Fall’s failures are replaced with new shows

It was only a few months ago that we were given a new fall lineup of shows: bright, shiny and full of potential. Now we can see that very little of it thoroughly captivated viewers – and a sizable chunk of it is already piled on the trash heap of cancellation.

But we’re optimists.

We believe the networks can get it right and create programming that’s worth watching. In fact, we keep hoping they’ll come up with shows that are downright irresistible. The new winter/ midseason slate has plenty of misfires – those are inevitable – but there also are some truly promising ones that caught our eye.

Here’s our rundown of the most interesting new series that TV has to offer in the months to come.

“The Following”: This bloody action thriller, starring Kevin Bacon as a former FBI agent, opens with a notorious serial killer escaping from prison so he can tend to some unfinished business: a former victim who survived. But it soon becomes apparent that Joe Carroll (the charismatic bad guy, played by James Purefoy) isn’t the only threat out there. Seems that he has an entire network, or cult, of followers ready to begin killing sprees. Ryan Hardy, Bacon’s character, the broken-down agent who originally captured Carroll, is brought out of the alcoholic funk of retirement to work the case. Premieres 8 p.m. Jan. 21 on Fox.

“1600 Penn”: Meet the Gilchrists. They’re a typical sitcom family – except for the fact that Dad (Bill Pullman) is the president of the United States and their home is the White House. Try to imagine a life in which every family issue, large or small, often deeply personal and quite embarrassing, routinely gets covered on the evening news. Making matters worse is that the president’s ne’er-do-well son Skip (Josh Gad) is a lightning rod for chaos. With Skip in the White House, the president, the first lady (Jenna Elfman) and the Secret Service are constantly putting out fires, sometimes literally. Premieres 8:30 p.m. Thursday on NBC.

“Zero Hour”: This globe-trotting, time-shifting action-conspiracy series starring Anthony Edwards involves an antique clock, a kidnapped wife, a mysterious map, genetic experiments conducted by Nazi scientists, a dozen modern-day Disciples and a cliffhanger at the end of every episode. Hank Galliston (Edwards), publisher of Modern Skeptic Magazine, gets mixed up in this madness after his wife is abducted. While racing the clock to save her, he learns that letting the map fall into the wrong hands could have cataclysmic consequences. And you thought you were having a pressure-filled day. Premieres 7 p.m. Feb. 14 on ABC.