DOWNTON ABBEY 2 – Miniseries, PBS – Premieres Sunday January 8 at 9 p.m. - February 19 (check local listings)

The Emmy Award-winning miniseries “Downton Abbey” is back on “Masterpiece Classic” for an exciting second season. Once again written by Julian Fellowes, the miniseries resumes its story of love and intrigue among the upper crust at an English country estate during the tumultuous years of World War I. With a returning cast including Dame Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Dan Stevens, Michelle Dockery, Siobhan Finneran, and many more, this is one of the most anticipated television events of 2012.

HOUSE OF LIES – New series, Showtime - Premieres Sunday January 8 at 10 p.m.

This new half-hour comedy series is based on the tell-all book “House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Tell You the Time” by Martin Kihn. It stars Don Cheadle as an uber-successful, cutthroat management consultant who will do anything necessary to help his clients while conning them at the same time. Complicating matters are his crazy ex-wife, his cross-dressing son, and his psychoanalyst father. Kristen Bell is superb as the razor-sharp consultant on his team in this irreverent send-up of corporate America.

ALCATRAZ – New Series, Fox - Premieres Monday January 16 at 8 p.m.

This riveting new series asks the question: “What if?” In this case, the question is what if some 300 prisoners who had disappeared from Alcatraz over 50 years ago are now coming back one-by-one and committing some pretty heinous crimes? A task force quickly comes together consisting of a San Francisco Police Department detective played by Sarah Jones, an Alcatraz expert portrayed by Jorge Garcia of “Lost” fame, a secretive government agent played by Sam Neill, and a CSI-type technician played by Parminder Nagra, who returns to television for the first time since “ER.” Not only do they have to hunt down these very dangerous prisoners, but they must also uncover the mystery of where they've been all these years and why they haven't aged.

LUCK – New series, HBO – Premieres Sunday January 29

Written by David Milch, directed by Michael Mann, and starring such heavyweights as Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte, this new drama is set against the world of horse racing, Focusing on the owners, gamblers, jockeys, and various other characters, the stellar cast also includes Dennis Farina, Richard Kind, Ian Hart, Kevin Dunn, Ritchie Coster, Jason Gedrick, and Jill Hennessy.

NAMATH – New Documentary, HBO – Premieres January 28 at 9 p.m.

HBO teams up with NFL Films for an in-depth documentary on New York Jets iconic quarterback Broadway Joe Namath. The film explores the life and career of Namath, from his upbringing in Western Pennsylvania, through his legendary time with the Jets, right on up to his current life. Promising to be the definitive documentary on the football legend and trailblazing free spirit, NFL Films President Steve Sabol calls Namath the "Arthur" of pro football. “Joe pulled the proverbial sword from the stone and the NFL became the Camelot of American sports,” says Sabol. “His story is timeless, authentic and very human. It is a privilege for NFL Films to partner with HBO Sports in documenting the incredible life of Broadway Joe.”