Returning shows include a blast from the past
Get ready for nostalgia, Russian spies, robots, dystopia and walking holidays. But not all at once.
Springtime is becoming one of the most crowded seasons for your favorite shows. And while there are a host of new entries fighting for your attention, some old favorites are returning, too — some after many, many years.
Here are some returning shows to keep an eye out for.
‘Roseanne’
ABC; starting March 27 (Tuesdays at 7 p.m.)
Revivals and reboots are the biggest trend in TV right now, and ABC is pulling out all the stops for the return of the Conners, more than 20 years after they signed off the air in 1997. The new season — with most of the original cast, including Roseanne Barr, John Goodman, Sara Gilbert and Laurie Metcalf — gets close to capturing the spirit of the original, even if it feels a little frozen in time.
‘The Americans’
FX; starting March 28 (Wednesdays at 9 p.m.)
After five seasons and many, many wigs, Philip and Elizabeth (Matthew Rhys, Keri Russell) have to make a decision about their fates as the superb Russian-spy thriller calls it quits. The show jumps ahead three years to 1987, as tensions on the world stage and within the family heighten, especially after daughter Paige (Holly Taylor) gets in on the family business.
‘Jersey Shore Family Vacation’
MTV; starting April 5 (Thursdays at 7 p.m.)
Nearly a decade after introducing guidos, grenades and GTL (Gym, Tan, Laundry) into the pop-culture lexicon, the original party animals of Seaside Heights, N.J., are back to wreak havoc — only this time, they’re heading to Miami with their spouses and children in tow. Expect no shortage of beer bongs and baby diapers in this show, which has already been renewed for a second season.
‘Westworld’
HBO; starting April 22 (Sundays at 8 p.m.)
New worlds await in the highly anticipated second season of HBO’s mind-bending sci-fi drama, which will introduce more theme parks beyond the Old West setting where humans can act out their darkest desires with robots. Like the cable network’s other hit series, “Game of Thrones,” details about new episodes are shrouded in mystery. But the latest trailer teased the return of Ed Harris’ nefarious Man in Black, as well as fan favorites Maeve (Thandie Newton) and Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood), sentient androids who showed stunning acts of free will in the brutal Season 1 finale.
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
Hulu; starting April 25 (Wednesdays)
The Emmy-winning drama returns to Hulu with a batch of harrowing new episodes focused on Offred’s (Elisabeth Moss) pregnancy and her fight to free her future child from the dystopian nightmare of Gilead. Moss’ former “West Wing” co-star Bradley Whitford joins the cast as a member of the totalitarian government.