TV Shows to Check Out in January 2016

TV has been promoting its supremacy as a medium of telling stories over the past several years. Countless new shows are being released every year and one may find it difficult to choose what to watch and what not to. Here are five new shows with refreshing story-lines coming out in January that are worth giving a shot.

1) Billions

   Network: Showtime

Billions is a financial drama created by Showtime starring Emmy winning actors, Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis in the lead roles. Set in modern day New York, Billions is a detailed look into the world of money, power, and corruption explored through the rivalry between the cunning billionaire, Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis) and Chuck Rhodes (Paul Giamatti), a U.S. Attorney who is determined on bringing Axelrod in front of justice. Billions is created and co-produced by Brian Koppelman, David Levien, and Andrew Ross Sorkin along with Neil Burger, who directed the pilot of the show. Koppelman and Levien are popularly known for being the writers of movies like The Illusionist, Ocean’s Thriteen, and The Lucky Ones. Showtime is known for being home to popular shows like Dexter, Homeland, and Ray Donovan that have gained fan-following both in and out of America. From the looks of it, Billions will probably join the ranks of these shows since the production and cast of the show is promising. Billions’ trailer gives an idea as to what the viewer can expect from the show and it looks like the show will have an intense and thrilling narrative consisting of strong characters and performances from the actors. So, if you’re looking for a new drama to get into this new year, Billions should be a safe bet. Billions will premiere on the 17^th of January.

2)  Mad Dogs

Mad Dogs is a black-humor/thriller drama developed by Amazon based on the British series of the same name. Mad Dogs follows the story of five middle-aged friends who get together in Belize to celebrate the retirement of one amongst them and get caught up in a maze of strange and dangerous events including, but not restricted to murder. Mad Dogs’ trailer promises a fast paced thriller full of mystery and tension and seems like a darker version of The Hangover. The show’s cast consists of Michael Imperioli, Billy Zayne, Steve Zahn, Romani Malco, and Ben Chaplin. Chapin has appeared in the original British series as well. This adaptation is written by Cris Cole, who created and wrote the original series, and is produced by Shawn Ryan, who previously worked on shows such as The Shield and Lie to Me. The success of the original series coupled with the mayhem promised in the trailer gives enough reason to give Mad Dogs a try. Mad Dogs will be available on Amazon from 23^rd January.

3) DC’s Legends of Tomorrow

Superheroes have been taking over the big screen and mini screen over the past few years. Characters that were confined as the idols of a particular community have become household names today. With the premiere of Arrow in 2012, superhero television changed forever. The Flash made its debut in 2014 as a spin-off to Arrow and both the shows have created decent live-action adaptations of several comic-book characters. Yet another spin-off starring the popular supporting characters from both these shows was bound to happen at some point and now we’ve got Legends of Tomorrow. Legends’ plot involves the time traveller, Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill), assembling a team of heroes to protect the future by stopping Vandal Savage (Casper Crump) who was introduced to the Arrowverse last month. Some of the major characters included in the Legends roster are Ray Palmer/ATOM (Brandon Routh), Sara Lance/White Canary (Caity Lotz), Firestorm (Victor Garber, Franz Drameh), Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller) and more. Characters from Arrow and The Flash will also be appearing in LoT albeit in minor roles. While Arrow is not what it used to be and The Flash has also been faltering in quality with its cheesiness, they are both fun shows to watch and viewers can expect more of the same from this miniseries. The fact that it is developed by Andrew Kreisberg, Greg Berlanti, and Mark Guggenheim also gives cause for optimism. Legends of Tomorrow premieres on January 21, 2016.

4) Cooper Barret’s Guide to Surviving Life

Young adult life is a theme that has been tacked in countless shows and movies before. Cooper Barret’s Guide to Surviving Life is the latest addition to that club. Guide to Surviving life is a light-hearted comedy that follows the lives of Cooper Barret (Jack Cutmore-Scott) and his friends and family as they try to go through the titular theme of “surviving life”. The show is developed by Jay Lacopo for Fox and stars Meaghan Rath, James Earl, Charlie Saxton, Liza Lapira, and Justin Bartha in the main roles. Guide to Surviving Life’s trailer shows the characters experiencing the woes and pleasures of early adult life presented in a comedic context. Decent comedies are short in supply these days. The good ones either end too soon or undergo severe deteriorations in quality. Hopefully, Surviving Life will not suffer the same fate and will have something fresh to offer to the table. Cooper Barret’s Guide to Surviving Life will premiere on the 3rd of January.

 5) The Shannara Chronicles

The Shannara Chronicles is a fantasy/science fiction show developed by MTV based on the Shannara books written by Terry Brooks. The plot of the show is said to be roughly based on the second title in the franchise, The Elfstones of Shannara. The story follows an Elven princess, Amberle (Poppy Drayton), a human/elf hybrid, Wil (Austin Butler), and a human, Eritria (Ivana Baquero) on their mission to protect the Four Lands from an army of demons. Through the few teasers that were released over the year, Shannara boasts of a fast paced adventure set in a Tolkien-esque post-apocalyptic universe backed by magnificent CGI visuals. While the names attached to the show, such as Jon Favreau, Manu Bennet, and Terry Brooks himself are reassuring and the trailer footage is breathtaking, The Shannara Chronicles is still a show produced by MTV, a network that is known to cater to viewers belonging to a particular age group. Furthermore, MTV has not produced any notable original shows with the exception of Teenwolf. It is then a matter of concern that The Shannara Chronicles will end up being another franchise whose grandeur will be wasted on typical teenage drama and romantic dilemmas. Hopefully, Shannara will live up to its promises and become MTV’s first step in a new direction which aims at catering to an even wider audience. The Shannara Chronicles premieres on the 5^th of January.

– By Nisanth Suresh

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