Talk about an appetising menu… viewers should be amped – their favourite TV shows are back for new seasons, with groundbreaking new shows joining.
DOWNTON ABBEY (S4): A trailblazer in the period drama genre, this award-winning TV series is back. Aside from the spectacular costumes, authentic sets and mesmerising cinematography, Downton Abbey is underpinned by great storytelling drawn from two polarised worlds: the upstairs (housing the affluent aristocrats of the time) and the downstairs (home of the help and the most salacious tales). The new season starts with Lady Mary mourning Mathew’s death. All those pent-up emotions erupt in the most vicious – albeit cathartic – way. By the way, Tom Cullen joins the cast as Lord Gillingham, an old friend of Mary’s. But it’s probably Paul Giamatti’s casting as Harold, Lady Grantham’s brother, that’s going to attract a lot of attention.
HOUSE OF CARDS (S3): Politics have never been more exciting and addictive in all their depraved glory. Kevin Spacey, as Francis “Frank” J Underwood, is a politician in his ruthless pursuit of the presidency after being passed over for the Secretary of State. He wears his charm on his sleeve, concealing the menace and threat he wields. He is magnificently supported by Robin Wright, as his wife Claire. In their world, everyone is collateral damage. And in the new season, the big question that surfaces is: will his demons come home to roost? Also, there is clear dissention within the ranks at the White House.
THE FOLLOWING (S3): The cat-and-mouse chase between former FBI agent Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) and serial killer Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) takes centre stage this season. Last season was dominated by Lily Gray and her equally evil twin sons, Mark and Luke, who devoted themselves to Joe. Of course, they were mere pawns in his I-want-to-take-over-the-world plan with his cult of psychos. In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Bacon revealed: “Everything does go south right away, because we find out Joe Carroll was really the tip of the iceberg. Michael Ealy’s coming on, and another character who’s coming on who’s fantastic is the Strauss character from the first year – Gregg Henry (Scandal) – he plays pretty heavily into it. And then there are some more. So it’s multiple (threats).”
VICIOUS (S1): There’s nothing like a deliciously razor-sharp comedy to spice up the appeal of the genre. And this fresh offering does just that. It takes the whole dysfunctional aspect of relationships and brushes it with campness. Of course, who doesn’t want to see Gandolf from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies in a more humorous light? Cast in the role of Freddie Thornhill, an over-the-hill actor who finds his life punctuated by many entertaining senior moments with his partner of 48 years Stuart Bixby, a former bar manager, in their flat. Their insults are caustic. Their visitors entertaining.
MOZART IN THE JUNGLE (S1): This is an edgy series akin to Girls and Orange is the New Black. Inspired by Blair Tindall’s Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music, this series traces the life of Rodrigo (Gael Garcia Bernal), a fictionalised symphony conductor, on his various high-profile gigs. This series has made a lot of noise. It’s an appetising dose of sex, drugs and classical music.
THE GOOD WIFE (S6): Fans are still reeling from the death of Will Gardner – more so because they still held out hope of him and Alicia getting together. That ship sailed when he was shot. This season promises to be as much of a game changer as before with Cary arrested, which puts a strain on the company to come up with the bail money. And Diane’s decision to jump ship is conditional – she wants equal vote at Florrick/Agos. It’s at times like these when they could use an Olivia Pope on their team. And the political games continue to proliferate in the background with Eli campaigning for Peter’s approval on something big.
RAY DONOVAN (S3): Liev Schreiber made badass look oh-so-sexy. A sort of fixer-for-hire to celebrities, this lead character has become a big hit with fans. Season two climaxed with Ray becoming unhinged by the collapse of his marriage, his f**ked up family and their woes with the FBI hot on their tail and a journalist sniffing around Sully’s death. It was a melting pot of high-strung emotions as Ray succumbed to his darker self. And so he has to pick up those self-destructive pieces this season…
TRANSPARENT (S1): This dark comedy has made a lot of noise at the Golden Globes this year, winning Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy for Jeffrey Tambor. It centres on a Los Angeles family with serious boundary issues who have their past and future unravel when a dramatic admission causes everyone’s secrets to spill out. Tambor is cast as Maura Pfefferman (born Morton L Pfefferman), a retired college professor of political science. Relationships unravel furiously as affairs are uncovered and sexual identities comes to light.
WAYWARD PINES (S1): M Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, The Village) is at the helm of this exciting new psychological thriller. Did I mention that Matt Dillon is in it, too? Cast as the lead, he plays the role of Ethan Burke, a US Secret Service agent who arrives at a small Idaho town to investigate the disappearance of two federal agents. And it has Juliette Lewis in it, too. She plays Beverly, a bartender who becomes Ethan’s unlikely ally.
TYRANT (S1): If you enjoyed The Honourable Woman, you are going to easily warm up to this political series, with a Middle-East slant. It centres on Bassam “Barry” Al-Fayeed, the youngest son of a notorious Middle-Eastern despot. Living the all-American life with his American wife, son and daughter, the past he has been trying to outrun for two decades catches up with him when he is forced to return home. Not long after that, he finds himself at the epicentre of a political conflict, with his more sadistic older brother not helping the situation. It’s fast-paced and laden with gripping twists…