Winter TV Preview: The 25 Most-Anticipated Shows

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – January 1, 2016

If you suspect that TV networks seem to hold their best shows back until midseason these days, well, you're not wrong. This winter, for example, will bring returning (and critically acclaimed) favorites like The X Files and Better Call Saul, while also introducing brand new series from the likes of Louis C.K. and Zach Galifianakis, Martin Scorsese and Terence Winter, and Ryan Murphy, among others.

Below, we highlight 25 intriguing shows scheduled to debut in the months of January and February, listed in order by premiere date. (For information on other upcoming TV debuts in 2016, be sure to visit our TV Premiere Calendar.)

14 of 26 photo by Ed Araquel/FOX

tbd : Season 10

This six-episode event series—marking the return to television of a show last seen in 2002—will go a long way toward determining whether the TV industry's recent revival fetish is a welcome development or an unnecessary cash-in. The new episodes will blend stand-alone storytelling with serialized elements and will return the entire cast (led by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, of course, but also including Mitch Pileggi, the Cigarette-Smoking Man, and the Lone Gunmen) and many of the original series' writers (including creator Chris Carter). Guests include Joel McHale, Robbie Amell, Rhys Darby, Lauren Ambrose, and The X-Files Files podcaster Kumail Nanjiani. The first episode debuted in October at New York Comic-Con to mostly positive reviews, and more episodes could potentially follow in the future if ratings are strong.

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