Shows to Start Your Year With

2017 is finally here and it already looks like it’s going to be a good year for TV show enthusiasts. The new year has brought a bunch of great new shows along with it. Here’s some of the new and returning shows that we think you should check out this January:

1) Taboo

A revenge drama created for FX and BBC One starring Tom Hardy in the lead role? What more could one ask for to kick the new year off with?! Created by Steven Knight and Tom Hardy himself, Taboo is a miniseries set in the early 1800s that follows James Delaney (Tom Hardy) who returns to Britain from Africa with fourteen diamonds to avenge the death of his father and establish a business empire for himself. Along with Hardy and Knight, famous director Ridley Scott has served as the executive producer of Taboo. The show’s cast consists of Oona Chaplin, David Hayman, Michael Kelly, and Jonathan Pryce. The series will contain eight episodes with Kristoffer Nyholm and Anders Engström directing four episodes each.

Taboo will premiere on 10^th January

2) Sherlock: Season 4

Everyone’s favorite high functioning sociopath is finally back this year after a long wait of three years. Season four picks up a little while after the events of last year’s Christmas special and follows Sherlock as he pursues the mystery behind Moriarty’s challenge from the grave. The show’s entire main cast returns in season four with Toby Jones set to play a villain from the original Sherlock Holmes mythos. Season four’s first episode, “The Six Thatchers”, aired on January 1^st and received mixed reception from the viewers for some of its plot progressions. However, it’s still great to have Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, and Mark Gatiss all back together after waiting for so long.

The second and third episodes of Sherlock’s fourth season will air on 8^th and 15^th January respectively

3) Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events

Based on the series of children’s novels of the same name, A Series of Unfortunate Events is an upcoming drama produced by Paramount Television for Netflix. This is the second time Unfortunate Events is getting a live action treatment and the first time as a TV series. The series is developed by Mark Hudis, who has previously worked on shows like True Blood and That 70’s Show. The show’s plot revolves around three children who get orphaned and go to live with their vicious relative, Count Olaf, and the tribulations they face there. Neil Patrick Harris will play the role of Count Olaf and the series will be narrated by Patrick Warburton.

All eight episodes of A Series of Unfortunate Events will be released on January 13^th on Netflix

4) Sneaky Pete

Sneaky Pete is a crime drama with humorous elements written by David Shore (creator of House) for Amazon Video. The show’s pilot was released back in 2015 and was ordered to a full season owing to the positive reception garnered by the episode. The show follows a criminal named Marius who assumes the identity of his cellmate, Pete, goes to Pete’s estranged family, and joins their bail bond business to evade the men who are after him. Giovanni Ribisi plays the role of Marias a.k.a Pete while Bryan Cranston plays the show’s antagonist, Vince. Bryan Cranston has also served as the show’s executive producer alongside director Seth Gordon and showrunner Graham Yost.

The first season of Sneaky Pete will be released on January 13^th.

5) Riverdale

Over the past four years, The CW has been successfully adapting characters and stories from DC comics to create what is now dubbed “the Arrowverse” gratifying both long term fans of the comics and new viewers. This time, the network will be bringing yet another popular comic book universe to life – Archie Comics. The show’s title, Riverdale, is the name of the fictional town where Archie and his friends operate. Riverdale is developed by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa who is the Chief Creative Officer of Archie Comics. The show stars K.J.Apa  as Archie Andrews joined by Cole Sprouse, Camilla Mendes, Lili Reinhart, and Ross Butler in the roles of Jughead, Veronica, Betty, and Reggie respectively. From the looks of it, Riverdale will primarily be a teen romantic drama following Archie and his friends as they explore the dark mysteries prevalent in their hometown.

Riverdale will premiere on January 26^th.

• About the Author

About Nisanth Suresh

I’m a Commerce student hailing from a small town in Ernakulam, Kerala. I am something of a cinephile, enjoy reading comics and fictional novels in my free time. I fell in love with TV shows after discovering the classic sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S when I was 13 years old. Over several years and a load of other shows, I discovered the strength of television as a medium for long-term, compelling story-telling. What started out as a leisure time hobby is now a passion and I’m always in search of great new shows to watch. I never miss out on opportunities to discuss about the shows that I love and hate and now utilize my position at SpectralHues to share my views with the rest of you.