Midseason programming offers some good, a lot bad, even more absurd

If you can't dazzle 'em with quality, befuddle 'em with quantity.

As if to distract viewers from the no-end-in-sight writers strike, roughly 25 series will debut and 25 more will return during the next month.

And, because federal regulations seem to stipulate that a percentage of all new reality shows must have a Las Vegas connection, we can lay claim to three of them.

Gina Carano has been attracting a lot of attention in mixed martial arts, nearly as much for her Muay Thai skills as for her Maxim-worthy looks. But the Las Vegan, who previously appeared on Oxygen's "Fight Girls," should gain an even bigger following as Crush, one of the 12 stars of the new version of "American Gladiators" (9 p.m. Sunday, KVBC-TV, Channel 3).

Meanwhile, local event planner Brian "Breakfast" Rice will showcase his skills throwing high-end parties on "Top This Party: Las Vegas" (10:30 p.m. Friday, Lifetime). And "Miss America: Reality Check" (10 p.m. Friday, TLC) will make all 52 contestants live together while preparing for the Jan. 26 pageant at the Planet Hollywood Resort.

A handful of the new series are scripted, including:

• "Cashmere Mafia" (10 p.m. Sunday, KTNV-TV, Channel 13), which follows four ridiculously successful Manhattan women who share tips for the boardroom -- and the bedroom.

• "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" (8 p.m. Jan. 13, KVVU-TV, Channel 5), which finds Sarah Connor and her son, 15-year-old future resistance leader John Connor, on the run from cyborgs.

• "Breaking Bad" (10 p.m. Jan. 20, AMC), in which a high school chemistry teacher, given only a short time to live, tries to provide for his family by starting a rolling meth lab.

• "In Treatment" (9:30 p.m. weekdays beginning Jan. 28, HBO), which stars Gabriel Byrne as a troubled psychotherapist seeing six patients, one each weekday (and a couple on Thursdays) throughout the show's nine-week, 45 episode run.

• And "Eli Stone" (10 p.m. Jan. 31, Channel 13), which follows a successful lawyer who may have an aneurysm, may be a prophet and may have pop star George Michael for a guardian angel.

But the real volume is on the reality side.

Donald Trump said he wanted Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan for "The Celebrity Apprentice" (9 p.m. Thursday, Channel 3). He got Stephen Baldwin, Marilu Henner and the British guy from "America's Got Talent."

Further stretching the word "celebrity" to its breaking point is the cast of "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew" (10 p.m. Jan. 10, VH1): Daniel Baldwin, Brigitte Nielsen, Chyna, Jeff Conaway, Jessica Sierra, Mary Carey, Jaimee Foxworth, Seth "Shifty" Binzer and Ricco Rodriguez.

And "Gone Country" (9 p.m. Jan. 25, CMT) will put singer John Rich in charge of turning the likes of Bobby Brown, Dee Snider and Sisqo into Nashville's next big thing.

"The Moment of Truth" (9 p.m. Jan. 23, Channel 5) will strap contestants to a lie detector and ask them a series of embarrassing questions that they must answer truthfully to win a top prize of $500,000.

"Dancing With the Stars" judges Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba will mentor song-and-dance teams through elaborate routines on "Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann" (8 p.m. Jan. 7, Channel 13).

"Matched in Manhattan" (9:30 p.m. Friday, Lifetime) will find matchmaker Matt Titus giving his clients makeovers while helping them find love, and "Millionaire Matchmaker" (11 p.m. Jan. 22, Bravo) will find matchmaker Patti Stanger giving her clients makeovers while helping them find love -- as long as they're filthy rich.

Niki Taylor and Tyson Beckford host "Make Me a Supermodel" (10 p.m. Jan. 10, Bravo), which will let viewers decide the fates of 14 models vying for $100,000. And Carson Kressley will teach women to improve their looks without exercise or surgery on "How to Look Good Naked" (9 p.m. Friday, Lifetime).

The Discovery Channel rolls out four new shows for guys: "Fight Quest" (10 p.m. Friday), a butt-kicking travelogue that sends its co-hosts around the world to fight locals; "Some Assembly Required" (10 p.m. Jan. 8), which shows what it takes to make everything from toilets to plasma TVs; "Bone Detectives" (10 p.m. Jan. 14), a road trip exploring burial rites and mummification; and "Smash Lab" (10 p.m. Jan. 16), which breaks down everyday technology to show how it works.

"Ocean Force: Huntington Beach O.C." will tag along with Orange County, Calif., lifeguards (8 p.m. Tuesday, truTV) while "Parking Wars" (10 p.m. Jan. 8, A&E) will follow members of the Philadelphia Parking Authority.

And "Ugliest House on the Block" (10 p.m. Friday, WE) will take unsightly homes and try to make them, well, sightly.

Christopher Lawrence's Life on the Couch column appears on Mondays. E-mail him at clawrence@reviewjournal.com.