New Midseason TV: 3 Shows To Watch And 3 To Skip
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<p>Have you ever thought there should be a show about men who can't find work so they tuck their donkers out of sight, throw on something pastel from Lane Bryant, and land jobs as pharmaceutical reps? Well, the fair city of St. Louis serves as the setting for just that as best friends Lee (Ben Koldyke) and Angel (Amaury Nolasco) navigate a "mancession," doing whatever it takes to secure employment. <em>Work It</em> offends everyone on Tuesdays at 8:30pm pending inevitable cancellation. At which point, you can just <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORKyyHBy6JQ">watch <em>Bosom Buddies</em></a> again.</p>
<p>Rob Schneider stars in <em>Rob!</em> as a lifelong bachelor who impulsively marries an attractive Mexican woman (Claudia Bassols). Funny. Because in real life he did almost the same thing when he married his third wife, Mexican television producer Patricia Azarcoya Arce! CBS expects that cultures will clash and viewers will be unable to contain their boisterous merriment. More likely, unimpressed by piñata and immigration jokes, people will click over to NBC and watch <em>Parks and Recreation</em> which also airs at 8:30pm on Thursdays.</p>
<p>Accessorized with a vodka bottle and looking to get laid, Laura Prepon (<em>That '70s Show</em>) struts out as oft-intoxicated twenty-something Chelsea Newman, a character based on the semi-autobiographical essays in Chelsea Handler's 2008 best-seller <u>Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea</u>. According to the trailer, expect a slew of alcoholism jokes, anatomical euphemisms, and clumsy innuendos. Still tied to her late night talk show <em>Chelsea Lately</em>, Handler will appear in about half of the 13 episodes ordered by NBC as Prepon's sardonic and super-religious sister Sloane. <em>Are You There, Chelsea?</em> debuts on Wednesday, January 11th at 8:30pm.</p>
<p>Television needs more legal dramas. Thankfully, <em>The Firm</em> premiered this past Sunday on NBC just 20 years after John Grisham's novel about an ambitious young lawyer turned whistle-blower named Mitch McDeere became a bestseller in 1991. The series premiere was nearly as long as the 1993 film adaptation and Gene Hackman wasn't even in it! This time around Josh Lucas will play McDeere as he emerges from protective custody ten years later and encounters a whole new set of dangers. While the premiere offered a soft start, The Firm showed promise with a strong performance from Lucas, and according to <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2012/01/nbcs-the-firm-flops.html">the numbers</a>, The Olds will especially like it. You can catch it at its regular time on Thursday at 10:00pm.</p>
<p>Jon Heder finally has something to smile about again, reprising his role as the listless Napoleon Dynamite in a cartoon series on FOX. Actually, literally every main cast member from the film can stand up and cheer. Also lending their voices to the series are Tina Marjorino (Deb), Aaron Ruell (Kip), Sandy Martin (Grandma), Jon Gries (Uncle Rico), Haylie Duff (Summer), and, of course, Efren Ramirez (Pedro). Though creators aren't exactly striking while the iron is hot, each episode will likely end with a Jamiroquai-inspired dance off. <em>Napoleon Dynamite</em> brings you your typecast favorites on Sunday, January 15th at 8:00pm.</p>
<p>From the creators of <em>LOST</em> comes the highly-anticipated <em>Alcatraz</em>, starring Sam Neill and Jorge Garcia alongside newcomer Sarah Jones. 302 inmates from the past have come back to wreak havoc upon modern day San Francisco as Det. Rebecca Madsen (Jones), Alcatraz expert Diego Soto (Garcia), and mysterious government agent Emerson Hauser (Neill) collaborate to quell the influx of time-traveling psychopaths. Tune in on Monday, January 16th at 8:00pm.</p>