While Hollywood’s love affair with sequels, superheroes and franchise-films is going strong as ever, its television that is fast becoming a place to find incredible stories made special by equally enigmatic actors, writers and technicians.

Not all transitions work as was the case with Steven Spielberg and Halle Berry’s venture, Extant but if done right, it can be a game-changer. With the success of shows like House of Cards and True Detective (the first season at least), more and more actors are making a transition to the small screen.  Mathew McConaughey rightly noted in an interview: "Television is raising the bar on the character-driven drama series."

Plus television can turn you into a global star as has been the case with Riz Ahmed who has attained global recognition after starring in HBO’s breakthrough hit series, The Night Of, earlier this year. From Bradley Cooper to Mark Wahlberg and Vin Diesel and more, some actors are taking on roles of executive producers while others like Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris and Meryl Streep are planning to showcase their acting genius. So, here’s a quick look at actors you should look out for…

Meryl Streep

Having won an Emmy after starring in HBO’s 2003 miniseries, Angels in America, three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep is making her way back to television for a new series (based on a novel) which she will also co-produce alongside TV’s biggest name, J.  J. Abrams.

The series will be based on the 2016 novel, The Nix by Nathan Hill. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show will trace the story of "a man named Samuel Andresen, whose mother, Faye, reappears decades after she abandoned the family. She becomes the center of controversy for allegedly committing an absurd crime, and Samuel must dig back into her secretive past to try to save her. The novel is described as a sprawling satire that spans from the suburban Midwest to New York City to the 1968 riots that rocked Chicago and beyond". It will be Streep’s first appearance on TV since starring in Web Therapy, circa 2012.

Anthony Hopkins and Ed Harris

While we’re talking about J.J Abrams, he is also co-producing another series, Westworld (alongside Jonathan Nolan) for HBO in which two legendary actors such as Ed Harris and Anthony Hopkins are appearing. The HBO series, which will premiere in October, is "inspired by the 1973 film of the same title written by Michael Crichton" and is "about a futuristic theme park populated by artificial beings."

According to The Collider, the show will address some of the most pertinent questions of our time. "Westworld seems determined to take a no-holds-barred approach to morality in the face of rapid technological advancement. It’s not about humans, it’s about humanity. What makes it? Who has it? Does our biology make us human? Or is it something more elusive? And can that essence, whatever it is, be translated into electrical impulse? Can A.I. be human? And what does human even mean in a world where technology and reality can blend so easily?"

Aside from Hopkins and Harrism, the ten-part series, will also feature actors like Thandie Newton, Evan Rachel Wood and James Marsden in pivotal roles.

Though Anthony Hopkins has been a part of Marvel’s Thor, its Westworld that has the potential to showcase his incredible range as an actor.

Robert Di Niro and  Julianne Moore

Not may know this but Robert Di Niro was, at least according to online reports, in the running to play the role of John Stone on The Night Of after the untimely death of James Gandolfini. The role was eventually essayed by John Turturro but fans of Niro need not worry because he is heading to the small screen after all.

David O. Russell, the director of films like The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle and Joy is working on a new TV series, a crime drama with actors Julianne Moore and Robert Di Niro. Not much is known about the plotline except the fact that it will be set in the nineties.

Other actors heading to the small screen include Emma Stone and Jonah Hill who will star in Netflix’s Maniac, a dark comedy which is being directed by True Detective’s Cary Fukunaga while Amy Adams will also explore television with the series, Sharp Objects. The eight-episode series is based  on the book Sharp Objects by author Gillian Flynn (who also wrote Gone Girl) with UnReal’s Marti Noxon attached as showrunner and Jean-Marc Vallée as director.