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The holidays are over and winter is freezing us numb.  Not to fret, here’s what TV has coming to your warm and cozy homes in the coming weeks including the return of some familiar faces and some brand new shows for 2006.

TV Mid-season Replacements and Returns
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New seasons for Scrubs, Battlestar Galactica, 24, Monk,and the final episodes of Alias.  We also see some familiar faces (Jenna Ellfman, Scott Foley, Seth Green, Fred Savage, Rob Estes, George Wendt, Aidan Quinn, Jane Curtain, Jane Leeves, and Jason Priestly and Tom Cavanaugh) in new shows replacing those less fortunate shows that got the axe this holiday season.

Returns:

Scrubs Tuesday 1/3 9:00/8:00 NBC

Stargate SG-1/Stargate Atlantis Friday 1/6 8:00/7:00 Sci-fi Channel

Battlestar Gallactica Friday 1/6 10:00/9:00 Sci-Fi Channel

The L Word Sunday 1/8 10:00/9:00 Showtime

Monk Friday 1/13 10:00/9:00 USA

24 Sunday 1/15 8:00/7:00 ABC

The Sopranos Sunday 3/12 9:00/8:00 HBO

Alias—Jennifer Garner returns for the last few episodes before the series finale in May.  Time and Date TBA ABC

New Shows:

Four Kings

Four Kings—four friends move in together in Manhattan.  Seth Green stars.  Thursday 1/5 8:30/7:30 NBC

The Book of Daniel—Aidan Quinn as a minister who talks to Jesus with the help of his Vicodin addiction.  Friday 1/6 9:00/8:00 NBC

Emily’s Reasons Why Not—Successful career woman Heather Graham just can’t find love.  Riiight.  Monday 1/9 9:00/8:00 ABC

South Beach—2 Brooklyn buds move down to the sunshine state.  Wednesday 1/11 8:00/7:00 UPN

Crumbs—Fred Savage returns home after Hollywood failure to parents Jane Curtin and William Devine.  Thursday 1/12 9:30/8:30 ABC

Love Monkey

Hustle—Con-man Robert Vaughn and crew.  Saturday 1/14 10:00/9:00 AMC

Love Monkey—Tom Cavanaugh as a record label rep who spends time with friends (Jason Priestly, Christopehr Wiehl, Lawrence Tate) and looks for short-term love.  Tuesday 1/17 10:00/9:00 CBS

Courting Alex—Jenna Elfman as a successful lawyer who also can’t find love (anyone sensing a theme here?).  Monday 1/23 9:30/8:30 CBS

The Unit—latest from David Mamet starring Robert Patrick and Scott Foley as part of a Special Forces Unit.  March ‘06 Time TBA CBS

Old Christine—Single mom Julia Louis-Dreyfus deals with her frustrating life in L.A.  March ‘06 Time TBA CBS

The Bedford Diaries

The Bedford Diaries—college drama centering around sex-life of coeds.  Time and Date TBA WB

The Loop—Twenty-something dramady with Bret Harrison and Mimi Rogers.  Time and Date TBA FOX

Free Ride—Another twenty-something, this time Josh Dean, moves home with his parents.  Time and Date TBA FOX

Misconceptions—Jane Leeves seeks out her daughter’s sperm donor father and then can’t get away from him.  Time and Date TBA WB

Pepper Dennis—Rebecca Romijn lives with sister Brooke Burns and works as a TV reporter.  Time and Date TBA WB

Modern Men—Jane Seymour and George Wendt.  Time and Date TBA WB

Conviction—yet another Law & Order spinoff.  Date and Time TBA NBC

The Evidence—Rob Estes as a tramatized detective in San Francisco trying to put his career and life back ontrack after his wife’s murder (sounds a little too much like Monk to me).  Time and Date TBA ABC

Windfall—20 friends share huge lottery win, but find time to pout and whine at the camera about thier lives.  Time and Date TBA NBC

Teachers—Justin Bartha and Sarah Alexander as middle school teachers in a show so anticipated that IMDB doesn’t even have it listed!  Time and Date TBA NBC

As shows pause for the holiday hiatus we take a look at what we’ve seen so far on the tube this year and pass judgment on the impressive and disastrous programs we’ve seen so far this year while totally ignoring anything that could be remotely referred to as “reality tv.”

TV Mid-Season Grades
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As shows pause for the holiday hiatus we take a look at what we’ve seen so far on the tube this year and pass judgment on the impressive and disastrous programs we’ve seen so far this year while totally ignoring anything that could be remotely refered to as “reality tv.”

Veronica Mars

The sophomore season of last year’s cult hit gives a little more focus on relationships and Veronica trying to be “normal” which have held back the show that was last year’s most pleasant surprise.  The first season focused on the murder of Lily Kane which was solved in the final episode.  The show is also missing the Veronica / Wallace friendship.  Without that big mystery the show has introduced several small ones, none of which are as interesting or as emotionally compelling – such as Meg’s coma, pregnancy and death, did Logan really commit murder, and who is responsible for the bus crash?  Nice guest stars from the ‘verse as Charisma Carpenter, Alyson Hannigan, and even Josh Whedon himself show up in Neptune.
Midseason Grade: B

Smallville

We got the Fortress of Solitude, mention of Zod, and James Marsters guest turn as Braniac.  Too bad so much was squandered.  The Brainiac storyline was a waste as Marsters played a professor who the audience knew was an alien but no character did for weeks.  His evil turn was handled with the delicacy of a bull on angel dust.  And don’t even get me started on the vampire episode, ugh!  Aside from the Fortress of Solitude and the very interesting casting of the voice of Jor-El (and the reunion of the original Duke boys, Ye-hah!) the season has been miserable.  Hopefully this year Lex will finally take his dark turn (enough teasing already!). 
Midseason Grade: D

Family Guy

As always the show is a mix of good moments and WTF was that?  This year has seen Peter be declared legally retarded, Lois finds her long lost brother who she let’s out of the mental institution not realizing tendency to kill large men, Peter starts his own religion based on the Fonz (hey, I’ve heard of religions based on worse ideas), and the FCC steps by to censor all of Peter’s good ol’ American fun.  Funny cut scenes including my favorite where Stewie travels across country and gives Will Ferrell his due for Bewitched.
Midseason Grade: B-

How I Met Your Mother

I haven’t seen as much of this as I would like, but I think it’s got a chance.  A talented cast (Neal Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan, Josh Radnor, Jason Segel and Cobi Smulders) and some good writing should spell some success if the show can stay on air long enough to find itself and hit its stride.  I like the cast’s chemistry and of all the twenty-something Friends knockoffs this one might be the best (hard to be worse than Joey).
Midseason Grade: INCOMPLETE

CSI

Am I the only one that thinks these forensic shows have run their course?  CSI:Crime Scene Inestigation, CSI:Miami, and CSI:NY still do well in the ratings, but the shows have become little more than gore-fests with either clever or stupid criminals and not much mystery.  Also a focus on relationships and hidden dark secrets trying to broaden the characters’ lives.  Doesn’t help.  If you’ve seen a season of one of these shows you’ve seen them all.
Midseason Grade: D

The West Wing

The influx of talent from last year (Jimmy Smits, Alan Alda, etc.) started to change the show and finally bring it out of its post-Sorkin funk that it had been languishing in since its creator left.  John Wells never find the right notes with Bartlett and crew, but has found his own voice and story with the election run of Smits and Alda’s characters.  No longer the shadow of its former self, but still not sure what it wants to be.  Some questions to be answered: is it possible to drag out this election cycle any longer? and what does the death of John Spencer mean for the show’s storyline?
Midseason Grade: C

Well that’s it for now tune back in next week and check out our preview of this year’s mid-season replacements that includes one or two promising shows (hey, Buffy started out as a mid-season replacement and that turned out pretty well).

Stephen Lawhead has written one of the best King Arthur series in recent memory and the wonderful Song of Albion trilogy.  His latest historical novel examines the early life of the man who would grow up to be the Irish saint Patrick.

Patrick: Son of Ireland
3 Stars

I’ve been a fan of Stephen Lawhead since I read his Pendragon Trilogy (which has had three books added to it and is now referred to as the Pendragon Cycle) years ago.  Lawhead understands how to fit events into a specific time period and describe them in a way in which you are really there.  His latest Patrick examines the early life of a young Briton sold into slavery in Ireland who would eventually become the Irish saint Patrick.

Succat is a spoiled young noble who enjoys spending his father’s money, drinking, gambling and whoring with his three good friends at the local tavern, and avoiding any responsibility.  When the town is sacked by Irish raiders Succat is taken prisoner and sold overseas to an Irish King.  From noble man to slave, Succat is given the job shepherding the sheep.  For seven years he fights to survive.  Two unsuccessful escape attempt leave him bloodied and near death.  Only through the friendship of a Druid does Succat realize a chance to find his freedom by becoming a bard.

The book chronicles Succat’s tale through his time as a slave, his training by the druid priests and his eventual freedom and travel to Gaul and Rome and his own internal struggle and trying to find his place in the world.  His journey leads him through the life of a slave, a soldier, a trader, a husband and father, and a druid.  Lawhead’s main character is complex in his selfish needs, plotting, and deviousness and betrayal as a slave who wants nothing more than to escape to a home that no longer exists. 

As with Lawhead later works there are strong religious themes though the book is more accessible than his Celtic Crusades.  An interesting and winding tale that spans many years and locations all described in exacting detail by the author.

 

Lawhead’s ability to recreate the historic time period and specific locations is very much in evidence here as Succat’s travels take him around the known world.  Though not his best work, I would love to see him return to the more mythical books like the Song of Albion trilogy, it’s a good read for fans of historical novels and of Lawhead’s work.

Once January 1st rolls around, the offical window for Oscar consideration is officially closed.  What’s that mean for you, the faithful audience member?  Well, traditionally it means that you can look forward to four months of crap, throwaway films, and the other miscellaneous niche stuff that the studios couldn’t find a place for, but maybe it’ll be different this time around.  Let’s take a look…

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January 6th sees the release of Eli Roth’s (of Cabin Fever fame) film, Hostel.  The advance word is that this vacation-from-hell horror romp is chock full of blood, gore, torture, and nudity.  Fun!  The plot revolves around three backpackers who head to a Slovakian city in search of not-so-wholesome fun and instead find some pretty harsh horror.  Personally, I kinda hated Cabin Fever so I’m up in the air on this one. 

Also on the 6th is the latest droppings from Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison production company, called Grandma’s Boy.  Starring Sandler film staple Allen Covert, this one is about an aging video game tester who lives with his grandmother and her two pals.  My cup overrunneth.

On the 13th Terrace Malick (Days of Heaven, Thin Red Line) delivers The New World, a more reality based retelling of the story of Pocahontas and her lover, John Smith, but told more from Smith’s perspective.  Starring Colin Farrell, Christian Bale, Christopher Plummer, and more people who’s first name start with ‘C’, if nothing else this should prove to be a ridiculously well shot film.  Malick has what may well be one of the best eyes for cinematography in the business, but I may be one of four people who still think Thin Red Line was a brilliant look at war.  I’ve seen some extended footage from this already, and I’m ready to see more, but I’ll still admit this one could go either way.

The Weinstein Company lets loose Hoodwinked on the 13th as well.  They picked this up at the Cannes earlier in ‘05 (with great fanfare), but an early January release seems to indicate that perhaps it’s not going to be the Shrek killer they thought it was.  Some of us will be seeing this one later this week (as it’s being pimped for ‘Best Animated’ consideration), so I’ll let you know what we find out.

Having decided that between Hoosiers, Coach Carter, Blue Chips, He Got Game, and that episode of Scooby Doo with the Harlem Globetrotters that there’s still some basketball stories needing to be told, Buena Vista Pictures is putting out Glory Road, starring Josh “Don’t Call me Matt” Lucas as Texas Western coach Don Haskins, who led the first all black team to the NCAA tournaments in 1966.  I think collectively the basketball film should have ended with the excellent Hoosiers, but hey….what do I know.  I’m a football guy.

And lastly we have Last Holiday, starring Queen Latifah as a woman who decides that terminal illness is a good excuse for a wonderful vacation, in which many life lessons will be learned.  Latifah has charm to spare, but she’s often thrown it away on forgettable projects.  I’m none to excited about this one, myself.

We’ll finish up with the last two weeks of January releases next week, so check back.

Showtime has announced they’re in talks to pick up the now cancelled Arrested Development, but Imagine TV (who produces the series) has refused comment.  It’d be an interesting pickup for Showtime, though I’m curious if the pay cable channel can afford the production cost of the show.  HBO seems like it would be a better fit (and in my opinion more in line with HBO’s type of programming), but some sources say Home Box Office isn’t interested in anyone’s sloppy seconds.

Picking up A.D. might be a good move for Showtime, which has critical accolades but low viewership.  Then again, that’s exactly what killed A.D. in the first place.  I still hold that it’s the best show currently on television (well, until it’s last episode airs in the Spring), but I personally would much rather it wind up on FX or HBO.  My guess?  Showtime will eventually balk at the cost and we’ll be left with no more hilarity from the Bluth family.

Arrested Development
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