It must feel pretty good to be Walter White, a.k.a “Heisenberg.” A little more than a year has passed since he was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer and turned to manufacturing crystal meth as a means of providing for his family.

“Political Animals” has managed to do something that very few television shows are capable of accomplishing. Through its well-written screenplays, viewers venture deep into the private thoughts and lives of the Hammonds — a highly political family with a lot of drama — making each new episode more interesting than the last. Its complex characters are like nothing else on television.

Just when it seemed like HBO was done one-upping everyone else, the network again waved its magic Emmy-winning wand — whose magic I have begun to suspect actually stems from unending resources (I’m onto you, HBO) — and this time, out popped Girls.

Despite being more than a year removed from the last new episode of “Mad Men,” Sunday’s season five premiere was worth the wait. Don Draper and crew returned having undergone incredible experiences that set the stage for the future of this hit drama. The two-hour opener was truly a movie experience, reacquainting the audience with the late-1960s universe and the characters they learned to live without.

The abduction of a child is a parent’s worst nightmare. ABC’s “Missing” speaks to this hellish ordeal with a straightforward, action-packed plot, featuring Ashley Judd’s first appearance on a network television series.