Sending in the subs

To every season there is a midseason -- turn, turn, turn that dial -- and a time for every series, subject immediately to change. At this special moment not even halfway through the television year, we ring out the old and the hardly begun and ring in some new: There is a nursery full of baby shows squalling for your love. This latest litter presents a pleasantly wide range of not entirely predictable premises, and though the ones available for preview vary in quality, the effort is nonetheless appreciated.

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Sundays

The United States of Tara

Showtime

As a suburban mom with a split personality, talented Toni Collette plays four roles (none of them, like her, Australian), in this cable-style family comedy -- i.e., it’s weird but, in its way, heartwarming. Created by Steven Spielberg, of all people, and developed by Diablo “Juno” Cody, once again endorsing the oddball. Reliable John Corbett, as solid husband/dad, makes it seem workable. (Jan. 18, 10 p.m.)

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Mondays

Trust Me

TNT

“Mad Men” 2009, with Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh as respectively responsible and irresponsible creative laborers in a Chicago ad agency. A smart workplace buddy comedy with an aroma of “Sports Night” and perhaps a faint aftertaste of “Nip/Tuck.” Monica Potter is funny as a difficult copywriter. And Griffin Dunne fans, your man is here too. (Jan. 26, 10 p.m.)

Castle

ABC

Nathan Fillion (cult-adored in “Firefly”) plays a party-boy mystery novelist who teams with Stana Katic’s NYPD detective to solve crimes and banter electrically; trailers do not exactly suggest “Murder, He Wrote” (“Moonlighting” is the obvious template). Sparks will fly is the idea. (March 9, 10 p.m)

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Tuesdays

Cupid

ABC

Straight-ahead remake of less-than-successful 1998 comedy, with Sarah Paulson and Bobby Cannavale (in for the original’s Paula Marshall and Jeremy Piven) as a psychiatrist/self-help author and her patient who may or may not be the Boy With the Arrows. Creator Rob Thomas hopes to find that love is lovelier the second time around. Some of us liked the first one. (March 24, 10 p.m.)

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Wednesdays

Lie to Me

Fox

Fox gets its “Mentalist,” with Tim Roth -- who, unlike most British leads in American series gets to keep his accent -- as a freelance “human lie detector,” conversant with the thousand ways that our twitchy lips and raised eyebrows tell all. Kelli Williams from “The Practice” -- it seems like a lifetime ago, “The Practice” -- is his only marginally less perceptive partner. (Jan. 21, 9 p.m.)

The Unusuals

ABC

Amber Tamblyn (“Joan of Arcadia”) is a vice cop transferred suddenly to an NYPD homicide bureau where everyone seems (see title) strange. (Odd behaviors, dark secrets.) Terry Kinney is among the people she finds there, and late “Lost” survivor Harold Perrineau, off that island for good. (April 8, 10 p.m.)

The Goode Family

ABC

With the Earth warming faster than was predicted the last time the Earth was predicted to be warming faster than predicted, it seems like an odd time to make fun of people who recycle and drive hybrid cars, but that appears to be what’s up with this new cartoon from Mike Judge (who also voices dad). Linda Cardellini plays the contrary daughter. There is a dog. (8:30 p.m, premiere date to be announced)

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Thursdays

The Beast

A&E;

Pumped-up, dark-hearted cop show lunges into the psychic space emptied by “The Shield,” with growly Patrick Swayze -- the rumors of his demise much exaggerated -- as a rule-breaking, tough-talking, crazy-brilliant undercover FBI agent himself under undercover scrutiny. Rookie partner Travis Fimmel tries to keep it all straight. (Jan. 15, 10 p.m.)

Kings

NBC

Old Testament intrigue in modern dress, and certainly the weirdest series to be mounted by a broadcast network this cycle. Phenomenally pokey alternate-world retelling of the King Saul/little David tale with Ian McShane splendidly orotund as a potentate whose realm looks a lot like now, but different. (March 19, 9 p.m.; 10 p.m. after March 26)

Harper’s Island

CBS

Serial-murder horror-soap set around a wedding on an island off the popular television city of “Seattle,” which means it shoots in Canada. Rewritten and mostly recast between pilot and premiere, Harry Hamlin plays Uncle Marty, a name that promises trouble if I’ve ever heard one. (April 9, 10 p.m.)

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Fridays

Dollhouse

Fox

Good-looking young men and women with their memories scientifically erased wait like empty suits to be filled with new temporary personalities, thence to be rented out for this job or that: It’s the temp agency from hell. “Buffy” man Joss Whedon thought it up. Eliza Dushku (you knew her as Faith) plays temp Echo, who is starting inconveniently to remember. (Feb. 13, 9 p.m.)

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Also coming

ABC

Better Off Ted

Jay Harrington plays the eponymous protagonist, who works in R&D; at a company whose aims and methods he begins to question. It’s a comedy. Stylistic touchstones: “Office Space” and “Arrested Development.” Portia de Rossi plays his boss. (Late Jan. or early Feb.)

In the Motherhood

Recast broadcast elevation of a Web series originally made to sell hair-care products and phone services features Megan Mullally, Cheryl Hines and Jessica St. Clair as three flavors of mom. As before, misadventures of real mothers (piping up in the “Web community”) inspire the scripts, which will reportedly continue to involve hair-care products and phone services. (March)

NBC

The Philanthropist

Call it Extreme World Makeover: James Purefoy (“Rome”) plays a modern-day billionaire Robin Hood who steals from himself to give to the world’s poor, in person, at possible cost of life and limb. (The show films in Africa and Eastern Europe.) Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson were involved at the beginning but are not now. (April)

Untitled Amy Poehler Project

The 2008 election was good to “SNL” Clinton-imitator/”Weekend Update” host Poehler, whom NBC has now deemed ready for prime time -- though not so ready that anything is known about the show that is to feature her, apart from that Greg Daniels (“The Office”) is behind it and that Rashida Jones has been rumored to be playing a nurse. Still, I feel good about this. (April)

Merlin

NBC continues its something-borrowed approach to programming with this 13-part BBC series about the medieval magic man (Colin Morgan) and his pal Arthur (Bradley James). The twist is they’re both young and hot. Think of it as the midseason’s “Crusoe.” Anthony Head plays Arthur’s dad, Uther Pendragon, still king. (Late spring)

Fox

Sit Down, Shut Up

“Arrested Development” creator Mitchell Hurwitz (teaming with Eric and Kim Tannenbaum of “Two and a Half Men”) reunites with his old stars Jason Bateman and Will Arnett in a cartoon about a high school staff cribbed from an Australian series that starred actual humans. Also featuring Henry Winkler as a German teacher named Willard Deutschebog, which I invite you to say aloud. (Spring)

The Osbournes: Loud and Dangerous

What is this that stands before me? The world’s first heavy-metal variety show? Can the old bat-biter really succeed where Rosie O’Donnell failed? In this series of specials, Ozzy, Sharon, Jack and Kelly attempt to bring back the genre in a reported mix of comedy, music, celebrity drive-bys and game-show high jinks. (Spring)

Glee

“Nip/Tuck” creator Ryan Murphy dishes up a singing “Bad News Bears,” as high school Spanish teacher Matthew Morrison (“Hairspray,” the Broadway show) tries to shape the school’s loser glee club into national champs. Four musical numbers per show! Not coincidentally on the network that lives and dies by “American Idol.” (Spring)

CW

Hitched or Ditched Tentatively titled reality show throws longtime unmarried couples into a stressful week of wedding planning. At the end they have the option to remain living in sin. (Spring)

HBO

No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency

The late Anthony Minghella directed the lovely, character-rich movie-length pilot (co-written with Richard Curtis, of “Blackadder” and “Four Weddings” fame) for this series based on Alexander McCall Smith’s novels about Botswana’s only female gumshoe. Singer Jill Scott stars. (March)

Showtime

Nurse Jackie

The awesome Edie Falco stars -- finally -- in a comedy about a New York City emergency room nurse with issues and bad habits. Your typical television health-care provider, in other words. (Summer)

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latimes.com/television

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