Must See HDTV (December 31st - January 6th)
This week we say goodbye to 2012, and after the New Year's Eve festivities tonight we welcome not only college football bowl games and pro football playoffs, but also the return of many of our regularly scheduled TV shows. EHD podcast fave Justified also makes an appearance this week as season three comes to Blu-ray. Portlandia fans should be ready to put a bird on it, and all those who've remained Downton Abbey spoiler free can check out the series' return Sunday night. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.
Looper
This time travel flick stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis playing a hitman that suddenly has the inconvenience of having both his present and future self existing at once, to the dismay of his employers. As with all movies that put time travel at their center it quickly gets more complicated, but there are some decent special effects scenes that make it well worth checking out in HD.
($19.99 on Amazon)
College Football
Bowls and bowls and bowls. While we're still awaiting the championship game, there are several big time games scattered throughout the week, plus a bevy of smaller bowls to keep things interesting. Check after the break for the dates, times and teams, and don't skip over the college football championship that will be played this week as Sam Houston State and North Dakota State vie for the FCS (aka DI-AA) crown
Over/Under
This USA show wasn't picked up for a series, but its two hour pilot will air Friday night. Its plot follows a fallen day trader / degenerate gambler that starts a high-end booking business. We highlight it because fans of Breaking Bad (and, we guess, Revolution, if it has fans) might want to check out Giancarlo Esposito popping up in a supporting role.
(USA, January 4th, 10PM)
Blu-ray & Games
Looper
Being Human (S2)
Cosmopolis
Justified (S3)
Monday
Chick-Fil-A Bowl: LSU/Clemson, ESPN, 7:30PM
New Year's Rockin Eve Celebrates Dick Clark, ABC, 8PM
WWE Raw, USA, 8PM
The Mob Doctor, Fox, 9PM
Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest, ABC, 10PM
New Year's Eve with Carson Daly, NBC, 10PM
Fox New Year's Eve, Fox, 11PM
MTV's Club NYE 2013, MTV, 11PM
Tuesday
Gator Bowl: Mississippi St./Northwestern, ESPN2, 12PM
Heart of Dallas Bowl: Purdue/Oklahoma State, ESPNU, 12PM
Outback Bowl: South Carolina/Michigan, ESPN, 1PM
Capital One Bowl: Georgia/Nebraska, ABC, 1PM
Rose Bowl: Wisconsin/Stanford, ESPN, 5PM
Orange Bowl: Northern Illinois/Florida State, ESPN, 8:30PM
Emily Owens M.D. (winter premiere), CW, 9PM
Dual Survival (season premiere), Discovery, 9PM
Parenthood (winter premiere), NBC, 10PM
Wednesday
Whitney (winter premiere), NBC, 8PM
Sugar Bowl: Louisville/Florida, ESPN, 8:30PM
Guys With Kids (winter premiere), NBC, 8:30PM
WWE Main Event, Ion, 8PM
Law & Order SVU (winter premiere), NBC, 9PM
The Hour (season finale), BBC America, 9PM
Inside the NFL, Showtime, 9PM
Chicago Fire (winter premiere), NBC, 10PM
American Horror Story, FX, 10PM
NFL Turning Point, NBC Sports Network, 10PM
Thursday
Fiesta Bowl: Oregon/Kansas State, ESPN, 8:30PM
Impact Wrestling, Spike TV, 8PM
The Big Bang Theory (winter premiere), CBS, 8PM
Two And A Half Men (winter premiere), CBS, 8:30PM
Person of Interest (winter premiere), CBS, 9PM
Elementary (winter premiere), CBS, 10PM
Friday
Cotton Bowl: Texas A&M/Oklahoma, Fox, 7:30PM
Pacers/Celtics, ESPN, 8PM
WWE SmackDown, Syfy, 8PM
CSI: NY (winter premiere), CBS, 9PM
Blue Bloods (winter premiere), CBS, 10PM
Merlin (season premiere), Syfy, 10PM
Over/Under (series premiere), USA, 10PM
Portlandia (season premiere), IFC, 10 & 10:30PM
Lakers/Clippers, ESPN, 10:30PM
Saturday
AFC Wild Card Game: Bengals/Texans, NBC, 4:30PM
NFC Wild Card Game: Vikings/Packers, NBC, 8PM
BBVA Compass Bowl: PITT/Ole Miss, ESPN, 1PM
D1-AA (FCS) Football Championship Game: Sam Houston State/North Dakota State, ESPN2, 1PM
Cops, Fox, 7PM
Underemployed, MTV, 8PM
The Mob Doctor, Fox, 9PM
Sunday
The Dakar Rally, NBC Sports, 2:30AM
AFC Wild Card Game: Colts/Ravens, CBS, 1PM
NFC Wild Card Game: Seahawks/Washington, Fox, 4:30PM
60 Minutes, CBS, 7PM
Once Upon A Time (winter premiere), ABC, 8PM
The Simpsons (winter premiere), Fox, 8PM
Bob's Burgers (winter premiere), Fox, 8:30PM
Godaddy.com Bowl: Kent State/Arkansas State, ESPN, 9PM
Downton Abbey (season premiere), PBS, 9PM
Family Guy (winter premiere), Fox, 9PM
The Good Wife (winter premiere), CBS, 9PM
Revenge (winter premiere), ABC, 9PM
American Dad (winter premiere), Fox, 9:30PM
The Mentalist (winter premiere), CBS, 10PM
Happy Endings (winter premiere), ABC, 10PM
Don't Trust The B In Apartment 23 (winter premiere), ABC, 10:30PM