I have been working on TV shows since the start of my career, so here is how I do it.

Each production has its own style. So first I take the time to read the show's bible, look at, analyse test animations and potential existing animations to get a feel for the project.

As each new episode is assigned, I watch it to understand the ins and outs of the storytelling.

I then analyse the shots that have been assigned to me by visualising the work that has been done on the storyboard and layout to understand how the shots have been thought out.

When I start a specific shot I create a little playlist containing the previous and following shots so that I'm aware of the sequence between them.

Once I am in Maya, I start by doing the key poses from the story board in the exact frames and see if they match the audio track. I readjust if necessary.

Then I add in-betweens to give an idea of the different movements.

Depending on the production, the first pass is then made and I send it to my supervisor for initial feedback.

I then apply the feedback and refine my poses, because that's what will make an excellent base - especially for a series.

Here start the second pass. I am making the movement consistent, working on body mechanics, follow through, ...etc. I basically add all you need to make a character alive following the 12 principles of animation. I found this phase quite long, and that is where I put lot of my energy; even more in tv shows as we do not have much time for refining.

And starts the last pass where I try to refine my curves. Really often, if the show is in 1's, I will key every 2 frames the strong beats. I will then push, clean and ease-in and -out my curves. In tv shows I tend to do this on the main body controls which are the root, the head, and arms - for a basic body mechanic animation. 

Later, I will apply the retakes from my lead until the shot is approved.