Spies, Killers, Miscreants And Politicians, Too

The holidays are long gone and the weather is cold and gloomy, which means it’s time for me to settle into the couch and watch my favorite television shows until spring.

Plenty of great shows are debuting or returning this season, but I’ve narrowed the list down to five series I think you should watch.

“Parks and Recreation” returned for its seventh and final season on Tuesday, Jan. 13, on NBC. The show focuses on the parks department of Pawnee, IN, and features a hilarious cast: Amy Poehler, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza and Chris Pratt, just to name a few. 

The storylines are both funny and touching, and anyone who lives in a small town will surely appreciate this show.

“The Americans” returns for its third season on Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 10 p.m. on FX. The show is set in the 1980s during the Cold War and focuses on a married couple in suburban Washington, D.C. The twist? They are KGB spies, and their neighbor is an FBI agent. Also, their kids don’t know about their double lives. The show is incredibly tense, and Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell are magnificent as the couple trying to juggle these secrets and their family. 

“Better Call Saul” debuts on Sunday, Feb. 8, at 10 p.m. on AMC. This prequel to “Breaking Bad” follows Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) six years before he became Walter White’s lawyer. “Breaking Bad” was a small-screen masterpiece, so I’m looking forward to this new addition to the show’s universe. I’m most excited for the return of Mike Erhmantraut (Jonathan Banks), and Michael McKean is a welcome addition to the cast.

“Vikings” returns for its third season on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 10 p.m. on History. As you can probably guess from the title, the show tells the tale of a band of Vikings, particularly Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) and his family. Admittedly, I thought this show looked ridiculous when it debuted in 2013, but I gave it a chance and was impressed with the epic tales and action-packed battles. I don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s just say Lothbrok earned a new title at the end of season two, which should make season three quite interesting.

“House of Cards” returns for its third season on Friday, Feb. 27, on Netflix. The series focuses on Congressman Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey, who was just awarded Best Actor in a TV Drama at the Golden Globes) and his quest for power in Washington, D.C. Thanks to Spacey’s mesmerizing performance, I ended up binge-watching the first two seasons. I don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s just say Underwood earned a new title at the end of season two, which should make season three quite interesting. (I guess Underwood and Lothbrok have a lot in common.)