Happy New Year.
The first day of 2014, basically, is a day of rest for television. But after that, almost instantly, TV’s winter dormancy is over. Prepare to strap on and dive in…
On Thursday, Jan. 2, shows returning with new episodes include CBS’s The Big Bang Theory, NBC’s Parenthood, and what’s basically a reboot for the Season 5 premiere of Community.
Also that day are two different modern takes on the seductive character of Irene Adler from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories: PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre repeats the Sherlock episode that introduced Lara Pulver as Irene, confronting Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock in the most aggressive way possible (see picture at right). And CBS’s Elementary presents a new episode in which Natalie Dormer returns as Irene – who, as fans of this series know already, has a dual identity as well.
Friday brings more college football bowl games, Saturday brings the first of the pro football playoffs, and Sunday marks the return of two of television’s best and smartest series: CBS’s The Good Wife and PBS’s Downton Abbey.
And so it goes. A week later, on Sunday, Jan. 12, cable returns with a vengeance: HBO premieres True Detective, a miniseries with Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey (seen at top), and begins a new season of Girls, while Showtime counters with season premieres of Shameless, House of Lies and Episodes. In other words, you’ve made it through TV’s self-imposed winter vacation. It’s time to get back to the couch – and to program those DVRs...