Winter TV Preview: 12 Shows You Need in Your Life

The weather outside is about to get frightful, so tuck yourself in on the couch for some of these delightful midseason TV premieres coming our way! There’s a great mix of sure-fire hit recipes to make us laugh, blockbuster book series brought to life, heart-racing drama, and old favorites spun anew to keep us entertained this winter. Here are some of the most buzzworthy shows I sure don’t want to miss—and think you should watch, too.

More Entertaining Ideas:

Winter TV Preview: 12 Shows You Need in Your Life

Chelsea Does

There are plenty of depressing headlines in the news, so let's take a minute to thank Netflix for gifting us with Chelsea Handler's take on things in this new documentary series. Don't get me wrong, the comedian is taking on serious topics -- from race to sexism -- but I, for one, am looking forward to a few laughs while she delves into the heavy stuff.

Premieres: January 23, 2016, on Netflix

Photo: Netflix
House of Cards

Get ready for some more FU in the White House! FLOTUS walked out on him in the season finale, and everyone's dying to see what their favorite politician, Frank Underwood, will do next in season 4 of this Netflix original series.

Premieres: March 4, 2016, on Netflix

Photo: Netflix
Fuller House

Everyone can go ahead and pretend they plan to watch this “for the kids.” LIES. We all loved the Tanner family growing up, and cannot wait to see what they’re up to these days, this time with our own kids watching along with us! Sure, it’s sad to hear that D.J. is now a recently widowed pregnant mom of two, but Steph and Kimmy come to her rescue, moving in to help with her kids (hmm…sound familiar?). We can only look forward to the hijinks that will ensue—and Uncle Jesse’s visits, of course!

Premieres: February 26, 2016, on Netflix

Photo: Netflix
Legends of Tomorrow

Who better to try and prevent the upcoming apocalypse than a group of our favorite guest characters from Arrow, The Flash, and some beloved DC Comics? Each time there is a crossover between those two shows, fans set their DVRs and rejoiced, so this mash-up of superheroes working together is sure to be a hit. Though the premise is dark, there’s bound to be the usual tangle of complicated relationships, humor, and personal growth in the vein of The Avengers franchise—which seemed to work out quite well for everyone involved in that team building exercise, right?

Premieres: January 2016, on The CW

Photo: The CW
Sherlock: The Abominable Bride

The gaps between seasons of Sherlock cause those of us who are fans of the brilliant show actual physical pain. Is it our hearts breaking? It is a mind crushing longing for clever programming amidst a sea of throw-away shows? Not sure. But when news broke that there would not only be a holiday special to tide us over, but it would throw the characters back into 1890s London? The interwebs. Blew. Up. Even if you're not a fan of the show (WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?), there’s a chance someone will place you in front of a TV on January 1 to make sure you don’t miss this special, and you’ll likely be a better person for it/fan for life. Not that I’m biased or anything. #Sherlock4Eva

Premieres: January 1, on PBS

Photo: BBC
Bordertown

When Seth MacFarlane and his fellow "Family Guy" writer puts together an animated show about two families living on the United States-Mexico border in order to reveal what their neighborly friendship is really like, how could you not watch? Bound to be both politically volatile and quietly insightful, feathers will absolutely be rustled and loud opinions will be shared over water coolers--but isn’t that exactly why we love this envelope-pushing guy?

Premieres: January 3, on Fox

Photo: Fox
Shades of Blue

I have no problem admitting that when I first read about this show, I got super excited. What could be better than a JLo hybrid of her characters in Out of Sight and The Cell? How about adding Ray Liotta and Drea de Matteo to the mix? BOOM. Dirty cops + single parenthood + FBI anti-corruption task force + this cast = it’s gonna get messy in all the best ways possible.

Premieres: January 7, on NBC

Photo: NBC
The X-Files

OMG OMG OMG MULDER AND SCULLY ARE BACK. Okay, technically this is the tenth season after a 14-year break and so far is only committed to be a 6-episode series, but it absolutely belongs on this list. How many TV shows do you know have been off the air for a decade and a half, yet still have 1.5 million Facebook fans keeping in touch? Weirdness and sexual tension sell, and "The X-Files" has both in spades. Prepare to see old favorites and new creepies with about a bajillion other people glued to their TVs that night.

Premieres: January 24, on Fox

Photo: Fox
Angie Tribeca

A lot of people were surprised to hear the words “Steve and Nancy Carell” and “cop show” in the same breath, but when the trailer hit and we all saw that this gritty drama is actually more along the lines of Naked Gun—resulting in just as many chortles as car chases—the anticipation began. Then we saw that Rashida Jones of "Parks and Recreation" was the titular character, sealing the deal. Case. Closed.

Premieres: January 17, on TBS

Photo: TBS
Baskets

This sentence is the best sentence you will read in forever: Louis C.K. and Zach Galifianakis co-created a comedy in which Zach’s character, after attending a prestigious Parisian clown college, tries to find his dream job, but can only get work at a rodeo as a clown named “Baskets” by a guy who drinks from a toilet-shaped coffee cup. This is pretty much fantasy television programming for anyone who enjoys the sensation of laughter. They would literally have to accidentally burn the film to make this not be a hit, with that kind of duo at the helm. 2016 can't get here soon enough!

Premieres: January 21, on FX

Photo: FX
Finding My Father

Normally I would not put a reality show on a list like this, but when it comes to people searching for family, I could not resist. In this eight-episode series, 16 people seek out their biological fathers on-camera, sharing their hopes, worries, and reactions as they discover what they were looking for. I imagine this will be an emotional rollercoaster for both the viewers and those on the show, revealing more about what we all need from our fathers, a common thread that just might make their journeys absolutely worth the watch.

Premieres: December 9, on Oxygen

Photo: Oxygen
The Expanse

So it’s 200 years from now and we’ve moved house to basically all over the solar system. Think that could go smoothly? You should know by now that MOVING NEVER EVER GOES SMOOTHLY. This show is based on the incredibly successful book series, whose authors were on hand to make sure that this version is palatable to the passionate fan base foaming at the mouth to see the logistics of living in space and a detective trying to get to the bottom of a very big secret that might just end mankind in action. My heart is already racing!

Premieres: December 14, on Syfy

Photo: Syfy