Winter Schedule: New TV Shows

Premieres: Wednesday, Jan. 7, 8 pm/ET
Who's on it: 13 contestants trying to overcome their deepest fears

What it's about: Contestants compete to "stay alive" — that is, in the game — while facing a series of scary elimination challenges.

Premieres: Monday, March 9, 10 pm/ET
Who's on it: Nathan Fillion, Seamus Dever

What it's about: Murder, he wrote: A mystery novelist consults with the NYPD on particularly baffling crimes.

Why it’s on our Watch List: It was fine to see Captain Tightpants — if only for a bit — on last season's Desperate Housewives, but we Firefly fans needed him back at the front and center of a show. And seriously, James Patterson meets Jessica Fletcher in the Big Apple? We're sold.

Premieres: Monday, Dec. 29 at 10 pm/ET
Who's on it: Whitney Port

What it's about: The only member of The Hills ensemble with a real job moves to Manhattan to work for fashion icon Diane von Furstenberg. The Hills meets The Devil Wears Prada sounds like a solid formula, but when will Lo get her own show?

Premieres: Tuesday, March 24, 8 pm/ET
Who's on it: Bobby Cannavale, Sarah Paulson

What it's about: ABC pulls back its bow for a second attempt at a Jeremy Piven-Paula Marshall show that died a decade ago. Paulson plays Dr. Claire Allen to Cannavale's Trevor Hale, who believes he's been sent to earth by Zeus to spice up people's love lives.

Premieres: Feb. 13, 9 pm/ET
Who's on it: Eliza Dushku, Olivia Williams, Tahmoh Penikett

What it's about: "Who do you want me to be?" is the creepy tagline for this Joss Whedon creation. Echo (Dushku) is an "active," a blank canvas upon which clients assign identities, which are then wiped clean when the engagement is over. Echo lives with other actives in a lab run by the mysterious, madam-like Adelle (Williams). Things go awry when Echo starts to remember her life before it was erased as FBI Agent Paul Ballard (Penikett) closes in on the Dollhouse's illegal operation.

Why it's on our Watch List: The latest, reshot pilot still reveals some flaws — the biggest problem with Dollhouse may be what goes on inside the Dollhouse — but the missions, er, engagements are kinda cool, as Echo immerses herself in each new personality. We're going to give Team Whedon-Dushku some latitude on this one.

Premieres: Saturday, Jan. 3, 8 pm/ET
Who's on it: Hosted by Joe Rogan; created by Ashton Kutcher

What it's about: Regular people perform five outrageous tasks worth up to $5,000 each, then get the chance to double their money. Sounds like a lot of math.

Premieres: Thursday, April 9, 10 pm/ET
Who's on it: Christopher Gorham, Harry Hamlin, Katie Cassidy

What it's about: In this 13-part mystery/horror series, wedding guests on an island in the Pacific Northwest start dying. Because there aren't enough prime-time horror shows. Or any.

Why it’s on our Watch List: With its Ten Little Indians-like premise, think of Harper's as an Agatha Christie novel acted out by pretty people, with plenty of viscera thrown in for the Saw generation.

Premieres: Friday, Jan. 9, 8 pm/ET
Who's on it: Howie Mandel

What it's about: A six-episode hidden-camera series in which the Deal or No Deal host, in disguise, punks unsuspecting victims. Will he seem so charming when he's not handing out suitcases full of money?

Premieres: Thursday, March 19, 9 pm/ET
Who's on it: Ian McShane (Deadwood), Australian actor Christopher Egan

What it's about: It's a retelling of the David-and-Goliath story that takes place in a modern-day, although fictional monarchy. David (Egan) is a soldier who, by rescuing the crown prince during wartime, finds his fate intertwined with that of the complicated king (McShane) and his daughter, the princess.

Why it's an Editors' Pick: "Intriguing" is the word most often used as our editors ponder Kings' lofty goal: to deliver a parable on the mean streets of an ersatz Manhattan. We're not sure that our parents would watch it, but for now, count us in the Kings court.

Premieres: Sunday, Dec. 7, 10 pm/ET
Who's on it: Timothy Hutton, Gina Bellman

What it's about: Hutton leads a team of high-tech Robin Hoods who steal from corporations and crooked agencies that have ripped off average citizens.

Why it's an editors' pick: Read the headlines, average citizen: The time is right for the poor to get richer for a change. American audiences already know that Hutton is a great actor, but the real discovery here is Gina Bellman, who was wonderful on the British version of Coupling.

Premieres: Wednesday, Jan. 21, 9 pm/ET
Who's on it: Tim Roth, Kelli Williams

What it's about: Roth plays Dr. Cal Lightman, an expert in human lie detectors who uses their faces, body language, and voices to sniff out mistruths. The Practice's Kelli Williams plays Dr. Gillian Foster, a colleague who keeps him honest.

Premieres: Tuesday, Jan. 6, 10 pm/ET
Who's on it: Real people confronting ethical dilemmas.

What it's about: Primetime revives a hidden-camera format that explores what average people would do in situations that challenge their morality.

Premieres: Sunday, Jan. 9, 8 pm/ET
Who's on it: Michael Flatley

What it's about: Flatley, aka the Lord of the Dance, hosts an international dance-off. Learn how to say "you got served" in every language.

Premieres: Monday, Jan. 5, 10 pm/ET
Who's on it: Judges Vanessa Minnillo, Cheryl Tiegs, Nole Marin

What it's about: Six women and four men live together under the impression that they're competing in a beauty pageant, but they're also being judged for their inner beauty. It's executive-produced by celebrated inner beauties Tyra Banks and Ashton Kutcher.

Why it's an editors' pick: Beauty has major guilty pleasure potential. The concept is fun and the judges should be entertaining.

Premieres: Monday, Jan. 26, 10 pm/ET
Who's on it: Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) and Tom Cavanagh (Ed) play Mason and Conner, best friends and creative partners at a Chicago ad agency.

What it's about: Mason and Conner's bond is put to the test when one of them is unexpectedly promoted, making him the other's supervisor. Also in the mix: Monica Potter (Boston Legal) as an award-winning copywriter new to the agency, and Griffin Dunne as everyone's boss.

Premieres: Sunday, Jan. 18, 10 pm/ET
Who's on it: Toni Collette

What it's about: Tara is a housewife with multiple personality disorder, but that's one of her family's lesser problems.

Why it's an editors' pick: Pedigree. Collette is usually excellent, and Steven Spielberg and Juno hotshot Diablo Cody are producing.

Premieres: Wednesday, April 8, 10 pm/ET
Who's on it: Amber Tamblyn, Adam Goldberg, Harold Perrineau

What it's about: Tamblyn plays the black sheep of her family; Perrineau is an intensely paranoid investigator, and Goldberg is trying to hide a brain tumor from his colleagues.