Here’s a list of 42 shows — debuts or season-openers — coming this mid-season. Some are terrific (“The Americas” is shown here), some aren’t, but all provide fresh choices. The story below this has more details.
NEW SCRIPTED SHOWS
— “Going Dutch,” 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 2, Fox. The career of a tough colonel (Denis Leary) implodes. He’s sent to a gentle Dutch base, run by his estranged daughter. The opening episode is flat; the second is better.
— “Doc,” 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7, Fox. Here’s a brilliant concept, beautifully executed. Recovering from a traffic crash, a doctor has lost eight years of memories. Now she must update her knowledge … and adjust to her misdeeds during those years. Molly Parker leads a terrific cast.
— “Shifting Gears,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8, ABC. Tim Allen plays the widowed owner of a shop restoring classic cars. His life is tilted when his estranged daughter (Kat Dennings) moves in with her children. In a re-arranged night, this leads into “Abbott Elementary.”
— “Watson,” after football Sunday, Jan. 26, CBS; then 9 p.m. Sundays, starting Feb. 16. This diverts from the CBS formula – but not in a good way. Dr. Watson (Morris Chestnut), aided by money from his late friend Sherlock Holmes, runs a modern-day clinic to solve medical mysteries. With cold characters and an impersonal feel, this seems like it wants to be streaming.
— “The Hunting Party,” 10 p.m. Monday, Feb. 3, NBC. An explosion at a superprison has freed the nation’s nastiest criminals; now Melissa Roxburgh must find them, one at a time. The result is well-made, but harsh and grim.
— “Good Cop/Bad Cop,” 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, CW. Leighton Meester (“Gossip Girls”) and Luke Cook play sister-and-brother detectives who, in the sibling tradition, disagree. Clancy Brown is their dad, the police chief.
— “Suits LA,” 9 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, NBC. The original “Suits,” set in New York, was a modest success on cable and a huge one via streaming reruns. Now a new edition has Stephen Amell (“Arrow”) as a former federal prosecutor whose firm defends high-end clients in Los Angeles.
— “Grosse Pointe Garden Society,” 10 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, NBC. Four members of a suburban garden club find their lives entwined in scandal and a secret about a murder.
NEW UNSCRIPTED SHOWS
— “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 2, ABC. This is a reboot, with new designers and builders doing massive rebuilds.
— “Hollywood Squares,” 8 p.m.Thursday, Jan. 9, CBS. Drew Barrymore is in the center square of a show stuffed with comedians and a chaotic vibe. After three Thursdays (nudging comedy reruns to 9 and 9:30), this moves to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29.
— “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” 10:01 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27, ABC. This reruns a popular documentary series from Hulu. It tells of a group of Mormon-mom influencers who were caught in a swinging scandal.
— “Scamanda,” 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, ABC. After announcing this show for Oct. 9, ABC pulled it for repairs. It returns almost four months later, telling of the young mom who drew deep sympathy for podcasts that claimed she had lymphoma … which she didn’t.
— “Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini,” 10 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, ABC. Papini seemed to have an ideal family life in Northern California. This true-crime documentary (originally on Hulu) views the six-year probe after her disappearance.
— “The Americas,” 7-9 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, NBC. The BBC has crafted a gorgeous, 10-week nature series spanning three continents, with Tom Hanks narrating. After the opener, it will be 8-9 p.m.
SEASON-OPENERS (SCRIPTED)
— “Only Murders in the Building,” 9-11 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 2, ABC. One of TV’s best shows, this cpmedu-drama has had four 10-episode seasons on Hulu. Now the second reruns here, with three episodes on opening night. Podcasters (Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez) were heralded for solving a murder; now there’s anotger and they’re suspects.
— “Animal Control,” 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 2, Fox. This clever show finds ways to mix character comedy (led by Joel McHale) and sight gags … especially in the opener, which involves a zoo break.
— “Vienna Blood,” 10 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 5, PBS. It’s a dark, four-week tale.
— “Will Trent” and “The Rookie,” 8 and 10 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7, ABC. It’s a new cops-and-crime night on Tuesdays. These straddle “High Potential,” forming a sometimes-lighter competitor to CBS’ FBI shows.
— “Miss Scarlet,” 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12, PBS. A season of crisp dialog and interesting mysteries begins as Eliza faces a new police inspector who dislikes private detectives.
— “All Creatures Great and Small,” Sunday, Jan. 12, PBS. The season starts amid World War II, with two of the men in the military – Trevor overseas, James training as a pilot. Things will change quickly, in a warm and quietly entertaining season.
— “All American,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, CW. It then moves to its Monday spot at 8 p.m. Feb. 3.
— “NCIS: Sydney,” 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31. CBS. “SWAT” moves to 10 p.m., with “Fire Country” staying at 9.
— “Funny Woman,” 10 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2, PBS. Almost by accident, Sophie has become a star in the early days of British TV. In this second season, she find success can be complicated.
— “Wild Cards,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, CW. The first season offered a fun batch of light mysteries, with mismatched crimesolvers. She’s a former con artist; he’s a cop who was downgraded to river patrol.
SEASON-OPENERS (UNSCRIPTED)
— “Kitchen Nightmares,” 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7, Fox. This five-week quickie has Gordon Ramsay fixing restaurants in New Orleans. That’s the home of the Super Bowl … which, as luck would have it, will be on Fox.
— “Deal or No Deal Island,” 8-10 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7, NBC. A week later, it moves to 9-11 p.m.
— “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test,” 8-10 p.m. Wednesday, Jan, 8, Fox, Here’s another five-week quickie, leading up to the game. This edition has Super Bowl veterans and other athletes, plus others – including Denise Richards and Trista Suter, the original “bachelorette.”
— “Raid the Cage,” 9 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8, CBS, after “The Price is Right.”
— “Celebrity Jeopardy,” 9:02 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8, ABC.
— “Police 24/7” and “Crime Nation,” 8 and 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, CW.
— “Penn and Teller: Fool Us” and “Masters of Illusion,” 8 and 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24, CW.
— “The Bachelor,” 8-10 p.m. Jan. 27. Grant Ellis, who finished fifth on “The Bachelorette,” is the second Black bachelor. Now a stock trader, he’s 6-foot-5 and was a basketball reserve in college and, briefly, the Dominican Republic.
— “The Floor,” after the Super Bowl, Sunday, Feb, 9, Fox. Rob Lowe’s “9-1-1: Lone Star” has its final episodes on Mondays, Jan. 20 and 27 and Feb. 3. Six days later, Lowe hosts this show … which then moves to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, after the “Masked Singer” opener.
— “Next Level Chef,” 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, Fox. It’s Ramsay again.
— “Survivor,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26; two-hour opener, then 90 minutes.
— “The Amazing Race,” 9:30-11 p.m., Wednesday, March 5.
— “American Idol,” 8-10 p.m. Sunday, March 9, ABC. Katy Perry leaves as judge and Carrie Underwood, the show’s most famous winner, steps in.
— “$100,00 Pyramid,” 10 p.m. Sunday, March 9, ABC.