What to Expect on TV in December

The holidays are right around the corner – Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our readers by the way – and that means lots of holiday-themed programming on TV throughout the month. And while all of the primetime programming is on break for the holidays, they will be back in the new year.

Let’s take a look at just some of programming that will air in January, starting with the TV DRAMAS that will be returning, specifically the shows I am most excited to have return:

Sherlock: The Abominable Bride, a 90-minute special, will air on PBS on January 1 at 9 PM, bringing Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman back as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson time in 1890s London.

The final season of Downton Abbey will get underway on PBS on January 3 at 9 PM.

Supergirl, Scorpion and NCIS: Los Angeles should all be back from their holiday breaks on CBS on January 4 at 8, 9 and 10 PM respectively.

On January 5, the two-hour return of Agent Carter will air on ABC at 8 PM; NCIS and NCIS: New Orleans will be back on CBS at 8 and 9 PM respectively and Teen Wolf will return for its winter premiere on MTV at 9 PM.

Heroes Reborn and The Blacklist will return from their holiday breaks on NBC on January 7 at 8 and 9 PM respectively.

Pretty Little Liars will be back, jumping 5 years in the future, on FreeForm (formerly ABC Family) on January 12 at 8 PM.

The 100 will return for its third season starting on January 21 at 9 PM on The CW.

Grimm will be back from its winter break on NBC on January 22 at 9 PM.

The Fosters will be back for a new season on FreeForm (formerly ABC Family) on January 25 at 8 PM.

The NEW DRAMAS that are set to debut in January include:

The Shannara Chronicles will debut on January 5 at 10 PM on MTV. The show is based on the best-selling fantasy book series by Terry Brooks, set thousands of years in the future, that follows three heroes as they embark on a quest to stop an evil Demon army from destroying the world. The show will star Austin Butler (The Carrie Diaries), Poppy Drayton (When Calls the Heart), Ivana Baquero (Pan’s Labyrinth), veteran actor John Rhys-Davies (Lord of the Rings) and Manu Bennett (Spartacus and Arrow).

Shadowhunters will debut on FreeForm (formerly ABC Family) on January 12 at 9 PM. The series is based on the best-selling young adult fantasy book series The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, which follows 18-year-old Clary Fray, who finds out on her birthday that she is not who she thinks she is but rather comes from a long line of Shadowhunters – human-angel hybrids who hunt down demons.

The USA Network drama Colony will debut on January 14 at 10 PM. The series is set in the very near future, centering on one family’s struggle to survive and bring liberty back to the people of an occupied Los Angeles. The cast includes Josh Holloway (Lost), Sarah Wayne Callies (The Walking Dead and Prison Break), Peter Jacobson (House) and Amanda Righetti (The Mentalist).

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow will debut on The CW on January 21 at 8 PM. The Arrow/TheFlash spin-off focuses on a team of future legends who are brought together by time-traveling rogue Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill from Doctor Who) to confront an unstoppable threat. The cast includes Brandon Routh, Caity Lotz, Ciara Renee, Dominic Purcell, Franz Drameh, Victor Garber and Wentworth Miller.

Lucifer will debut on FOX on January 25 at 9 PM. The series tells the story of Lucifer Morningstar, the Lord of Hell, who has abandoned his throne and retired to L.A. When he is introduced to LAPD homicide detective Chloe Decker, he becomes intrigued by her compassion for humanity, which causes a struggle between his temptation toward the side of Good and his original calling toward Evil. The cast includes Tom Ellis (Downton Abbey), D.B. Woodside (Scandal), Lauren German (Chicago Fire), Kevin Alejandro (Ugly Betty), Lesley-Ann Brandt (The Librarians) and Rachael Harris (Suits).

The Magicians will air two back-to-back episodes on Syfy on January 25 at 9 PM. The series centers on Quentin (Jason Ralph), a brilliant grad student chosen to attend Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy, a secret upstate New York university specializing in magic. He and his 20-something friends soon discover that the magical fantasy world they read about as children is all too real – and poses grave danger to humanity.

And some of the MADE-FOR-TV MOVIES that will air in January include:

The Hallmark Channel movie My Life As A Doormat will debut on January 9 at 9 PM, starring Holly Marie Combs (Charmed and Pretty Little Liars) and Ben Bass (Rookie Blue).

The new PBS mini-series Mercy Street will debut on January 17 at 10 PM, starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead (The Returned), newcomer Hannah James, Gary Cole, Cherry Jones, Jack Falahee (How to Get Away With Murder), AnnaSophia Robb (The Carrie Diaries), Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother), Luke Macfarlane (Brothers & Sisters and Killjoys) and Cameron Monaghan (Shameless and Gotham). The mini will run through February 21.

The Hallmark Channel movie Unleashing Mr. Darcy is expected to air on January 23 at 9 PM, starring Ryan Paevey (General Hospital), Cindy Busby (Cedar Cove) and Frances Fisher (Resurrection).

Please check out our full January TV calendar when it is posted later this month.