A shifty lawyer, a whiskey-loving clergyman, a dashing knight, secret agents, hackers, lovers, cops and music moguls are among the new characters TV viewers will meet as the winter season launches scores of new and returning shows.
As far as I'm concerned, the winter season has become the best part of the year for TV viewers. The major networks hold back some of their best offerings while cable outlets and streaming services premiere fascinating fare of their own. Not to mention, the weather usually is made for staying inside and enjoying the vast range of great TV.
"Better Call Saul," the "Breaking Bad" prequel, leads the "highly anticipated" pack of new shows that also includes the Chicago-filmed hip-hop melodrama "Empire," the "Captain America" spinoff "Marvel's Agent Carter" and the star-packed Netflix drama "Bloodline."
Series returning with new seasons include "House of Cards,""Portlandia,""Shameless,""Broad City,""The Americans,""Foyle's War" and many more. On the sad side, fans will say farewell to such favorites as "Justified,""Parks and Recreation,""Cougar Town" and "Parenthood" among others. (Read more on that here.)
Here are notable highlights of what's sure to be a bittersweet winter TV season for some.
Galavant
7 p.m. Jan. 4, ABC
Dashing Sir Galavant (Joshua Sasse) vows to win back his true love Madalena (Mallory Jansen) from evil King Richard (Timothy Omundson) in this merry medieval musical.
Marvel's Agent Carter
7 p.m. Jan. 6, ABC
Marvel Comics wants to rule the world, and this thrilling "Captain America" spinoff should help as Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) tracks down weapons of mass destruction in 1946.
Empire
8 p.m. Jan. 7, Fox
Dying hip-hop mogul Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) goes all "King Lear" on his three sons, pitting them against each other to take over the business-if his ex-con ex-wife Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) doesn't grab it first.
Hindsight
9 p.m. Jan. 7, VH1
Missing her ex-BFF Lolly (Sarah Goldberg) on the eve of her second wedding, Becca (Laura Ramsey) time-travels to 1995 New York for a chance to do things all over again-presumably the right way.
Babylon
9 p.m. Jan. 8, Sundance TV
An American PR exec (Brit Marling) tries to rebrand London law enforcement and smooth the rough edges of an old-school police chief (James Nesbitt).
Togetherness
8:30 p.m. Jan. 11, HBO
Two couples (Mark Duplass and Melanie Lynskey; Steve Zissis and Amanda Peet) share a house in this relationship comedy from brothers Mark and Jay Duplass.
Eye Candy
9 p.m. Jan. 12, MTV
A hacker (Victoria Justice) helps track down a serial killer who preys on women using an online dating site. "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke is an exec producer of this adaptation of R.L. Stine's novel.
Man Seeking Woman
9:30 p.m. Jan. 14, FXX
Thrown back into the dating pool when he's dumped, a hopeless romantic (Jay Baruchel) paddles through one-night stands and bad blind dates.
12 Monkeys
8 p.m. Jan. 16, Syfy
A man (Aaron Stanford) travels to the present day from the year 2043 hoping to stop a deadly virus from causing a global apocalypse.
Grantchester
9 p.m. Jan. 18, PBS
"Happy Valley" baddie James Norton plays a 1953 English country vicar who likes jazz, whiskey and solving crimes in this six-part mystery series.
Backstrom
8 p.m. Jan. 22, Fox
"The Office" co-star Rainn Wilson finds new work playing an alcoholic, cantankerous detective.
Sons of Liberty
8 p.m. Jan. 25, History
Colonial rebels stir up trouble for the Brits before helping to form the United States in this three-night miniseries.
Fortitude
8 p.m. Jan. 29, Pivot
A brutal murder shatters the peaceful life in a sleepy Arctic town in Pivot's first original drama series. Stanley Tucci, Richard Dormer, Michael Gambon and Christopher Eccleston star.
Fresh Off the Boat
7:30 p.m. Feb. 4, ABC
Set in 1995, this coming-of-age comedy follows an Asian-American family adjusting to life in suburban Orlando. Based on restaurateur Eddie Huang's memoir, it stars Randall Park (Kim Jong Un in "The Interview").
Allegiance
9 p.m. Feb. 5, NBC
A new CIA analyst (Gavin Stenhouse) turns out to be the son of deactivated Russian spies (Scott Cohen and Hope Davis) who are forced back into service.
Better Call Saul
9 p.m. Feb. 8, AMC
Criminal lawyer Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) used a different name six years before taking on Walter White as a client. We'll learn more about Jimmy McGill in this "Breaking Bad" prequel.
Schitt's Creek
9 p.m. Feb. 11, Pop (formerly TV Guide Network)
A formerly wealthy couple (Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara) are forced to move to a small town they once bought as a joke.
The Slap
7 p.m. Feb. 12, NBC
Events spiral out of control after a man slaps another couple's child. It's a remake of an Australian series, but with a stellar cast including Peter Sarsgaard, Uma Thurman, Thandie Newton and Zachary Quinto.
The Odd Couple
7:30 p.m. Feb. 19, CBS
Matthew Perry finally might land a post-"Friends" hit with this remake of the classic sitcom. Perry plays messy Oscar and Thomas Lennon is fussy Felix.
Good Witch
7 p.m. Feb. 28, Hallmark
Catherine Bell reprises her role as the sweet-natured witch Cassie Nightingale from the TV movie franchise.
Last Man on Earth
8 p.m. March 1, Fox
What's an average guy to do when the world's population disappears? Party! Will Forte plays the title character in this post-apocalyptic comedy.
Secrets and Lies
8 p.m. March 1, ABC
Ryan Phillippe stars as a good Samaritan who becomes the prime suspect in a murder case after discovering the corpse of his neighbor's son. It's based on an Australian miniseries now showing on Netflix.
Battle Creek
9 p.m. March 1, CBS
A gruff, cynical police detective (Dean Winters) teams up with a clean-cut FBI agent (Josh Duhamel) in this cop dramedy. It's from "Breaking Bad" creator Vince Gilligan, although "House" creator David Shore runs the show.
CSI: Cyber
9 p.m. March 4, CBS
Patricia Arquette stars as the boss of the FBI's Cyber Crime Division in the well-timed spinoff of the "CSI" franchise.
American Crime
9 p.m. March 5, ABC
A home invasion and murder divides a community across racial lines and causes more tension between the divorced parents (Felicity Huffman and Timothy Hutton) of the victim.
Dig
9 p.m. March 5, USA
An archaeologist and FBI agent investigate a murder in modern Jerusalem that involves a conspiracy stretching back 2,000 years.
The Royals
9 p.m. March 15 E!
E!'s first-ever scripted series sticks with the network's fascination for those living lavish lifestyles. Elizabeth Hurley and Vincent Regan play the fictional British queen and king and heads of a royally dysfunctional family.
One Big Happy
8:30 p.m. March 17, NBC
Best mates Lizzy (Elisha Cuthbert) and Luke (Nick Zano) decide to have a baby together, but just as lesbian Lizzy learns she pregnant, Luke announces he's met and married the love of his life, Prudence (Kelly Brook).
Weird Loners
8:30 p.m. March 31, Fox
Four singles who are looking for love share a New York apartment in this sitcom.
Younger
9 p.m. March 31, TV Land
A 40-year-old single mom (Sutton Foster) fakes her age by 14 years in order to get back into the workplace.
SOMETIME IN MARCH
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Netflix
Ellie Kemper's title character moves to New York to start over after escaping from a doomsday cult in this comedy from "30 Rock" creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock.
Bloodline
Netflix
This dark family drama set in the Florida Keys boasts an exciting cast that includes Kyle Chandler, Linda Cardellini, Sam Shepard, Sissy Spacek, Ben Mendelsohn, Norbert Leo Butz and Jacinda Barrett.
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