With social media engrained into our everyday lives and so many ways to watch television other than tuning in live, we're living in the age of spoilers. Here's a look at some of the most spoil-worthy programming in what's being called a new Golden Age of television.
Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison in a scene from Showtime's series "Homeland." The taut espionage drama has been full of don't-spoil-them twists, including the death of a major character.
HBO's "Game of Thrones" seems to deliver one shocking moment after another -- from protagonist Ned Stark's mortal moment in Season One to the shocking "Red Wedding" of Season Three. Factor in that millions have read the novels upon which the series is based, and it's a prime candidate for spoilage.
Netflix created a whole new spoiler minefield with original shows like "House of Cards" and "Orange is the New Black." By dumping shows online an entire season at a time, there are inevitably going to be folks who binge-watch the whole thing days, or weeks, before other fans have the time. Throw in some of the shockers "Cards" has dealt out and you've got trouble.
The Winter Olympics in Sochi provided a new set of pitfalls for folks who wanted to watch in prime time without knowing what was going to happen. For most folks in the U.S., the events of interest had been over, and thoroughly reported, for hours by then.
When a show is set in the zombie apocalypse, no one is safe -- a truth "The Walking Dead" has shown time and time again, even with some of its main characters. Those "OMG" moments can be hard not to react to on social media, even by well-meaning folks not trying to spoil the fun for others.
Strip away the period costumes and posh accents and you're reminded that "Downton Abbey" is, at its heart, a great, big, pretty soap opera -- with all the sex, death and melodrama that entails. On top of that, there are folks in Great Britain who see it months before we do here in the U.S.
"Scandal" fans are pretty devoted and enjoy lots of interaction with the show's stars who take to Twitter to answer questions via #AskScandal during episodes. That also means viewers who have yet to watch may learn more than they bargained for if they hop on social media before they check their DVRs.
"Breaking Bad," which ended its five seasons in triumphant fashion last fall, had plenty of shocking, gotta-tweet-this moments -- especially in its dramatic final episodes.
- 'Homeland' returns after a critically-maligned third season
- The new season is basically a reboot
- Carrie returns with new issues in the CIA
Editor's note: The following story contains spoilers for the Showtime series "Homeland."
(CNN) -- [CAUTION: If you're not caught up on "Homeland," stop reading now! Minor season four spoilers also follow.]
How does one pick up the pieces after one of your main characters has been hanged?
That's a question that "Homeland" will attempt to answer on Sunday's fourth season premiere.
The show returns after a season which saw the excruciating death of Brody, Carrie's lover and the father of her child (and once a U.S. congressman and terrorist). It ended poignantly, as Carrie added a CIA star to mark the life he gave ultimately for his country.
The first season of "Homeland" was nothing short of a masterpiece, many critics agreed, and it won award after award. But some fans have complained that the show has since started to slip.
The third season, critics thought, did not live up to its potential. The New York Times said it found the third season "more baroque and much less compelling than the first two." There were episodes devoted to Brody's daughter, which some found grating, and a twist in which Carrie pretended to go off the rails and was sent to a mental facility -- all as part of a plan devised by her and another character, Saul.
It just seemed like "Homeland" was not what it once was.
This season is for all intents and purposes, a reboot. Carrie has had her baby (which she almost gave up for adoption), but she's back in the field, in Afghanistan. The new season begins as she's engineered a drone strike, but all doesn't exactly go as planned.
Peter Quinn has a bigger role now, as the leading man of the show. And fan favorite Saul is back, but things aren't exactly going better with his wife, who moved on (so to speak) without his knowledge.
Viewers will get plenty of opportunity to decide whether they're on board with the new season, as Showtime will premiere back-to-back new episodes on Sunday night.
Will you tune in for season four?
