Winter TV Preview 2021: Inside the Must-Watch New and Returning Shows (Exclusive)

Credit: NBC; Apple tV+; The CW; FOX

Winter TV Preview 2021: Inside the Must-Watch New and Returning Shows

Grab your hot cocoa and get comfy in front of the TV. With so many fall shows pushed to midseason, the winter lineup is stacked with both new and returning series, some with new cast members! On 9-1-1: Lone Star, Liv Tyler exited the show and Gina Torres has stepped in. For the last eight years, her character Tommy has been a stay-at-home mom with her twin daughters. However, with the pandemic causing her husband to be out of a job, she's back at work as an officer. "She's never not been with her girls. Her heart is completely torn because the last time she was a badass in the field, she didn't have them. She also remembers now how much she actually loves and is good at being in the field and being on the job," the Pearson alum, 45, told Us Weekly exclusively about the role. "I don't know any parent out there who loves their job and has dedicated years of their lives to their profession, and then come along these little rugrats that just steal your heart away. You don't choose, you just walk through the world differently. It takes a different kind of agility, and to be able to portray that and to put a spotlight on what that feels like and what that does at any given moment, it's a privilege." While the new stars are coming, some shows are also prepping to say goodbye. Last Man Standing is airing its final season on Fox, something the cast wasn't too happy about. "To kind of see [the end] coming, it's like a person that's in hospice, but they're doing really well. They might make it through this," star Tim Allen told Us exclusively. "That's how it is! You see it every day. Every day, I joke about it, asking, 'Why bother? We're canceled!' Even though we're not really canceled. Nine years in this world. I'm blessed and grateful, and there's nothing but gratitude." Meanwhile, some shows are just getting started. Jared Padalecki will star in Walker, a new spin on Walker, Texas Ranger. His real-life wife, Genevieve Padalecki, takes on his late wife in flashbacks in the show. "It's just the perfect moment to get back into acting and work with my best friend," she told Us, noting that the character is "wild and reckless," something she couldn't wait to play. Scroll through the gallery below for more new and returning shows this winter. [podcast_block]

Credit: NBC; Apple tV+; The CW; FOX

Winter TV Preview 2021: Inside the Must-Watch New and Returning Shows

Grab your hot cocoa and get comfy in front of the TV. With so many fall shows pushed to midseason, the winter lineup is stacked with both new and returning series, some with new cast members! On 9-1-1: Lone Star, Liv Tyler exited the show and Gina Torres has stepped in. For the last eight years, her character Tommy has been a stay-at-home mom with her twin daughters. However, with the pandemic causing her husband to be out of a job, she's back at work as an officer. "She's never not been with her girls. Her heart is completely torn because the last time she was a badass in the field, she didn't have them. She also remembers now how much she actually loves and is good at being in the field and being on the job," the Pearson alum, 45, told Us Weekly exclusively about the role. "I don't know any parent out there who loves their job and has dedicated years of their lives to their profession, and then come along these little rugrats that just steal your heart away. You don't choose, you just walk through the world differently. It takes a different kind of agility, and to be able to portray that and to put a spotlight on what that feels like and what that does at any given moment, it's a privilege." While the new stars are coming, some shows are also prepping to say goodbye. Last Man Standing is airing its final season on Fox, something the cast wasn't too happy about. "To kind of see [the end] coming, it's like a person that's in hospice, but they're doing really well. They might make it through this," star Tim Allen told Us exclusively. "That's how it is! You see it every day. Every day, I joke about it, asking, 'Why bother? We're canceled!' Even though we're not really canceled. Nine years in this world. I'm blessed and grateful, and there's nothing but gratitude." Meanwhile, some shows are just getting started. Jared Padalecki will star in Walker, a new spin on Walker, Texas Ranger. His real-life wife, Genevieve Padalecki, takes on his late wife in flashbacks in the show. "It's just the perfect moment to get back into acting and work with my best friend," she told Us, noting that the character is "wild and reckless," something she couldn't wait to play. Scroll through the gallery below for more new and returning shows this winter. [podcast_block]

Credit: Lisa Rose/FOX

Call Me Kat

The charming Mayim Bialik stars as Kat, a 39-year-old single woman who’s determined to live a happy and fulfilled life. So much so, she quit her job and spent her entire savings to open a cat café in Louisville, Kentucky. Jim Parsons produces the Fox series. (Thursdays, 9 p.m. ET)

Credit: Patrick Wymore/FOX

Last Man Standing

After nine seasons and a network switch, Tim Allen’s Fox sitcom is coming to an end. “We don’t want to wrap it up,” he admitted to Us, adding the comedy will go dark “in a clever way.” Plus, Allen’s Home Improvement character, Tim “The Toolman” Taylor, makes a cameo in the season premiere. (Thursdays, 9:30 p.m. ET)

Credit: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC/Lionsgate

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist

As the hit NBC series returns for its sophomore season, Zoey (Jane Levy) is struggling to find her place in life after her dad’s death. Once she finally decides to get back out there, she’s reunited with her powers — and her feelings for both Max (Skylar Astin) and Simon (John Clarence Stewart). (January 5, 8 p.m. ET)

Credit: Apple TV+

Dickinson

Hailee Steinfeld returns as Emily Dickinson for season 2 of the Apple TV+ series. This time around, the psychological thriller gets a bit more eerie, exploring Emily’s struggle with being taken out of her private life and pushed into the public eye. Nick Kroll, Timothy Simons and Finn Jones also join the cast. (January 8)

Credit: Phil Caruso/FOX

Prodigal Son

Malcolm (Tom Payne) will never be the same after the Fox series’ season 1 cliffhanger! Though he cleaned up — quite literally — his sister’s mess, he must now deal with the repercussions while also balancing a very different relationship with his father. Speaking of Martin (Michael Sheen), he has a new roommate — and a new sense of confidence. (January 12, 9 p.m. ET)

Credit: Fox

The Resident

Although the Fox medial show does plan to cover the COVID-19 pandemic via flashbacks in the premiere, the new season will take place in a post-COVID world and feature a wedding between Conrad (Matt Czuchry) and Nic (Emily VanCamp). (January 12, 8 p.m. ET)

Credit: ABC/Lara Solanki

Call Your Mother

In her first multi-cam series, Kyra Sedgwick plays Jean, an empty nester who reinserts herself into her grown children’s lives at the exact right moment. Rachel Sennott and Joey Bragg also star in this ABC comedy. (January 13, 9:30 p.m. ET)

Credit: Courtesy of Lifetime

Married at First Sight

The newlyweds are back in Atlanta! In season 12 of the Lifetime hit, 10 singles are matched and meet for the very first time at the altar. And there’s no shortage of drama. Cameras follow the couples as they navigate their new lives together — and not everyone will choose to stay married in the end. (January 13, 8 p.m. ET)

Credit: Disney+

WandaVision

The Avengers are coming to TV. In this Disney+ series, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) start to realize that life is not as it seems. Spoiler: It may be because of their impressive superpowers. (January 15)

Credit: The CW

Batwoman

Meet the new Batwoman! Following Ruby Rose’s shocking departure from the CW superhero drama, Javicia Leslie steps in. Leslie’s Ryan Wilder has no clue that everything’s about to change when she finds Kate Kane’s Batsuit, but she’s sassy, smart and ready to take on anyone and anything. (January 17, 8 p.m. ET)

Credit: Jack Zeman/FOX

9-1-1

Fox’s hit franchise is back. First, the original series returns to tackle Covid-19 head-on “as a comic book about first responders come to life,” teases star Peter Krause. Plus, expect a Buck-centered episode to learn more about Oliver Stark's character. (January 18, 8 p.m. ET)

Credit: Kevin Estrada/FOX

9-1-1: Lone Star

When Lone Star returns, Gina Torres has joined as an officer forced to return to work amid the pandemic. She tells Us season 2 is “bigger, badder and better.” (January 18, 9 p.m. ET)

Credit: Rebecca Brenneman/The CW

Walker

In the CW’s reimagining of Walker, Texas Ranger, Jared Padalecki plays widower and father of two Cordell Walker, who returns home to Austin for the first time in years to reunite with his family and get back to work. (January 21, 8 p.m. ET)

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Firefly Lane

Based on Kristin Hannah’s book, this Netflix show is the story of two inseparable best friends — mousy and shy Kate (Sarah Chalke) and outspoken Tully (Katherine Heigl) — and their complicated 40-year relationship. (February 3)