U.S. TV shows returning from January 8

U.S. TV shows returning from January 8 - 14

Thursday, 07 January 2010 07:35 PM Paolo Chikiamco

TV show logos in composite image sourced from Wikipedia

While December saw many popular American television shows go on break for the holidays, many return in January (not Glee though--you'll have to wait until April for your musical fix) along with several fan-favorite shows that have been missing in action for much too long. Since quite a few of these shows are shown on local TV and cable (or will be eventually), here's a day-by-day run down for the first part of January.

January 8: You have a choice between mathematical methods of solving crimes (Numb3rs) and the somewhat more spiritual (Medium). If you want just the spirits without the crime solving (with a bonus Jennifer Love Hewitt thrown in) then go for Ghost Whisperer. Of course if you'd rather have reality than fantasy, then there's always a Mark Burnett series showing somewhere, and on this day that's Shark Tank.

January 9: Never fear fantasy fans (well, fans of a particular kind of fantasy anyway), Richard and Kahlan return for the second season of Legend of the Seeker based (loosely) on Terry Goodkind's bestselling Sword of Truth series.

January 10: Big Love begins its fourth season on this day, continuing the saga of either the most enviable or the most pitiable man in existence. No question about whether or not I envy Chuck though--after what happened at the end of last season, things are going to change in the land of Buy-More-Ia… the two-hour season premiere will show us just how much.

January 11: A lot of shows on this day, including CSI: Horatio (er, Miami), Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, and Heroes. However, the two shows whose returns I am most eagerly anticipating are Castle (with Nathan Fillion as a thriller-novel writer who assists police investigations and annoys his partner, played by Stana Katic--and this episode will co-star Alyssa Milano) and the Big Bang Theory (which is carried on the shoulders of Jim Parsons’ Emmy-nominated portrayal of Sheldon Cooper, Ph.D.).

January 12: American Idol Season 9. That’s about all that most of you need to hear right? (Especially those of you who only watch the try-outs.) This will be the viewers' first chance to see if Ellen > Paula.

January 13: Your choices on this day are between sitcoms about recent divorcees (The New Adventures of Old Christine and Gary Unmarried) or about criminals being brought to justice—either by the authorities (Criminal Minds and CSI: NY) or by other, smarter criminals (Leverage).

January 14: Another avalanche of shows here. You already know the big guns like CSI, Grey's Anatomy, Bones and Project Runway, so let me just list the rest of them with a short description: Fringe (well known in science fiction circles, this J.J. Abrams production deals with people who investigate fringe sciences), Parks and Recreation (mockumentary style comedy by some of the minds behind The Office), Private Practice (Grey’s Anatomy spin-off), The Vampire Diaries (teen angst and vampires), Archer (a new animated comedy about a male government spy with the unfortunate code name of “Duchess”) and The Mentalist (a police procedural that has been well received, with a protagonist who uses deduction and observation… like Psych without the comedy).