With the news that the forthcoming winter will bring forth a snap so cold that the very meters at your door will be crushed by the frozen water in your pipes, thoughts turn to box sets.

Sure, some people would have you up and leave the house to catch the must-see movies at cinemas, but with box setting, you can wrap yourself in a blanket, lie outstretched on the couch, and pause for bathroom breaks.

So here are some of the TV shows you might have missed that are worth catching up on over winter 2014…

• Borgen

[DR]

The Danish political drama brings the West Wing to Copenhagen, and throws in a bit of The Newsroom while it’s at it. The show, which aired on BBC4, is a belter of political intrigue and personal dilemma, seeing idealistic politician Birgitte Nyborg swoop to a surprise victory and become the Danish Prime Minister – a job neither she nor her family ever expected her to have.

Strengths: Bragging rights for dedicating some viewing time to watching something almost entirely in a foreign language.

Weaknesses: Unless you are a fluent Danish speaker, you won’t be able to keep an eye on your phone and social media for a solid 50 minutes a go – harder than it sounds.

Number of discs to work through: Nine

• Nighty Night

[HBO]

As the hours of daylight get ever shorter, this sitcom, the blackest of black comedies ever produced by the BBC, is just the thing you need for some uncomfortable laughs. Telling the story of Jill Tyrell, played with a caustic charm by writer Julia Davis, a hairdresser who’ll do whatever it takes to get what she wants, each 30-minute episode of her manipulative egomania will leave you laughing – even though you know you shouldn’t.

Strengths: The sheer brazenness of Davis’ writing and acting is brilliant.

Weaknesses: The final season is a series of ups and downs.

Number of discs to work through: Three

• True Detective

[HBO]

If you missed the breakout show of the year, then HBO’s crime series lives up to the hype. It's sort of like Murder, She Wrote meets Nietzsche, grounded by a stellar performance from Matthew McConaughey that swept the boards at every awards show. Though, for what its worth, Woody Harrelson, as his reluctant and far more grounded partner, quietly steals the show from under everyone else. There’s a mystery to be solved, and when the pieces start building to that finale, you’ll probably have watched about five episodes in a row without knowing it.

Strengths: Just how jaw-dropping and stylishly shot it is.

Weaknesses: The fact that you’ll stay up till 3am on a weekday to finish it.

Number of discs to work through: Three

• Fargo

[FX]

There were many naysayers when it was revealed that FX was going to adapt the Coen Brothers’ classic into a TV show, but it turned into something rather special. The icy bleakness of the Minnesota landscapes seems better suited for winter watching, and the show’s off-beat humour and occasional brutality make it must-see television. Not to mention the uniformly brilliant performances - with a special mention to Allison Tolman, whose role as Molly Solverson is the heart and soul of the entire show.

Strengths: The frozen weather and clever plotting make for the perfect winter box set.

Weaknesses: Getting over the fact that this isn’t the Coen Brothers’ Fargo.

Number of discs to work through: Three

• Louie

[HBO]

Like Seinfeld or Curb Your Enthusiasm before it, Louie redefines the word sitcom, striking a brilliant balance between sketch and situational laughs. Tied together, sometimes loosely, by stand-up routines from American comic Louis CK, Louie is a brilliantly insightful look at being a middle-aged man in America.

Strengths: The brilliant guest appearances by actors in roles you’d never expect them in.

Weaknesses: The occasional reference going completely over your head

Number of discs to work through: Six

• Amber

[RTÉ]

Arguably one of the most gripping Irish TV dramas ever made, Amber tells the story of the disappearance of a 14-year-old girl – though it’s what happens after the search begins to stretch into weeks, months and years that makes the show so compelling. Finding out what happened to Amber Bailey might well keep you up at night.

Strengths: A brilliantly paced slow burner.

Weaknesses: When it aired on Irish TV earlier this year, the finale divided the nation.

Number of discs to work through: One

• Portlandia

[IFC]

This sketch show from SNL alumnus Fred Armisen and musician Carrie Brownstein is a sharp skewering of hipsterdom and being on trend, and yet somehow a love affair with both of them as well. Taking place in and around the Oregon city, the diverse characters poke fun at absolutely every trope under the sun, and the show is filled with gentle and laugh-out-loud moments.

Strengths: The observational humour on screen is a perfect send up of what it means to be trendy.

Weaknesses: Most of the show’s best sketches are never repeated throughout its run.

Number of discs to work through: Four

• Avatar: The Last Airbender

[Nickleodeon]

If you’re hoping to spend some time with your kids this winter, you could do an awful lot worse than sitting down with the tale of Aang. Forget the universally-panned big screen adaptation of this smash-hit Nickelodeon series, the original will catch you off guard with it stunning fight scenes, mature themes, and comic relief. Plus this is just a stepping stone to the show’s sequel Korra, which is even better.

Strengths: Bonding with your family over a kids cartoon that’s frequently about genocide, but is actually charming.

Weaknesses: The first few episodes are a bit of an ordeal as the show finds its feet.

Number of discs to work through: Five

• Orphan Black

[BBC]

This BBC America series is the best-kept secret online, having built up a huge cult following and rave reviews for its star, Tatiana Maslany. To explain anything about the plot would give away some major spoilers, so all we’ll say is this: it all starts with a woman swapping lives with her doppelganger, and it builds into a gripping – and frequently hilarious – sci-fi mystery from there.

Strengths: Tatiana Maslany is really, really good at accents.

Weaknesses: Not being able to tell anyone what’s going on for fear of spoiling the entire show.  

Number of discs to work through: Four

• In the Flesh

[BBC]

If you want a zombie show that’s all blood and guts, then stick with the Walking Dead. But if you want something with some brains, try In the Flesh. The BBC drama tells the story of a post-apocalyptic Britain, where zombies are medicated and returned to their senses – and living as the undead, burdened by guilt and back in the community that they were trying to eat, and that was trying to kill them. If that all sounds pretty grim, it’s actually very cleverly plotted, and full of life.

Strengths: It’s a kitchen sink drama, with zombies.

Weaknesses: The Walking Dead might have conditioned you to expect a lot more gore from your undead telly.

Number of discs to work through: Four