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'24,' 'Idol,' 'Dancing ... Stars' Ready to Light Up January

Posted on: Friday, 9 December 2005, 15:00 CST

By Rick Kushman THE SACRAMENTO BEE

Now that network television has gone into holiday-special mode, this is a good chance to catch up on what's coming in January, and what's going bye bye.

Since enough people have asked, we have return dates for shows such as "24" and "Scrubs."

Fox is bringing "24" back with its usual low-key subtlety, which means two hours on Jan. 15 and two more on Jan. 16. Then "24" will settle into its regular 9 p.m. Monday slot starting Jan. 23.

Fox released the season four DVD of "24" on Tuesday and included in it what it's calling a 10-minute "prequel" episode about what Jack Bauer has been doing since he faked his own death.

Fox's other biggie -- or, really, its bigger biggie -- "American Idol" returns with two hours on Jan. 17, then another hour on Jan. 18, which will then lead into "Skating With Celebrities." On Jan. 23, "Skating" will move to Mondays at 8, before "24."

The real "Dancing With the Stars," from ABC, returns on Jan. 5 with a two-hour installment, then it will air for 90 minutes every Thursday. And this time, they'll have a results show the next night - - on Fridays (starting Jan. 6) -- which means the winners and losers will be based on viewer votes from the current week's dance.

As for "Scrubs," it's sort of good and not-so-good news. The good news is that it will return on Jan. 3, with back-to-back episodes. But, it will be following "Fear Factor," which is not exactly "Scrub's" perfect lead-in. It has the smell of burn-off, although NBC swears it hopes this will get "Scrubs" more exposure.

The current Tuesday comedies on NBC, by the way -- "My Name Is Earl" and "The Office" -- will move in January to the 9 p.m. bloc on Thursdays. "Will & Grace" will move to 8 p.m. (leading into the new comedy, "Four Kings") and "Joey" is going on hold for a while. (They call it hiatus, but we know it's really the road to nowhere.)

Speaking of getting cancelled, or not, here is a rundown of this season's rookie shows so far. We'll start with the bad news so we can end on a more upbeat note, and, remember, these are just the series that started this fall.

Here's what got cancelled (although a few episodes may still air):

ABC:

"Hot Properties" and "Night Stalker."

CBS:

"Threshold." Although it was the best of the three new sci-fi shows, it got terrible time slots. "Out of Practice" is on hiatus, but it doesn't look good.

NBC:

"Inconceivable" and "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart," though you'll be able to see the Stewart finale on Dec. 21 (at 8 p.m.). "Three Wishes" is on the fence.

Fox:

"Head Cases,""Kitchen Confidential" and "Reunion." Fans of "Reunion" will be ticked because this was a 22-episode mystery that's getting cut short without a resolution. "Killer Instinct" is a coin-toss.

UPN:

"Sex, Love and Secrets."

WB:

"Just Legal.""Twins" and "Related" are both borderline, though WB execs say they really want "Related" to work out.

Here's what got picked up for the entire season. That doesn't mean they are home free, but they will be around the rest of the year.

ABC:

"Commander-in-Chief,""Freddie" and "Invasion."

CBS:

"Close to Home,""Criminal Minds,""The Ghost Whisperer" and "How I Met Your Mother."

NBC:

"E-Ring,""My Name Is Earl" and "Surface."

Fox:

"Bones,""The War at Home" and "Prison Break" (which returns March 13, not May as previously announced).

UPN:

"Everybody Hates Chris" and "Love, Inc."

WB:

"Supernatural."

And, although it's way too early, if you were asking me which of those we can expect to see around for a few years, this would be my guess:

"Commander-in-Chief,""Criminal Minds,""The Ghost Whisperer,""How I Met Your Mother,""My Name Is Earl,""Bones,""Prison Break,""Everybody Hates Chris" and "Supernatural."

That will be your class of 2005-06, plus the midseason shows that connect. But do not hold me to it.

Source: Daily Breeze

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