2013 Winter Returning/New Shows: Mondays Will Be A Bitch... For My DVR
Once the Winter 2013 premiere dates for some returning and new series were released in the last month or so, I noticed a growing concern when it came to a particular day of the week, where almost all the shows I've been looking forward to all fell on one day: Monday.
To say that my DVRs are already living in fear of having the TV equivalent of an aneurysm come next month/year would be an understatement. However, I also have the quandary of figuring out which shows to watch live and which to hold off until the weekend, making it hard to avoid spoilers throughout the week since we will cover each show on this list extensively. It's a risk I can't help but take in this spoiler-filled world of entertainment bloggers, where "OMG!!!-" plot twists and jaw-dropping reveals end up as headlines as soon as the credits appear on your favorite dramas.
From 80s teen fashionistas to a seriously, crafty cadre of serial killers, Mondays will truly take on its 'manic' persona by offering a new diverse pack of characters and situations that will go toe-to-toe for the attention of my DVRs. With a bit of research, I've narrowed down the returning, currently airing, and new shows that will battle each other for my attention on Mondays and find places on my DVRs for later viewing. As stated above, some will most definitely be watched live, while others might will have to wait for Saturday morning viewing.
The Following (Premieres Jan, 21, 9/8c on FOX)
The new FOX serial killer drama has enough buzz around the blogosphere that it would be foolhardy to not tune in to see what all the fuss is about. Plus, creator Kevin Williamson knows his way around serial killers as he's given (and refreshed) deranged killers for the Scream series, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Halloween: H20. So yeah, this is a definite addition to my Must Watch Monday lineup.
Deception (Premieres Jan 7th, 10/9c on NBC)
If you haven't viewed the pilot for this new NBC series, then head over to Hulu.com with the quickness to feast your eyes on what could be my new guilty pleasure of 2013. The soapy drama features elements of Revenge, Pretty Little Liars, and Scandal, which means it had me at its conception. Meagan Goode leads a talented cast and an even more intriguing story that already has me eagerly awaiting for the show's second episode. The only problem with Deception is its time slot, which is competing against Bravo's Vanderpump Rules, the other guilty pleasure that will also become a bona fide obsession.
The Carrie Diaries (Premieres Jan. 14th, 8/7c)
With Gossip Girl signing off The CW's airwaves a couple of weeks ago, The Carrie Diaries,
another NYC based Josh Schwartz show will take its place and possibly the hearts of millions of GG fans in the process. The Carrie Diaries is also based on a duo of books by Candace Bushnell, the author of 'Sex and the City,' which follows a young Carrie Bradshaw in the 1980s.
Even though I've only seen the first and second seasons of HBO's Sex and the City, I'm giving The Carrie Diaries a chance for three reasons: 1) It's set in the 80s, it's Josh Schwartz, and it features Freema Agyeman of Doctor Who and Law & Order: UK fame. Those are three wins that can't be denied, so I'm hoping The Carrie Diaries not only work as a series, but justifies its existence. I say this because Josh Schwartz's 1980's Gossip Girl prequel, 'Valley Girls,' just didn't make sense past its backdoor pilot episode.
Vanderpump Rules (Premieres Jan. 7th, 10/9c on Bravo)
If you haven't already read my love at first sight article for this new Bravo docu-series, then please take a peek at it and see why my obsession for this show has grown exponentially since I first caught the sizzle reel for it on BravoTV.com
A spinoff of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Vanderpump Rules is like the Melrose Place to RHOBH's Beverly Hills, 90210. The series revolves around Beverly Hills Housewife Lisa Vanderpump's SUR restaurant, a place where you do want to be caught dead in, and it's equally hot staff of young twenty somethings as they live, love, and fight while serving the upper echelon of L.A.'s elite. That description is all I need to plop my ass firmly in front of my TV screen to see these guys and gals sling insults at each other under Lisa Vanderpump's stern and disapproving eye. Oh, the drinking games I can come up with for this show.
Now the shows I just mentioned are all newcomers to the TV scene, but there are three returning/currently running shows I almost forgot (and by 'almost, I mean a nanosecond) while trying to compile this list.
RuPaul's Drag Race (Returns Jan. 28th @9/8c on Logo)
After a somewhat entertaining All-Stars season, RuPaul's Drag Race returns to top form with new queens ready to take the crown of American's Next Drag Superstar and throw shade like grenades along the way. This might make it to my DVR for later pile, but for viewing either later that night or the next day.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (Resumes Jan. 7th @9/8c on Bravo)
The ladies of Beverly Hills resume their antics in January after a Christmas break from their cold as ice drama. However, I doubt the drama is ever put on hold for these women. Must watch live due to my coverage of the show here at TVO.
Dallas (Returns Jan. 28th @9/8c on TNT)
A must have on anyone's TV schedule, TNT's Dallas reboot will return with a two-hour premiere, which I'm sure will bring in more record-breaking numbers since Larry Hagman's death will have people tuning in to see J.R. Ewing's last episodes play out. Don't expect to see J.R.'s funeral until March 11th.
The list is somewhat complete (90210 would have made the cut, but I'm a season and half behind), but this is what my DVRs and I have to look forward in 2013. What's your scheduling conflicts looking like this upcoming midseason?
Photo Credits: Logo, The CW, FOX
