Strong shows bolster TV's midseason roster

Midseason television used to be the period in which broadcasters dumped the shows they had little confidence in. More often than not, network shows unveiled in this post-Christmas doldrums came and went with the speed of a typical New Year's resolution.

But no longer.

Heavy on spooky drama, offbeat characters, and spinoffs, January's menu of some 30 new and returning series is almost as attention-grabbing as the traditional fall launch window.

Competition from cable, which has never marched to the conventional September/May beat, has helped make this time of year more important as the networks search for new ways to compete.

Fox has led the network push toward more year-round programming. "The midseason launch is really important for us and has been for some time," says Gail Berman, Fox Entertainment president. Three of the channel's most popular shows return to the small screen this month: "American Idol," "24," and "The Simple Life." But programs launched this time of year, she adds, "are not the stepchild any more."

Here are some highlights of the January launch season - as well as a look at some highly anticipated shows a bit further down the road:

Medium (NBC - Mon. 10 p.m.): This new law and order procedural features the wonderful Patricia Arquette as a reluctant mouthpiece for supernatural crime sources. Dead people speak to her, particularly those who had an untimely demise, and she uses the information to help solve crimes. It helps to know that the character is based on a real person and Arquette's stubborn humanity keeps the hour from getting goofy - the show is as much about her own struggle to accept and apply her sixth sense as it is about the criminals.

Point Pleasant (FOX - Thurs., 9 p.m.): A return to familiar territory for fans of "Buffy" and, for the older generation, "Rosemary's Baby," this is another show with supernatural subtext - the daughter of an unholy alliance between the Devil and a mortal woman has mysteriously washed up on the bucolic shores of an unsuspecting New Jersey town. The residents begin to mirror her personal struggle to win the battle between good and evil for her eternal soul.

Committed (NBC - Tues., 9:30 p.m.): One of the few new comedies this season, this show tries mightily to make us laugh at some pretty weird individuals, including an Ivy League dropout who keeps human skulls in his cupboard and a ditzy occupational therapist who subleases an apartment complete with a dying clown in her closet.

Since the title is a play on the marginal mental state of the show's main characters, the humor in the early episodes focuses heavily on who's crazier, him or her.

"Committed" could be funny, though it's a wait-and-see.

Alias (ABC - Wed., 9 p.m.): Hooray! Sydney, the superspy played by Jennifer Garner, returns along with the customary wigs, wacky costumes, and convoluted plotlines. For fans of the story about the Rimbaldi artifact - newcomers, don't ask - it's time to move on. According to J.J. Abrams, executive producer and creator, the show is returning to its roots: loads of action and an emphasis on Sydney's search for familial peace even as she hops in and out of at least five new identities per show, and saves the world from total annihilation by 10 p.m.

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