The new year means new series to add to your DVR. Here’s a preview of the new shows coming to network TV mid-season.
CBS
Doubt (2017)
Defense attorney at a high-powered firm, Sadie Ellis (Katherine Heigl) falls for a client (Steven Pasquale) who may be guilty of a vicious crime. The show also stars Laverne Cox, making history as the first broadcast show to feature a transgender actress as a series regular.
Ransom (2017)
The series follows Eric Beaumont (Luke Roberts), a crisis and hostage negotiator, and his team as they solve crimes and save victims.
Training Day (2017)
An adaptation of the 2001 film of the same name, a corrupt cop trains a rookie officer. Bill Paxton plays Detective Frank Rourke, and newcomer Justin Cornwell is rookie Kyle Craig.
NBC
Midnight, Texas (Nov. 3)
Based off of the trilogy of books by Charlaine Harris (writer of the True Blood book series) this hour-long drama centers on a town full of vampires, psychics, hitmen, witches and other mysterious characters who form a unique family and defend themselves and their town against suspicious outsiders.
Hairspray Live! (Dec. 7, 8pm)
Continuing the trend they started a few seasons ago of producing musicals live for TV, NBC will air Hairspray Live! this year. This reincarnation of the classic (originally a John Waters film) is full of big names, including Broadway veteran Kristin Chenoweth, singer Ariana Grande, Dove Cameron, Dancing with the Stars pro Derek Hough and Harvey Fierstein as Edna Turnblad. Continuing with Waters’ tradition of casting an unknown talent as the lead, newcomer Maddie Baillio will play Tracy Turnblad, the teenager growing up in the early 60s desperate to appear on a popular dance show. Long Island’s own Rosie O’Donnell will play her gym teacher.
Emerald City (Jan. 6, 9pm)
Keeping with a fantasy theme, NBC will air Emerald City, a new series based on the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, after the popular series Grimm which premieres its final season on the same night. Emerald City will of course follow Dorothy and her dog as they travel through different realms and encounter various dark warriors battling for power. The show will feature a completely reimagined, more dangerous land of Oz than viewers have ever encountered before. Brooklyn native Vincent D’Onofrio will play the role of the Wizard.
Chicago Justice (Jan. 15)
A spin-off of Chicago P.D. and the fourth show in Dick Wolf’s Chicago franchise, the show is about the State Attorney’s team of prosecutors and investigators taking on high profile cases and navigating through all the politics that come with the job. Manhattan native Jon Seda stars.
The Blacklist: Redemption (2017)
A spin-off of the popular series The Blacklist. The new crime thriller will follow Tom Keen (Ryan Eggold), a character from the original series, after he teams up with Susan Scott “Scottie” Hargrave (Famke Janssen), president of a private military company that manages operatives who solve crimes.
Great News (2017)
A TV news producer (Briga Heelan) is faced with unique challenges when her mother (Andrea Martin) becomes an intern at her station in this half-hour comedy.
Marlon (2017)
Manhattan native Marlon Wayans will star in this sitcom as a divorced, immature dad struggling to co-parent with his very organized ex-wife, while navigating newfound internet fame.
Powerless (2017)
The first comedy set in the world of DC comics, Powerless stars Vanessa Hudgens as Emily Locke, an insurance claims adjuster living an ordinary life in a town full of superheroes.
Taken (2017)
A prequel to the action film of the same name, Clive Standen stars in Liam Neeson’s role as a young Bryan Mills. Jennifer Beals and Monique Gabriela Curnen also have principal roles.
Trial & Error (2017)
A comedy about a New York lawyer who comes to a small Texas town to defend an eccentric poetry professor (John Lithgow) accused of murdering his wife. He keeps running into problems because his client is constantly in situations that make him look guilty.
Fox
The Mick (Jan. 3)
In this comedy Mackenzie Murphy (Kaitlin Olson) becomes legal guardian of her rich (and estranged) sister’s children after the woman and her husband flee the country because they are facing federal fraud charges.
24: Legacy (Feb. 5, 10pm)
A spin-off of the hugely popular series 24 (2001), this series focuses on Eric Carter (Corey Hawkins) who returns to the U.S. after leading a mission to eliminate a terrorist leader. He discovers he and the rest of his squad are being targeted for assassination and commissions the Counter Terrorist Unit to help save his life while simultaneously protecting the country from terrorists.
APB (2017)
A tech billionaire is given control of a Chicago police district in hopes of solving a friend’s murder. The series is loosely based on the New York Times Magazine article “Who Runs the Streets of New Orleans?”
Making History (2017)
A comedy about a professor who creates a time machine that allows his colleague to change his past in order to improve his present. Things get complicated when the man changes American history in the process of achieving his goal. The show stars Leighton Meester, Adam Pally and John Gemberling.
Prison Break (miniseries)
A continuation of the series that aired on the network from 2005 to 2009. It takes place seven years later and is rumored to feature the series’ biggest escape ever.
Shots Fired (2017)
A ten-part series about the events that occur after a black cop kills a white teenager in a fictional town in North Carolina. The racially charged series will feature Sanaa Lathan, Stephen Moyer and Richard Dreyfuss among others.
ABC
Downward Dog (2017)
Based off of the web series produced by Animal Media Group, Downward Dog will take viewers inside of the mind Nan’s (Allison Tolman) dog Martin as he deals with all of the first-world problems that come with being a mutt in a human world. You know, cats, threatening vacuum cleaners, his owner’s unstable relationship with her boyfriend. Samm Hodges will voice Martin.
Imaginary Mary (2107)
In this comedy, Jenna Elfman (Dharma & Greg) plays Alice, a PR executive who doesn’t like kids. Her childhood imaginary friend Mary (voiced by Rachel Dratch) reappears in her life again when she starts dating Ben (Stephen Schneider), a single dad of three, to help her deal with the changes.
Still Star-Crossed (2017)
Dominating a whole night of TV isn’t enough for Shonda Rhimes. She’s moved on to re-imagining Shakespeare on the small screen. Rhimes will serve as executive producer on this period drama. Based on the book by Melinda Taub, the show will follow Juliet’s cousin Rosaline (Lashana Lynch) who is betrothed to Benvolio of Montague (Wade Briggs) against her will. The couple works together to end the violence between their families while also trying to prevent their union.
Time After Time (2017)
From creator Kevin Williamson (Scream, The Vampire Diaries), Time After Time is another period drama, and one of a few shows this season to feature time travel. It’s an adaptation of a book by the same name. Freddie Stroma is H.G. Wells and Josh Bowman is Jack the Ripper. Amagansett resident Jennifer Ferrin also has a role in the series.
When We Rise (January 2017)
This much-anticipated miniseries chronicles The Gay Rights Movement, beginning with the Stonewall Riots of 1969. It was written by Dustin Lance Black, who won an Oscar for the Milk screenplay. Black will also serve as executive producer of the series, which stars Guy Pearce, Mary-Louise Parker and Rachel Griffiths.
CW
Riverdale (2017)
The teen drama features characters in the famous Archie Comics, living their lives and solving mysteries in the fictional town of Riverdale. Luke Perry plays Archie’s father Fred Andrews. It is executive produced by Greg Berlanti, known for his series like Dawson’s Creek, Everwood and most recently Supergirl.