We're officially halfway through the year and the first six months of 2016 have provided some incredible television. Strap yourselves in though folks, because it's just the beginning, with some major gamechangers making their way back to the small screen, and some new faces making their debut.

Mr. Robot season 2 (July 14 on Amazon Prime Video)

The revolution has just begun in hugely successful series Mr. Robot, as Rami Malek returns to the role of Elliot Alderson, a young cyber-security engineer who becomes embroiled in a world he never thought he would be a part of. Recruited by a mysterious leader of the underground hacker group fsociety and helping bring an attack on multi-national company Evil Corp, Mr. Robot's second season will be focusing on the consequences of the events that have taken place.

Stranger Things season 1 (July 15 on Netflix)

Starring Winona Ryder, Stranger Things is a brand new series coming to Netflix, exploring the story of a young boy who completely vanishes into thin air. His mother, played by Ryder, along with her friends, family and local police all come together in search of answers, but are soon dragged into a world that involves top-secret government experiments, supernatural forces and a strange young girl, named Eleven. Matt and Ross Duffer write the series, and also serve as directors and co-showrunners. The pair are also executive producers, with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen also taking that role via their 21 Laps entertainment banner. Levy is director.

Narcos season 2 (September 2 on Netflix)

Fans of Narcos and those especially fond of lead character Pablo Escobar should go into the show's second season expecting death for the infamous criminal. New episodes will focus on the real life story of Escobar's attempts to remain in hiding away from the police, following his escape from La Catedral prison. In real life, he was shot dead on a rooftop by Colombian authorities following 15 months of escape, but whether or not the television series will stick directly to this chain of events is yet to be seen.

Marvel's Luke Cage season 1 (September 30 on Netflix)

Daredevil and Jessica Jones have been some of Netflix's biggest successes, and that Marvel high looks set to continue when Luke Cage debuts his own solo series a little later this year. Back to tackle crime in Harlem in his own unique way, actor Mike Colter who plays Cage has teased: "Luke is a person [who likes to observe] and he listens and he takes int account what people tell him... Luke Cage is gonna have to step up and be the man."

The Walking Dead season 7 (October on FOX UK)

Could The Walking Dead's sixth season have ended on any bigger cliffhanger? With Rick and company captured by Negan and the Saviors that stand by him, the group were to pay a price for the soldiers they had taken down in their travels. Negan was to bash one of their brains in with his barbed wire baseball bat Lucille, but as he picked his victim, the camera changed to a point-of-view frame, leaving the identity of the now-deceased character a mystery until the series returns. Frustrating, but something that ensures fans will be tuning in when the hugely popular AMC series makes its comeback.

Humans season 2 (Autumn on Channel 4)

This science fiction television series was for many a surprise hit, reeling in viewers who wouldn't usually sit down for a show based on the relationships between humans and incredibly intelligent robots, known in the series as Synths. Millions tuned into the show each week as it aired on Channel 4 in the UK, with writers Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley sure to be thrilled with its success. Eight new episodes will come to the small screen later this year, and Brackley is exciting, commenting: "We look forward to working with our partners AMC on series 2 of Humans and to more Synth-related adventures to come."

Fortitude season 2 (Autumn on Sky Atlantic HD)

The edge-of-your-seat series returns for a second season this year after becoming a huge success at the beginning of 2015, but details about exactly what will transpire during the new episodes have been kept firmly underwraps. What we do know is that Dennis Quaid has joined the cast, alongside returning members Sofie Grabol and Richard Dormer. Further new additions come in the form of Michelle Fairley, Robert Sheehan and Ken Stott. Sky Atlantic will be hoping for another big season, after the first's premiere was viewed more than 3.2 million times, becoming the network's biggest drama commission.

The Great British Bake Off season 7 (Autumn on BBC One)

Firmly cementing itself as deserving of its new place on BBC One, The Great British Bake Off is now a staple in the lives of families all across the UK, and the series is so popular that it's even made it abroad. Mel and Sue are at the helm with judging duo Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, determining just which amateur baker from Britain will be named the next winner of the Bake Off, usually paving the way for an incredible career in the world of cooking. Last year's winner Nadiya Hussain even baked the official birthday cake for the Queen's 90th birthday.

The Exorcist season 1 (Autumn on FOX US)

Following the trend of horror classics being brought to the small screen, such as the hugely successful Bates Motel, which acts as a sequel to Psycho, and the not-so-successful Dracula series starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, comes the first season of The Exorcist. Described as "a propulsive, serialised psychological thriller following two very different men tackling one family's case of horrifying demonic possession, and confronting the face of true evil", it's not clear just how close this series will be to the famous flick. Jeremy Slater is the writer-producer, with James Robinson, Barbara Wall and David Robinson serving as executive producers.

The Fall (Late 2016 on BBC Two)

Jamie Dornan and Gillian Anderson return as murderous Paul Spector and obsessive Stella Gibson respectively, in the third and final series of The Fall, from creator Allan Cubitt. Though things weren't looking good for Spector at the end of the second series, and many fans wondered if the show would ever return, we are set to get a batch of new episodes which suggests that he'll have survived his wounds. Will Gibson now be focused on finding justice for those Spector has murdered and be able to put the past behind her, or has Spector become such a part of Gibson's life that she'll be going down with him? This psychological thriller isn't one for the faint of heart, but it's certainly a rewarding experience. Let's hope it goes out on a high.


by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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