Image Credit: Justin Lubin/NBCWatching TV this week is like participating in the opening scene of The Walking Dead — you’re an aimless zombies shuffling around on abandoned city streets, ready to lunge at a tasty rerun of The Barefoot Contessa at any moment. But lo! The 2011 midseason TV cometh. Hark! A new crop of shameless teenagers think they can sing. Paula Abdul will presumably live to dance. Oh, there will be so much new TV in January. And bitter cold, and depression, and fat. But focus on the TV! So much TV. (Check out our lists of start dates for the broadcast networks and the cable networks.)
What midseason TV are you dying to see right now? My top five:
5. TV Land’s Retired at 35, starring Jessica Walter as a hopefully Lucille Bluth-esque mom
4. NBC’s David E. Kelley/Kathy Bates legal drama, Harry’s Law
3. Survivor: Redemption Island, because Dalton Ross insists it’s going to be great and I know I’ll constantly be messing up and calling it Temptation Island.
2. Parks and Recreation. Finally.
1. American Idol — looking forward to the challenge of telling J. Lo and S. Ty apart!
What are yours? Also, what would you realistically pay to watch your No. 1 choice on-demand RIGHT NOW? I had myself convinced I’d blow $50 to see the Idol premiere because it’s going to be such a mindf—, but when I really thought about it and clicked over to Paypal, I realized it was probably more like $4.99, and it would probably have to include some sort of special “Steven Tyler Lip Dub” package, so…no. The real answer is zero dollars. Oh well!
Annie on Twitter: @EWAnnieBarrett
PRETTY LITTLE LIARS!
Ugh, really?
And I can’t believe anyone is looking forward to the Kathy Bates show – a sassy woman who plays by her own rules. Please, this show has been done so much lately, when will it end? I was so glad that The Closer is ending. This trash won’t make it for a full season
Because it’s not like the “overconfident man who plays by his own rules” trope has been played out or anything.
I am patiently waiting for Pretty Little Liars to return…
THIS!
Come on, Annie…
The Chicago Code (new from Sean Ryan)
Californication
Big Love
The Ricky Gervais Show
Greek
The Borgias
Californication has been such a long wait. So excited. And for Parks and Rec. And for the Borgias.
Chicago Code is from Shawn Ryan AND Tim Minear. I doubt it will be as good as their Terriers, but hopefully it will be as uncompromising as The Shield.
White Collar!!!!!!!
Yes!!
Hell Yes!!
Yes!
V! And I know it’s not until February, but I can’t wait for Justified!
oh yeah, Justified!!
I can’t even wait until Tuesday for more Southland.
Totally agree Southland AND Justified will get me thru the winter blues. Royal Pains is not to bad either.:)
I’m most looking forward to Southland. Then there’s White Collar, Royal Pains, Fairly Legal, and GhostHunters International
I can not wait to finally see what the people of Southland can do with a full 13 episodes. Show is amazing and yet it has never been given a full opportunity to shine
Pretty Little Liars
Greek
Off the Map
American Idol and maybe Harry’s Law or Perfect Couples. other than that I refuse to get caught up in any new shows premiering this winter
Southland! And Justified!
Parks and Rec!
For real. When I read Annie’s list I judged her a little bit for having P&R below American Idol.
Parks and Rec is the greatest!!! I may never forgive NBC for keeping it away for so long!
At least it’s coming back at all! I hate when networks cancel my shows!
Greek and Parks and Rec
off the map, justified, and white collar!
Off the Map, Southland, Secret Life of the American Teenager
I forgot Hot In Cleveland, The Game, Let’s Stay Together…
Shameless
Southland
RuPaul’s Drag Race
The Amazing Race
Greek
Parks & Rec, Southland, Justified, Pretty Little Liars, and The Cape.
American Idol. Face it, without Simon or Paula the show feels like it is going to be cancelled within a few seasons. I think the decision for Paula to leave because of not giving her a raise is still a thorn Idol will have in its coffin.