While so many are making their resolutions for the New Year and writing down plans for the year to follow, I say we take a short break and talk about entertainment. It’s not only time for some of our favorite shows to return to television, but the mid-season kick-off to get underway. Have you taken the time to look over the lists and mark your calendar? If you’re like me, a fan for things dealing in immortality, dark, wild and steeped in teen culture, then we may be looking at a lot of the same shows.
Are you set for your returning shows this month? Here is your quick look:
- January 3rd – 8 p.m. Big Bang Theory (CBS): “The Egg Salad Equivalency”
- January 4th – 10 p.m. – Merlin (Syfy): “Arthur’s Bane Part 1”
- January 6th – 8 p.m. – Once Upon a Time (ABC): “The Cricket Game”
- January 8th – 10 p.m. – Justified (FX): “Hole in the Wall”
- January 11th – 9/8c p.m. – Fringe ( FOX): “The Boy Must Live“
- January 14th – 9 p.m. – Being Human (Syfy): “Be Careful What You Wish For”
- January 14th – 10 p.m. – Lost Girl (Syfy): “Gone Wild”
- January 16th – 8 p.m. – Arrow (CW): “Burned”
- January 16th – 9 p.m. – Supernatural (CW): “Torn and Frayed”
- January 17th – 8/7 c p.m. – Haven (Syfy): “Reunion“
- January 17th – 8 p.m. – The Vampire Diaries (CW): “After School Special”
- January 24th – 9 p.m. – Beauty and the Beast (CW): “Seeing Red”
Click on the episode title for a sneak peek.
Did I cover them all? Did I miss any you were looking for? This list only covers shows starting back up in the month of January.
Mid-Season brings several new shows to the game. Have any caught your interest? There are a few I plan on checking out. Here is the rundown:
- The Carrie Diaries premiers January 14th at 8 p.m. on Fox: Were you a fan of Sex in the City? Well now’s your chance to get more of Carrie Bradshaw, only it’s the 1980’s. It’s her coming-of-age drama. Tune in and find out how just how she managed to navigate through the high school years and land in the place where she was always destined to be ‒ Manhattan. Monday’s at 8 p.m. on Fox starting 1/14
- Continuum premiers January 14th at 8 p.m. on Syfy: This show is already being aired in Canada and will now be imported for American audiences. The premise, Rachel Nichols is a cop trying to stop a group of escaped terrorists in the year 2077 when she accidentally time-travels back to 2012 with them during their escape. With no way to get back to her timeline, she’ll work in ours to ensure the terrorists don’t change the timeline to their advantage. Monday’s at 8 p.m. on Syfy starting 1/14
- The Following premiers January 21st at 9 p.m. on Fox: I saw this opening episode at Comic Con this last year and let me tell you, it’s dark, twisted and bloody. Be warned before you decide to tune in. If you can look past all the blood and the mind game is your thing, this is one twisted ride. Kevin Bacon comes to the small screen as a disgraced ex-FBI agent with a drinking problem brought back to track down a serial killer he originally put away. A serial killer who has managed to amass a massive following that appear to do his bidding blindly. Sound scary? Just a little. Mondays at 9 p.m. on Fox starting 1/21
- The Americans premiers January 30th at 10 p.m. on FX: This one caught my eye when I saw the trailer on the big screen a few weeks ago. Imagine what it would be like to be placed in a foreign country and have to pretend to be something you’re not for years on end. That’s the premise of this show as it follows two undercover KGB spies posing as a married couple in Washington D.C. during the Cold War. Over time their relationship becomes genuine, but the acceptance of American values by the husband will complicate things. What do you think? Will you tune in? Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on FX starting 1/30
- Zero Hour premiers February 13th at 8 p.m. on ABC: Staring the beloved Anthony Edwards from ER, this intriguing new show kicks into action when his wife and lover of clockwork gets kidnapped. As a result, this man who has spent is life as the editor of a skeptics magazine will be pulled into one of the most compelling and bizarre conspiracies to date. To say it caught my eye is to say the show is probably doomed to a single season. Sorry Zero Hour. I’ll still tune in to watch. Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC starting February 13th.
- Defiance premiers on Syfy in April: This project gives me chills. It reminds me of the days when they produced gems like Farscape and Battlestar Galactica, and the network was dedicated to science-fiction. When quality mattered. I hope this show isn’t a letdown. Taking place in the near future, Defiance explores the possibilities of alien life seeking refuge on Earth after the destruction of their home planet. Decades of war will ensue and the aliens, known as Votans, will change the terrain with terraformers. Eventually both sided will understand a ceasefire is necessary for all and they must focus on surviving on what is left of the planet. The story will primarily follow one man, Jeb, who was only ten when the whole thing began and who served in the war. He will now feel compelled to help keep the peace. Something tells me that won’t be such an easy job. Look for this on Syfy in April.
Six new shows I picked out to watch for and several returning. Anything catch your eye? Is there something missing you feel compelled to share? Our ear is always open here at Debra Kristi’s Blog.
I hope this quick television view was helpful. I still have my entire family at home with me this week and will therefore be refraining from blogging until next week. They have my complete attention, I’m sure you understand.
I’m looking forward to checking out The Following, and of course, The Vampire Diaries is a welcome return, even if I really dislike the silly sire bond storyline, which makes no sense.
Happy New Year, Debra,
The thing about the following is it will be a short season. Kevin Bacon only agreed to sign on if they kept it to 15 or fewer episodes. So you know your time commitment won’t be as much as a 22 episode season. That’s nice. I hear you on the sire bond. I read a few of the Vampire Diary books and I got to say, the show is doing a better job. It will be interesting to see how they play out Elena’s role now that she is a vampire caught in the middle. Happy New Year, Emma! Thank you!!!
The newer Vampire Diaries books aren’t written by the same author. I loved L.J. Smith’s books growing up, but not her Vampire Diaries series. Her Night World stories and The Forbidden Game were my favourites.
I’m glad The Following is short, at least we know there’ll be an ending and it won’t be cancelled without any conclusion.
That makes sense about the newer Vampire Diaries books. I was told the newer ones were better, but I hadn’t gone back to check it out. I have heard good things about her Night World stories and The Forbidden Game and knew that you enjoyed them. I’ll have to eventually check them out.
It is good about The Following. I am always so bummed when I start a show that gets cancelled with no real conclusion. So uncool.
I seriously don’t need to pick up anymore shows, but Continuum sounds really interesting!
I totally understand that. It’s sad, but I’m actually pleased when a show ends. It frees up my time. Continuum does sound interesting. You never know.
This looks like a great line up Debra! I don’t watch any of them except for Big Bang Theory which I adore. I will have to check the others out!
My husband loves the Big Bang Theory and I will sit and watch it with him from time to time. I have a hard time sitting still if I’m not writing. But I do find some shows will sometimes spark an idea or two. You never know.
I do very little TV or movies so of all those listed The Big Bang is the only one I’ve seen.
I hear you. Life is too full to spend it in front of a moving picture box. 😉
I didn’t see Fringe or Haven on your list, but that’s okay. Fringe will be gone forever after three more episodes (I think it’s down to three anyway), and there are only two left this season for Haven.
I had started out watching Being Human, and really liked it a lot. But it got to the point where it was like the writers seemed to be making it as bloody as they could, so I took it off my list. As for the rest, Supernatural has always been a favorite, and now that they’ve brought Cass back, I will probably watch it more often again. TVD…you know me. I’ll be parked front and center to see the newest episode, and I’m a very recent Once Upon A Time fan, although if they don’t leave the cute guys alone, it might be a short-lived love. I may check out Merlin, but I’m not sure yet.
Moving on to the new programs. The only one that really looked interesting to me was The Americans…until I saw that it was airing on FX. I’m still boycotting them for canceling Terriers after one season. That was THE BEST buddy/P.I. series I’ve EVER seen, critically acclaimed, and loved by many viewers…who seem to be under the impression that FX doesn’t give many series a chance to find an audience. I can’t agree or disagree with that belief, but that was the only thing I ever watched on FX…and it’s gone. Yes, I’m still bitter, lol. 🙂
Strange that the guide I was working off of didn’t list those. Fixed the problem. They are now on the list. They start on the 11th and 17th. You can catch the clips above. Sorry to hear you are boycotting FX. So many good shows have been cancelled over the years. I think I would avoid television completely if I did that. That actually might not be a bad thing. I never watched Once Upon a Time until the other night. I like the way they have handled the story line. I read this is the last season for Merlin. If it’s something you decide you like you can catch up and finish the story quickly. 🙂 I multitask, so I watch television while I fold laundry or wash the dishes. That sort of thing. I can’t sit still and watch a show, I have too much going on.
I’m going to be very sorry to see Fringe go. I just love that show. And I really don’t having to say goodbye to Haven for 3/4 of a year is never good (13 episode seasons suck!). As for the boycott, I don’t watch CBS anymore either (Now and Again, Jericho). I guess it’s because I really don’t watch much television, and haven’t for about 15 years. When I do, it’s because I TOTALLY love whatever it is I’m watching. Obviously my choice for many shows is not the popular choice, so I know if I like it too early, it’s not going to last. Haven and Parenthood have been very pleasant surprises…in that I started watching them with episode one…and they’re still here.
I know what you mean about having trouble sitting still and watching something. I usually watch from everything on my computer, and I’m often taking notes, or making the screen small so I can play solitaire or something. It’s things like that that make me wonder if people can develop adult onset ADD. 🙂
I think we are about to quit watching The Vampire Diaries. Damon is still hot, but the storyline is not. I am intrigued by The Americans and The Following. I’ll definitely DVR the first episodes of those and go from there.
I’m feeling the same way about VD. It’s still set to record, but I don’t really mind if I miss it or not. That says a lot. I intrigued by The Americans as well. I’ll be checking that out. That looks like something my husband and I could watch together and we have so few shows we watch together these days. Thanks for stopping in, Catie.
Hi Debra! How are you? Okay, my favorite (mini) series is Downton Abbey, if it counts here. But it starts the new season this Sunday, Jan. 6th. It really is one of the best written shows ever. I can’t wait! So great to see you! Yay! {{Hugs!}}
Hi Karen! Wonderful to see you. Downton Abbey is a popular one. I was talking about that one on FB the other day in the group. I haven’t seen it, but the trailer looks fabulous. A lot of great actors in that one, as well. I hope you enjoyed Sunday’s episode.
i’m really enjoying Arrow. not something I expected to enjoy but PVR IT, SO I don’t miss an episode.
That’s great to hear, Louise. I suspect they play him off as a dark hero. Kind of like the dark knight/Batman? I don’t watch the show, but have seen a lot of good chatter about it on FB. Sounds like a worthy watch. CW usually has success in that area.
What a fun post this was! I rarely watch television, but plan to check out Once Upon A Time on Netflix soon. (My daughter’s been nagging me to do that for ages.) Now I’m looking at this amazing list of shows you shared, and thinking that maybe I’m missing out on some cool stuff! 🙂
I sat down one morning during the break while the kids were gone a did just that, pulled up Once Upon A Time on Netflix. I didn’t move for the rest of the day. Crap. I was sucked in. After I had watched every single episode I had to get caught up on this season at ABC online. The crazy thing is, in some strange way an underlining thread within the show is eerily similar to a story line I was working on, yet totally different at the same time. If that makes sense. I’m glad I watched it because I was planning on working on that soon. Now I’m shelving it for now. I could see people saying it mirrored UOAT to some degree. I’ll be thinking on that one. And you’re right, there looks to be some pretty interesting stuff. You never know how a show is going to pan out.
Best show on your list… Justified!
LOVE Justified. And Game of Thrones comes back at the very end of March. If I do recall, you are a fan. 🙂
Without a doubt!
Thanks for this great summary of the ongoing shows. I’m really looking forward to the return of the Vampire Diaries. But like Emma, I’m not a fan of the sire bond. I wish they got on with the big picture and the new big bad. I’ll be keeping an eye on the Continuum. It sounds promising.
Yeah, I was really enjoying that show, but like I mentioned on Emma’s blog earlier today, I may be winging myself off it. I’m just not feeling it as much anymore. And I’m alright with that. I don’t need more distractions. We’ll have to see how it plays out. I do love Damon, but I”m not happy with him at the moment.
I do love a good TV show. I just watched the first two seasons of Game of Thrones. Ack! I think I have to go read the books now before season 3 starts!
There are some gems on this list, but I’m not sure I can let myself get sucked into another one. LOL. I will keep my eye on these, especially Continuum.