We’ve become so saturated in new shows and series that trawling through Netflix, searching for something online, or flicking through the TV channels has become something of a chore.

There’s just so much out there, and the overall quality of television series has improved so much, that it’s gotten impossible to stay up to date with it all.

With all of that said, here are some series’ that we like the look or sound of in 2017. As per usual, we might not ever see these on Irish TV screens, or see them months after they’ve first been released, but where there’s a will there’s a way, and it’ll always be possible to watch a series online after it’s aired.

 TWIN PEAKS

What is it?
Anyone who’s watched the first two seasons of Twin Peaks will know that just hearing the intro music is enough to send shivers up your spine. First airing in 1990, the series starts off as a hunt for a teenage prom queen’s killer in the far north of the U.S. , and slowly spirals into a sometimes cheesy, sometimes terrifying half dream/half nightmare that only David Lynch could craft.

Why are we excited?
Returning after 25 years with as much of the original cast as possible, we can’t wait to see how the sleepy town of Twin Peaks has adapted to the modern world. Any fans of original will also know how much of a cliffhanger it was left on, so we can’t wait to see it conclude, or be pulled further down the rabbit hole.

Who’s in it?
As mentioned above, plenty of the original cast will be returning, as well as a host of new faces including Michael Cera, Naomi Watts, Amanda Seyfreid, Tim Roth and musicians like Sky Ferreira, Trent Reznor, Eddie Vedder. The acting in Twin Peaks is Fair City levels at times, so the musicians should be able to keep up with the script.

THE DEUCE

What is it?
A sordid miniseries based in Manhattan in the 1970s and onwards, and centring around the legalisation of pornography and the porn industry’s rapid rise (excuse the pun) in that era.

Why are we excited?
It’s on HBO, so it’s going to be a bit rude. Also it’s from David Simon, the creator of The Wire, which is arguably the greatest TV series ever. This series will look at the industry from a similar perspective, following both the porn-peddlers and the cops trying to stop it.

His last miniseries, ‘Show Me A Hero’ was also set in ’70s New York, but centred around housing in the city; ‘The Deuce’ should rattle a few more cages based solely on its subject matter (which it looks like it already has).

Who’s in it?
James Franco will be playing twins, which is always entertaining. Maggie Gyllenhall will play a prostitute-turned-porn producer, and Wu-Tang’s Method Man will make an appearance, among a host of others.

TABOO

What is it? 
A dark period piece about an adventurer in the 1800s, who returns from Africa, presumed dead, to rebuild his father’s shipping empire.

Why are we excited?
It’s a bit of a vanity project from Tom Hardy – if they call it an ‘event’ in the trailer instead of a ‘project’, or ‘series’ then it’s taking itself to seriously) – who’s working alongside his father Chips (great name) as well as Ridley Scott, creator of ‘Alien’ and ‘Blade Runner’. Period pieces always cost a bucketload to produce, so it should be visually entertaining, at the very least.

Who’s in it?
It’s starring Tom Hardy in the main role, so whether you hate him or love him as many people do, this might be up your alley. It’s also got a host of familiar faces from ‘Game of Thrones’ including Oona Chaplin and Johnathan Pryce – Talisa Stark and The High Sparrow – as well as Scroobius Pipp, for whatever reason.

LEGION

What is it?
A superhero who doesn’t believe that he has any powers, but instead thinks himself to be mentally ill. In and out of mental institutions all his life, he has to battle ‘multiple personalities’ in order to come to terms with his powers.

Why are we excited?
We were fairly saturated in comic book movies and series in 2016, and it doesn’t look set to change next year. FX and Marvel’s ‘Legion’ looks like it could pique our interest. It’s got a nice visual aesthetic with its bright colours and over the top characters.

Far too often mental illness is used as a plot point in films and TV series (“the bad guy did something bad just because he’s cRaZy!”), so once this series treats the issue with a bit of tact, it could end up as a highlight for the year. That being said, it’s a comic book adaptation, and comics don’t exactly do things too subtly at the best of times.

Who’s in it?
The main character is played by Dan Stevens, who’s been in Downton Abbey, so cast isn’t key with this one. Aubrey Plaza from ‘Parks and Recreation’ turns up as a side character.

THE TERROR

What is it?
Not too much is known about this one. It’s based off of a well received novel by Dan Simmons about a sailing expedition to the Arctic in the 1800s who are stalked and attacked by a mysterious deep sea monster.

Why are we excited?
It’s got monsters, sailors, and mystery. Sold.

It’s also coming from AMC who were responsible for broadcasting Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and The Walking Dead, so if it ends up with half of the success that those series do it’ll do very well.

Who’s in it?
A mainly British cast, there’s also a few Irish names in the cast including Ciaran Hinds, so there’ll be a genuine excuse to check this one out when it arrives.

THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS

What is it?
A TV movie made by HBO about the real life story of Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman who died from cervical cancer in the 1950s, but whose cells were harvested after her death and continued to multiply beyond human control. This essentially means that parts of her are still alive today, in medical facilities all over the world, that if massed together would weigh over 400 times her original weight.

Why are we excited?
We first heard of Henrietta Lacks from the Adam Curtis documentary ‘The Way of all Flesh‘. There’s something inherently creepy about the thought that your DNA might be harvested and then sold after your death. Pharmaceutical companies have even copyrighted these cells, leading to Lacks’ family battling them in court for the right to have Henrietta’s rights acknowledged.

Who’s in it?
Oprah!

THE WIZARD OF LIES

What is it?
Another HBO TV movie that follows Bernie Madoff, the Wall Street scam artist who committed the largest scale financial fraud in U.S. history.

Why are we excited?
Big budget HBO movie with big big names! Big money, big fraud. This will either bomb like HBO’s last big name TV movie, ‘Spector’, with Al Pacino as the demented record producer Phil Spector, or it could work out as Wolf of Wall Street for seniors.

Who’s in it?
Robert de Niro plays Madoff, and Michelle Pfieffer plays his wife. Hank Azaria, who voices about half of all characters on The Simpsons plays Madoff’s right hand man.