With hit shows such as True Blood, Boardwalk Empire, The Newsroom, and Eastbound & Down coming to a conclusion this year, HBO has found two new shows to continue their legacy of airing groundbreaking television. As two radically different, yet successful shows, True Detective and Looking, have been acclaimed by critics and audiences alike.

Among many viewers and fans on the internet, True Detective quickly became an overnight phenomenon. Premiering earlier this year, the show has been averaging 11 million viewers a week and has built an audience faster than any other show on HBO. Shows, like Breaking Bad, that carry the same level of production and edginess took years to grow such an audience. Against the competition of many events like the Golden Globes, The Grammys, Academy Awards, the Winter Olympics, and the return of AMC’s Walking Dead, the show has made a real breakthrough in the ratings.

Starring two major A-List actors, True Detective features Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson playing two detectives solving a series of murders spanning several decades. Using multiple timelines, the show presents a series of events from 1995 to 2012. Headlined by American Novelist Nic Izzolatto and Film Director Cary Fukunaga, these two took advantage of the medium’s greatest asset: time.

Three episodes into the series, HBO decided to hold the fourth episode until after the Superbowl. Its slow and deliberate pace sparked conversations across social media leading to the fourth episode being seen by many as the beginning of Act Two. The episode ignited discussion across the internet as it ended with a 6-minute heart-stopping, one-take tracking shot. Anderson Cooper, Rainn Wilson, and Emma Roberts talking about the scene on Twitter, and television critics remarked on its significance within the medium, the scene was beloved by many for being gripping television.

“We might not see another sequence of such sustained tension on our TVs in 2014. This is the crowning achievement of Cary Fukunaga’s True Detective direction thus far,” Erik Adams of The A.V. Club wrote.

In the same form as the highly successful American Horror Story, True Detective is an anthology series featuring a new cast of characters and story every season. Unlike American Horror Story, True Detective will not have their actors taking any other role in future seasons. Each season will feature its own concise story with a beginning, middle, end, and A-list actors.

On the night of the Academy Awards, McConaughey could be seen in fictional and actual form, simultaneously on television. Winning Best Actor for Dallas Buyers Club and with True Detective nearing its conclusion, the night was a high mark for his career.

Carried by film director Andrew Haigh and starring Johnathan Groff, HBO’s dramedy Looking is a realistic vision of a group of gay friends living in San Francisco. Andrew Haigh is most known for directing the critically acclaimed British film Weekend (2012), a story of a 48-hour relationship between two men who start seeing each other right before one of them plans to leave the country. Going on to win several awards from festivals across the nation, Haigh brought his signature cinematography and naturalistic visuals to Looking.

Tony Nominee and Grammy Winner Jonathan Groff, who played recurring character Jesse St. James on Glee and providing the voice for Kristoff in Frozen,   plays the main character Patrick. Alongside Patrick, who is a videogame designer, are his friends Agustin, an artist’s assistant, and Dom, an aspiring restaurateur. Together the three form an intriguing look at different stages of life, including reaching the age of 40, taking the next step in a relationship, and simply finding that special someone.

Trying to represent a cast of characters that aren’t purely defined by their sexuality or the perceptions of society, Looking goes to great length to provide a fresh perspective on the gay community. The first episode finds Patrick going on a date with someone through OkCupid.com resulting in a hilarious, but brutally honest portrayal of the queer dating community. Actor Russel Tovey who stars as Patick’s Boss, Kevin,  shared his thoughts on the show’s representation of the gay community.

“This is showing a section of the community where there isn’t any crisis in the fact that they’re gay and it isn’t the all-defining personality trait of each of the characters,” Tovey said.

Being the first show since Queer as Folk (2000-2005) to prominently revolve around a cast of gay men, Looking exceeds many of the stereotypes found within television that makes them accessible and family friendly. Instead, it provides an authentic and mature look at the life of those living a comfortable life in San Francisco and happen to be gay, allowing the show to explore the lives of its characters without a political force getting in the way.

With both seasons coming to a conclusion last Sunday, fans of True Detective and Looking should be happy to know that both series will be returning Spring 2015. With no official word on who will be the stars of the next season or the premise, True Detective fans expect to hear more about the upcoming season as the months go on. With it’s renewal, Looking has announced that three of its popular recurring characters will be becoming regular characters. Filled with gorgeous cinematography, quality acting, and intriguing stories both True Detective and Looking are considered to be two of the best shows of 2014 so far. Continuing HBO’s legacy, True Detective and Looking’s first seasons are only the beginning of their providence to what is currently known as the golden age of television.