January 2009

It seems like nowadays there are more awards shows than ever, with nearly everyone in every field of entertainment getting a shot at some special recognition. But the traditional — and generally more meaningful — ones still lead the way, and as this season of awards presentations comes upon us, you can start watching some of them this month. Most nominees had not been announced at presstime: 35th Annual People’s Choice Awards — CBS (Live, Jan. 7; tape-delayed Pacific). Queen Latifah returns as host of this ceremony, the first awards show of the year, which honors fan favorites in TV, […]

TNT, Mondays Beginning Jan. 26 For some people, revisiting the past would be a nightmare. For Tom Cavanagh, it has led him to a role on one of the most promising new shows on television. On Trust Me, Cavanagh and costar Eric McCormack play Conner and Mason, two best friends working as partners at a top Chicago ad agency. When Mason gets promoted to the position of creative director — a move that makes him Conner’s boss — their personal and working relationships are put to the test. Given its veteran cast — which also includes Monica Potter (Boston Legal), […]

PBS, Fridays Beginning Jan. 23 (Premiere Event Jan. 19) If you remember The Electric Company, then you’re pretty far outside the age group for which it originally was intended. Created by the Children’s Television Workshop, the folks who created Sesame Street, The Electric Company was a similar program with a like agenda — to help kids learn to read. With short sketches, both live-action and animated, the show sought to use measured, deliberate repetition of letters and words to teach fundamental reading skills to its audience. It was as effective as it was entertaining, featuring an incredible variety of talents […]

Spike presents the follow-up to 2007’s animated series Afro Samurai with the original movie Afro Samurai: Resurrection, premiering Jan. 25. Set in a lawless world that is part feudal Japan and part future wasteland, solitary warrior Afro fights demons from his past while battling would-be assassins at every turn. Samuel L. Jackson returns as the voices of Afro and his sidekick Ninja Ninja. Joining the voice cast are Lucy Liu as Afro’s new nemesis, Sio, and Mark Hamill as Bin, Sio’s servant. Bent on revenge against Afro, the cunning and beautiful Sio isn’t your typical baddie, and Liu made it […]

FOX, Wednesdays Beginning Jan. 21 What if you had the ability, just by looking at someone or hearing them speak, to ascertain whether they were telling the truth? How would recognizing the lies change your view of humanity? The short answer is that it likely would drive you nuts. But your skills also might put you in demand by the local and federal law enforcement agencies, which might prevail upon you in the solving of particularly sticky cases. This is the world FOX presents in a new series executive produced by the folks behind 24 and Arrested Development. Lie to […]

Showtime, Sundays beginning Jan. 18 Leave it to Showtime to take a truckload of mega-firsts — most notably the first TV series for actress Toni Collette (Little Miss Sunshine), the first TV project for Juno scribe Diablo Cody, and the net’s first collaboration with Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks — throw in an uber-sensitive plotline, and then cram the whole works into a mere half-hour of the funniest, most boundary-blurring weekly comedy on television. Based on Spielberg’s original concept and crafted into an unflinchingly dark sitcom by Cody, United States of Tara stars the Academy Award-nominated Collette as Tara Gregor, an […]

HBO, Returns Sundays beginning Jan. 18 Blending quietly in their normal suburban neighborhood is so a thing of the past for Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton), a closeted polygamist, and his three wives — Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn), Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) and Margie (Ginnifer Goodwin) — and their eight children. Season 2 concluded with Barb choosing her family over starting over, when she made a “coming out” confession to their neighbor Pam. “We’re all ONE family,” Barb told Pam in defense of why Margie can’t be a surrogate for her. The all-too-creepy Alby (Matt Ross) succeeded in edging himself in as leader […]

A&E, Thursdays Beginning Jan. 15 For those of you wondering why movie star Patrick Swayze would first subject himself to the grueling schedule of series television now, while he’s battling a deadly form of cancer, I have but three words: Watch. The. Beast. Fair warning, though — if you’re all about cozying up for a night of Ghost Whisperer-style, feel-good TV, you can skip the advice. But if you love rearranging your life for a show with a toe-curling, can’t-miss-a-minute plotline, well, no more Thursday night bowling for you! The pilot alone of A&E’s newest scripted drama is filled with […]