Another terrific year for small screen productions, and they have certainly gifted us with a variety of clever and creative storylines. It’s never easy to pick a list of the top 10 TV series, and this year has been no different. shows like Chicago Fire, Continuum, Deception, Defiance, Hemlock Grove, Motive, Orphan Black and Snape would have easily made this list in years past. 2013 has simply seen a plethora of quality offerings and to create this list you were always going to miss out on some great shows.

In case you missed any of these ‘debut’ TV series this year, they all come highly recommended and each offers something different from a variety of genres. There’s action, horror, history and drama galore, plus clever twisting plots to keep the viewer on their toes. Here are our favorites (in alphabetical order) for 2013 so far:

1. Arrow – Season One (23 episodes)

Millionaire playboy Oliver Queen has been shipwrecked on a remote island somewhere near the South China Sea. For five years he had only one goal, to survive! Rescued and evolved from the boy he once was, Oliver must now fulfill his father’s dying wish. He must use a list of names left in a secret notebook by his father to take down the people who are poisoning his city. To do this, he must become another person. he must become something the rest!

Arrow is the modern narration of the adventures of the DC comic book hero, the Green Arrow. Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg are the writers and executive producers behind the television series.

2. Bates Motel – Season One (11 episodes)

Having released in March 2013, Bates Motel is essentially a contemporary prequel to the genre-defining classic film, Psycho. It delivers on the promise of giving viewers an intimate look at how the psyche of a young Norman Bates begins to unravel. The series begins with Norman still at school in his late teens. Viewers enjoy the dark and twisted backstory and discover firsthand how deeply connected he was to his mother Norma, and how she helped shape the evolution of one of the most notorious serial killers of all time.

Universal Television studios have produced Bates Motel for the A&E Network. Carlton Cuse (from Lost fame) and Kerry Ehrin (The lights of Friday night) are the executive producers of the first season of the television series.

3. Da Vinci’s Demons – Season One (9 episodes)

Set in a time where belief and faith are ruled, a lone individual fights to unleash science and wisdom. Leonardo Da Vinci fights with a gift of incalculable brilliance. He finds himself in a contest between truth and lies, faith and intellect, the past and the future. The conflicting forces draw him into a game of seduction where those who hate him the most need him and use his ambition against him. His constant thirst for knowledge nearly becomes his undoing, but da Vinci’s genius triumphs and he emerges relentless and with the power to lift an entire age out of darkness.

The series premiered in April 2013. There is no confirmation at the time of writing that a second series has been commissioned.

4. Elementary – Season One (25 episodes)

A modern take on the Sherlock Holmes story starring Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock and Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson. The couple works closely with the NYPD to solve their toughest cases. The backstory follows Sherlock’s fall from grace in London after a stint in rehab due to drug addiction problems. An extremely eccentric Holmes escapes to New York, where his wealthy father forces him to hire, much to his chagrin, a “sober chaperone”, Dr. Watson. Battling his own demons after losing a patient and his medical license, Watson sees his new job as an alternative way to help people.

Sherlock’s previous experience working with Scotland Yard and his brilliance in closing the case ensure that he is welcomed by the NYPD. As part of his self-designed post-addiction regimen, he takes on the role of consulting researcher.

5. Hannibal – Season One (13 episodes)

Hannibal features characters drawn from the Thomas Harris novel “Red Dragon,” including FBI agent Will Graham and Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Agent Graham is a “special agent” or consulting agent who gives lectures to students at the FBI academy. Living with his own personal problems, his sanity is constantly in question and he sees Dr. Lecter for therapy. Unbeknownst to anyone in the FBI, including Graham, Dr. Lecter is manipulating and scheming behind the scenes by immersing himself in the cases under investigation. He studies the crimes and copies the facts to satisfy his own thirst for violence and death.

6. House of Cards (2013) – First season (13 episodes)

House of Cards (USA) is a modern look at US electoral politics as a reflection of the ruthless dark side of British politics at the end of the Thatcher era. The series follows the character of Kevin Spacey, an ambitious politician with his sights set firmly on securing the top job. With a goal in mind, he will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. With calculated manipulation and subversion, Spacey works tirelessly throughout the entire series to secure his path to the White House.

The House of Cards television series premiered on Netflix (webcast) in February 2013.

7. Red Widow – Season One (8 episodes)

Radha Mitchell is “the widow”, her husband is mistakenly murdered after a botched robbery by a local crime lord and she is forced to work for the crime syndicate to protect her family. Born into a life of crime, her father is a Russian mob boss and her dead husband and her brother traffic marijuana through his boat charter business. Mother of three children, all she wants is to pay off her debts to the syndicate and escape the life of crime. The events that occur will ensure that this is much more difficult to achieve than anticipated and she will do anything to protect her children.

Based on an original Dutch production, Dexter’s Melissa Rosenberg is a writer and executive producer.

8. Revolution – Season One (21 episodes)

A seemingly normal American family struggles to be reunited in a future landscape where every kind of known technology—computers, cars, planes, TVs, phones, and lights, essentially anything that requires power—has been turned off under mysterious circumstances. Set in a time 15 years after the “Blackout,” the series is billed as a “cloak-and-dagger” journey of hope and rebirth.

Together with her estranged uncle and a rogue band of survivors, a young woman sets out to rescue her brother, kidnapped by militia leaders for a dark purpose. They must work to survive and overthrow the militia to finally re-establish the United States of America. Throughout their fight, the underlying question remains why the power mysteriously failed.

Revolution is another epic adventure from the unstoppable forces of JJ Abrams’ ‘Bad Robot’ productions. Also in this TV series is Eric Kripke from “Supernatural.”

9. The Following – Season One (16 episodes)

Fox Studio’s latest offering, “The Following,” combines murder, kidnapping, and cult to great effect. With the massive star power of Kevin Bacon and a clever, twisting plot, it’s no wonder this series drew an impressive number of viewers from the very first episode.

The FBI estimates that there are currently more than 300 active serial killers in the United States. The premise of the series is to suggest a “what if” scenario of the possibility of these killers communicating and connecting with each other. What if they could work together and form alliances across the country? What if a brilliant, highly educated professor (and the serial killer himself) could bring them all together and create a “follow-up”?

10. Vikings – Season One (9 episodes)

Vikings follows the story of Ragnar Lothbrok, a real-life historical figure who was widely regarded as a great hero of his people and times. The series looks at the fascinating adventures of Lothbrok, his family and his Viking brothers. The story follows his meteoric rise to king of the Viking tribes. Beyond the fact that he was a fearless warrior, Lothbrok embodies the Norse traditions of undying devotion to his gods. In legend it is said that Lothbrok was, in fact, a direct descendant of Odin, the Norse god of war and all warriors.

Vikings premiered in March 2013 on the History Channel.

So this is our list of the top 10 TV series that debuted in 2013. No doubt most of our readers will have their own opinions and we’d love to hear your thoughts on our list and what you think we’ve been missing. For those of you looking to find something new and enjoyable to watch, I hope the above TV series will serve as some inspiration.