If you wanted to see more Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) after “Captain America: The First Avenger,” consider your wish granted. ABC’s new show “Agent Carter,” set in 1940s post-war America, gives an inside look at Carter’s life after Captain America’s disappearance, from her work with Howard Stark to the founding of SHIELD. The show will air during the mid-season break for “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD,” beginning on January 6.
Downton Abbey
Viewers have been eager to see what happens next on the beloved historical drama “Downton Abbey.” The Jazz Age-fueled season 5 is airing on PBS now.
The Musketeers
If you need to get your swashbuckling fix, tune in to season 2 of “The Musketeers,” beginning January 17 on BBC America.
Reign
“Reign” takes viewers inside the story of teenager Mary Stuart (played by Adelaide Kane), the woman who will become Mary, Queen of Scots. The show’s second season resumes January 22.
Black Sails
It’s like “Pirates of the Caribbean” but darker. This new Starz drama takes place 20 years before “Treasure Island,” following Captain Flint and his men as they come across thieves, prostitutes, and other pirate gangs. Season 2 begins January 24.
The Americans
Set in Reagan-era America, the FX drama “The Americans” follows KGB spies, played by Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys, posing as an American couple in suburban Washington. Season 3 picks up on January 28.
Mr. Selfridge
Jeremy Piven brings the titular retail tycoon to life in ITV’s “Mr. Selfridge” series, set in 1900s London. At the center of the show is the man and his department store, Selfridges. Overlapping ambition, flamboyance, and affairs ensue. Season 3 bows on PBS March 20.
Call the Midwife
The BBC series “Call the Midwife” follows the emotional highs and lows of midwifery in London’s East End in 1960. Season 4 premieres on PBS March 29.
Outlander
The much-anticipated series “Outlander” returns on Starz in April. Based on Diana Gabaldon’s best-selling books, the story follows WWII combat nurse Claire Randall (Caitriona Balfe), who travels back in time to 1743 and encounters Scottish warrior Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan).
Game of Thrones
Although the realms of Westeros are based only in the universe of author George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series, some aspects of the “Game of Thrones” storyline borrow from a range of historical inspiration found in medieval Europe. Season 5 will premiere in spring 2015 on HBO.
Penny Dreadful
Get ready to see a new side of Dorian Gray, Dr. Frankenstein and other dark literary figures prowling Victorian London in Showtime’s “Penny Dreadful.” The show returns in the spring of 2015.
Turn
“Turn” dramatizes the story of America’s first spy ring during the Revolutionary War. Jamie Bell, right, stars as Abe Woodhull, a farmer who helps form a team of secret agents aiding George Washington. The show has been renewed for a second season on AMC, airing in spring 2015.
Mad Men
The corporate advertising world of 1960s New York has never looked so sleek, sexy or ruthless. Season 7 will be the last chapter for Don Draper (Jon Hamm), ending in spring 2015.
Halt and Catch Fire
It’s the 1980s, and IBM is enjoying success a year after releasing its personal computer. In AMC’s “Halt and Catch Fire,” a former IBM executive, Joe MacMillan (Lee Pace), right, decides to create a new competitive product with a new company and help from Gordon Clark (Scoot McNairy) and Cameron Howe (Mackenzie Davis). The show has been renewed for a second season.
Masters of Sex
Science is sexy on Showtime’s “Masters of Sex,” which is based on real events. Research by Dr. William Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan) sets off the sexual revolution of the 1960s as they delve into the science behind human sexuality.
Doctor Who
Don’t want to be confined by time — or space, for that matter? Hop on board BBC mainstay “Doctor Who”‘s time-traveling police box, the TARDIS. The Doctor regularly visits different periods in history and meets historical figures along the way. Season 8 has wrapped on BBC America with a new Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi, and his companion Clara (Jenna Coleman).
