The 2012 TV mid-season has begun and it's shaping up to be an intriguing one. There's the ABC adventure drama "The River"; the NBC comedy "Are You There, Chelsea?"; J.J. Abrams' highly anticipated "Alcatraz" on FOX, and more.
Check out these 13 new shows to watch out for!
2012 Mid-Season New Shows
'The River' (ABC, Feb. 7)
Who: Bruce Greenwood, Joe Anderson, Leslie Hope, Eloise MumfordWhat: The show follows the story of wildlife expert and TV personality Emmet Cole. Emmet set course around the world with his wife, Tess, and son, Lincoln, while filming what would become one of the most popular shows in television. After he goes missing deep in the Amazon, his family, friends and crew set out on a mysterious and deadly journey to find him.
Who: Leslie Bibb, Annie Potts, Kristin ChenowethWhat: The soap returns to Dallas in this deliciously fun, wicked new drama that shows that you can go home again... but only if you're ready to face the sins of your past.
Who: Ashley Judd, Sean Bean, Nick EversmanWhat: Becca Winstone (Judd) learns that her son, Michael (Eversman), disappears while studying abroad, and it's a race against time when she travels to Europe to track him down. A surprising turn of events reveals just how far one mother will go to protect her family.
Who: Kerry Washington, Henry Ian Cusick, Columbus Short, Tony GoldwynWhat: A former media relations consultant to the President, Olivia Pope (Washington) dedicates her life to protecting and defending the public images of our nation's elite. After leaving the White House, the power consultant opened her own firm, hoping to start a new chapter -- both professionally and personally -- but she can't seem to completely cut ties with her past.
'Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23' (ABC, April 11)
Who: Krysten Ritter, Dreama Walker, Eric Andre, Michael Blaiklock, James Van Der BeekWhat: After a naïve Midwestern girl's (Walker) big city dreams are dashed her first week in New York, she finds herself living with her worst nightmare in this hilarious, contemporary comedy about a female odd couple who are surrounded by an outrageous cast of characters.
Who: Josh Lucas, Juliette Lewis, Molly ParkerWhat: Based on the blockbuster feature film and best-selling novel by world-renowned author John Grisham, the new drama series continues the story of attorney Mitchell McDeere (Lucas) and his family 10 years after the events of the film and novel.
'Are You There, Chelsea?' (NBC, Jan. 11)
Who: Laura Prepon, Chelsea HandlerWhat: Inspired by the best-selling books from actress/comedian Chelsea Handler, the new comedy series follows the exploits of the twenty-something Chelsea (Prepon), an opinionated and unapologetic young woman who lives life to the fullest as a cocktail waitress, friend, daughter, sister and sexually dynamic "advanced drinker."
Who: Debra Messing, Anjelica Huston, Katherine McPhee, Megan Hilty, Christian BorleWhat: There's nothing more exciting than the opening night of a hit Broadway musical, except maybe what happens getting there. Julia and Tom, a successful songwriting team, begin work on a new musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. When a tenacious producer (Huston) jumps aboard, so begins the difficult task of casting the silver screen icon.
Who: Rob Schneider, Cheech Marin, Claudia BassoisWhat: The show centers on solitary guy, Rob, who marries into a huge Mexican-American family.
'The Finder' (FOX, Jan. 12)
Who: Geoff Stults, Michael Clarke DuncanWhat: From the creator of the hit series "Bones" comes a quirky, one-hour procedural centering on a different kind of detective: a remarkable man with the extraordinary ability to help people find the unfindable.
'Napoleon Dynamite' (FOX, Jan. 15)
Who: Jon Heder, Aaron Ruell, Efren Ramirez, Haylie Duff, Diedrich BaderWhat: Based on the cult hit film, this new animated series follows the misadventures of an awkward high school teenager and his quirky friends as they struggle to navigate life in rural Idaho.
'Alcatraz' (FOX, Jan. 16)
Who: Sarah Jones, Sam Neill, Jorge Garcia, Jeffrey PierceWhat: From the creators of "Lost" comes a new drama about a Detective Madsen (Jones) assigned to a grisly homicide case, which leads her to a former Alcatraz inmate who died decades ago. Madsen's interest is immediately piqued, and once the enigmatic, knows-everything-but-tells-nothing government agent Emerson Hauser (Neill) tries to impede her investigation, she's doggedly committed.
Who: Kiefer Sutherland, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David MazouzWhat: From writer/creator Tim Kring comes a preternatural drama in which science and spirituality intersect with the hopeful premise that we are all interconnected, tied in invisible ways to those whose lives we are destined to alter and impact.