10 of spring TV's returning favorites, from 'Deadliest Catch' to 'Westworld'
Hello, old friends — and by friends, we mean our favorite TV shows. And as with any friend who’s been away for some time, it’s nice to catch up on what’s been going on and discover what’s new. These returning shows range from an ’80s spy drama taking its final bow to a Western sci-fi thriller about a robot uprising. Roseanne Barr is back to make us laugh, while a deckhand falls overboard during a storm. Here’s the rundown on 10 of spring’s returning favorites.
Silicon Valley
T.J. Miller finished his run on Silicon Valley last season, with his buffoonish Erlich Bachman left stranded in Tibet after visiting Matt Ross’s Gavin Belson at a monastery. That means HBO’s hit comedy will be charting new ground for its fifth installment. However, in most respects, it’ll still be the same show it always was, with Pied Piper mastermind Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch) still trying to make his tech-company dreams a reality — now by hiring 50 new employees — while continuing to battle with Belson’s conglomerate Hooli. It’ll have to prove that it can fill the vacuum left by Miller, but as arguably the funniest show on TV, it’ll continue to benefit from a peerless supporting cast, including Zach Woods, Martin Starr, and Kumail Nanjiani, fresh off his big-screen success with The Big Sick. Season 5 of Silicon Valley premieres Sunday, March 25 at 10 p.m. on HBO. — Nick Schager
Roseanne
The Conners bring the original blue-collar comedy tour back to TV, 30 years after the groundbreaking sitcom began a nine-season run. Not only is most of the cast back — beginning with show creator Roseanne Barr, who’s as salty as ever as a grandma — but the reboot also features the family’s next generation, too. Watch for the laughs, sure, but also to see how the sitcom explains away the hated finale of the original, when Roseanne revealed that John Goodman’s Dan had died, because Goodman is also back. Catch the return of Roseanne on Tuesday, March 27 at 8 p.m. on ABC. — Raechal Leone Shewfelt
The Americans
A lot of questions still need to be wrapped up in the spy drama’s final season: Will Philip (Matthew Rhys) stay in the agency? Will Elizabeth (Keri Russell) win the battle to bring daughter Paige (Holly Taylor) inside? And will Stan (Noah Emmerich) ever realize the mischief that has been happening right under his nose? So much drama, so little time! Expect things to happen fast once the first of the last 10 episodes of The Americans premieres Wednesday, March 28 at 10 p.m. on FX. — RLS
Legion
Fans of FX’s trippy Marvel Comics adaptation will be happy to hear that Season 1’s cliffhanger ending — where psychokinetic oddball David Haller (Dan Stevens) got orb-napped moments after defeating the parasitic Shadow King — is wrapped up early in Season 2. But that answer opens the door to a multitude of fresh mysteries facing David and his fellow mutants, including Syd Barrett (Rachel Keller) and Cary Loudermilk (Bill Irwin). And even though she’s been banished from David’s mind, Aubrey Plaza still seems to be lurking about as well. Dancing like Beyoncé, we hope. Legion Season 2 premieres Tuesday, April 3 at 10 p.m. on FX. — Ethan Alter
Trading Spaces
Even after 10 years, some things never change — such as the look of concern on people’s faces when designer Hildi Santo Tomás describes her concept for a room as “deconstructed penguin.” But that’s why the original home-makeover hit is still so much fun. The setup remains the same: Well-intentioned neighbors swap houses for two days to redo one room in each other’s homes, but now the budget is doubled — to $2,000. There are new faces, but we know what you want. Yes, all your favorites are back: from Hildi’s fellow designers Doug Wilson, Genevieve Gorder, Vern Yip, and Frank Bielec; to carpenters Ty Pennington, Carter Oosterhouse, and Laurie Smith; to eternally chipper host Paige Davis. New episodes of Trading Spaces air starting Saturday, April 7 at 8 p.m. on TLC. — Mandi Bierly
Deadliest Catch
There’s never been a boring year of this Emmy-winning reality series, and Season 14 isn’t about to start being boring. Fans can look forward to the return of Josh Harris and the Cornelia Marie, but they should also brace for a Summer Bay deckhand to fall overboard during a storm, the Brenna A to take on more than $30,000 worth of damage after being bashed by a monster wave, the Wizard crew to be ordered into their survival suits, and Sig Hansen and Jake Anderson to have one legendary wheelhouse blowup. Deadliest Catch Season 14 premieres Tuesday, April 10 at 9 p.m. on Discovery. — MB
Westworld
Photos for Westworld‘s sophomore year have already teased a gun-toting Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) continuing to lead the robot resistance against the titular theme park’s all-too-mortal owners. But we’re assuming there’s more — much more — to the next stage in Westworld’s evolution from a playground for the rich to a battleground for what it means to be human. New guests in the park this year include Betty Gabriel and Fares Fares, while Season 1 supporting players like Talulah Riley and Louis Herthum get upgraded to main cast members. All we know is that the promise of more Maeve (Thandie Newton) is everything to us. Westworld Season 2 premieres Sunday, April 22 at 9 p.m. on HBO. — EA
The Handmaid’s Tale
Like the Margaret Atwood book that it’s based on, the Emmy-winning first season of The Handmaid’s Tale ended with our heroine Offred (Elisabeth Moss) being driven way into an uncertain future. Season 2 will finally reveal her next destination within the dystopia of the Republic of Gilead; here’s hoping she avoids the same fate as rebellious Handmaid Ofglen (Alexis Bledel), who has been dispatched to the dreaded Colonies alongside poor Janine (Madeline Brewer). Meanwhile, expect to learn more about the inner workings of Gilead’s government via new cast member Bradley Whitford, who plays the republic’s master economist, Commander Joseph Lawrence. The second season of The Handmaid’s Tale premieres Wednesday, April 25 on Hulu. — EA
Dancing With the Stars: All-Athletes Edition
Right on the heels of the Winter Olympics — perfect timing! — ABC will be offering an all-athlete version of its hit reality show. Unfortunately, we don’t know a whole lot yet about the logistics of this four-week series, or — most importantly — know who’s in the cast. That’ll likely come closer to the April premiere date. However, what we do know is that Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews will be back as hosts. Dancing With the Stars: All-Athletes Edition premieres Monday, April 30 at 8 p.m. on ABC. — Wendy Geller
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Kimmy (Ellie Kemper) has come a long way since Season 1, when the eternal optimist arrived in New York City for a fresh start after being held by a doomsday preacher in an underground bunker. Tina Fey and Robert Carlock’s hilarious oddball comedy, full of the deeply layered running gags they perfected on 30 Rock, nails the difficult balance between exploring the deep trauma of characters like Kimmy, wannabe star Titus Andromedon (Tituss Burgess), lonely socialite Jacqueline Voorhees (Jane Krakowski), and change-hating landlord Lillian Kaushtupper (Carol Kane), and delighting in their well-meaning absurdity. At the end of Season 3, Kimmy flunked out of Columbia and was denied her dream job of crossing guard, but she found an opportunity at a friend’s startup company. Can Kimmy cut it in the tech world? And will that cute philosophy student (Daveed Diggs) follow her there? (Diggs is unconfirmed for the new season — but here’s hoping.) The first six episodes of Season 4 will drop in May, with the second half of the season premiering later this year. Season 4, part 1 of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt premieres Wednesday, May 30 on Netflix. — Gwynne Watkins
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