Spring 2009 TV Lineup

This is in order of premiere date (all times are CST):

 

True Beauty (ABC); premieres 1/5/09 at 9 pm; regularly airs Mondays from 9-10 pm

What makes a person truly beautiful? Executive producers Tyra Banks and Ashton Kutcher re-define the concept of beauty in a wildly revealing new ABC series.  Hosted and judged by Vanessa Minnillo, along with judges Cheryl Tiegs and Nol Marin, the series will determine the “True Beauty” of six stunning females and four handsome males who will live together in a spectacular Los Angeles mansion as they undergo a series of challenges to determine who is truly the most beautiful. The gorgeous contestants assume they’re being judged solely on their outer appearance. They’re only half right; outer beauty is one component the judges are looking for, but contestants are also being evaluated — unbeknownst to them — for their INNER beauty as well when they’re put through scenarios and situations that require them to make moral decisions. Each episode will showcase an outer beauty and an inner beauty challenge, during which contestants will be judged on everything from how well they perform in photo shoots to how well they respect their elders. The three judges will observe and critique the contestants’ behavior and eliminate one person each week. Only after someone is eliminated will the truth about the show be revealed to him/her, as they watch a video montage of their behavior captured by a hidden camera during the shoot. At the end of eight episodes, one winner will be declared, a person who is truly beautiful inside and out. That person will receive a cash prize and a spot in PEOPLE magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful People issue.

Daddy’s Girls (MTV); premieres 1/5/09 at 9:30 pm; regularly airs Mondays from 9:30-10 pm

Over the course of five seasons, fans have watched Vanessa and Angela Simmons grow up before their eyes on Run’s House. Now, with the premiere of Daddy’s Girls, viewers can watch the sisters take a step toward independence as they make a permanent move to Los Angeles to set up a west coast office and showroom for their wildly successful pastry tennis shoe and apparel line, and so Vanessa can pursue her acting career. They might be 3000 miles away from home, but the lessons their father, Rev Run, has instilled are with them always… and the Rev is just a phone call away! Daddy’s Girls will also introduce viewers to two new faces, cousin and business associate Jessica and friend, Aliceia. Together, the four girls are determined to make it in Los Angeles with the Rev guiding them along the way.

Homeland Security (ABC); premieres 1/6/09 at 7 pm; regularly airs Tuesdays 7-8 pm

Every day the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security patrol more than 100,000 miles of America’s borders. This territory includes airports, seaports, land borders, international mail centers, the open seas, mountains, deserts and even cyberspace. Now viewers will get an unprecedented look at the work of these men and women while they use the newest technology to safeguard our country and enforce our laws.  Comprised of 13 hour-long episodes shot entirely on location throughout the United States, “Homeland Security USA” is based on a popular Australian series now in its fifth season. Produced by Oscar and Emmy-winner Arnold Shapiro, the series takes cameras into situations never before seen on television, with each episode covering eight or more locations on the “front lines” where the officers and agents work each day. They have a job that is dangerous, difficult and always unpredictable. These aren’t heroes. They’re average men and women working against an epic landscape. The Department’s missions include everything from vetting adoption papers and checking visitors’ passports to intercepting undocumented immigrants, drugs and other contraband, and stopping potential terrorists trying to cross our borders. What viewers will see is powerful, dramatic, unforgettable and emotional, with unexpected moments of humor.

13: Fear is Real (CW); premieres 1/7/09 at 7 pm; regularly airs Wednesdays from 7-8 pm

AThirteen people compete to “stay alive” as they face their deepest fears in an all-out elimination competition and scare-fest. Pitted against each other in situations straight from the horror movies, the 13 will face shocking surprises, psychological scares and lots of “beware of the dark” moments, all designed by a “mastermind” of terror. Each week, one unlucky victim will be “killed off” via frightening challenges and game-playing until only one person is left to win the grand prize of fittingly $66,666.

Howie Do It (NBC); premieres 1/9/09 at 7 pm; regularly airs Fridays from 7-8 pm

FAKE SHOWS… BIG LAUGHS… THIS IS HOWIE DO IT! No situation is safe and nothing appears quite as it seems when Howie Mandel takes to the streets and delivers a refreshing and wildly unpredictable new take on the classic TV prank. In this hilarious one-hour reality show, the camera is exposed but the motives remain hidden to the unsuspecting marks. Sometimes as himself, other times incognito, Howie and his crew will venture anywhere — from the great outdoors to a night club to the set of a talk show — to play out a hoax, the likes of which viewers have never seen before. These are 15-minutes of fame, some people can do without! Each week the comedy unfolds in front of a live studio audience as Howie unveils these side-splitting gags.

The United States of Tara (Showtime); premieres 1/18/09 at 9 pm; regularly airs Sundays from 9-9:30 pm

A new 12 episode half-hour comedy series starring Academy Award-nominated actress Toni Collette as a wife and mother who suffers from disassociative identity disorder. The comedy series will delve into how a dysfunctional family, including Tara’s working husband played by John Corbett, copes with the various identities that may appear on any given day and range in age, temperament and even gender.

Lie to Me (Fox); premieres 1/21/09 at 8 pm; regularly airs Wednesdays from 8-9 pm

Tim Roth and Kelli Williams star in this fascinating character drama inspired by a real-life specialist who can read clues embedded in the human face, body and voice to expose the truth behind the lies in criminal investigations. When you scratch your chin, wring your hands, wrinkle your nose or swallow too much, Dr. Cal Lightman knows you’re lying. He doesn’t just think so he knows so. As the foremost deception expert in the country, Dr. Lightman can uncover the deepest secrets and crack the hardest cases. More accurate than any polygraph, he knows whether those in front of him be they family, friends, criminals or complete strangers are honest or not. Dr. Lightman heads up The Lightman Group, a private agency contracted by the FBI, local police, law firms, corporations and private individuals when they hit roadblocks in their searches for the truth. Joining him at the agency are a variety of experts in the field of behavioral evaluation: Dr. Gillian Foster is a gifted psychologist and Lightman’s professional partner, a woman whose guidance he needs whether he knows it or not; Will Loker is Lightman’s lead researcher who practices “radical honesty” at all times; and Ria Torres is the newest member of the team, selected for her innate ability to read body language and catch certain clues that her colleagues may miss.

Dollhouse (Fox); premieres 2/13/09 at 8 pm; regularly airs Fridays from 8-9 pm

ECHO is an “Active,” a member of a highly illegal and underground group who have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas. Confined to a secret facility known as the “Dollhouse,” Echo and the other Actives including SIERRA and VICTOR carry out engagements assigned by ADELLE, one of the Dollhouse leaders. The engagements cater to the wealthy, powerful and connected, and require the Actives to immerse themselves in all manner of scenarios romantic, criminal, uplifting, dangerous, comical and the occasional “pro bono” good deed. After each scenario, Echo, always under the watchful eye of her handler BOYD, returns to the mysterious Dollhouse where her thoughts, feelings and experiences are erased by TOPHER, the Dollhouse’s genius programmer. Echo enters the next scenario with no memory of before. Or does she? As the series progresses, FBI Agent PAUL SMITH pieces together clues that lead him closer to the Dollhouse, while Echo stops forgetting, her memories begin to return and she slowly pieces together her mysterious past. DOLLHOUSE revolves around Echo’s blossoming self-awareness and her desire to discover her true identity. But with each new engagement, comes a new memory and increased danger inside and outside the Dollhouse.

East Bound & Down (HBO); premieres 2/15/09 at 9:30 pm; regularly airs Sundays from 9:30-10 pm

Comedy about a guy who, after flaming out as a major league baseball pitcher, returns to his small southern hometown to teach physical education at the middle school he once attended and has to make amends with all the people he turned his back on.

Castle (ABC); premieres 3/9/09 at 9 pm; regularly airs Mondays from 9-10 pm

Wildly famous mystery novelist Richard Castle, who is bored with his own success, learns that a real-world copycat killer has started staging murder scenes depicted in his novels. Rick is soon questioned by NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, a very bright, aggressive detective who keeps her investigations under tight rein. Rick and Kate’s styles instantly clash, yet sparks begin to fly, leading both to danger and a hint of romance as Castle steps in to help find the killer. And once that case is solved, he and Beckett build upon their new relationship as they look to solve strange homicides in New York as much fun as one can have with death & murder. Castle is kept grounded by his Broadway diva mother, Martha Rodgers and quick-witted teenage daughter Alexis.

Kings (NBC); premieres 3/19/09 at 8 pm; regularly airs Thursdays from 9-10 pm

A riveting new drama about a modern-day monarchy. “Kings” is a contemporary retelling of the timeless tale of David and Goliath. This series is an epic story of greed and power, war and romance, forbidden loves and secret alliances — and a young hero who rises to power in a modern-day kingdom. King Silas Benjamin is the well-entrenched king of Gilboa, with its capital in Shiloh, a clean new city that is unspoiled by time or litter. Silas must deal with the tensions rising between Gilboa and neighboring nation Gath. When several prisoners of war are taken, a young soldier, David Shepard, defies orders and crosses enemy lines to save them. Unknown to David, the soldier he saves is Jack Benjamin (Sebastian Stan, “The Covenant”), the son of the king. From that day forth, David’s life will never be the same.

Cupid (ABC); premieres 3/24/09 at 9 pm; regularly airs Tuesdays from 9-10 pm

“Cupid” is a romantic dramedy about Trevor Pierce, a larger than life character who may or may not be the Roman god of love, Cupid, sent to earth to bring 100 couples together before he is allowed to return to Mt. Olympus. As fate would have it, Trevor is under the care of psychiatrist and self-help author Dr. Claire McCrae, who is also dedicated to helping lonely hearts find their soul mates. When it comes to true love, Claire believes it’s all about friendship and compatibility, but for Trevor, heat and passion conquer all. Only time will tell who will win the battle for love.

The Unusuals (ABC); premieres 4/8/09 at 9 pm; regularly airs Wednesdays from 9-10 pm

In “The Unusuals,” it helps if a cop has a twisted sense of humor, because every moment could be your last. Just ask Casey Shraeger, who started her day as an NYPD vice detective before unexpectedly being transferred to the homicide division. She quickly realizes that, not only does everyone in her new department have a distinct sense of humor, but also their own dirty little secrets.

Harper’s Island (CBS); premieres 4/9/09; regularly airs Thursdays from 9-10 pm

HARPER’S ISLAND is about a group of family and friends who travel to a secluded island for a destination wedding. They’ve come to laugh… to love… and, though they don’t know it… to die. As the wedding festivities begin, friendships are tested and secrets exposed as a murderer claims victims, one by one, transforming the wedding week of fun and celebration into a terrifying struggle for survival. In every episode, someone is killed and every person is a suspect, from the wedding party to the island locals. By the end of the 13 episodes, all questions will be answered, the killer will be revealed and only a few will survive.

 

What will you be watching?