Midseason Television 2010
Well, the holidays have passed and a long winter stretches out in front of us. What could we possibly have left to look forward to?
Mid-season television, of course!
Over at Entertainment Weekly’s website, Michael Ausiello has posted his midseason “cheat sheet”, where you can check out return dates for your favorite shows as well as upcoming midseason premieres.
Here are the ones I’m most looking forward to:
“Chuck” — season premiere on NBC on Sunday, January 10, at 9:00 p.m./8:00 p.m. Central. Regular timeslot begins Monday, January 11, at 8:00 p.m./7:00 p.m. Central. “Chuck” was on the bubble last year, and very nearly didn’t get renewed. Although it can be a little on the predictable side, last year’s finale lived up to its promise as a game-changer. And let’s face it, how many spy thriller/drama/romantic comedies are there on television? There’s not a lot of unique and original going on in Hollywood, so lets support it when we find it, okay? Thanks.
“24” — four-hour, two night premiere on FOX on Sunday, January 17 at 9:00 p.m./8:00 p.m. Central and Monday, January 18, 8:00 p.m./7:00 p.m. Central. Every season, I always think I’m going to be over it. But I’m always not, because it’s just that good. Bonuses this year (or this day, so to speak) include Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s husband, a good guy and a bad guy from “Battlestar Galactica”, and the absolute best fake president ever.
“Human Target” — premieres on Fox on Sunday, January 17, at 8:00 p.m./7:00 p.m. Central. Truth told, I wasn’t sold on the premise of this drama when I first heard about it: mystery-man bodyguard protects a variety of clients. What convinced me was finding out that it stars Mark Valley, whom I adore. While most people know him from “The Practice”, he was also on two of my all-time-favorite brilliant-but-cancelled shows, “Pasadena” and “Keen Eddie”. The icing on the cake was finding out that Valley’s character, Christopher Chance, is based on a DC Comics series.
“White Collar”— premieres on USA on Tuesday, January 19, at 10:00 p.m./9:00 p.m. Central. In the last couple of years, there has been a real television renaissance on basic cable, producing award-winning shows such as AMC’s “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad”. One of my two favorites on USA (now that Monk is no more) is “White Collar”. The show could have propelled itself for a while on star Matthew Bomer’s blue eyes and charm alone, but the story of a forger-turned-FBI-consultant has proved to have twisty depths that have me excited about the upcoming “half-season”.
“Psych” — premieres on USA on Wednesday, January 27, at 10:00 p.m./9:00 p.m. Central. “Psych” started out a goofy comedy about a slacker who fakes being a psychic in order to use his very real detective skills to help the police. But the characters and story arc have developed in a way that rises above the original gimmick. And I love the potshots they’re constantly taking at “The Mentalist” for stealing their premise.
But if none of that is your cup of tea, check out the list, because there’s plenty more in store. It looks to be a great remainder of the season. And it’s a good thing, because I need to keep myself distracted until “Glee” comes back — April 13 feels like it’s an eternity away.
