Now that we're in the disgusting and repulsive time of the winter season, there's no better way to stay warm than to ignore the cold temperatures, become a couch potato and hibernate until spring. Luckily, TV's midseason is well underway, and I only hope that you've been catching up – or at the very least making sure your DVR doesn't fill to capacity.
While there are a lot of shows out there to watch, it's definitely worth taking a look at all of the new series that'll be premiering in the coming months on not only network and cable television, but also Netflix.
Whether you like family drama, married couples, cop shows, a loner, a dubious lawyer or superheroes, there's bound to be a series premiering soon that'll capture your attention. Here are 10 shows to keep an eye on over the next three months.
1. "Togetherness" (Jan. 11 on HBO)
Who's in it: Mark Duplass ("The League"), Melanie Lynskey ("Happy Christmas"), Amanda Peet ("The Way Way Back") and Steve Zissis ("Jeff, Who Lives At Home")
What it's about: Brett and Michelle (Duplass and Lynskey) have been together for a decade and have two young kids. Their marriage has hit a rough spot, and they both try to figure out a way to fix their issues. Meanwhile, Brett’s best friend Alex (Zissis), a failed actor contemplating leaving L.A., is convinced by Brett to stay and crash at his house. Problem is, that’s right around the same time Michelle’s sister, Tina (Peet), decides to move in as well, resulting in all four adults living together under the same roof.
Why you should watch it: Yes, this is yet another show about a marriage on the flux. They all seem common, and if you've seen the pilot, which recently debuted on HBO, a lot of it does seem familiar. The couple here seem even more well-off than the couple with similar problems in FX's "Married," but each couple seem to have similar problems.
Yet, what makes this show stand out is the talent behind it. Brother directors Mark and Jay Duplass, who have directed impressive indies such as "Baghead," "Cyrus" and "Jeff, Who Lives At Home," have directed every single episode this season, and if they can embrace human connection here like they've done in their films, then we're in for a treat ... even if it all seems familiar at first.
Also, the cast that they've assembled is awesome: We have Mark Duplass in front of the camera along with Lynskey – an underrated talent in the indie world – Peet and Zissis, who has worked with the Duplass brothers since pretty much the beginning of their career.
2. "Man Seeking Woman" (Jan. 14 on FXX)
Who's in it: Jay Baruchel ("This Is The End"), Britt Lower ("Unforgettable"), and Maya Erskine ("Betas")
What it's about: "Man Seeking Woman" centers on Josh Greenberg (Baruchel), a naive romantic on a desperate quest for love. When he's dumped by his longtime girlfriend, he enters the dating scene, a nightmarish hellscape of untold horror. Despite his agony, he continues his search for someone.
Why you should watch it: A romantic on a desperate quest for love? The basic plot line of this new series seems like a poor rehash of "How I Met Your Mother." That would be awfully boring, so thankfully, that concept is just the barebones of this series, which actually looks totally wacky in the best way imaginable.
The concept is based on "Saturday Night Live" alum Simon Rich’s book of short stories, "The Last Girlfriend on Earth." Rich also wrote the pilot, and the pilot is directed by Jonathan Krisel ("Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!"). Judging from what I saw in the preview, it looks like there'll be dead birds falling from the sky, a blind date that also happens to be a monstrous creature and an elderly Adolf Hitler. This all makes it seem like love – and the show itself – are definitely "out there."
3. "Backstrom" (Jan. 22 on Fox)
Who's in it: Rainn Wilson ("The Office"), Dennis Haysbert ("24"), Kristoffer Polaha ("Life Unexpected"), and Genevieve Angelson ("House of Lies")
What it's about: "Backstrom" centers on Everett Backstrom (Wilson), an offensive detective who is in a constant struggle with his self-destructive and bigoted tendencies, and is part of a team of criminologists.
Why you should watch it: Rainn Wilson, who brilliantly – and hilariously – played Dwight Schrute in NBC's much-missed comedy "The Office," is returning to TV in the crime dramedy series "Backstrom." Far away from Scranton, Wilson is essentially playing a Dr. House-like character, someone who is a quite a bit off-beat and has a few kinks to sort out in terms of his personal life and, well, personality, to solve crimes as part of a Special Crimes Unit. This show'll play more like a procedural, but with Wilson as a self-destructive lead, it assures that this will be different from the other, and more by the numbers, cop shows like "Blue Bloods" and "Hawaii Five-O."
4. "Better Call Saul" (Feb. 8 on AMC)
Who's in it: Bob Odenkirk ("Breaking Bad"), Michael McKean ("This Is Spinal Tap"), Rhea Seehorn ("Whitney"), and Patrick Fabian ("The Last Exorcism")
What it's about: When we meet him, the man who will become Saul Goodman is known as Jimmy McGill, a small-time lawyer searching for his destiny and, more immediately, hustling to make ends meet. The series will track Jimmy’s transformation into Saul Goodman, the man who puts "criminal" in "criminal lawyer."
Why you should watch it: Oh, how much I miss "Breaking Bad." I know it had to end, but I'm still reeling from the series finale. While there's a good chance we won't see Walter White on screen again, we will see his dubious lawyer Saul Goodman during a time that predates Heisenberg and blue crystal.
As it has been said before, don't expect "Better Call Saul" to be similar to "Breaking Bad," at least for this first season. While I'm sure creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould will be raising the stakes, this show will be a bit more on the comedic side with a few doses of drama here and there for good measure along with a few familiar faces down the road, or at least I hope.
5. "The Slap" (Feb. 12 on NBC)
Who's in it: Peter Sarsgaard ("The Killing"), Zachary Quinto ("Star Trek"), Thandie Newton ("Good Deeds"), and Uma Thurman ("Nymphomaniac")
What it's about: "The Slap" is a complex family drama that turns for the worse from one small incident where a man slaps another couple’s misbehaving child. From there, secrets are exposed, a lawsuit is filed and more drama ensues.
Why you should watch it: What makes me intrigued about "The Slap" are two things: ach episode is directed by Lisa Cholodenko, who recently directed the Golden Globe-nominated mini-series "Olive Kitteridge" for HBO, and the impressive cast.
Peter Sarsgaard stars as Hector (no, he's not reprising his role as Hector Hammond from "The Green Lantern," thankfully) whose hotheaded cousin (Quinto) slaps a couple's misbehaving child. The show focuses on the fall out after the incident, leading to bitter conflicts. I could only hope this 8-episode mini-series, a remake of the Australian series of the same name, will be a bit more compelling than the basic and uninspired title suggests. 6. "Battle Creek" (Mar. 1 on CBS)
Who's in it: Josh Duhamel ("Las Vegas"), Dean Winters ("Oz"), Janet McTeer ("The Honourable Woman"), and Kal Penn ("Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle")
What it's about: FBI agent Milton Chamberlain (Duhamel) and detective Russ Agnew (Winters) must team up to take down crime in the titular rural Michigan town.
Why you should watch it: Since AMC's "Breaking Bad" wrapped up, fans of the series have been waiting to see what creator Vince Gilligan does next. CBS put speculation to rest by giving the green light to Gilligan's "Battle Creek." The show centers on a mismatched FBI agent and a detective joining forces to take down crime. Yeah, this doesn't scream "I'm original! Watch me!" and it stars Josh Duhamel, who typically stars in rom-coms and a few "Transformers" movies. But, again, I trust Gilligan to offer the goods, even if those goods are hidden in what appears to be another cop show.
7. "The Last Man on Earth" (Mar. 1 on Fox)
Who's in it: Will Forte ("Nebraska")
What it's about: In the year 2022, all humans have been wiped from the earth for an unknown reason, except for one man: Phil Miller (Forte). With no one telling him what to do and no societal norms to subscribe to, Miller is free to do what he wants as he searches for other survivors
Why you should watch it: Even with successful movies like "21 Jump Street," "22 Jump Street," and "The Lego Movie," Phil Lord and Chris Miller aren't turning away television. In fact, they're the creative forces behind Fox's upcoming dramedy series "The Last Man On Earth" starring Will Forte, who was last seen in Alexander Payne's Oscar-nominated film "Nebraska."
The concept itself isn't entirely unique, and as the title suggests, Will Forte plays Phil Miller (taking out Lord and Miller of the producers names) who is the last man on earth. According to the teaser, he is "the world's greatest" handyman, athlete, lover, driver, collector, bowler, shopper, mixologist, marksman, plumber, slugger, daredevil, and survivor. With all those attributes, Phil Miller may be the most interesting character that we may see in this sort of scenario; one that probably won't have to battle vampires or any other monstrous opposition.
8. "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" (Mar. 6 on Netflix)
Who's in it: Ellie Kemper ("The Office"), Jane Krakowski ("30 Rock"), and Titus Burgess ("30 Rock")
What it's about: the half-hour, single-camera show stars Kemper as Kimmy Schmidt, a woman who, after 15 years in a doomsday cult, decides to reclaim her life and start over in New York City.
Why you should watch it: If you don't know who Ellie Kemper is, you obviously didn't watch "The Office." Her character on the show, Erin Hannon, was hilariously awkward, and spoke Dothraki quite well. A new off-beat series, produced by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock ("30 Rock"), and starring Kemper as the lead are the exact ingredients for a potentially great comedy dish, but unfortunately, NBC had no idea what to do with it and apparently had no room on its menu.
Netflix came to the rescue back in November and has already doubled the 13-episode order for a second season to stream next year. The 13-episode first season will start streaming on Mar. 6, giving us the opportunity to binge watch the first season in its entirety in one sitting. I'm pretty sure I won't be the only one doing that, right?
9. "Bloodline" (Mar. 20 on Netflix)
Who's in it: Kyle Chandler ("Friday Night Lights"), Linda Cardellini ("Freaks and Geeks"), Ben Mendelsohn ("Animal Kingdom"), and Sissy Spacek ("In The Bedroom")
What it's about: The Netflix original series "Bloodline" centers on a close-knit family of four adult siblings in the Florida Keys whose secrets are revealed when their black sheep brother (Mendelsohn) returns home.
Why you should watch it: When you're finished binge watching "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," the new Netflix series "Bloodline," which starts streaming on Mar. 20, will force you to tone down the laughter considerably. This series is already a big deal for Netflix because it marks the partnership between the streaming service and Sony Pictures Television, which is the company's first deal with a major film studio for a television series.
I know that doesn't say anything whatsoever about the quality of the show, but you shouldn't worry about that considering the producers of FX's "Damages" are behind this new series. With the cast involved, this could very well be Netflix's game changer alongside "House of Cards" in the drama category.
10. Marvel's "Daredevil" (Apr. 10 on Netflix)
Who's in it: Charlie Cox ("The Theory of Everything"), Deborah Ann Woll ("True Blood"), Rosario Dawson ("Top Five"), and Vincent D'Onofrio ("The Judge")
What it's about: The Netflix series follows blind crime fighter Matt Murdock (Cox), who’s a defense attorney by day and masked vigilante by night. The first season will focus on Murdock as he takes on crime lord Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin (D’Onofrio).
Why you should watch it: Another Netflix series to look forward to is "Daredevil," the first of four planned Marvel series that'll be streaming on Netflix along with "Jessica Jones" starring Krysten Ritter ("Breaking Bad"), "Luke Cage" starring Mike Colter ("Zero Dark Thirty"), and "The Defenders," which will unite the Netflix heroes together. Charlie Cox, who romanced Felicity Jones in "The Theory of Everything" and appeared in "Boardwalk Empire" as Owen Slater, plays the titular vigilante, taking the blind reigns from Ben Affleck. Let's see if the series will be better than the film. If I were to make a guess: I'm going to say that the producers won't have to work very hard in accomplishing that.
Colton Dunham's passion for movies began back as far as he can remember. Before he reached double digits in age, he stayed up on Saturday nights and watched numerous classic horror movies with his grandfather. Eventually, he branched out to other genres and the passion grew to what it is today.
Only this time, he's writing about his response to each movie he sees, whether it's a review for a website, or a short, 140-character review on Twitter. When he's not inside of a movie theater, at home binge watching a television show, or bragging that he's a published author, he's pursuing to keep movies a huge part of his life, whether it's as a journalist/critic or, ahem, a screenwriter.