Merry Christmas and What’s On Tap for January TV

It’s hard to believe that 2020 is quickly coming to an end and a new year is only a little over a week away.

Yes, this year has been – to say the least – heartbreaking, difficult and traumatic. Every day on the news we all see the daily case totals and, even more unsettling, the loss of life. The holidays have been hard, too, because we’ve been asked not to gather with our families (so that we can gather with them next year) – and I sure hope that all of you are going to do that on Christmas [and New Years].

Despite the pandemic, I want to wish our readers a Merry Christmas – please celebrate the day safely!! – and here is to next year when hopefully we can celebrate “normally.”

Also, there is a lot of programming to watch next month. Our full TV calendar (for dramas, specials and made-for-TV movies, that is) will be officially posted next week. In the meantime, I wanted to highlight the returning dramas and movies for which I am most looking forward to watching throughout January.

RETURNING DRAMAS

Doctor Who will be back on BBC America at 8 PM with its annual special airing on New Years Day entitled Revolution of the Daleks, which, of course, means a supreme battle. But, the doctor is locked away in a high-security alien prison and her companions are back on Earth, picking up their lives without her. The best part of the special: John Barrowman will be back as Captain Jack Harkness (YES!!!!!!!!!!!).

The following dramas will also be back [FINALLY!!] for the start of their new seasons:

The Rookie on ABC on January 3 at 10 PM
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist on NBC on January 5 at 8 PM
Cobra Kai on Netflix on January 8
A Discovery of Witches on Sundance Now on January 9
Prodigal Son on FOX on January 12 at 9 PM
Batwoman on The CW on January 17 at 8 PM
9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star on FOX on January 18 at 8 and 9 PM (respectively)
Snowpiercer on TNT on January 25 at 9 PM

NEW YEAR, NEW MOVIES

As is the norm, Hallmark Channel will have new movies every Saturday in January, and while I will watch them, I have to admit I’m more anxious to see a couple movies on UPtv and one each on Hulu and Netflix (all of which have very DIFFERENT themes). They are as follows:

The Ultimate Playlist of Noise on January 15 on Hulu

The film follows Marcus (Keean Johnson), an audio obsessed high school senior who learns he must undergo brain surgery that will render him deaf. He decides to seize control of his fate by recording the Ultimate Playlist of Noise – a bucket list of all his favorite sounds. Once he sets out, he meets Wendy (Madeline Brewer), a wildly charming, struggling musician who is trying to escape to New York for her chance at a life-changing opportunity. Together they check off his list as they make their way across the country, until painful revelations force Marcus to face reality and his future without sound.

Outside the Wire on January 15 on Netflix

In the near future, a drone pilot (Damson Idris) sent into a war zone finds himself paired with a top-secret android officer (Anthony Mackie from the Avengers franchise) on a mission to stop a nuclear attack.

Romance Retreat on UPtv on January 24 at 7 PM

After a big breakup, journalist Dana Willingham (Amanda Schull) finds herself alone and stuck at a couple’s yoga retreat while the biggest story of her career breaks far away. And she doesn’t even like yoga! But maybe the universe has put her here for a reason, because the handsome loner (Morgan David Jones) staying at the lodge turns out to be Stefan Gonzales, the tech guru at the center of the scandal. As she gains his trust to expose him, she finds herself falling in love with him. Now she must use the lessons from yoga to choose: the perfect story or the perfect man?

Love Is a Piece of Cake on UPtv on January 31 at 7 PM

Jessie Dale (Lindsey Gort) is a third generation baker who loves her cake shop more than anything in the world. When developers threaten to buy her building and force her out, she must do all she can to save her bakery, all while juggling a blossoming romance with her client’s brother (Greyston Holt).

NEW TO THE FOLD

There are a number of new dramas set to air in January, but the following are my most anticipated choices:

WandaVision on Disney+ on January 15 – The long-awaited Marvel series starring Elizbeth Olsen and Paul Bettany in the lead roles will find the two super-powered beings, who are living idealized suburban lives, beginning to suspect everything is not as it seems.

Walker on The CW on January 21 at 8 PM – I watched the original series, and watched every single episode of Supernatural so, of course, I’ll be watching Jared Padalecki (Sam Winchester on Supernatural for those who have lived under a rock for the past 15 TV seasons) as Cordell Walker in this reboot. In this version Walker is a widower and father of two with his own moral code, who returns home to Austin after being undercover for two years, only to discover there’s harder work to be done at home. I also can’t wait to see Lindsey Morgan (from The 100), Keegan Allen (from Pretty Little Liars), Coby Bell (from Burn Notice and The Gifted) and Mitch Pileggi (from The X Files and who played Grandpa Winchester in Supernatural alongside Jared), who co-star in the show.

Fate: The Winx Saga on Netflix on January 22 – This fantasy series is about fairies who attend boarding school at Otherworld, where they must learn to control their magical powers. The cast is mainly newcomers, but Downton Abbey fans will recognize Robert James-Collier and actress Abigail Cown (Dorcas in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) will play the lead character Bloom.

Resident Alien on Syfy on January 27 at 10 PM – Sci-fi favorite Alan Tudyk (Wash from Firefly, Sonny from I, Robot and K-2SO from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) will play Harry Vanderspeigle, an alien that crash lands on Earth and passes himself off as a small-town human doctor. Arriving with a secret mission to kill all humans, Harry starts off living a simple life, but things get a bit rocky when he’s roped into solving a local murder and realizes he needs to assimilate into his new world.

Once again, I wish a Merry Christmas to all our readers, and ask for everyone to take great care this holiday week!