Now that we’re in 2013, and all caught up with the last season of our favourite television series, it’s time to see what this year will bring to our TV screens.
With a few shows returning with their mid-season premieres and some with complete new seasons, the lineup for spring 2013 looks exciting. The must-watch quality dramas will surely be the subject of many conversations for the rest of the year from chronicles of Don Draper in Mad Men to the gruesome power feuds in Game of Thrones. Here’s a look at some of the best TV series making a return with gripping plots and shocking twists that fans are breathlessly looking forward to.
Game of Thrones (season three)
Coming back with a new season, Game of Thrones shows the violent struggle among noble families for the control of the Iron Throne. The show adapted from the fantasy novels A Song of Ice and Fire has made a fan out of all and drew quite a healthy viewership from Pakistan.
Twitter raved with plaudits last year when season two was starting. Season three premiers on March 31 and is already generating quite a buzz in the blogosphere and media circles. It has been touted as the most anticipated season of the series from the beginning of the show.
Mad Men (season six)
As we saw in season five, marriage has calmed and tamed Don Draper to great heights and it seems that he left his old wild and infidelity — at least for now. Lane Pryce is dead while Joan is the new partner at the advertising firm Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce (SCDP).
As it is with each season, nobody can anticipate what’s in the cards for Draper and SCDP. It remains to be seen whether Draper sticks his new and improved self or ricochets back to his old savage ways now that his marriage with Megan is out of the honeymoon phase. However, going by previous seasons, one can be assured of new riveting stories and plotlines and 13 hours of brilliant TV with season six of Mad Men. Fans need to hold on just a bit longer since the next season premieres on April 7, with a two-hour episode.
Suits (season two B)
The show is centred around a legal firm in Manhattan — Pearson Hardman. Suits is all about snippy lawyers, multi-million dollar lawsuits and shrewd power politics aided by a very crisp plot. The one thing guaranteed about this show is that it never has a dull moment; the thrilling drama always keeps the viewers on the edge of their seats.
Suits season two had its mid-season premiere a few weeks ago. The vicious power battle between two managing partners has temporarily weakened Pearson Hardman. This gave rise to factions and groups inside the firm and rival firms that are crouching around Pearson Hardman with their claws out, hurting the firm’s reputation. It remains to be seen how the new managing partner Jessica Pearson and her right-hand man Harvey Specter are going to tackle the situation and shoo away competitors.
Suits airs every Thursday in the US and each episode is an exhilarating ride in itself.
Girls (season two)
Fresh off two wins at the Golden Globe Awards this year, season two of comedy-drama Girls premiered last month on HBO. The show, which won for best TV series and best actor, circles around four girls in their ‘20s trying to make a living in a cut throat New York City. While the show is a bit too Hannah (Lena Dunham) centered and disconcerted, it has seen unprecedented critical and popular success. Girls consists of 10 episodes, and airs every Sunday on HBO.
What else?
Californication, Cougar Town and the prequel Sex and the City: Carrie Diaries have already premiered last month while Smash, Community, Walking Dead, Spartacus and House of Cards are set for showing in February. The good news for those who missed UK’s airing of Downton Abbey is that now it is being aired on PBS in the US every Sunday.
Watch this space for more on your favourite TV series and share your thoughts with us about your favourite series.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 14th, 2013.
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