Fall TV Preview: Your Guide to What's New!
Pan Am‘s Christina Ricci, New Girl Zooey Deschanel, and Person of Interest‘s Michael Emerson
2 Broke Girls, CBS
WHEN: Mondays at 8:30 pm, starting Sept. 26; special preview Sept. 19 at 9:30 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Kat Dennings (Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist), Beth Behrs (Up Close with Carrie Keagan), Garrett Morris (Saturday Night Live) and Matthew Moy (Scrubs) and Jonathan Kite
WHAT: Dennings plays Max, a Brooklynite juggling two jobs to make ends (barely) meet. Behrs is Caroline, a Park Avenue princess rendered a penniless pariah by her fatherÂ's Ponzi scheme. MaxÂ's diner needs a new hire (and Max is about to need a new roommate), while Caroline is desperate for a paycheck and a place to hang her surviving Chanel. Moy, Morris and Kite round out the cast as the dinerÂ's boss, cashier and cook, respectively.
Allen Gregory, FOX
WHEN: Sundays at 8:30 pm, premiering Oct. 30
(WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Jonah Hill (Superbad)
WHAT: Created by and featuring the vocal stylings of Hill, this animated comedy tells the tale of a pretentious 7-year-old who is about to embark on the greatest adventure of his life: leaving the safety of home school for a real-life, kid-infested elementary school.
American Horror Story, FX
WHEN: Wednesdays at 10/9c, premiering Oct. 5
WHO: Dylan McDermott (The Practice), Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights), Taissa Farmiga, Jessica Lange (Grey Gardens), Denis O’Hare (True Blood), Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under), Alexandra Breckenridge (Dirt) and Evan Peters (One Tree Hill)
WHAT: McDermott, Britton and Farmiga play a family moving into a new (yet very old) house hoping to escape some figurative demons from their past. Once they do, “figurative” starts to look pretty damn good in comparison to their new, unsettling life.
Boss, Starz
WHEN: Fridays at 10/9c, premiering Oct. 21 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Kelsey Grammer (Frasier), Connie Nielsen (Law & Order: SVU), Kathleen Robertson (Beverly Hills 90210), Martin Donovan (Weeds), Jeff Hephner (Hellcats) and others
WHAT: Mayor Tom Kane (Grammer) holds the power in Chicago, but he also hides a crushing health secret. He keeps his advisors (played by Roberston and Donovan) in the dark, while the State Treasurer (Hephner) is too ambitious to notice, and KaneÂ's wife (Nielsen) knows nothing.
Charlie’s Angels, ABC
WHEN: Thursdays at 8 pm (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Rachael Taylor (Grey’s Anatomy), Minka Kelly
(Friday Night Lights), Annie Ilonzeh (General Hospital) and Ramon Rodriguez (The Wire)
WHAT: Charlie’s drop-dead gorgeous gang of lady detectives are back in this reboot of the 1970s classic, now set in Miami. Need we say more? Rodriguez is the (very) new Bosley; big-screen Angel Drew Barrymore is an executive producer on the project.
Enlightened, HBO
WHEN: Mondays at 10:30 pm, premiering Oct. 10
WHO: Laura Dern (Rambling Rose) and Mike White (Pushing Daisies), both of whom also serve as executive producers
WHAT: Blending comedy and drama, the show focuses on a self-destructive woman who has a spiritual awakening after a meltdown. Determined to live a more enlightened existence, the former career exec finds her new lifestyle wreaks havoc at home and at work.
Free Agents, NBC
WHEN: Wednesdays at 8:30 pm, premiering Sept. 21; special preview Sept. 14 at 10:30 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Hank Azaria (The Simpsons), Kathryn Hahn (Hung),
Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Joe Lo Truglio (Reno 911!), and others
WHAT: Based on a UK series of the same name, this rom-com stars Azaria and Hahn as quirky PR execs who both are on the rebound but for very different reasons: He is a recent divorcé, and she just lost her fiancé. Head reprises his role from the UK version, as the duo’s boss.
A Gifted Man, CBS
WHEN: Fridays at 8 pm, premiering Sept. 23 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Patrick Wilson (Angels in America), Jennifer Ehle (Pride & Prejudice), Margo Martindale (Justified) and others
WHAT: Exiting Law & Order: SVU executive producer Neal Baer has been named showrunner of this high-concept medical drama, which stars Wilson as a competitive Type A surgeon who learns the true meaning of life from his wife. Er, make that from his recently deceased wife (Ehle).
Grimm, NBC
WHEN: Fridays at 9 pm; premiering Oct. 21 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: David Giuntoli (Privileged), Silas Weir Mitchell (Prison Break), Sasha Roiz (Caprica), Kate Burton (Grey’s Anatomy) and others
WHAT: This one’s a little confusing, so follow closely: Giuntoli stars in this fantastical dark drama as Nick, a detective whose mission is to protect humans living in a world where Grimm’s Fairy Tale characters actually exist. Mitchell will play the seriesÂ' Â"lead creature,Â" a reformed big, bad wolf; Roiz is the police captain; and Burton is NickÂ's aunt, who possesses dark secrets of her own.
H8R, The CW
WHEN: Wednesdays at 8 pm; premiering Sept. 14 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Mario Lopez
WHAT: Lopez hosts this hour-long reality series that pairs celebs with the common folk who “hate” them. Kim Kardashian and Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, for example. will try to convince their naysayers of their misguided disdain in the premiere episode. We wish them all the best of luck!
Hart of Dixie, The CW
WHEN: Mondays at 9 pm; premiering Sept. 26 (WATCH VIDEO )
WHO: Rachel Bilson (The O.C.), Scott Porter (Friday Night Lights), Jaime King (Pearl Harbor), Cress Williams (Grey’s Anatomy), and others
WHAT: Executive producer Josh Schwartz reunites with his former O.C. star Bilson in this dramedy, which he hopes “has an old-school WB flave” similar to Everwood. Bilson plays Zoe, a big-city doctor adjusting to life in a small Southern town after she inherits a local medical practice. Porter plays an attorney/Zoe’s potential love interest, King a prissy debutante, and Williams the town mayor.
Hell on Wheels, AMC
WHEN: Sundays at 10/9c, premiering Nov. 6 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Anson Mount (Conviction), Common (Just Wright), Colm Meaney (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Ben Esler (The Pacific), and others
WHAT: A Western that centers on former Confederate soldier Cullen Bohannon (played by Mount) whose quest for vengeance has led him to the Union Pacific Railroad’s westward construction of the first transcontinental railroad.
Homeland, Showtime
WHEN: Sundays at 10/9c, premiering Oct. 2 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Claire Danes (Temple Grandin), Damian Lewis (Life), Mandy Patinkin (Criminal Minds), Morena Baccarin (Firefly), and others
WHAT: Lewis plays Nick Brody, a presumed-dead Marine Sergeant who is rescued in Afghanistan and brought home to the States as a hero. Danes is a CIA agent who suspects Brody was “turned” during his years of captivity, and as such is a threat to national security. Patinkin plays Danes’ mentor, Baccarin is Lewis’ wife.
How To Be a Gentleman, CBS
WHEN: Thursdays at 8:30 pm; premiering Sept. 29 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Kevin Dillon (Entourage), David Hornsby (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Mary Lynn Rajskub (24), Rhys Darby (Flight of The Conchords) and others
WHAT: This male-buddy comedy follows Alan (Hornsby), an uptight columnist who is learning to live life to the fullest with the help of his unlikely, young-at-heart pal, Bert (Dillon). Rajskub is Alan’s no-nonsense sister, Darby his brother-in-law.
I Hate My Teenage Daughter, Fox
WHEN: Wednesdays at 9:30 pm; premiering Nov. 23 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: The cast includes Jaime Pressly (My Name Is Earl), Katie Finneran (Wonderfalls), Chad Coleman (The Wire), and Kevin Rahm (Desperate Housewives)
WHAT: Pressly and Finneran tackle motherhood, with an irk-worthy twist: Their bratty teenage daughters are exactly like the mean girls who picked on them in high school.
Last Man Standing, ABC
WHEN: Tuesdays at 8 pm; premiering Oct. 11 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Tim Allen (Home Improvement), Nancy Travis (The Bill Engvall Show) and Hector Elizondo (Chicago Hope)
WHAT: Allen stars as a man fighting for his, um, manhood in world that seems to be increasingly dominated by women — including his own wife (Travis).
Man Up, ABC
WHEN: Tuesdays at 8:30 pm; premiering Oct. 18 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Chris Moynihan (Coupling), Henry Simmons (NYPD Blue), Teri Polo (Meet the Parents), Amanda Detmer (Private Practice), Mather Zickel (The Cape) and others
WHAT: Moynihan takes the lead in this comedy that offers a look into what it takes for a man to survive in today’s crazy world. His life lessons are told through the eyes of three best buds and the women in their lives.
New Girl, Fox
WHEN: Tuesdays at 9 pm, premiering Sept. 20 (WATCH VIDEO PREVIEW)
WHO: Zooey Deschanel (500 Days of Summer), Max Greenfield (Greek), Lamorne Morris (Brain Rush), Jake Johnson (No Strings Attached), and Hannah Simone
WHAT: Deschanel (yes, the sister of Bones’ Emily) stars as an adorably unlucky-in-love elementary school teacher who moves out on her cheating ex-boyfriend and in with three rowdy men. Damon Wayans Jr. (Happy Endings) appears in the pilot, but moves out/is replaced by Morris in Episode 2.
Once Upon a Time, ABC
WHEN: Sundays at 8 pm, premiering Oct. 23 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Jennifer Morrison (House), Ginnifer Goodwin (Big Love), Lana Parrilla (Swingtown), Robert Carlyle (Stargate Universe) and others
WHAT: Lost producers Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz are at the helm of this new fantastical new drama, where Snow White (Goodwin) and the Evil Queen (Parrilla) actually exist in our world — their true identities unbeknownst to them — and Morrison’s Emma holds the key to giving everyone their “happily ever after.”
Pan Am, ABC
WHEN: Sundays at 10 pm, premiering Sept. 25 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Christina Ricci (Monster), Michael Mosley (Justified), Kelli Garner (My Generation), Mike Vogel (Miami Medical) and others
WHAT: Former Jack Orman (ER) and Tommy Schlamme (The West Wing) are exec-producing this sexy, jet-setting soap, which follows the circa-1960s pilots and flight attendants working for the iconic Pan Am Airlines.
Person of Interest, CBS
WHEN: Thursdays at 9 pm, premiering Sept. 22 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Michael Emerson (Lost), James Caviezel (The Prisoner), Taraji P. Henson (Boston Legal) and Kevin Chapman (Mystic River)
WHAT: Exec-produced by J.J. Abrams (Lost/Fringe) and penned by Jonathan Nolan (The Dark Knight), this crime drama concerns a presumed dead ex-CIA agent (Caviezel) who teams up with a mysterious billionaire (Emerson) to prevent violent crimes in New York City.
A HREF=”http://www.tvline.com/2011/07/fall-tv-person-of-interest-first-impression/”>Read TVLine’s First Impression of Person of Interest
The Playboy Club, NBC
WHEN: Mondays at 10 pm, premiering Sept. 19 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Amber Heard (Zombieland), Eddie Cibrian (CSI: Miami), David Krumholtz (Numb3rs), Jenna Dewan-Tatum (Step Up), Laura Benanti (Eli Stone) and others
WHAT: This drama goes inside the infamous Playboy Club in 1960s Chicago, telling the story of the rise and fall of the establishment’s first Playboy bunnies. Krumholtz plays the club’s general manager, Cibrian a member/attorney/mob fixer.
Prime Suspect, NBC
WHEN: Thursdays at 10 pm, premiering Sept. 22 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Mario Bello (ER), Aidan Quinn (Canterbury’s Law), Kirk Acevedo (Fringe), Kenneth Johnson (The Shield) and others
WHAT: Bello stars in this U.S port of the acclaimed, Helen Mirren-fronted British series, playing an irreverent female detective struggling to make her mark in a male-dominated New York precinct.
Revenge, ABC
WHEN: Wednesdays at 10 pm, premiering Sept. 21 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Emily Van Camp (Brothers & Sisters), Madeline Stowe (The Last of the Mohicans), Connor Paolo (Gossip Girl), Nick Wechsler (Roswell), Josh Bowman (Make It or Break It) and others
WHAT: In this modern-day telling of literary classic The Count of Monte Cristo (but from a female perspective), Van Camp stars as a mysterious woman who travels to the Hamptons to exact revenge on the people who destroyed her family.
Ringer, The CW
WHEN: Tuesdays at 9 pm, premiering Sept. 13 (A HREF=”http://www.cwtv.com/cw-video/ringer/?play=5808cc0f-2ecc-4f33-adb1-f3a4936f2b09″>WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Kristoffer Polaha (Life Unexpected), Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four), Nestor Carbonell (Lost), and others
WHAT: Gellar plays Bridget, a troubled young woman who decides to elude the mob by assuming her twin Siobhan’s identity. Thing is, AWOL sis has a bounty on her own life! Gruffudd plays Siobhan’s hubby, Polaha the man she was having an affair with, and Carbonell an FBI agent on Bridget’s tail.
The Secret Circle, The CW
WHEN: Thursdays at 9 pm, premiering Sept. 15 (WATCH VIDEO )
WHO: Brittany Robertson (Life Unexpected), Thomas Dekker (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Gale Harold (Queer as Folk), Natasha Henstridge (Eli Stone) and others
WHAT: A young woman (Robertson) moves to a new town and discovers that not only is she a witch and part of a secret coven, but sheÂ's also the key that will unlock a centuries-old battle of good versus evil.
Suburgatory, ABC
WHEN: Wednesdays at 8:30 pm, premiering Sept. 28 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Jeremy Sisto (Law & Order), Jane Levy (Shameless), Alan Tudyk (Firefly), Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Rex Lee (Entourage) and others
WHAT: The young Levy stars as the quintessential New York City teen whose life takes a “horrific” turn when she’s forced to move to the ‘burbs with her dad (Sisto). Tudyk is one of Dad’s buds, while Hines plays a plastic surgery-enhanced friend of the fam.
Terra Nova, Fox
WHEN: Mondays at 8 pm, premiering Sept. 26 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: The cast includes Jason O’Mara (Life on Mars), Stephen Lang (Avatar), Shelley Conn (Mistresses), Mido Hamada (24) and Christine Adams (The Whole Truth)
WHAT: O’Mara stars as Jim Shannon, the patriarch of a family in the environmentally ravaged year 2149 that is sent way, way, wayyyy back in time to start life anew. Lang plays the commander of the settlement already established there in prehistoric times, while Adams is the leader of a group of renegade time-hoppers. Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park), Jon Cassar (24) and Brannon Braga (Star Trek: Enterprise) are among the executive producers.
Unforgettable, CBS
WHEN: Tuesdays at 10 pm, premiering Sept. 20 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Poppy Montgomery (Without a Trace), Dylan Walsh (Nip/Tuck), Kevin Rankin (Justified) and others
WHAT: And just like that, Montgomery is back in the cop-game. The CBS vet stars as a former NYPD detective who possesses the special ability to remember everything –- which happens to be a blessing career-wise, but a curse in her personal life. Exhibit A: Her boss is also her ex-boyfriend, played by Walsh.
Up All Night, NBC
WHEN: Wednesdays at 8 pm, premiering Sept. 21; special preview Sept. 14 at 10 pm (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Christina Applegate (Samantha Who?), Will Arnett (Arrested Development), Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live), and others
WHAT: Executive-produced by SNL vets Emily Spivey and Lorne Michaels, this comedy follows the lives of a brand-new working mom (Applegate), her stay-at-home hubby (Arnett), and her large-living talk show host boss (Rudolph).
Whitney, NBC
WHEN: Thursdays at 9:30 pm, premiering Sept. 22 (WATCH VIDEO)
WHO: Whitney Cummings (Comedy Central), Chris D’Elia (Glory Daze), Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle) and others
WHAT: Cummings plays one-half of a handsome young couple in this comedy that examines the ups-and-downs of maintaining a true-blue relationship in today’s wonky society. Kaczmarek is Whit’s mother.
The X Factor, Fox
WHEN: Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 pm, premiering Sept. 21-22
WHO: Nicole Scherzinger (The Sing-Off), executive producer Simon Cowell, Idol alum Paula Abdul and music industry biggie “L.A.” Reid serve as judges, while Steve Jones (the UK’s T4) makes like Seacrest.
WHAT: The U.S. version of the UK reality hit will “search for undiscovered talent 12 years old or over -– both solo artists and groups –- who are willing to brave the panel for a chance to win a $5 million recording contract.” Also unlike Idol: Auditions are held in front of a crowd of thousands.
The rest of the series in this slideshow
are set to premiere at midseason.
PHOTO: Awake‘s Jason Isaacs, Smash‘s Debra Messing
and Alcatraz‘s Jorge Garcia
The 2-2, CBS
WHEN: Midseason
WHO: Leelee Sobieski (Joan of Arc), Adam Goldberg (The Unusuals), Terry Kinney (Oz) and others
WHAT: Executive-produced by Robert Di Nero, this gritty cop drama follows six NYPD rookies (Sobieski and Goldberg included) as they attempt to find a balance between their personal lives and the beat on the streets of Manhattan. Kinney plays the newbies’ training officer.
Alcatraz, Fox
WHEN: Midseason; Mondays at 9 pm (WATCH VIDEO PREVIEW)
WHO: The cast includes Jorge Garcia (Lost), Sarah Jones (Sons of Anarchy), Sam Neill (Jurassic Park), Parminder Nagra (ER) and Robert Forster (Heroes)
WHAT: In this series exec-produced by J.J. Abrams (Lost, Fringe), Garcia plays “the world’s foremost expert” on the titular island lock-up, who joins an investigation into the sudden reappearance of inmates and guards who mysteriously disappeared from the prison some 30 years prior.
Apartment 23, ABC
WHEN: Midseason (once Dancing With the Stars ends);
Tuesdays at 9:30 pm
WHO: Dreama Walker (The Good Wife), Krysten Ritter (‘Til Death), James Van Der Beek (Dawson’s Creek), and others
WHAT: Walker leads this comedy as June, a sweet Southern gal straight from the heartland, who is forced to shack-up with amoral New York party girl Chloe (Ritter). Beek co-stars as a caricature of his real-life self, and Chloe’s best bud.
Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea, NBC
WHEN: Midseason (Watch video here)
WHO: Laura Prepon (That ’70s Show), Jake McDorman (Greek), Lenny Clarke (Rescue Me) and others
WHAT: Handler’s bestselling autobiography of the same name comes to life in this sitcom, which follows the slightly fictitious, oversexed lush Chelsea Hanson (Prepon) on the party-filled journey that is her 20s. Clarke plays Chelsea’s dad, while Handler will recur as “her own” big sister.
Awake, NBC
WHEN: Midseason (Watch video here)
WHO: Jason Isaacs (Brotherhood), Laura Allen (Terriers), Cherry Jones (24), B.D. Wong (Law & Order: SVU), Steve Harris (The Practice), Michaela McManus (The Vampire Diaries) and others
WHAT: Lone Star creator Kyle Killen takes another stab at a button-pushing series (fingers crossed!) with this Inception-style thriller about an injured cop (Isaacs) who wakes from an accident to find himself living in two separate realities — one in which his wife (Allen) perished in a car crash, the other in which he lost his son.
Bent, NBC
WHEN: Midseason (Watch video here)
WHO: Amanda Peet (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip), David Walton (Perfect Couples), Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development)
WHAT: Peet stars as a recently divorced Type A single mom trying with all her might not to fall for the sexy contractor (Walton) re-doing her kitchen. Tambor plays the young stud’s dad, a former actor who now plays piano in a Nordstrom lobby.
Best Friends Forever, NBC
WHEN: Midseason (Watch video here)
WHO: Lennon Parham (Accidentally on Purpose), Jessica St. Clair (In the Motherhood), comedian Luka Jones, and others
WHAT: This comedy centers on a woman (Parham) and her new live-in boyfriend (Jones) who take in her recently-divorced, abrasive (what else?) BFF (St. Clair).
The Finder, Fox
WHEN: Midseason; Thursdays at 9 pm (WATCH VIDEO PREVIEW)
WHO: Geoff Stults (October Road), Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile), Mercedes Masöhn (Chuck) and Maddie Hasson
WHAT: Stults stars in this Bones spinoff as the titular “finder,” Walter Sherman, a military-trained sleuth who specializes in locating anything and anyone. Duncan plays his trusty partner/sidekick/legal adviser, while Masohn is a Deputy U.S. Marshal with whom Walter enjoyed a “friends with benefits” arrangement. Hasson plays a teenage con, out on parole from juvie and under Walter’s guardianship. Hart Hanson (Bones) will executive-produce.
The Firm, NBC
WHEN: Midseason; Sundays at 10 pm
WHO: Josh Lucas (The Lincoln Lawyer), Molly Parker (Deadwood) and Callum Keith Rennie (Battlestar Galactica)
WHAT Based on the bestselling John Grisham novel that was previously turned into a Tom Cruise movie, this series picks up 10 years after those events, with idealistic lawyer Mitch McDeere and his wife Abby (Lucas and Parker) now in Witness Protection, but finding it not so easy to avoid repeating past mistakes. Rennie plays Mitch’s brother, while Tricia Helfer (Battlestar) will recur as a partner at Mitch’s new firm.
Good Christian Belles, ABC
WHEN: Midseason (WATCH VIDEO PREVIEW)
WHO: Leslie Bibb (Popular), Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies), David James Elliott (JAG), Annie Potts (Designing Women) and others
WHAT: Say hello to your new desperate housewives — Southern-style. Bibb plays Amanda, a divorced mom of two and a reformed “mean girl,” who returns to her hometown with one goal: Winning over her former tormentees classmates, Chenoweth included. Elliott plays Chenoweth’s hubby.
Napoleon Dynamite, Fox
WHEN: Midseason; Sundays at 8:30 pm
WHO: Jon Heder, Efren Ramirez and others
WHAT: The original cast of the cult-classic film reunites to voice Fox’s animated adaptation, which follows the titular quirky teen, his family and his friends as they navigate their way through life in rural Idaho.
Re-Modeled, The CW
WHEN: Midseason (WATCH VIDEO PREVIEW)
WHO: Paul Fisher
WHAT: This docu-series follows modeling industry vet Paul Fisher on his journey to form one massive agency called The Network.
The River, ABC
WHEN: Midseason (WATCH VIDEO PREVIEW)
WHO: Bruce Greenwood (John from Cincinnati), Leslie Hope (24), Eloise Mumford (Lone Star), Joe Anderson (The Crazies) and others
WHAT: From the terrifying mind of Paranormal Activity creator Oren Peli comes this horror drama set deep in the Amazon, as a family sets out to rescue their missing father.
Scandal, ABC
WHEN: Midseason (WATCH VIDEO PREVIEW)
WHO: Kerry Washington (Ray), Henry Ian Cusick (Lost), Tony Goldwyn (Ghost), Guillermo Diaz (Mercy), Columbus Short (Studio 60), Darby Stanchfield (NCIS) and others
WHAT: Grey’s Anatomy/Private Practice creator Shonda Rhimes is at it again with this ensemble drama based on the real-life career of famed crisis management consultant Judy Smith. Washington takes the lead at the legendary “fixer,” lording over a hodgepodge of a staff.
Smash, NBC
WHEN: Midseason
WHO: Debra Messing (Will & Grace), Katharine McPhee (American Idol), Christian Borle (Legally Blonde: The Musical), Megan Hilty (9 to 5: The Musical), Jack Davenport (FlashForward), Angelica Huston (Medium)
WHAT: Messing leads this dramedy, which follows a myriad of characters who come together to achieve one common goal: A Broadway-bound Marilyn Monroe musical. Borle is Messing’s writing partner, Davenport a temperamental director, and Huston a financier, while McPhee and Hilty play ingenues vying for the lead role.
Work It, ABC
WHEN: Midseason (WATCH VIDEO PREVIEW)
WHO: Amaury Nolasco (Prison Break), Ben Koldyke (How I Met Your Mother), Rebecca Mader (Lost), and others
WHAT: Like men in drag? Nolasco and Koldyke play two out-of-work car salesmen who decide that instead of simply looking for new jobs, they should dress up as women and find work as pharmaceutical reps. Mader plays a bitchy co-worker.