The good, the bad and the so-so: Networks pitch new shows

When it comes to TV, the whole out-with-the-old, in-with-the-new thing couldn’t come soon enough.

That’s because calling the networks’ fall season underwhelming is like saying Kanye West has a somewhat favorable opinion of himself.

The talented Rebel Wilson discovering new ways to be grating each week on ABC’s “Super Fun Night.” Emmy winner Margo Martindale farting on CBS’ “The Millers.” Pretty much everything Fox’s “Dads” did.

And those are the shows that are still on the air.

Thankfully, with the new year come reinforcements.

Some of them will be better. Some of them, inexplicably, will be worse. But at least they’ll offer something new.

Here’s a look at some of what to expect during the coming weeks and months. And, as always, times and dates are subject to change.

NEW SERIES

Among the networks, ABC arguably has the most to fix. For starters, it’s buying time with the eight-part miniseries “The Assets” (10 p.m. Thursday, KTNV-TV, Channel 13), which follows CIA counterintelligence officers on the hunt for Russian mole Aldrich Ames (Paul Rhys). “Killer Women” (10 p.m. Tuesday, Channel 13), which follows the adventures of a female Texas Ranger (Tricia Helfer), also is scheduled for an eight-week run. Hoping to stick around a bit longer, ethically challenged brothers (Christian Slater, Steve Zahn) use psychological manipulation to offer their clients a better life, either by giving them what they want or by making what they don’t want go away, in the drama “Mind Games” (10 p.m. March 11, Channel 13). The dead of Arcadia, Mo., start coming back to life, sometimes decades later and thousands of miles from home, in “Resurrection” (9 p.m. March 9, Channel 13). And, during the course of one long night, 10 singles try to hook up in the same bar in the comedy “Mixology” (9:30 p.m. Feb. 26, Channel 13).

Aside from the “Chicago Fire” spinoff, “Chicago P.D.” (10 p.m. Wednesday, KSNV-TV, Channel 3), most of NBC’s midseason shows have yet to be scheduled. Those include John Malkovich as the pirate Blackbeard in “Crossbones,” from “Luther” creator Neil Cross; “Believe,” about a young girl with special powers, from “Gravity’s” Alfonso Cuaron; the book and/or movie adaptation “About a Boy” from Jason Katims (“Friday Night Lights,” “Parenthood”); Dermot Mulroney and Gillian Anderson in the thriller “Crisis”; the medical drama “The Night Shift”; J.K. Simmons as a blind father in the family comedy “Growing Up Fisher”; and “Undateable,” a comedy about romantic losers, from “Scrubs” creator Bill Lawrence.

For those of you who liked NBC’s “Chuck” but wished it weren’t quite so geeky, “Lost’s” Josh Holloway stars as a spy with a microchip in his brain, protected by a sexy handler (Meghan Ory), in “Intelligence” (9 p.m. Tuesday, KLAS-TV, Channel 8). Elsewhere on CBS, Kevin Connolly, James Van Der Beek and Brooklyn Decker headline the romantic comedy “Friends With Better Lives” (9 p.m. March 31, Channel 8).

Fox lured Greg Kinnear to TV to portray a self-destructive criminal defense attorney in “Rake” (9 p.m. Jan. 23, KVVU-TV, Channel 5). And a decorated soldier (Geoff Stults) is disciplined by being sent home to serve with his two brothers and a bunch of misfits on an Army base in Florida in the comedy “Enlisted” (9:30 p.m. Jan. 10, Channel 5).

The CW doubles down on sci-fi with the alien-human love story “Star-Crossed” (8 p.m. Feb. 17, KVCW-TV, Channel 33) and “The 100” (9 p.m. March 19, Channel 33), in which a group of young prisoners is exiled from their space-station homes to test whether a ruined Earth can once again support life.

Over on cable, HBO lives up to its old “It’s not TV” boast with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson teaming up in the eight-episode crime drama “True Detective” (9 p.m. Jan. 12). The pay channel also introduces the comedy “Looking” (10:30 p.m. Jan. 19), about three gay friends living in San Francisco.

“Saturday Night Live’s” Bobby Moynihan voices “Chozen” (10:30 p.m. Jan. 19, FX), an animated comedy about a gay, white rapper recently released from prison.

If you just can’t wait for NBC’s “Crossbones” to get your pirate fix, “Black Sails” (9 p.m. Jan. 25, Starz) follows Robert Louis Stevenson’s Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) and serves as a prequel to “Treasure Island.”

On Syfy, Billy Campbell leads a Centers for Disease Control outbreak team at a remote Arctic research facility in “Helix” (10 p.m. Jan. 10), and the world’s only female werewolf (Laura Vandervoort) tries to distance herself from her pack by working as a photographer in “Bitten” (10 p.m. Jan. 13).

USA ventures into original comedies with the adventures of three Chicago EMTs in “Sirens” (10 p.m. March 6), from Denis Leary and “We’re the Millers” writer Bob Fisher.

And an all-star cast, including Will Ferrell, Jessica Alba, Val Kilmer, Tobey Maguire, Haley Joel Osment, Tim Robbins, Michael Sheen and Kristen Wiig, turn up in Funny or Die’s spoof of overwrought miniseries, “The Spoils of Babylon” (10 p.m. Jan. 9, IFC).

RETURNING SERIES

ABC is bringing back new seasons of “The Taste” (8 p.m. Thursday, Channel 13), “The Bachelor” (8 p.m. Monday, Channel 13) and “Suburgatory” (8:30 p.m. Jan. 15, Channel 13).

NBC has “Community” (8 p.m. Thursday, Channel 3), “The Voice” (8 p.m. Feb. 24 and 8 p.m. Feb. 25, Channel 3) and “Hannibal” (10 p.m. Feb. 28, Channel 3).

Fox has scheduled two-night premieres for “American Idol” (8 p.m. Jan. 15 and 16, Channel 5) and “The Following” (7 p.m. Jan. 19 and 9 p.m. Jan. 20, Channel 5).

PBS has the much-anticipated new seasons of “Downton Abbey” (9 p.m. Sunday, KLVX-TV, Channel 10), “Sherlock” (10 p.m. Jan. 19, Channel 10) and “Call the Midwife” (8 p.m. March 30, Channel 10).

And The CW is still asking “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” (8 p.m. March 21, Channel 33).

On cable, Showtime has “Shameless” (9 p.m. Jan. 12), “House of Lies” (10 p.m. Jan. 12) and “Episodes” (10:30 p.m. Jan. 12); HBO has “Girls” (10 p.m. Jan. 12) and Cinemax has “Banshee” (10 p.m. Jan. 10).

TNT has new seasons of “Dallas” (9 p.m. Feb. 24), “Rizzoli &Isles” (9 p.m. Feb. 25) and “Perception” (10 p.m. Feb. 25), while TBS has more “Cougar Town” (10 p.m. Tuesday) and “Men at Work” (10 p.m. Jan. 15).

FX is bringing back its acclaimed “Justified” (10 p.m. Tuesday), “Archer” (10 p.m. Jan. 13) and “The Americans” (10 p.m. Feb. 26).

USA has “Psych” (9 p.m. Wednesday) and “Suits” (9 p.m. March 6), Syfy has “Lost Girl” (8 p.m. Jan. 13) and “Being Human” (9 p.m. Jan. 13), IFC has “Portlandia (10 p.m. Feb. 27) and History has “Vikings” (10 p.m. Feb. 27).

And ABC Family is opening the floodgates with new episodes of “Pretty Little Liars” (8 p.m. Tuesday), “Ravenswood” (9 p.m. Tuesday), “Switched at Birth” (8 p.m. Jan. 13), “The Fosters” (9 p.m. Jan. 13), “Melissa &Joey” (8 p.m. Jan. 15), “Baby Daddy” (8:30 p.m. Jan. 15) and “Twisted” (9 p.m. Feb. 11).

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567.