What do you plan on watching this month?
Galavant (ABC)
Screenwriter/executive producer Dan Fogelman (Crazy, Stupid, Love, Tangled, Cars) teams up with Broadway and Hollywood award-winning musical team -- composer Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast) and lyricist Glenn Slater (Tangled) -- for a 4-week comedy extravaganza. Once upon a time, the dashing hero, Galavant (Joshua Sasse) lost the love of his life, Madalena (Mallory Jansen), to the evil King Richard (Timothy Omundson). Now, our fallen hero is ready to take revenge and restore his “happily ever after.” But it won’t be without a few twists and turns along the way.
Galavant stars Joshua Sasse as Galavant, Timothy Omundson as King Richard, Vinnie Jones as Gareth, Mallory Jansen as Madalena, Karen David as Isabella and Luke Youngblood as Sid. (Premieres January 4th)
Marvel's Agent Carter (ABC)
ABC presents its second action packed series from the creative minds at Marvel in Marvel's Agent Carter, inspired by the feature films Marvel's Captain America: The First Avenger and Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, along with the short Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter.
Years before Agent Phil Coulson and his S.H.I.E.L.D. team swore to protect those who cannot protect themselves from threats they cannot conceive, there was Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell, Marvel's Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier) who pledged the same oath but lived in a different time when women weren't recognized as being as smart or as tough as their male counterparts.
But no one should ever underestimate Peggy.
It's 1946 and peace has dealt Peggy a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy finds herself stuck doing administrative work when she would rather be back out in the field — putting her vast skills into play and taking down the bad guys. But she is also trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life, Steve Rogers — aka Captain America.
When old acquaintance, Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper, Marvel's Captain America: The First Avenger) finds himself being framed for unleashing his deadliest weapons to anyone willing to pony up the cash, he contacts Peggy — the only person he can trust — to track down those responsible, dispose of the weapons and clear his name. He empowers his butler, Edwin Jarvis (James D'Arcy, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World), to be at her beck and call when needed to help assist her as she investigates and tracks down those responsible for releasing these weapons of mass destruction. But Jarvis, who is a creature of habit and sticks to a rigid daily routine, is going to have to make some major life changes if he's going to be able to keep up with Peggy.
If caught going on these secret missions for Stark, Peggy could be targeted as a traitor and spend the rest of her days in prison — or worse. And as she delves deeper into her investigation, she may find that those she works for are not who they seem, and she might even begin to question whether Stark is as innocent as he claims.
Marvel's Agent Carter stars Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter, James D'Arcy as Edwin Jarvis, Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill, A Cinderella Story) as Agent Jack Thompson, Enver Gjokaj (Dollhouse) as Agent Daniel Sousa and Shea Whigham (American Hustle, The Wolf of Wall Street) as Chief Roger Dooley. (Premieres January 6th)
Donnie Loves Jenny (A&E)
Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy’s romance has unfolded in the public eye, from the first time they met, to their first kiss, to the news of their engagement – the world has followed their courtship every step of the way. The couple will now open their doors and let fans in on the next chapter of their lives, married life. The series will kick off with behind-the-scenes moments from their wedding and follow the twosome through their nuptials into their first experiences as a married couple, including blending their families and balancing their busy schedules. (Premieres January 7th)
Empire (FOX)
Empire is a sexy and powerful new drama about the head of a music empire whose three sons and ex-wife all battle for his throne. (Premieres January 7th)
Hindsight (VH1)
The series begins with Becca (Laura Ramsey) on the eve of her second wedding. It all seems perfect this time around, but she is still plagued by doubt. What if she could fix everything, and make the 'right' choices this time? Becca finds herself thinking about her former best friend Lolly (Sarah Goldberg), with whom she had a falling out many years ago. If only she could talk to her once again… Suddenly, after a freakish elevator ride, Becca gets the opportunity to do just that as she wakes up in New York City on the morning of her first wedding day in 1995. She's about to marry Sean (Craig Horner), a bad-boy artist who is all wrong for her – and she knows her first move must be to reconnect with Lolly to re-live that day. Can she 'make it right' by living her life all over while re-adapting to life in New York City in the 90's – a time of smoking in bars, carrying pagers, having an AOL email address? Becca will soon discover there's no sure-fire way to make the right choices in life – even knowing everything she thinks she knows now. (Premieres January 7th)
Babylon (Sundance TV)
Academy Award winner Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire) delivers a satirical look at the inner workings of a UK police department and the media necessary to inform the public. Fresh off of her hit TED talk, American new media PR maven Liz Garvey (Brit Marling) arrives to head up publicity at the London police force, all guns blazing and without a clue of what she’s walking into. This fish out of water story hilariously shows the clash of cultures and age, the embrace of transparency and technology as well as the real underbelly of the relationship between media and government. (Premieres January 8th)
Togetherness (HBO)
Written, directed and executive produced by Jay and Mark Duplass (Jeff, Who Lives at Home, Cyrus), Togetherness is a comedic look at four middle-aged people reconciling their dreams with their current personal and professional lives in Los Angeles.
Brett (Mark Duplass) and Michelle (Melanie Lynskey) are a married couple in their mid-late 30s struggling to adapt their relationship to the pressures of parenthood. Brett's best friend is Alex (Steve Zissis), an overweight, out-of-work actor debating if he still has a shot at being successful. Alex connects with Michelle's sister, Tina (Amanda Peet), a free spirit grappling with being single and getting older. Each adult fights to sustain his or her own passion without skirting responsibility. As the two couples find themselves living under one roof, Togetherness explores the significance behind every day moments. (Premieres January 11th)
Eye Candy (MTV)
Eye Candy centers on tech genius Lindy, who is persuaded by her roommate to begin online dating and begins to suspect that one of her mysterious suitors might be a deadly cyber stalker. When her friends at the elusive cyber-police uncover a potential serial killer in Manhattan, all signs point to one of Lindy’s dates. Teaming up with this band of hackers, Lindy works to solve the murders while unleashing her own style of justice on the streets of New York City. (Premieres January 12th)
Wrestling with Death (WGN America)
A unique family docuseries, WGN America's first unscripted series introduces you to the world of The Lathams; morticians by day who run The Wilson Funeral Home in Osceola, Arkansas and professional wrestlers by night who run The Mid-Southern Championship Wrestling League. (Premieres January 13th)
Man Seeking Woman (FXX)
A sweet and surreal look at the life-and-death stakes of dating, Man Seeking Woman follows naïve twenty-something “Josh Greenberg” (Jay Baruchel, How to Train Your Dragon) on his unrelenting quest for love. Josh soldiers through one-night stands, painful break-ups, a blind date with a troll, time travel, sex aliens, many deaths and a Japanese penis monster named “Tanaka” on his fantastical journey to find love.
Starring alongside Baruchel are Eric Andre (The Eric Andre Show) as “Mike,” Josh’s confident and daring best friend; Britt Lower (Unforgettable) as “Liz,” Josh’s intimidating older sister; and Maya Erskine (Betas) as “Maggie,” the ex-girlfriend Josh can never quite forget.
Man Seeking Woman is based on Simon Rich’s book of short stories, “The Last Girlfriend on Earth.” Rich created the 10-episode scripted comedy and also serves as Creator/Executive Producer. Jonathan Krisel, Andrew Singer and Lorne Michaels also serve as Executive Producers through Broadway Video. Man Seeking Woman is produced by FX Productions. (Premieres January 14th)
World's Funniest Fails (FOX)
Hosted by Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine). The irreverent one-hour series is based on the hit YouTube channel, FailArmy, which showcases the best "epic fail" viral videos in the most entertaining ways possible. Each week a panel of comedians will analyze the videos which have exploded across the Internet, with the goal of awarding one with the ultimate "Fail of the Week." (Premieres January 16th)
The Adventures of Puss in Boots (Netflix)
The world's greatest feline fighter, lover and milk connoisseur is back in this original series filled with daring adventures, great boots, and laugh-out-loud fun! The entire family will be entranced by Puss' fantastical CG world filled with new characters, exotic locations and mystical tales that make up the stuff of legends. There's nothing that can get in this celebrated swashbuckling kitty's way...except maybe a hairball. (Premieres January 16th)
12 Monkeys (Syfy)
12 Monkeys is a drama based on the 1995 Universal Pictures film directed by Terry Gilliam.
The show follows the journey of a time traveler, Cole, from the post-apocalyptic future. Using a dangerous and untested method of time travel, Cole arrives in the present day on a mission to locate and eradicate the source of a deadly plague that will eventually decimate 93.6% of the human race. Will Cole be able to save the fate of mankind or is mankind bound by fate? Taking place in the ravaged future of 2043 and the present day (2015), 12 Monkeys explores themes of destiny, fate, love and the possibility of second chances. (Premieres January 16th)
Grantchester (PBS)
Already a hit in the UK, Grantchester stars James Norton (Happy Valley) as a charismatic young clergyman and Robson Green (Wire in the Blood) as a down-to-earth cop who team up to fight crime in the beautiful hamlet of Grantchester in 1953. Based on the acclaimed mystery novels by James Runcie, the young vicar is styled after Runcie’s late father, who was Archbishop of Canterbury in the 1980s. (Premieres January 18th)
The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore (Comedy Central)
The Nightly Show will provide viewers with Larry Wilmore's distinct point of view and comedic take on current events and pop culture. Hosted by Wilmore, the series will feature a diverse panel of voices, providing a perspective largely missing in the late night television landscape. (Premieres January 19th)
This Is Not Happening (Comedy Central)
Hosted by Ari Shaffir, This Is Not Happening is a raucous series featuring long-form storytelling from stand-up comedians. From Moshe Kasher’s run-in with an anti-Semite at an Israeli comedy club to Steve Rannazzisi breaking up a fight between Bobby Lee and Ari Shaffir over Natasha Leggero, these comedians’ incredible stories prove that there is nothing as crazy as the truth. (Premieres January 22nd)
Backstrom (FOX)
From creator/executive producer Hart Hanson (Bones), Backstrom is a subversive and comic crime procedural about an unhealthy, offensive, irascible – albeit brilliant – detective who is brought back from exile to run the Portland Police Bureau's Special Crimes Unit (S.C.U.).
Detective Lieutenant EVERETT BACKSTROM (Emmy Award nominee Rainn Wilson, The Office) is a man with no filter. After a five-year exile to the traffic division for offensive behavior, he has returned from disgrace to lead Portland's newly minted S.C.U. Tasked with navigating the city's most sensitive and serious cases, he must solve each crime as he tries, and fails, to change his own self-destructive behavior.
To no one's surprise, Backstrom's return is far from well-received, especially by his commanding officer, Police Chief ANNA CERVANTES. Running the day-to-day operations of the S.C.U. is Detective NICOLE GRAVELY (Genevieve Angelson, House of Lies) the ambitious and optimistic yin to Backstrom's yang, she extends herself to the limit to counterbalance his erratic and controversial behavior. By her side is Detective Sergeant JOHN ALMOND (Dennis Haysbert, 24, The Unit), a tested veteran of the Bureau who doesn't approve of Backstrom's xenophobic antics; although he tries to find the light in people, when it comes to Backstrom, he sees only darkness.
The group's forensics liaison is Sergeant PETER NIEDERMAYER (Kristoffer Polaha, Ringer, Life Unexpected), a handsome, free-spirited, philosophical man whose open approach to the universe pushes all of Backstrom's buttons. Managing the chain of evidence at S.C.U. headquarters is civilian support NADIA PAQUET (Beatrice Rosen, The Dark Knight), a beautiful French immigrant with a profound ability to navigate cyberspace. She also takes a liking to Backstrom and, at least technically, fills Backstrom's doctor's prescription to “make a friend.”
On the street, uniformed officer FRANK MOTO (Page Kennedy, Blue Mountain State, Weeds) proves his value by suppressing the perpetrators and swiftly maneuvering around hostile conditions. Meanwhile, GREGORY VALENTINE (Thomas Dekker, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), who serves as Backstrom's tenant, decorator and underworld connection, has a genuine fondness for the abrasive cop.
Using his dark instincts and peculiar abilities, Backstrom always manages to outsmart his foes, manipulate his peers and, with the help of his eccentric team, solve the case, even as he less ably adjusts to the progressive sensibilities of 21st century Portland. (Premieres January 22nd)
Fortitude (Pivot/Sky Atlantic)
Fortitude is a place like nowhere else. Surrounded by the savage beauty of the frozen landscape, the small town in the Arctic Circle is one of the safest towns on earth. There has never been a violent crime here. Until now. In this close-knit community, a murder touches everyone and the unsettling horror of the crime threatens the future of the town itself.
In Fortitude, it’s not just the cold that kills. (Premieres January 29th)
