JOE’s 2011 TV Preview

Forget the dross that passes for 'entertainment' on our TV sets the past few months, here's our five favourite new TV shows to look forward to in 2011.

By Emmet Purcell

When people think back of the current 'golden age' of telly, it's doubtful they'll ever mention Wagons Den, TV3's Take Me Out or Livin' With Lucy, RTE presenter Lucy Kennedy's increasingly desperate attempt to make celebrity homeowners make 'The Big Switch'. Instead, they'll fondly recall the first six episodes of The Walking Dead, BBC's excellent modern-day adapation Sherlock and increasingly convoluted final season of Lost. For 2011, there's much to suggest that upward trend of US-produced drama can attain its gold standard, while the launch of Sky Atlantic in two months should bring Boardwalk Empire, Big Love and Mad Men to the masses in greater numbers.

Boardwalk Empire - HBO

Coming to the soon-to-be-launched Sky Atlantic channel in April.

Is Boardwalk Empire the best TV show since Mad Men? It's certainly the crown jewel of the best US TV channel, the premium service that is HBO, and boasts the current most expensive pilot episode of all time (costing $50m and directed by Martin Scorcese). Set in Prohibition-era US, Boardwalk's period gangster depiction has recieved staggeringly positive reviews, with Time Magazine describing HBO's latest as the 'best new drama of the year'. If there's one reason alone why you should be excited Boardwalk Empire it's to see the often sidlined character actor Steve Buscemi finally cast in a role befitting of his talents.

Game of Thrones

Coming to the soon-to-be-launched Sky Atlantic channel in February.

Somebody really must have enjoyed Sean Bean's portrayal of Boromir in the first Lord of the Rings theatrical installment - he's after being cast in the lead role of HBO's forthcoming fantasy epic Game of Thrones. Bean will star as honorable Lord Eddard ‘Ned’ Stark, Warden of the North in an adaptation of the first book of George R.R. Martin's fantasy series A Song of Fire and Ice. Aside from Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules, TV exces haven't plunged too far forward within the fantasy genre yet Game of Thrones' gritty approach and HBO backing is more than enough to convince us that it could tap into the same unappreciated and untapped audience that clamoured for the network's vampire hit True Blood. Finally, anything with Sean Bean is always worth a second glance, so to see him helm his own HBO drama should be a treat.

The Cape - NBC

UK and Irish broadcast rights currently unconfirmed but debuting in US for January.

After completely dropping the ball in Season 2 and crawling to a cancellation last year, the absence of NBC's previous hit Heroes leaves a crater-like hole for audiences hoping for superhero antics. Enter The Cape, which may well become the biggest guilty pleasure of 2011. The Cape himself is Vince Faraday (played by David Lyons), a Palm City cop who gets framed for murder and is thought to be dead by the real killers. Faraday instead decides to take to the streets under the guise of his son's favorite superhero, The Cape. If it all sounds unfamiliar (and rubbish, let's be honest), that's because The Cape is an original creation (maybe 'original' isn't the right word), not based on any comic book property.

Cranking up the 'oh god, I shouldn't watch but I can't help it' is the fact that Vinnie Jones has signed on as a criminal illusionist. We're already laughing our heads off already and it's not even a comedy.

Hawaii Five-O - CBS

Set to launch on Bravo at an unconfirmed date

Dunna dunna dunn DUNN, dunna dunna dunna DUNN - yes, our hopeless interpretation of that iconic theme music is all you need to inform you that Hawaii Five-O is back, having skipped the horrible trend of 60s and 70s TV shows being remade for the silver screen, the new series iteration stars one-time Jennifer Lopez movie love interest (what an honour!) Alex O'Loughlin, Entourage's Scott Caan and Lost alumni Daniel Dae-Kim. Set appropriately enough in Hawaii, the initial episodes of the procedural drama has won huge US ratings, critical raves a full season order from its network CBS. We'll have to wait in the coming months for Bravo to finally announce when they're bringing it to our screens.

Terra Nova - Fox

UK and Irish broadcast rights currently unconfirmed but debuting in US for Autumn.

Believed to have the highest-budget pilot episode in TV history, next autumn's Terra Nova boasts a formidable pedigree in executive producer Steven Spielberg and Avatar villain Stephen Lang. Set in the year 2149 when life Earth is threatened with extinction, scientists have managed have opened a door that allows people to travel back to prehistoric times. The sci-fi drama focuses on the Shannon family, who join the tenth pilgrimage of settlers to Terra Nova, the first human colony on the other side of the temporal doorway. Lang stars as the first person to cross over to the colony. Not expected to begin on US TV until Autumn, Terra Nova is expecting to nonetheless have a 2-hour debut this coming May. Expect the hype to become deafening once an Irish station bags the broadcast rights. Also, expect dinosaurs.