[IMG:L]So, how’d the fall season work out for you? Obsessed with Knight Rider? Already missing My Own Worst Enemy?
OK, other than The Mentalist, not much to crow about. So maybe you’ll find something in the new midseason line-up. Though, a bit of warning: As if you haven’t noticed, aside from a few blockbuster hopefuls, expect lots of budget-friendly game shows and reality hours galore on the major networks.
To help you out, here’s our guide to the season’s new offerings — beginning with the new year and in order of start date. And if you want to know what’s up with some of your returning favorites, click here.
Rock of Love Bus
When: Premiered Jan. 3 on VH1. It airs Sunday nights at 9/8c.
Main Players: Bret Michaels
What’s it all about?: “Will you stay and continue to rock my world?” is the famous question soon to be asked of the new groupies. This iteration takes a pack of ladies on the road as they vie for the affection of former Poison hairbander Bret Michaels.
What to expect?: Say what you want about the endless celebrity reality shows and sequels splattered around the VH1 schedule, the sad fact remains that they are sinfully addictive. Bringing new meaning to the term hot messes, a new pack of ladies get ready to trade in their dignity for a chance at Bret.
KEEP READING: Game Show in My Head
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Game Show in My Head
When: Premiered Jan. 3 on CBS. It airs Saturday nights at 8/7c.
Main Players: Hosted by Joe Rogan, from producer Ashton Kutcher.
What’s it all about?: Through a concealed earpiece, Rogan instructs contestants to perform a number of embarrassing stunts in public.
What to expect?: With more TV production credits than acting gigs these days, Ashton Kutcher is in the midst of an all-out assault on the airwaves. His catalog has had its share of hits and misses, so it’s never a sure bet which way one will go. Game Show in My Head, however, doesn’t appear to offer anything new.
KEEP READING: Superstars of Dance
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Superstars of Dance
When: Premiered Jan. 4 on NBC. It airs Monday nights at 8/7c.
Main Players: Michael Flatley, Susie Castillo
What’s it all about?: Superstars of Dance pits the masters of various dance genres from around the world against each other.
What to expect?: Billed as equal parts sporting event, rock concert and artistic exhibition, the hot moves that grace this stage may be what reality fans need
to get through a long winter.
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True Beauty
When: Premiered Jan. 5 on ABC. It airs Monday nights at 10/9c.
Main Players: Vanessa Minnillo, Cheryl Tiegs, Nole Marin
What’s it all about?: From the brains of Tyra Banks and Ashton Kutcher, True Beauty takes contestants on a wild ride. They think that their looks alone are going to bring them the top prize, but things aren’t always as they seem. As they work their way into the modeling world, the men and women are also being evaluated for their inner beauty, as well, as they are put through scenarios that require them to make moral decisions.
What to expect?: A spin on the popular fashion/modeling reality format, True Beauty seems to have enough in its concept to allow it to stand out. Staying beautiful through a whole season, though, is the challenge. Let’s just hope that a producer credit for Tyra Banks is not enough for her to make the show entirely about herself.
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Howie Do It
When: Premieres January 9th on NBC. It airs Friday nights at 8/7c.
Main Players: Howie Mandel
What’s it all about?: In this prank comedy show, those targeted are aware of the camera but the motives remain hidden. Mandel steps off of the Deal or No Deal set, throws on a disguise and aims to snare unsuspecting people into a wide variety of hoaxes.
What to expect?: Just over three years since Mandel resurrected his career with Deal, NBC is giving him a shot at what he does best, on-the-spot comedy. Similar to his popular Tonight Show sketches, the new show will do well as temporary filler, but a Deal-like phenomenon it will not be.
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Tool Academy
When: Premieres Jan. 11 on VH1. It airs Sunday nights at 10/9c.
Main Players: Jordan Murphy
What’s it all about?: Think of it as charm school for D-bags. The alpha males who check themselves into the Tool Academy may just exit as respectful, charming gentlemen. Money awaits the tool who does just that.
What to expect?: There will be a whole mess of testosterone pumping through the Tool Academy this winter. The rules for this debut are the same as all the rest: Say hello … do a bunch of stupid stuff … and then get sent home. The luckiest of the ‘tools’ will be the last guy standing, will receive a check, and then can go back to doing stupid stuff in his real life. Awesome.
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The Beast
When: Premieres Jan. 15 on A&E.
Main Players: Patrick Swayze, Travis Fimmel
What’s it all about?: The Beast centers on a tough FBI veteran, Charles Barker, who takes on a rookie partner. Barker trains his new partner in a hard-edged, psychologically-driven approach towards undercover work, where a moment’s hesitation can lead to death.
What to expect?: A&E doesn’t have that great of an eye for drama series thus far, but maybe the famed — and ailing — Dirty Dancer can change all that. Unorthodox police work will never be easy to portray on screen since The Shield and The Wire so masterfully covered that angle, but with those gone, maybe the time is right for another go.
KEEP READING: Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House
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Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House
When: Premieres Jan. 15 on VH1. It airs Thursday nights at 10/9c.
Main Players: Dr. Drew
What’s it all about?: Having recently graduated from Celebrity Rehab, the troubled stars continue their journey to a clean life by staying at a sober living facility.
What to expect?: It was a much-talked about season of Rehab that ended just weeks ago. Luckily for fans of the sometimes hard to watch program, the break until the next edition will be over before you know it. Picking right up where he left off, Dr. Drew introduces his patients to the next step of sober living.
KEEP READING: The United States of Tara
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The United States of Tara
When: Premieres Jan. 18 on Showtime. It airs Sunday nights at 10/9c.
Main Players: Toni Collette, John Corbett
What’s it all about?: The Gregsons are not your typical family. The mild-mannered son, Marshall, has a schoolboy crush … on a boy; daughter Kate’s body houses a hormonal hurricane; and wife and mother Tara isn’t always herself — to cope with stressful situations, Tara’s dissociative identity disorder kicks in, causing her to assume a whole new personality.
What to expect?: Tara’s got the makings of yet another solid series for Showtime — star power, a dysfunctional family, and a twisted sense of humor. Throw in a multiple personality disorder and scripts penned by stripper-turned-Oscar winner (Juno) Diablo Cody, and it is definitely one of the top midseason gems to catch.
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Lie to Me
When: Premieres Jan. 21 on FOX. It airs Wednesday nights at 9/8c.
Main Players: Tim Roth
What’s it all about?: Dr. Cal Lightman can tell the truth and read inner feelings by observing a subject’s face, body, voice and speech. It’s a gift that comes in handy as a member of the law enforcement community, but one that often leads to complication in his personal life.
What to expect?: Landing the much-desired post American Idol time slot, Lie to Me, for better or worse, will have a lot of people watching on day one. The concept and addition of the creepy, yet always solid, Roth are contributing to an increase in positive buzz. The last piece of the puzzle, as always, is for it to have enough to distinguish itself from a TV landscape rich with one-hour dramas.
KEEP READING: The Last Templar
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The Last Templar
When: Premieres Jan. 26 at 9/8c on NBC.
Main Players: Mira Sorvino, Scott Foley, Victor Garber
What’s it all about?: The four-hour miniseries event follows Tess Chaykin, a New York archaeologist, as she reluctantly teams up with FBI Agent Sean Daley to uncover the lost secrets of the legendary medieval Knights Templar.
What to expect?: Four hours may not be enough for this miniseries, which begins in the 13th century and quickly jumps to present-day New York. Based on the novel by Raymond Khoury, the Da Vinci Code-esque action that unfolds will please fans of the historical thriller genre.
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Dollhouse
When: Premieres Feb. 13 on FOX. It airs Friday nights at 9/8c.
Main Players: Eliza Dushku, Tahmoh Penikett
What’s it all about?: Echo is an “Active,” a member of an illegal and underground group of individuals who have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with new personas. Whether they are programmed to be a lover, an assassin, a corporate negotiator, or a best friend, the Actives are aware of no time or situation — but the present.
What to expect?: Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and many other big and small screen hits, has some heavy expectations weighing on his shoulders with this upcoming sci-fi series. It’s been talked about for a while and, come February, it’s time to finally walk the walk. After all is said and done, look for Dollhouse to carve a nice little niche for itself within the existing Lost and Fringe fanbases.
KEEP READING: Eastbound and Down
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Eastbound and Down
When: Premieres in February on HBO.
Main Players: Danny McBride
What’s it all about?: After years of being away from home, former major league baseballer Kenny Powers returns to teach phys. ed. at the local high school.
What to expect?: It’s been a good year for McBride. If you’re like most people, you noticed him in the otherwise abysmal film Hot Rod, loved him in Tropic Thunder, went back to watch his breakout, indie hit The Foot Fist Way, and now eagerly await this new HBO project. A southern ex-ballplayer seems to be right up this future comedy superstar’s alley. Might also be enough of a hit for HBO to reclaim some of its long-gone cable domination.
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Castle
When: Premieres in March on ABC.
Main Players: Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic
What’s it all about?: Mystery novelist Richard Castle, bored with his own success, learns that a copycat killer has started to stage murder scenes to resemble his novels.
What to expect?: Every once in a while, after many similar TV dramas start premiering, you get at least a couple that attempt something different. There’s a few promising newbies this midseason, and Castle may just be one of them.
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Cupid
When: Premieres in March on ABC.
Main Players: Bobby Cannavale, Sarah Paulson
What’s it all about?: This romantic dramedy follows Trevor Pierce, who may or may not be the Roman god of love. As fate would have it, Pierce finds himself under the care of psychiatrist and self-help author Claire, who is also dedicated to helping lost souls find love.
What to expect?: It’s quirky, fun and interesting. If Cupid, a revamping of a short-lived ’90s series, can stretch outside the boundaries of the original, then ABC may have a good replacement for the cutesy, deceased (darn you, ABC!!) Pushing Daisies.
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Kings
When: Premieres in March on NBC.
Main Players: Ian McShane, Christopher Egan
What’s it all about?: Based on the timeless David vs. Goliath story, Kings is set in the metropolis of Shiloh, a city at war. When David Shepherd rescues the King’s son from beyond enemy lines, he sets events in motion that will finally bring peace, but his resulting high profile also brings some unwanted attention.
What to expect?: A new style of drama for primetime TV, there is definitely no shortage of things going on in Kings. You have old world philosophy and power struggles mixed with a modern, albeit fictional, environment. Can the show successfully connect the dots of all the various ideas floating in the ether? Time will tell. The one guarantee is Deadwood alum McShane will have a far tamer vocabulary.
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Harper’s Island
When: Premieres in April on CBS.
Main Players: Katie Cassidy, Christopher Gorham, Harry Hamlin,
What’s it all about?: A rare major network horror series, Harper’s Island follows a group of family and friends as they unite for an island wedding. Although the locale is well-known for hosting a series of unsolved murders, the celebration marches on … until the victims start piling up once more.
What to expect?: CBS, more than any other network, has had the golden touch as of late. The home of many one-hour crime dramas, the network will branch out to introduce one of the first primetime horror offerings. One thing is a sure bet; if Harper’s Island connects, you can expect to find a lot more scare-fests around the dial.
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The Unusuals
When: Premieres in April on ABC.
Main Players: Amber Tamblyn, Jeremy Renner, Harold Perrineau
What’s it all about?: Casey Shraeger started her day as an NYPD vice detective, but was unexpectedly transferred to the homicide division. She soon learns that it helps if cops have a good sense of humor, because every moment could be your last, and everyone’s got some dirty little secrets.
What to expect?: The sudden shifts between the extremely silly to the gravely serious will be too much for some viewers to connect to, but, as we’ve seen with Rescue Me, putting the entire spectrum of emotions on display is often the first step in creating TV magic.
KEEP READING: What’s happening with your old faves?
