Spring Pre-Gaming (The Six Most Exciting Spring Prospects)

Flowers blossom, plants bloom, and Television returns



After a few weeks hiatus, I'm back! And, to bring us back into the loop of what;s exciting on television, why not kick off the Spring season? Yes, there will still be recaps of what's left of the winter, (Better Call Saul, American Crime Story, Walking Dead, Survivor, Vinyl) but with the Spring shows starting ridiculously soon, let's dive into what's exciting and upcoming!

This Spring, we are mostly bringing back old favorites, but on wacky networks like Hulu, there are still new and hopeful shows coming into circulation. Between all the comedy and all the drama upcoming, what exactly are the six most exciting Spring prospects?





6. Fear the Walking Dead Season 2A (AMC)

Fear the Walking Dead is an interesting show. While the first season certainly wasn't an amazing showing, (although not a terrible one either) I do think that the show has potential. See, while there is a lot to be bothered about in Fear the Walking Dead, beginning with the rambling title, it certainly has made itself an original program, rather than the obligatory Walking Dead spinoff. Much like Better Call Saul, despite the fact that it is set in the same world as the original show, the creative team has done an excellent job differentiating the plot, characters, and themes. Right down to the rather over-saturated cinematography of Fear TWD rather than the raw grays and greens of Walking Dead, Fear just has a different feel. Though it'll take a lot of progression in writing and intrigue to get this show anywhere near the top of the list, I am interested to see what the writers can do given sixteen episodes instead of the six shown in the original season.

5. Archer Season 7 (FX)

I am not a very old person, but when I watch Archer, sometimes I feel that way. When the show started, it was one of these under-the-radar genius comedies, seen only by myself and the lucky others to have discovered it. It was the Rick and Morty or Man Seeking Woman of 2009. However, in the last seven years, Archer has finally gotten its due and exploded into one of the biggest comic hits on television. All of that being said though, like most comedies, Archer has grown somewhat fatigued. In many ways, it's the Seinfeld season nine effect. Is the show still funny? Of course! Is it as good as it was in, say, season four? Not particularly. However, with the Archer: P.I. theme that the show is taking up this season, it may be just the change that Archer needed in order to retain the quality of the earlier seasons.






4. The Path Season 1 (Hulu)

Hulu is a network that has been around a pretty long time, but aside from a very early program from them, The Booth at the End with Xander Berkeley, none of their shows have particularly captured my attention. Even 11.22.63, a show I was pretty excited for, failed to really get my intrigue after three or four mediocre episodes. However, that could all change with the promising new drama, The Path. Starring Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul, and set against a fascinating premise about the Occult, religion, and the questioning of faith, The Path could very easily be the show that rockets Hulu into the main stage of good television. And, even if it falters, it's just good to know that more and more networks are trying to make premiere TV, regardless of if it works this time around or not.

3. Veep Season 5 (HBO)
Last year, after the episode "Convention" aired of Veep season four, I declared that it was the best comedy currently on television. However, the showrunner and head writer of Veep, Armando Iannucci, left at the conclusion of the fourth season, stepping aside for former Seinfeld and Curb writer, David Mandel, to take over. Thus, with such a major change in the creative and comic department, it'll be interesting to see if Veep can retain its title of best comedy on TV. However, unlike most times when the showrunner steps aside and a newbie takes over (cough Brian Buckner replacing Alan Ball on True Blood cough,) I'm less worried. The aforementioned David Mandel is no slouch. First of all, he's already worked with Julia Louise-Dreyfus in depth during his tenure on Seinfeld, and second of all, Simon Blackwell, another of the major writers for all four seasons of Veep as long as during the entirety of The Thick of It, is staying on, regardless of Iannucci. So, although the head honcho may be gone, a well-seasoned comedy veteran will take his place, and the honcho's right hand man will remain at the court. I have no doubt that Veep stays as good as ever.



2. Turn: Washington's Spies Season 3 (AMC)

Though it's not watched as much as it should be, Turn: Washington's Spies as silently crept up to be one of the best dramas on TV. No, it doesn't get the buzz of Breaking Bad, Fargo, Mad Men, Game of Thrones, etc, but this revolutionary war drama holds its own in almost every department. Especially in the second season, wherein the show became more of an ensemble and introduced such notable historical figures as the infamous Benedict Arnold, Turn has TURNed (ha) into a personal favorite of mine. This time around, Washington's spy ring is looking to come head to head with the British side, leaving the disillusioned and enigmatic Robert Rogers somewhere in the middle, looking to wreak havoc on one or both sides. In addition, showrunner Craig Silverstein has promised that Alexander Hamilton will make his debut on the show, albeit without rapping or being played by Lyn Manuel Miranda. Whatever the case, I am stoked about the reTURN of Turn.

1. Game of Thrones Season 6 (HBO)

That's right - HBO's biggest hit of all time, despite a lackluster fifth season, still manages to come out on top as the most exciting spring TV show. Game of Thrones has quite a lot to be excited for going into its sixth season. After multiple character deaths and cliffhangers at the end of season five, fans are dying to see exactly where we'll pick up going into six. Though I have written extensively about my hate of the "fake-out death," the fate of Jon Snow is undoubtedly the top story going into the new season, along with the fact that Cersei Lannister is gearing up for war and that the last remaining Targaryan is surrounded by Dothraki for some reason. In addition, the amount of guest stars announced for this season is almost staggering. Already, we know that the great Ian McShane of Deadwood will play an unknown role, as well as Emperor Ming himself, Max Von Sydow! If Game of Thrones can successfully get out of the rut it dug itself at the end of season five, it'll go back to being one of television's best. If not, I'm sure the dragons, zombies, and breasts will keep us entertained for ten episodes.

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