The writers' strike has cast a pall over shows returning from the fall, which means that midseason premieres are going to be providing most of the new scripted content on TV. Here's a look at what's new for the midseason.
Sarah Connor Chronicles
New Show Is there anything left to say about Sarah and John Connor? Apparently. Not only is a fourth movie coming, but now Sarah Connor, inserted after T2, with Sarah (British actress Lena Headey) and 15-year-old John (Thomas Dekker, from Heroes) on the run from both contemporary authorities and cyborgs from the future. Watch creator Josh Friedman try to create jeopardy for characters whose complete past and future we already know! Watch the urbane Headey evoke unslakable yearning for Linda Hamilton's angry growl and big biceps! Watch a series designed to revive a moribund franchise turn out to be completely inessential! Premiere: Sun. Jan. 13 at 8 pm ET, followed by time slot debut Mon. Jan. 14 at 9 pm. Runs through Mar. 3. Network: Fox.More »Kyle XY
Season 2.5 Premiere After a frustrating mid-season cliffhanger, or rather, cliff-plummeter that rushed pell-mell through a can-of-worms opening contest, the second half of season 2 must resolve Kyle's relationship with the Tragers (he'll finally tell them his origin story -- can they take down Madacorp together?), the fate of troubled fellow clone (she jumped off a cliff after betraying Kyle -- did she live? Can she ever be deprogrammed? Does she have any new facial expressions?), and hopefully why there is a dying copy of Kyle's dead progenitor/mentor Adam in the basement of a deserted cabin in the middle of the woods. Premiere: Mon. Jan. 14 at 8 pm ET. Runs through mid-to-late March (all 10 episodes are in the can). Network: ABC Family.More »Torchwood
Season 2 Premiere BBC America's top-rated show, the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood, is back for a second season of randy sci-fi. Joining the unkillable Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and his world-saving team for season 2 is a seasoned hand: Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman), fresh off saving the world herself with the Doctor after a season's worth of adventures in space and time, and happy to be back on solid ground for a while. Also surfacing is Buffy/Angel and Smallville star James Marsters, who seems to have had a lot of fun with this bunch. Premiere: Sat. Jan 26. Unaffected by the strike (these episodes have already been shown in the UK). Network: BBC America.More »New Amsterdam
New Show This season's second entry in the "immortal detectives looking for love" category, a subgenre so narrow as to amount to a fetish, at least has the potential to be considerably stronger than the so-lame-it's-camp competition on CBS, Moonlight. The star, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, has established his cred in his native Denmark; the creators wrote for Lost, Six Feet Under, and 24. The premise involves a spell cast on Amsterdam after saving the life of a Native American girl not to die until he finds true love. Most immortals wander the world, restlessly seeking knowledge and growth, but John stayed to help build New York. He's seen it all. The question is, have we? Premiere: Fri. Feb. 22 at 9 pm ET. Runs through Apr. 4. Network: Fox.More »Jericho
Season Premiere CBS brought it back after being pelted with nuts (that's Skeet with a few crates of them over the summer) -- now it's up to us to watch it. The second season will revolve around the aftermath of the battle with New Bern and Jericho's mutually cagey relationship with the new national government in Cheyenne. Meanwhile, Emily and Jake see how much what they've been through changes things for them, and for Jake's now-widowed mother. Premiere: Tue. Feb. 12 at 10 pm ET. Runs through the end of March (7 episodes are in the can). Network: CBS.More »Battlestar Galactica
Season Premiere After the upsetting revelations at the end of season 3 and the stunning special presentation of Razor in November, the long wait for season 4 seems downright cruel. Promised to be the last season, the human survivors are supposed to find Earth -- or at least, what they think is Earth. But first they have to survive an Armageddon-level battle at the gateway to the road to Earth, figure out whether Kara is really dead or alive, sort out the suddenly revealed presence of previously unknown Cylon models, repair the relationship between the Adamas and restore Lee's career after he quit to defend Baltar -- and those are only the big items. Premiere: March. It's not clear how many episodes are in the can. Network: Sci Fi.More »
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