My Most Anticipated Mid-Season TV Shows

After the holiday season comes to an end, television reruns and often bland holiday programming will give way to mid-season content -- brand new shows, returning favorites, the football postseason, and the peak of the entertainment awards ceremonies.  Here is my summary of the shows I'm anticipating the most.

New Shows

NBC tries to bring a little "glee" to its programming schedule with Smash, a musical series about characters behind-the-scenes trying to bring a Broadway show to life, starring Debra Messing, Jack Davenport, Katharine McPhee, and Anjelica Huston.

I'm really looking forward to the new HBO drama, Luck, set in the world of horse-racing, starring the excellent Dustin Hoffman, Nick Nolte, and Dennis Farina.

Kiefer Sutherland returns to television in Touch on FOX, about a dad who discovers that his autistic son can predict the future.  Danny Glover also stars. 

For supernatural cheesiness, check out Syfy's Lost Girl, the adventures of a succubus, played by Anna Silk. 

Another, more interesting fantasy series is the British series The Fades, about a guy who has visions of the apocalypse and sees dead people. 

FOX brings us another procedural drama called The Finder, a spin-off of Bones, with Geoff Stults, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Mercedes Masohn in the leads.

The John Grisham novel and Tom Cruise movie The Firm gets a reboot in this FOX version starring Josh Lucas and Juliette Lewis.

Two of my most anticipated shows this season are The River, ABC's spooky paranormal adventure show about a missing TV explorer in the Amazon, and Alcatraz on FOX, starring Sarah Jones and Jorge Garcia.

Returning Shows

Some of my guilty pleasures are coming back -- Celebrity Apprentice on NBC, American Idol on FOX, Californication on Showtime, and the BBC's Merlin on Syfy.

Cartoons

When it comes to animated fare, there's a returning favorite and a brand new cartoon adaptation of a cult class -- Archer on FX and Napoleon Dynamite on FOX.

Award Shows

'Tis the season to hand out trophies.  Starting with The People's Choice Awards, we then have Ricky Gervais hosting The Golden Globe Awards again, followed by Billy Crystal trying to save The 84th Academy Awards.

Sports

And of course, I have to mention Super Bowl XLVI.  Which two NFL teams will make it to the highly-rated championship game?

Did I leave anything out?  That's because I'm probably not interested in it, but if you are, feel free to let me know about it and set me straight.