Max - Sultan of Television: Spring Pre-Gaming (The Six Most Exciting Spring Prospects)

It's time to test how the Spring compares to the excellent Winter crop of shows. Will anything be able to outdo the surprise amazingness of Better Call Saul? Rebound the way that The Walking Dead did? Provide laughs like Archer and Always Sunny? Time will only tell. For now though, just purely based off of show quality, trailer quality, and my personal expertise, let's check out the six most exciting Spring series!

The race to host award shows begins again

The Comedians is a new type of comedy. Starring Billy Crystal and Josh Gad, (a guy that I know from trailers of the movie The Wedding Ringer, making me somewhat skeptical as to how funny he is) it's an FX comedy about the making of an FX comedy. This is the type of show that can really go either way. At best, it could become an enormously funny comedy for TV lovers and everyday viewers alike. Crystal should be big enough to attract an inbuilt audience, and if Gad can prove me wrong on my skepticism, the show could come together incredibly well. It seems like True Blood's Denis O'Hare will be playing an FX Network executive, meaning that the show already has another asset to its name. However, if the comedy doesn't work out the right way, being more pretentious and obsessed with itself than actually focused on delivering laughs, it'll fall flat on its face. Likewise, if it goes the way of the dramedy, focusing on emotional trauma over stardom and being the face of a program, it could easily become aggravating beyond belief. Either way, it is more exciting than both HBO's Silicon Valley and FX's Louie just because of its newness. It could turn out to be miles better than those shows, or keel over and die. Let's hope it's the first option!

What a slick version of Owen Slater!

Speaking of newness, let's talk Netflix! To date, Netflix has been pumping out ridiculously high budget dramas, all of them brimming with potential, but none of them actually being all that good. House of Cards is fun, Orange is the New Black has its moments, BoJack Horseman could become amazing after developing itself more, and Kimmy Schmidt is fun enough. However, none of them really achieve "great" status. Otherwise, Marco Polo, Bloodline, and Hemlock Grove are actively bad. Thus, Daredevil means a lot for Netflix. It's a super hero drama, meaning that it can't take itself that seriously, but it can easily be very quality TV if done correctly. Boardwalk Empire's Charlie Cox and True Blood's Deborah Ann Woll headline the show, meaning that acting wise it has a good core. Additionally, the actual subject of the show, Daredevil himself, is slightly darker of a character than other superheros, meaning it can be a more nuanced show. Whether it falls into the Netflix rut that's appeared recently or not, the excitement is still there for Daredevil.

Who doesn't love the giant Scot in the middle?

Here we go - Eggs Benedict Arnold is on its way! In the inaugural season of Turn, the revolutionary war spy drama, things really began to heat up in the last bunch of episodes. While it didn't leave a huge splash on me as a viewer, ending with some interesting events but not ones that left me dying for more, I'm still quite interested in seeing what will happen in season two. Especially with the introduction of the infamous Benedict Arnold, a lot is sure to go down in the second season. It'll be quite interesting to see how things develop from here on in. My personal favorite character is Major John Andre, a sadistic British extremist, played much like Christopher Heyerdahl's Thor Gundersson on Hell on Wheels. I'm also a fan of Angus McFadyen's Robert Rogers, the British Sharpshooter. However, where Turn falters is its lead, Abraham Woodhull. Though Jamie Bell does a respectable, albeit not amazing acting job, the character isn't super compelling. He's whiny and complain-y, he makes rash decisions all the fucking time, and generally makes me root for the Brits. However, as a whole, Turn seems primed and ready to exceed its first season, bringing yet another hit to AMC's already awesome crop.

From Seinfeld to New Adventures of Old Christine to Veep,
Julia Louise Dreyfus is the queen of Comedy

3. Veep Season 4 (HBO)

Veep, if it delivers a strong fourth season, is hands down the best comedy on TV. Since Archer is good not great, Sunny is getting a little tired, and Silicon Valley has yet to really prove itself, the HBO political comedy is taking comedy by storm. Thus, I'm super duper excited to see both plotwise and comedy-wise what is in store for the fourth season. Selina is now president, meaning that stresses in re-election will be higher than ever. More debates, more smiling yet ready-to-kill conversations, and generally more quick comedy is sure to be on its way. In terms of debates, if we can get some more comedy along the lines of season three's excellent "Debate" episode, the new season is already going to be amazing. What makes Veep so funny and watchable though, is the comparison of the writing and the acting though. With Armando Ianucci's razor sharp wit piled on one of the best comedy casts ever, (Arrested Development's Tony Hale, The Groundling's Matt Walsh, Office Space's Gary Cole, and of course, the great Julia Louise Dreyfus) whatever Ianucci throws at the cast is handle-able. Now all we need is the long desired Peter Capaldi character Malcolm Tucker to come in and use his machine gun of wit to light up the American political system.

2. Game of Thrones Season 5 (HBO)

VALAR MORGHULIS!

Political intrigue, sex, violence, dragons, zombies, war, and Aiden Gillen await us in just another week or so. The HBO fantasy Goliath, Game of Thrones, is just about to come back. As we all are, I'm completely psyched for the new season. The major plotlines this season, as rumors tell us, will mostly be focusing on fan-favorite Tyrion Lannister and his adventures away from King's Landing. Not only is this completely welcome news, but it is also rumored that Bran Stark will barely be in this season, meaning that the most dull aspect of the show will also be mostly cut. Adding more intrigue is the historical evidence of Game of Thrones. Since its start, the show has only snowballed, getting better and better with each passing season. I enjoyed it in the first year, but it wasn't until season three that I was jumping out of my seat to see how things moved along. Heading into the fifth edition of the fantasy epic, I'm most looking forward to seeing Little Finger continue his subtle, brilliant, power grab. In addition, it'll be fascinating to see how the war between the Baratheons and the Boltons go in the north, and where the Greyjoys will fit into all the mess. To top it all off, we're going to see more Natalie Dormer, which in my book is always a bonus.

1. Mad Men (The Final Season) Season 7B (AMC)

50's vs 70's - the final battle

The ride ends here. AMC's gigantically critically acclaimed 50's-70's character drama is finally coming to an end, giving us seven more hopefully amazing episodes before departing our screens forever. So many different factors play into the final season. There's the prospect of time, and how the 70's will continue to affect our characters. Will Don, a man seemingly stuck in earlier times be able to really adapt? Moreover, will Don ever really find happiness? His marriage is in shambles, his professional life is only half alive, and his protege, Peggy, is more powerful than he is at this point. Speaking of Peggy, seeing her rise to power will be also fascinating.. Since episode one, when she came into Sterling & Cooper as a secretary, introduced to everyone by the also-on-the-rise Joan, she's only come into herself more and more. Climbing the ranks, splitting up marriages, and generally becoming a female Don Draper has been the narrative of Peggy. Will she succeed in her conquest or realize how much happiness Don actually has and cut it short? Finally, there's Roger Sterling. John Slattery's playboy business owner has been one of the highlights of Mad Men since its genesis, and watching how he ends his storyline will be hopefully incredible. In the end, it'll be quite a big loss when, in seven short weeks, Mad Men comes to a close. Hopefully it goes out in the most excellent way, adding yet another huge win on AMC, right next to Breaking Bad.