The television was first showcased in San Francisco on Sept. 7, 1927. Two years later, the first commercially available television had just one channel. It was John Logie Baird’s Televisor, and it was used by the BBC from 1929 to 1936. Since then, thousands of channels have become available to the public. From NBC to CBS to ESPN, television has no limits. Each year, channels premiere new shows and returning series, and 2015 is no exception. Dozens of award-winning shows are making their season premiere in the next few months and even more are headlining for the first time.
Parks and Recreation
Tuesdays at 8 on NBC
Parks and Recreation began its seventh and final season on Jan. 13. Parks and Recreation is known for its comedy starring some of Hollywood’s funniest actors and actresses. The show is about Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) who works for the Parks Department in Pawnee, Indiana. She shows great love for her co-workers and her town. Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) who is in charge of the Parks and Rec department. Swanson plans to make city hall less effective and does everything he can to get that to happen. Season six of the show ended with Knope receiving a job for the National Parks Service as Regional Director in Chicago. The seventh season takes place during 2017, jumping forward three years from the previous season. The show has been nominated for and has won many Golden Globes, Emmys and American Comedy Awards.
The Blacklist
Sundays at 9 on NBC
The Blacklist continues with its second season beginning on Feb. 1. James Spader stars as Raymond “Red” Reddington who is a former U.S. Naval officer and current FBI agent. Reddington works with Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone) a rookie FBI agent. The two work hard to capture criminals, terrorists and other threats to the United States that are almost impossible to catch. Season one began with Reddington killing the first person on his “blacklist” to prove himself to the FBI. Throughout the rest of this season Spader and Keen plan to find and kill the rest of the people on Spader’s list.
The Odd Couple
Thursdays at 8:30 on CBS
The Odd Couple is a remake of the 1970s sitcom of the same name. It stars Matthew Perry as Oscar Madison and Thomas Lennon as Felix Unger. The show is about two divorced men who are good friends and move in with each other. The two friends are polar opposites: Felix Unger is an obsessive neat freak, and Oscar Madison is sloppy and messy. The new series focuses on the two men’s very opposite lifestyles, their ex-wives and their children.
The Walking Dead
Sundays at 9 on AMC
The Walking Dead is a post-apocalyptic, horror-drama series continuing its fifth season on Feb. 8. It has been one of the most successful shows on AMC. Andrew Lincoln stars as Rick Grimes, a former sheriff’s deputy located in Atlanta. As he awakens from a coma, he finds a post-acopcalyptic world dominated by zombies. He and his group of survivors continue their journey to defend themselves from walkers, cannibals and other survivors in hopes of finding their family. Based on the original comic The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman, the tv series has enough material to produce several seasons in the furure. The next season will take place with Rick, Darryl and the rest of the gang fighting off the walkers and living in the hospital.
Backstrom
Thursdays at 9 on Fox
Backstrom is a new crime comedy drama series that premiered on Jan. 22. Rainn Wilson stars as Detective Everett Backstrom who is an offensive but brilliant detective put in charge of the Portland Police Bureau’s Special Crimes Unit. He and his team, made up of other detectives, are in charge of Portland’s most serious and difficult crime tasks. Some of the other detectives include Nicole Gravely (Genevieve Angelson) who is very optimistic and helps balance Backstrom’s controversial behavior. Detective Backstrom always figures out a way to outsmart his enemies, manipulate others and crack the cases with the help of his impressive team. Rainn Wilson brings his crazy yet funny antics from The Office to a new comedic show.
