Our 5 TV New Year’s Resolutions

Time for Mama’s New Year’s Resolutions:

1. Stop watching “Sons of Anarchy.”

Any interesting plot development is offset by the gratuitous burning of a young woman alive or the drowning of a man in a vat of excrement, so I wonder: Is any of this really necessary? Now, with the only slightly redeeming character Tara (Maggie Siff) killed at the hands of mother-in-law-from-hell, Gemma (Katey Sagal), in a miscommunication worthy of “Three’s Company,” the story is long past interesting. There comes a point where you have to consider just torching the whole town and letting the final credits roll as the remaining cast burns to death.

2. Wean myself off AMC’s shows.

Just as HBO did after its initial string of successes back in the late ’90s and early ’00s, AMC rests on its laurels a bit too much. Yes, they gave us “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad” and “The Walking Dead” — and even railroad drama “Hell on Wheels” ain’t half bad — but let us not forget the drab “Low Winter Sun,” and the unending rainy days of “The Killing.” So despite my history-nerd instincts, I’m adopting a wait-and-see attitude towards the upcoming American Revolution spy-ring drama “Turn.” Who needs another show with plodding stories that go nowhere?

3. Learn French.

Not having to follow the subtitles could make watching the zombie town of “The Returned” that much scarier, I suspect. Although if that little Swann Nambotin gets any creepier, I’m going to have to start sleeping with the lights on for fear that the little Damien-esque kid will show up on my front stoop in the middle of the night.

4. Write an apology to Julianna Margulies.

Sorry I dissed your law series “The Good Wife” all last season because it was boring and relied too heavily on its guest stars. Alicia Florrick’s defection from her old firm, Lockhart/Gardner, has required so much back-stabbing and deception that it’s now my favorite show of this season.

5. Start a campaign to get Margo Martindale back on “The Americans.”

I promise to not let episodes of this FX drama pile up on my DVR if the network can promise to find a way for Margo Martindale to get out of her contract with “The Millers.” The FX series is excellent, and Martindale’s super-cold KGB handler, Claudia, was a big part of the show’s appeal. But the Cold War drama, starring Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys in breakout performances of their own, never reached a “must see tonight” level of excitement, so inevitably, Mama would get behind on the show for a couple weeks, then have to catch up in marathon viewings. But does that mean the wonderful Martindale should have to suffer through a series as bad as the mundane comedy she’s been forced to endure over on CBS? The light at the end of the tunnel appears to be that Martindale will be able to act on both shows, but that’s no excuse to keep her tied to this mindless sitcom.