career vehicle for Matt LeBlanc, who portrays an exaggerated, amoral version of himself with more enthusiasm and wit than he lent to Joey Tribbiani.

The series took 2013 off, after a second season finale that left the network and all its narcissistic staffers in shambles, literally and figuratively. A big brawl ensued in which several affairs and other indiscretions were revealed. When it returns this winter, estranged husband and wife writing team Sean and Beverly may not have a job, but after nearly losing their marriage to the trappings of Tinseltown, at least they’ll have each other. And Matt LeBlanc. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Paul Iacon, Bobby Moynihan, Hannibal Buress, Danny McBride, Kathryn Hahn, Method Man, Michael Peña, Nick Swardson
Premiere Date: January 13

Chozen is looking to be the next great animated series from FX. Brought to you by the creators of Eastbound & Down, the show follows Chozen (Bobby Moynihan) a gay, white ex-con vying to be the world's best rapper. Chozen is a changed man and prison has influenced his music, as his lyrics now critique themes of hypermasculinity and misogyny—a highly unusual premise. Big names like Danny McBride, Nick Swardson, and Hannibal Buress lend their voices to the proceedings.

Of all the new shows coming this year, this one seems tailor made for Complex readers. —Debbie Encalada

Stars: Emmy Rossum, William H. Macy, Jeremy Allen White, Cameron Monaghan, Emma Kenney, Ethan Cutosky, Shanola Hampton, Steve Howey,
Premiere date: January 13

More hard times are in store for the Gallagher family as Shameless enters a new season. Of course the number one source of strife remains the same: their beyond alcoholic, negligent, narcissistic father Frank (Macy), now facing serious health issues, but still a bastard until his last breath. The season also finds Fiona (Rossum) dating her boss, Lip (White) at college, and Ian (Monaghan) missing, but clearly not for long. At this rate, it’s not even safe to place bets on the once precocious Debbie (Kenney) escaping the family cycle of crazy. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: H Jon Benjamin, Aisha Tyler, Jessica Walter, Chris Parnell, Judy Greer, Amber Nash, Lucky Nates, Adam Reed, George Coe
Premiere date: January 13

With four seasons in the can, Archer has its winning formula down pat: lewd jokes, inept espionage, and quick-witted office banter that puts most live-action workplace comedies to shame. Shake, pour, and repeat like one of Sterling’s—ever the James Bond wannabe—vodka martinis. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Nick Kroll, Jon Daly, John Mulaney, Jenny Slate, Andy Milonakis
Premiere date: January 14

In 2013, Kroll Show held us down for laughs better than Nick Kroll's other project, The League. It'd be great if The League bounced back in 2014, but even if that doesn't happen, we'll always have the sketch show that ridicules the everyday stupidity of celebrity and fame. If you're feeling like the world is getting dumber, Kroll Show won't do much to dispose of that notion, but it will confirm that there are others who notice it too—and want to clown it.

Take "PubLIZity," one of the regular sketches. It skewers publicists and asinine business ventures through the two Liz's behind a publicity firm. It's great because 1) it's true and 2) it lets Jenny Slate create a fully-embodied jerk-ass character. Nick Kroll's name is in the title, but he doesn't hog the spotlight. This is a showcase for all kinds of talent, and one of your best bets for 2014. —Ross Scarano

Stars: Kris Jenner, Bruce Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, Rob Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner
Premiere date: January 19

This is a photo Kim Kardashian posted on Instagram last night. It's a selection from her workout routine.

Stars: Dorothy Wang, Morgan Stewart, Brendan Fitzpatrick, Roxy Sowlaty, Jonny Drubel
Premiere date: January 19

The hottest new hate-watch of the season, #RichKids of Beverly Hills has a hashtag in the title and is inspired by Instagram. If E! doesn't provide brain aneurysm warnings before the title credits and during each commercial, you have to sue. You just have to.

Oh, you're still here? You want to know something about the show? It's about billionaires and millionaires, all in their 20s. These people do things like use the word "funemployed" and run blogs about Louboutins. Said blog features a category called "I Can't With This Bitch." These people are, ostensibly, real human beings. —Ross Scarano

Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Mark Gatiss, Rupert Graves, Una Stubbs, Andrew Scott, Vinette Robinson
Premiere date: January 19

You know you need that 'batch. It's been months since you saw Star Trek Into Darkness, and the 'dict is calling you like that crazy plant in the movie about Steve Martin's huffing problem. (Requiem for Rick Moranis, wasn't that the title?) You're suffering from a bad case of the Cumberbatch, and the only way to get your next fix is through the upcoming season of the BBC's Sherlock.

Benedict Cumberbatch fever hit the States hard in 2013, turning regular people into bloggers dreaming up fake names for the UK's most thumb-shaped actor. (R.I.P. Complex Pop Culture staff writer Tara Aquino. I miss the old you.)

But over in England, it's Sherlock that has everyone hooked. A modern take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most beloved creation, Sherlock puts your lousy American police procedural to shame with its wit and hard dose of Benedict Cumberbatch. —Ross Scarano

Stars: Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy, Shawn Ashmore, Natalie Zea, Valorie Curry, Jessica Stroup
Premiere date: January 19

Who says anticipation holds the best intentions? The Following was our second worst series of 2013. It was also the number one best show to hate-watch (scripted, anyway). Everything about it is so bad—from the paper thin, verging-on-parody dialogue and story beats, to the truly abysmal police work on display from not-so-ace maverick Detective Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) to Joe Carroll (James Purefoy), quite possibly the least scary fictional serial killer of all time. TBH, this show is hilarious.

Of course, if The Following paid attention to some key criticism and righted the ship with an honest-to-goodness compelling, thrilling, and most of all chilling second season, it wouldn’t be the first series to honor an inexplicable renewal by pulling itself out of the gutter. But thanks to ratings, Kevin Williamson and co. probably think they aced year one so, if watching train wrecks is your kind of thing, make time for this one. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Jonathan Groff, Frankie J. Alvarez, Murray Bartlett
Premiere date: January 19

People will be inclined to compare Looking to popular shows like Sex and the City and Girls, since this new HBO series follows a group of friends living life and searching for love. The biggest difference is that this is a group of gay men in San Francisco, hundreds of miles away from New York. From what we can tell the show offers an honest look at relationships with characters that avoid gay stereotypes. With Queer As Folk long since over, don't miss out on watching another show where gay men are front and center—not just accessories like Stanford Blatch or Anthony Marentino were on Sex and the City. —Debbie Encalada

Stars: Abbi Jacobson, Ilana Glazer
Premiere date: January 22

Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer's laugh out loud web series Broad City makes the leap to television thanks to Comedy Central. The show will follow the girls in New York City as they try to make ends meet. Besides side splitting comedy the show's got a lot of star power and comedic chops behind, it with genius Amy Poehler as an executive producer, Hannibal Buress and Chris Gethard as show regulars, and expected appearances from Fred Armisen, Rachel Dratch, Janeane Garofalo, and Amy Sedaris. Broad City is guaranteed to make you feel a little bit better about returning already worn clothes because you can't afford them. The struggle is real, of course. —Debbie Encalada

Stars: Topy Stephens, Luke Arnold, Zach McGowan, Hannah New, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Mark Ryan, Clara Paget, Tom Hopper, Sean Michael, Hakeem Kae Kazim
Premiere date: January 25

Good news: if you dig Black Sails when it premieres later this month, you won’t have to worry whether you’re potentially committing to cancel bait. Starz already renewed the show for a second season based solely on audience reactions at Comic-Con. The series, pitched as a prequel of sorts to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Treasure Island, follows Captain Flint and his band of pirates as seen through the eyes of newcomer to the ship John Silver (yes, that John Silver), as he and his crew fight for their right to whore, booze, and thieve on New Providence Island, the most dangerous criminal haven of the period. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Chandler Riggs, Lauren Cohan, Steven Yeun, Danai Guirra, Chad L. Coleman, Sonequa Martin-Green
Premiere date: February 9

The prison is gone. The Governor is, at long last, dead. The group, scattered. Given the hints that everyone won’t be reunited by the end of the mid-season premiere, The Walking Dead is poised for what might be its most interesting run yet, one that will also see fan-favorite comic characters Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene finally join the cast, and allow for quieter episodes in the vein of “Days Gone By” or “Clear.” Which is great, as those eps were better received than noisier things like 2013’s clumsy albeit entertaining mid-season finale. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Kate Mara, Michael Gill
Premiere date: February 14

There's no better way to spend Valentine's Day than cozying up to the most unforgiving show on air, House of Cards. The series follows Rep. Frank Underwood, the Majority Whip, who seeks to exact revenge on all those who ruined his chances of becoming Secretary of State, most of the all the POTUS himself. But his relentless quest to reach the top of U.S. government doesn't come without any foils, which is where Kate Mara's ruthless and manipulative reporter Zoe Barnes comes in for the kill.

Tune in to the second season to see if Frank Underwood will become Vice President. Or if Zoe Barnes and her team can take him down before his evil and manipulative self gets a shot at the second highest political office. —Tara Aquino

Stars: Martin Henderson, Julianne Nicholson, Annalise Baso, Allie Gonino, Jason Momoa, Tom Sizemore, Antoni Corone
Premiere date: February 27

Fresh off the success of last year’s critically acclaimed Rectify, Sundance dips another toe into the waters of scripted programming with The Red Road. Like Rectify, it will run for just six episodes, centering on the well-meaning but struggling sheriff Jensen, doing his best to police the warring communities of his childhood small town and the Ramapo Mountain Indians. A cover-up in the pilot involving Jensen’s alcoholic wife launches him into an uneasy alliance with a dangerous member of the tribe, which will surely contribute to a metric ton of heavy drama to follow. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Laurence Fishburne, Caroline Dhavernas, Hettienne Park
Premiere date: February 28

Last year Bryan Fuller blindsided everyone when he, Hugh Dancy, and Mads Mikkelsen did the impossible and pulled off a Hannibal series that managed to stand outside of Anthony Hopkins’ shadow, with a tone so independent of The Silence of the Lambs it put all other serial killer series and classic literature “updates” to shame.

Thanks to a haunting, visually striking aesthetic, each episode was memorable in the most disturbing fashion, while Dancy and Mikkelsen brought gravitas and humanity (or lack thereof) to Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter. Thanks to an improbable but very welcome renewal, the trio are back again this year after a finale that flipped the script and saw Will behind bars and Lecter doing the leering. What does a season with Will on trial and Hannibal on the defensive from a suspicious Jack Crawford look like? No one really knows, except that it should be damn good. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Freddie Highmore, Vera Farmiga, Max Thieriot, Olivia Cooke, Nicola Peltz, Mike Vogel, Nestor Carbonell, Jere Burns
Premiere date: March 2014

A&E's Norman Bates origin story didn't suck! How's that, you say? The lead performances from Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga owned, Farmiga especially. It was that special kind of scenery chewing that oscillates between high camp and genuine intimidation. Something out of Lynch, almost. Speaking of him, Twin Peaks is a definite touchstone here, what with all the bizarre plot developments in Bates Motel's first season.

Whatever the second season throws at us, let it be just as strange. —Ross Scarano

Stars: Tatiana Maslany, Dylan Bruce, Jordan Gavaris, Kevin Hanchard, Michael Mando, Maria Doyle Kennedy
Premiere date: April 19

An the award for most underrated actress of 2013 goes to...Tatiana Maslany! On Orphan Black, Maslany takes on the role of seven vastly different characters, all of whom are clones of each other that were created by a secret organization and are now slowly being taken out by a crazy religious group.

As the mystery behind their maker continues to unravel, so do lives of each of the clones. Most of all the streetwise con woman Sarah Manning, who ended season one losing the only precious thing that ever mattered to her—that's all we're going to spoil for you. Now the question going into season two becomes, will she ever get it back and take down the crazies trying to kill her? —Tara Aquino

Stars: Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Kim Raver, William Devane, Michael Wincott, Judy Davis, Gbenga Akinnagbe
Premiere date: April 2014

The movie didn’t happen. In some ways, this is better. 24 went off at the right time, some might even argue a season past sell by date; the strain of creating a sustainable, thrilling narrative over a full day was beginning to show. And while 24’s premise is practically begging for the film treatment, halving the normal season length while still sticking to the course-of-one-day format is actually genius.

After a couple years away from the show, there’s every reason to be optimistic that the creative team is refreshed and ready to tell another kick-ass Jack Bauer adventure with all of the series’ hallmarks and none of its pitfalls—12 less hours means 12 less chances of insta-amnesia or pesky cougars to stretch the story.

Imagine a Day 4-esque event, with brand new settings and faces that open the door for one awesome cameo from a past fan-favorite face after another. Then imagine it’s a ratings hit and they do one of these every 18 months or so. Live another day, indeed. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Reid Scott, Timothy Simmons, Matt Walsh, Sufe Bradshaw
Premiere date: April 2014

If you're into political comedies you can actually understand, watch Veep. The critical darling, which follows the shenanigans that occur within the Vice President's office, is about to enter its third season, and it couldn't have had a better set-up. No longer is Dreyfus' VP Selina Meyer looking to stay second best, she's now eyeing the big chair. With her superior stepping down from his post at the end of his term, Meyer and her team are now tasked with creating the greatest presidential campaign ever. Get ready for more laughs, more F-bombs, and more hilarious incompetency rolling into season three. —Tara Aquino

Stars: Louis C.K.
Premiere date: Spring 2014

Louis C.K.'s auteurist television experiment is the best half-hour comedy out, which is crazy because sometimes the show isn't funny. At all. Formally audacious (the long takes!), subversive (the unorthodox casting!), smart, earnest, Louie is the kind of show that we should send into space. Then maybe the aliens will deem us worth of our time.

In three seasons, it's deconstructed the manic pixie dream girl with a brilliant performance from Parker Posey, explored death and suicide with stunning honesty, made great jokes about bags of dicks, and tested the limits of storytelling on TV. The three-part "Late Night" arc from last season was like a dream, it was so good and strange. David Lynch guest starred! —Ross Scarano

Really, there's too much to say about this show. Stop reading this and just go watch. And prepare for the return. —Ross Scarano

Stars: Famke Janssen, Bill Skarsgård, Landon Liboiron, Dougray Scott, Penelope Mitchell, Freya Tingley, Madeleine Martin
Premiere date: Spring 2014

More zombies, ghosts, Frankenstein monsters, and whatever the hell else the first season of Hemlock Grove threw at the screen, are slated to return this spring for a second round. Executive producer Eli Roth's adaptation of Brian McGreevy's rust-belt horror epic promises more gore, weird sex, and bodily fluids in its second season.

The tale of Hemlock Grove, Pa. (modeled after Pittsburgh, with its boarded-up steel mills and blue collar grit), continues in 2014, with a graphic novelist coming to town. Sounds...spooky? —Ross Scarano

Stars: Peter Dinklage, Emilia Clarke, Kit Harrington, Lena Headey, Jack Gleeson, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Charles Dance, Aidan Gillen, Iain Glen, Alfie Allen, Rose Leslie, Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Stephen Dillane, Carice van Houten, Liam Cunningham
Premiere date: Spring 2014

The only thing crueler than The Red Wedding was that Game of Thrones’ stellar third season ended just one episode after it, forcing us devastated, pro-North fans to endure a nine-month hiatus.

When the show finally returns, it’ll still be adapting heavily from the third book, A Storm of Swords, which many consider to be the best in the series. If an event like those bloody nuptials takes place near the mid-point of the novel, what the hell does the last half hold in store? While everyone in Westeros anxiously awaits Winter, TV geeks across the globe are counting down the days until April. Hold steady: Spring is coming.—Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Jon Hamm, Elizabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, Christina Hendricks, January Jones, John Slattery, Jessica Paré, Kiernan Shipka, Robert Morse
Premiere date: Spring 2014

This year should’ve been the end for Sterling Cooper & Partners. Instead, because of the curious, not always narrative-befitting way AMC chooses to run things, it is simply the prelude. The question of the ultimate fates of Don Draper, Peggy Olson, and Pete Campbell is postponed until 2015, so for now, the thrill lies in seeing what dominoes Matthew Weiner and his team (which now includes Chinatown screenwriter Robert Towne) set up for them.

And of course, the usual questionnaire that precedes every Mad Men season remains. What year will it start in? Where will we find certain characters, both physically and mentally speaking? As per usual, the infamously spoiler-phobic Weiner will keep things close to the pinstriped vest, so just prepare to savor the beginning of the end slowly but surely, like the last fifth of scotch. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Chloe Sevigny, James D'arcy, James Morrison
Premiere date: Spring 2014

Fresh off of the success of Bates Motel, A&E is growing their family with Those Who Kill, a U.S. update of a Danish crime series that finds Chloe Sevigny and James D’arcy as a detective and forensic psychiatrist, respectively, who join forces to hunt down serial killers, while also investigating the mystery of Sevigny’s father, who may be a serial killer as well.

If that sounds like standard procedural with over-arching storyline formula, A&E would like you to abandon that assumption. In a statement they explained: "Those Who Kill is not a crime procedural about serial killers—it’s a deep serialized character portrait of two compelling yet damaged individuals coming together through the revelation of their dark past.” With so many serial killer series trading substance for shock and gore, Those Who Kill is poised to be the rare show that excels in both. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Johnny Sequoyah, Jake McLaughlin, Delroy Lindo, Kyle MacLachlan, Jamie Chung
Premiere date: Spring 2014

The superpowers of Alfonso Cuarón and J.J. Abrams unite to bring you a fantasy adventure series. Off pedigree alone, the first few episodes of Believe are a must-watch. But will it be worth watching beyond that? As J.J.’s quest for total film world domination has progressed, TV series with the Bad Robot stamp have gone down in quality—the last four series under the umbrella have been Almost Human, Revolution, Person of Interest and Undercovers, which all range from meh to must-miss.

Believe’s premise however, seems like a layup: a wrongfully convicted inmate is tasked with protecting a young girl with special abilities from the forces of evil. Hopefully it breaks the Bad Robot cycle. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Josh Hartnett, Eva Green, Billie Piper, Timothy Dalton, Reeve Carney, Harry Treadaway
Premiere date: Spring 2014

This could be one of the year’s biggest revelations or its biggest failures. The Showtime project is described as a “psychosexual horror series” that will link new takes on the origin stories of Frankenstein and his monster, Dracula, Dorian Gray and the like (so kind of like this classic episode of Scooby-Doo?) in Victorian London. In this post American Horror Story and Sleepy Hollow world, the margin of success for psychosexual horror and fun new twists on classic horror-literature tales is higher than it would’ve been just four years ago.

Or it could be as disastrous as that other Victorian London-based literary revamp: you know, the one about Count Dracula plotting to…bring alternative energy solutions to England. Fingers crossed that Penny takes its cues from the proper forebears. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Sean Astin, Aris Athanasopoulos, Serje Basi, Javier Botet
Premiere Date: July 2014

Another year, another vampire series. But before you write off The Strain, you'll be happy to know the series was created by horror master Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan, which means it won't be another vampire centred melodrama with love triangles a la Twilight or The Vampire Diaries. The Strain is based on a book trilogy of the same name, and it's the story about a vampiric plague that begins to spread in New York after an airplane full of corpses and few survivors mysteriously lands at JFK airport. Epidemiologist Dr. Ephraim Goodweather and others must fight to contain the virus and save the city and his family.

With Carlton Cuse (Lost) as the showrunner, we're expecting some mind-blowing drama and some bloody good scares. —Debbie Encalada

Stars: Steve Buscemi, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham, Stephen Graham, Vincent Piazza, Michael Kenneth Williams, Gretchen Mol, Jeffrey Wright
Premiere date: September 2014

Last fall’s fourth season was hailed by many as the show’s best run yet, perhaps even its breakout season. Real Boardwalk fans know the series is actually 4/4. Even still, this most recent, beautifully depressing season fired on all cylinders, expanding the screen-time for some fan favorite characters while claiming the lives of others.

Now that Boardwalk Empire finally has your attention, where does it go from here? More carefully constructed poetic misery would be a safe bet. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, Jimmy Smits, Kim Coates, Tommy Flanagan, Theo Rossi, Dayton Callie, Mark Boone Junior
Premiere date: September 2014

This is the end. After six seasons of bullets and betrayal, this is the year the Shakespearean biker drama finally comes to an inevitably bloody close, and the table is set for one hell of a mother-son showdown. No doubt creator Kurt Sutter has a few more narrative tricks up his sleeve for these last 13 episodes, but he’s long compared Sons to a loose adaptation of Hamlet. How’d that tale end for all involved again? —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Taissa Farmiga, Emma Roberts, Evan Peters, Frances Conroy
Premiere date: January 8 (second half of season 3)/October 2014

With 2014 comes the last four episodes of American Horror Story: Coven, and the answers to all questions posed during its fall 2013 run. Who is the next supreme? Will Fiona conquer death? Will the coven defeat the witch hunters? Will Kyle ever speak proper English again? If Coven’s climax is even half as thrilling as its predecessor Asylum’s was, then audiences are in for a treat.

Of course, before the year is up, the next installment of the anthology will debut, the theme of which fans have been guessing since before Coven passed the halfway mark. AHS troupe members Paulson, Peters, Conroy, and newbies Angela Bassett and Kathy Bates will all probably return, but most important, Jessica Lange is claiming that season four will be her last, for real this time. Better make it count, Mr. Murphy. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Ellie Kemper
Premiere date: Fall 2014

Tina Fey won’t be in front of the camera for this one, but here she’s the mastermind behind another comedy about a single woman trying to make it in New York City, a premise she’s already aced once before. This time the lead is Ellie Kemper (Bridesmaids, The Office), whose character tries to start over in NYC after wising up and escaping a doomsday cult. If nobody has suggested Jack McBrayer as the cult leader yet, consider this our two cents. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Ben Savage, Danielle Fishel, Rowan Blanchard, Sabrina Carpenter
Premiere date: TBA

If you’re a late '80s/early '90s baby that means you logged countless hours on ABC’s TGIF sitcom block back in the day (and if you didn’t, please kindly hand in your '80s/'90s baby card, thanks). That means, no matter how old you are now, you owe it to your adolescent self to at least watch the first few episodes of Girl Meets World, the sequel series we didn’t know we wanted but we definitely deserve.

Be honest with yourself: you’re dying to see how adulthood’s treating Cory and Topanga Matthews, and whether Shawn, Eric and/or Mr. Feeny will pop up for a cameo (or hopefully to stay?!). Maybe there’ll even be some younger viewers to care about the middle school misadventures of Cory and Topanga’s offspring and titular girl, Riley. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Glenn Howerton, Oliver Platt, Kate Walsh, Bob Odenkirck, Joey King, Peter Breitmayer, Tom Musgrave, Josh Close, Russell Harvard, Adam Goldberg
Premiere date: TBA

FX is bringing the Coen brothers to the small screen with a TV adaptation of Fargo, the Coens 1996 classic tale of a kidnapping gone wrong. Rather than retell the events of that movie over 10 episodes, Fargo: The TV Show will follow a new case, but with the same sense of humor and cold worldview as the film. It sounds like it might explode in everyone's faces like blood out of a wood chipper. But we'll all have to wait and see.

At any rate, the cast is solid. —Ross Scarano

Stars: TJ Miller, Thomas Middleditch, Josh Brener, Lindsey Broad, Amanda Crew, Angela Trimbur, Zach Woods
Premiere date: TBA

A single-camera comedy set in the land of tech companies, from the guy behind Office Space. And it’s on HBO. Not much else is known about the series beyond that, but really, what else do you need to know? —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Carrie Coon, Christopher Eccleston, Ann Dowd, Amanda Warren, Liv Tyler, Michael Gaston, Margaret Qualley, Charlie Carver, Max Carver, Chris Zylka, Emily Meade
Premiere date: TBA

Arguably the most anticipated new series of the year, Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof returns to the small screen, joining forces with HBO to present The Leftovers, which poses the question: in the wake of The Rapture, what happens to those who didn’t make it on to Heaven’s guest list?

Lost fans are already imagining the awesomeness that awaits a “Live together, die alone” the pay cable version. And if you’re of the mind that Lost fell off, instead imagine what Lindelof can accomplish on the boundary-free, most artistically supportive network out, with the specter of Lost’s mistakes and backlash constantly hanging over him.

Whether you view Lindelof as a king coming back to his domain or an exile returning to rectify his mistakes, there’s no doubt all eyes will be on The Leftovers. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Clive Owen
Premiere date: TBA

There was a brief era when it seemed as if Clive Owen was going to be Hollywood’s next leading man. Now, given his recent filmography, cable TV seems about right for him. This year he’ll star in Steven Soderbergh’s The Knick, which follows the boundary-pushing, innovative staff of New York’s Knickerbocker Hospital circa early twentieth century, i.e. the period of high mortality rates and few antibiotics. Since it’s on Cinemax, it’s probably safe to assume the “Knicks” will take a few stress-relief cues from Grey’s Anatomy. —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Taylor Schilling, Danielle Brooks, Taryn Manning, Emma Myles, Jason Biggs, Kate Mulgrew, Natasha Lyonne, Pablo Schreiber, Dascha Polanco, Samira Wiley
Premiere date: TBA

There are a few reasons why the first season of Orange Is the New Black became Netflix's most successful show: a diverse and talented cast with palpable chemistry, solid and hilarous writing, and its commitment to telling the backstories of each of its characters. In short, it was the most accessible new show last year.

If you aren't familiar, OITNB follows the daily lives of woman in prison, introduced to audiences by its main protagonist, the reformed WASP Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling). Season one saw her assimilate to her environment, and pushed her to make deadly decisons. Not much has been revealed about the sophomore season of the show, which follows the daily lives of women in prison, but there is one thing fans of the show can't wait to see answered: what the hell is going to happen to Piper? —Tara Aquino

Stars: Lee Pace, Scoot McNairy, Kerry Bishé, Mackenzie Davis, Toby Huss, David Wilson Barnes
Premiere date: TBA

Set in the 1980s during the computing boom, the first of AMC’s two new dramas (the first time the network has ever picked up two scripted series in the same cycle), the show’s cast of characters includes a visionary, an engineer, and a prodigy who consistently butt heads with the giant corporations who oppose their innovations.

The success of Halt & Catch Fire—an assembly language instruction which causes a computer to do just what the title suggests—is probably going to come down to its tone and pace. The early ’80s technology boom is a relatively untapped narrative source, but will it make for an engaging one? —Frazier Tharpe

Stars: Jamie Bell, Meegan Warner, Daniel Henshall, Burn Gorman, Seth Numrich, Heather Lind, Angus Macfayden, Kevin McNally
Premiere date: TBA

This period drama chronicles the lives of a New York farmer and his childhood friends, who band together in the summer of 1778 to form America’s first group of spies and help influence the outcome of the Revolutionary War. While it’s based on Alexander Rose’s book Washington’s Spies, the series itself sounds like a fusion of fellow AMC shows Hell on Wheels and Rubicon, both of which failed to gain huge audiences. By combining elements of both, maybe AMC has finally found a period series to match Mad Men’s acclaim. —Frazier Tharpe