There's no way around it — returning to real life after a restful and largely work-free Christmas break is ROUGH. But setting aside the crushing weight of our New Year's resolution expectations, and the fact that it's not getting warmer anytime soon, there's at least one silver lining to this January-cloud: new TV to watch!

In addition to returning favorites including Pretty Little Liars and Modern Family, we're about to be showered with a mid-season crop of offerings from the networks, and from streaming services like Hulu and Netflix that shun the very concept of "TV seasons." Some, such as the CW's Legends of Tomorrow, focus on characters that fans already know and love. Others will introduces us to faces we don't even know we're in obsessed with yet. Which shows will thrive? Only time will tell, but we plan to give each of these series a shot.

Check out the gallery above for five shows we're already assembling our snack plates for in 2016.

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