What to Look Forward to in March

During every TV season there are months where repeats are more the norm than new episodes. March is typically one of those months where repeats far outweigh new programming; but thankfully, that scenario is slowly starting to change not only on the cable channels but also on the major networks.

The following are just a few of the TV events for which I am most looking forward to this month:

On March 4 Lifetime will start reairing the first season of Drop Dead Diva with back-to-back episodes at 9 and 10 PM

Meanwhile, on March 6 the new A&E series Breakout Kings will debut at 10 PM. The show will chronicle the unorthodox approach taken by two veteran U.S. Marshals Charlie Duchamp (Laz Alonso) and Ray Zancanelli (Domenick Lombardozzi) who use former fugitives to catch fugitives. Included in the cast are Jimmi Simpson, Malcolm Goodwin, Serinda Swan and Brooke Nevin.

On the same night, the return of Army Wives will happen over at Lifetime with the show’s season premiere at 9 PM. Denise (Catherine Bell) will have her hands full with her newborn baby girl and the arrival of her future daughter-in-law while Claudia Joy (Kim Delaney) is preparing to send her daughter Emmalin off to college. Roxy (Sally Pressman) is dealing her preteen son TJ as Pamela (Brigid Brannagh) has tough decisions to make about her career as a police officer and allowing ex-husband Chase (Jeremy Davidson) back into her. And, Joan (Wendy Davis) and Roland (Sterling K. Brown) have to discuss the next step in their relationship.

Two days later, on March 8, the season finale of White Collar will air on the USA Network at 10 PM. It will be interesting to see what crazy kind of a case Peter and Neal will get wrapped up into this time.

Then, at the end of the month, on March 29, the new ABC series Body of Proof will debut at 10 PM. The series stars Dana Delany as Dr. Megan Hunt who was a top flight neurosurgeon until a life-changing car accident changed her career. She now works as a medical examiner and court-medical expert. Among the cast are Jeri Ryan, John Carroll Lynch, Nicholas Bishop, Geoffrey Arend, Windell Middlebrooks and Sonja Sohn.

As we move over to the big screen, there are a fair number of movies for which to anticipate seeing at the theatres. On March 4, Johnny Depp will provide the voice for the animated film Rango, a chameleon that aspires to be a swashbuckling hero. He finds himself in a Western town plagued by bandit, forcing him to play the role in order to protect it. The cast provided their voices include (in alphabetical order) Ned Beatty, Claudia Black, Abigail Breslin, Isla Fisher, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Timothy Olyphant, Stephen Root, Harry Dean Stanton and Ray Winstone.

Opening on the same day is the movie Beastly, which is a modern-day take on the classic fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast. The film focuses on a spoiled rich kid (Alex Pettyfer from the movie I Am Number Four) who is cursed by a girl (Mary-Kate Olsen, one of the “Olsen twins”) who turns him into a hideous figure. His only solution is for someone to fall in love with him, and he tries to force it by making the daughter (Vanessa Hudgens from High School Musical) of an addict he has power over live with him. Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog) co-stars as a blind tutor.

Then there are two movies opening on March 11 that may spark a lot of interest from a wide array of movie-goers. Those films include:

Jane Eyre, based on the classic novel, follows the story of the loveless and often abusive upbringing of orphan Jane Eyre (Mia Wasikowska from Alice in Wonderland), who becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall, the manor of the moody and willful Edward Rochester (Michael Fassbender). As a romance blooms, mysterious and sinister events threaten to uncover the dark truth about her employer. Jamie Bell, Judi Dench and Sally Hawkins co-star.

Red Riding Hood stars Amanda Seyfried as Valerie, a young woman who is betrothed to the wealthy Henry (Max Irons) while being in love with the brooding outsider Peter (Shiloh Fernandez). Unfortunately there’s also a werewolf on the prowl, and it appears to be someone with a connection to the fetching Valerie. Among the cast are Gary Oldham, Billy Burke, Michael Shanks, Lukas Haas, Virginia Madsen, Michael Hogan and Julie Christie.

Lastly, there is the March 25 release of Sucker Punch, an epic action fantasy about a girl named Babydoll (Emily Browning) who enters into a dream world to escape from her dark reality. Babydoll and others are locked away to face a terrible fate until they band together to fight for freedom. The cast includes Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Carla Gugino, Jon Hamm and Scott Glen.

What are the movies or TV shows that you are most looking forward to seeing this month? Please share.