January 2015 TV shows premiere: New and old shows returning on ABC, FOX, and more

ABC

The wait for TV fanatics is finally over. 2015 is chock-full of series premieres and returns and January will have them all rolling. No more hiatus and reruns, just fresh episodes of both new and current shows on your television screens.

All new programs will be set in motion this week and viewers will surely find one that can hook them up for a great splash of TV in their spare time. One will be hailing from the massive array of fairytales and musical musings. On Jan. 4, (7pm), ABC will debut the tale of romance and enchantment with a funny side, titled "Galavant." Showrunner Dan Fogelman brings in titular character Galavant (Joshua Sasse) who duels with King Richard (Timothy Omundson) to get the love of his life, Madalena (Mallory Jansen), back.

Another musical-themed drama series is on the way and FOX will unveil it by Jan. 7 (8pm). "Empire" has a stellar cast fitting the job of netting a host of patrons. The hip-hop family drama project has Terrence Howard as music mogul Lucius Lyon and his endeavors surrounding his titanic music empire. He will be joined by Taraji P. Henson, who will play as his ex-wife. Courtney Love and Naomi Campbell will also add to the ensemble. There is a lot of faith to Lee Daniels and Danny Strong, who dreamed up the whole series.

"Glee" tethers the string of musical feats coming this month. The final season of the show will hit the road on Jan. 9. Glee club members have had great achievements after leaving their alma mater and dilemma involving their beloved school where it all started and will prove that their friendship has not melted away.

If tuneful ones are not your cup of tea, ABC has another one in the cannon. By Jan. 6 (7pm), new series, Marvel's "Agent Carter," will be fired up. Hayley Atwell is taking Peggy Carter from the silver screen to the television. As a secret agent in the 1940s, Agent Carter will strive to complete life-threatening missions for a good old friend. All that while dealing with the pain of losing the man she loved so dearly, Steve Rogers.

Many series had all their time away and it is time to go back to work. United States will finally see Season 5 of "Downton Abbey" via PBS on Jan. 4. The season will take viewers back to 1942, where the estate saw the budding of a courtship and a quandary where a baby is involved. And sure enough, there will be an awful lot of hurly-burly as well. "Portlandia" is on its fifth season and guest stars will be around. There's Seth Meyers, Paul Simon, Parker Posey, Greta Gerwig, Jane Lynch and Oscar the Grouch. Crack up with the duo Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein on Jan. 10 (10pm) in IFC.

A deadly disease will plague the world and James Cole (Aaron Stanford) will have to travel back in time, from 2043 to the present, to stop the epidemic. "12 Monkeys," an adaptation of a 1995 Terry Gilliam film, will morph into a thrilling series in SyFy on Jan. 16 (8pm).

Chris Soules will be commencing his journey to find true love on Monday in "The Bachelor," premiering on ABC. Viewers will also see another horde of Hollywood hopefuls who will try to impress Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban in the Season 14 of "American Idol," premiering on Jan. 7 (8pm) on FOX. Another batch of cooking child wonders will battle it out in the biggest food war on TV, "Masterchef Junior," set to air on FOX on Jan. 8 (8pm). "Archer" will be back and the international secret agent is prepping up not only for dangerous CIA missions, but with the snivels and diaper changes of his new toddler. Catch the ISIS-less show on Jan. 8 (10pm) on FX. Also, "Fatal Attraction" will be back on TV One on Jan. 5 while the bedlams in "Pretty Little Liars" will continue on Jan. 6 on ABC Family.