Many shows took a break last week in honor of Thanksgiving, so besides the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, there wasn't a lot of new content to cover. However, networks took advantage of the lull in programming to make some announcements concerning new and returning shows.
FX, which has been nicely carving out a niche for itself with edgy dramas ("Sons of Anarchy," "Justified") and off-kilter comedies ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "Louie"), announced premiere dates for its new drama, "Lights Out," and its returning comedy, "Archer." "Lights Out," debuting Jan. 11 at 10 p.m., will follow a former heavyweight boxing champ and his family after his retirement and certainly seems to fit the FX brand. "Archer," the animated spy series, will kick off its second season at 10 p.m. on Jan. 27.
ABC also announced a premiere date for its long-gestating "Body of Proof." The series stars Dana Delany as a successful neurosurgeon who becomes a medical examiner after a car accident leaves her unable to operate. It had originally been slated for Fridays, but after the network's new series "The Whole Truth" and "Detroit 1-8-7" didn't work out as planned, ABC bumped this promising show to a better time slot. "Body of Proof," co-starring Jeri Ryan, Sonja Sohn and John Carroll Lynch, will air on March 29 at 10 p.m.
The CW and HBO also got into the new show announcement game, although their respective series are nowhere near having premiere dates set. The CW, after finding great success in "The Vampire Diaries," has hired creator Kevin Williamson to develop a companion series about investigators of supernatural events. And HBO released a new trailer to its fantasy epic, "Game of Thrones," based on the novels by George R. R. Martin. It is still hard to decide what to make of the series, but the trailer promises a grand scale only HBO could offer.
Finally, in what I hope will soon be followed by a second season renewal announcement, "Terriers" ended its first season last night. The excellent, but poorly titled and marketed, FX drama went out on a high note. It would still be a shame if it's the last we see of the series.
—by Ben Phelps
