What’s a girl to do when her favorite show goes on hiatus? I mean, you could always get ahead on school work or work on that ever growing pile of laundry…or you could get hooked on one of these great series instead.
1. The Mindy Project
I honestly recommend this show to anyone who will listen. Mindy Kaling (who you may know as the absolutely hilarious Kelly Kapoor from The Office) plays Mindy Lahiri, the pop culture-obsessed OB/GYN living in NYC. The Mindy Project is hilarious and heartfelt without being overly sentimental. Whether you watch for the spectacular observational humor, the handsome doctors (Chris Messina as Danny Castellano and Ed Weeks as Jeremy Reed), the celebrity guest stars, or Mindy’s endlessly fabulous wardrobe, you’ll quickly find yourself obsessed. Plus Kaling is a writer and executive producer on the show. Can you say “girl power”?
Returns Tuesday, April 1 at 8:30 on FOX
2. Grey’s Anatomy
The fact that Grey’s has made it to a tenth season speaks for itself. This addictive medical drama is known for its dramatic season finales, and as Sandra Oh (Dr. Cristina Yang) has said that this is her last season, I’m sure that this season will be no exception. So far this season has shown us that Cristina and Meredith’s friendship is not infallible, and the effects of that will surely manifest during the last half of the season. Plus the show entered hiatus on a huge cliffhanger regarding several of the show’s crucial relationships at April’s wedding. I realize that this article is about getting caught up, so I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn’t seen the most recent episodes, but for those of you who have, OMG right!?
Returns Thursday, February 27 at 9 on ABC
3. Louie
While I recognize that Louis CK’s humor isn’t for everyone, for those who enjoy dark humor it is truly a gold mine. If you’ve seen his stand-up, you understand, as the show is basically an extended version of his on stage comedy. Louie has been on hiatus since September of 2012, and its fourth season has been long awaited. There is very little story arcing on the series, so you don’t actually have to see all of the previous episodes to start the new season, but they’re all on Netflix and they’re all hilarious. Do yourself a favor and tune in.
Returns in May on FX (date and time TBA)
4. The Pete Holmes Show
Okay so this is actually a late night talk show, meaning that you don’t technically have to be caught up, but Holmes is so downright lovable that you’ll want to watch everything you can get your hands on. His guests are more often than not his close friends who participate in some of the greatest ball busting ever shown on television, providing a hilarious contrast to Holmes’ undying affability. Need an example? Holmes wore orange pants on an episode featuring comedian Anthony Jeselnik, who described the host’s style as similar to “the CEO of a pumpkin patch” and all Holmes could do in response was laugh. If you can’t get enough from the television show, catch his stand-up comedy (two albums, Impregnated with Wonder and Nice Try, the Devil, both available on Spotify) or his weekly podcast, You Made It Weird.
Returns Monday, February 24 at midnight on TBS
5. Scandal
Shonda Rhimes knows a thing or two about creating addictive television shows. The political thriller has kept viewers on the edge of their seats for the past two and a half seasons, and the ratings only seem to be going up. Unfortunately this season will be cut short due to star Kerry Washington’s pregnancy (but isn’t it totally worth it to see her with that adorable baby bump!?), but there will be twelve more episodes once the show returns from hiatus. Washington’s fabulousness alone is enough to make me tune in, but there is also the promise of thrilling political drama and the amazing take-charge attitude of Olivia Pope. Whether you love Fitz or hate him, I’m sure plenty of Gladiators will be watching.
Returns Thursday, February 27 at 10 on ABC
6. Hannibal
I’m still in shock from the end of the first season of this visually stunning show. I would venture to say that this show is one of the biggest risk takers on television right now, and I’m not just talking about Hannibal’s bold fashion choices. The last season left viewers with a major cliffhanger, unsure what was real and what was in Will Graham’s imagination. For those who haven’t seen the show, I won’t spoil the end of the season. All I have to say is two words: WATCH. IT. Obviously, though, viewer discretion is advised, which in this case is not to be taken lightly. Literally they show people with the skin flayed off of their backs and posed as angel wings. This is not a drill, people.
Returns Friday, February 28 at 10 on NBC
7. Mad Men
Do I even need to put this on here? Come on, people. If you’re not already watching it, what are you even doing with your Sunday nights? Unfortunately this is the show’s final season. AMC has decided to split the seventh season into two groups of seven episodes, much like they did with Breaking Bad’s last season. The second half will grace us with its presence in the spring of 2015, so even if you can’t cram in six seasons of drinking, smoking, and behaving inappropriately with secretaries in the next few months, you’ll have plenty of time before the last order of episodes rolls around.
Returns Sunday, April 13 at 10 on AMC
8. Sherlock
Fortunately, our wait for series 4 of Sherlock will be significantly shorter than the last hiatus. In fact the next series is rumored to premiere during Christmas of 2014. Yes, you read that right. In just 11 short months, we could have three more glorious episodes of Sherlock’s peculiar brand of intelligence. The length of the episodes may seem off-putting, but if you think about each episode as a movie instead of an episode of a show, and you think about the fact that each series only includes three episodes, the task seems less daunting. That also helps with the typically lengthy hiatuses between series. Do I even have to try to sell people on this show? It’s basically perfect. That’s all you need to know.
Returns (hopefully) Christmas of 2014 on BBC