The Five TV Shows You’ll Be Downloading Next
From gods to sex pioneers and HBO to BBC.
Weary of Westeros? Want a new formula to Breaking Bad? Zoned out of Walking Dead? Okay, perhaps not yet, but soon these shows will be over for the season (or *gulp* for good), and we'll be in the mood for something new.
To pre-empt this moment, we've found five shows that might even top the hits we worship now. Here are the soon-to-air, highly anticipated television shows that are a must-see (and that we hope are fast-tracked on some Australasian network soon, but don't hold your breath).
1. American Gods
Airing: late 2013/early 2014
Length: Six seasons of 10-12 episodes
Based on Neil Gaiman's award-winning novel American Gods, the upcoming HBO series of the same name is expected to grab the attention of TV lovers worldwide. The series, written by Gaiman and produced by Playtone productions, is based on the idea that the gods of ancient mythology do exist in modern America and are kept alive by the people that believe in them. The main character, Shadow Moon, is an ex-convict recently released from prison. Unimaginable events begin to unfold in Shadow's life and he begins to question his perceived conceptions of the modern world. Producers have confirmed that the show will air for six seasons, so get ready to lose days to any binge watching you choose to get into.
2. Under The Dome
Airing: June 24, 2013
Length: 13 episodes
A television series brought to you by Steven Spielberg and Stephen King? That already sounds like a huge success. Under the Dome, a CBS series due to air June 24, has a star-studded cast and producing team, including actors Mike Vogel, Rachelle Lefevre and Colin Ford and comics king Brian K. Vaughan. Based on the novel of the same name by King, who is also executive producer of the show, Under the Dome follows what happens to a town when they are cut off completely from the rest of the world. In Chester's Mill, Maine no one can come in and no one can go out. With 2000 people trapped under an invisible barrier, things are bound to get scary fast.
3. Family Tree
Airing: May 12, 2013
Length: Eight episodes
HBO, in collaboration with BBC2, just released its first teaser for the coming series Family Tree. The show, which stars the beloved Bridesmaids and IT Crowd actor Chris O'Dowd, is a single-camera, improvisational, documentary-style comedy series that follows the life of 30-year-old Tom Chadwick (O'Dowd) as he investigates his strange family lineage, travelling from the UK to Los Angeles. The series was created by Christopher Guest, one of the original mockumentarians who brought us This Is Spinal Tap, and frequent collaborator Jim Piddock and could well revive a flagging genre.
4. Masters of Sex
Airing: September 29, 2013
Length: 12 episodes in season one confirmed so far
Based on Thomas Maier's 2009 biography Masters of Sex: The Life and Times of William Masters and Virginia Johnson, Masters of Sex is a drama series set to premiere on September 29 on the always-impressive Showtime network. Starring Michael Sheen as William Masters and Lizzy Caplan as Virginia Johnson, the show follows the bizarre lives and romance of the real-life pioneers of the science of human sexuality and leaders of the sexual revolution, Dr William Masters and Virginia Johnson. While not much else has been released about the series, this tidbit is enough to grab our attention.
5. True Detective
Airing: Soon?
Length: Eight episodes in season one
With a superb, show-stopping cast, the new HBO series True Detective is without a doubt a show to look out for in the coming months. The series recently went into production and hopes to bring the contemporary crime underworld back to HBO. Starring talented doppelgangers Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, the eight-episode drama series has been in production since late 2012 but still no official word on when it will premiere. The series will follow an anthology vein comparable to the hit series American Horror Story, meaning the next seasons (if the first season is successful) will feature a whole new cast and a different storyline.