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Must See HDTV (December 31st - January 6th)

Richard Lawler
Senior News Editor
Updated ·4 min read
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This week we say goodbye to 2012, and after the New Year's Eve festivities tonight we welcome not only college football bowl games and pro football playoffs, but also the return of many of our regularly scheduled TV shows. EHD podcast fave Justified also makes an appearance this week as season three comes to Blu-ray. Portlandia fans should be ready to put a bird on it, and all those who've remained Downton Abbey spoiler free can check out the series' return Sunday night. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

Looper
This time travel flick stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis playing a hitman that suddenly has the inconvenience of having both his present and future self existing at once, to the dismay of his employers. As with all movies that put time travel at their center it quickly gets more complicated, but there are some decent special effects scenes that make it well worth checking out in HD.
($19.99 on Amazon)

College Football
Bowls and bowls and bowls. While we're still awaiting the championship game, there are several big time games scattered throughout the week, plus a bevy of smaller bowls to keep things interesting. Check after the break for the dates, times and teams, and don't skip over the college football championship that will be played this week as Sam Houston State and North Dakota State vie for the FCS (aka DI-AA) crown

Over/Under
This USA show wasn't picked up for a series, but its two hour pilot will air Friday night. Its plot follows a fallen day trader / degenerate gambler that starts a high-end booking business. We highlight it because fans of Breaking Bad (and, we guess, Revolution, if it has fans) might want to check out Giancarlo Esposito popping up in a supporting role.
(USA, January 4th, 10PM)




Blu-ray & Games

  • Looper

  • Being Human (S2)

  • Cosmopolis

  • Justified (S3)

Monday

  • Chick-Fil-A Bowl: LSU/Clemson, ESPN, 7:30PM

  • New Year's Rockin Eve Celebrates Dick Clark, ABC, 8PM

  • WWE Raw, USA, 8PM

  • The Mob Doctor, Fox, 9PM

  • Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest, ABC, 10PM

  • New Year's Eve with Carson Daly, NBC, 10PM

  • Fox New Year's Eve, Fox, 11PM

  • MTV's Club NYE 2013, MTV, 11PM

Tuesday

  • Gator Bowl: Mississippi St./Northwestern, ESPN2, 12PM

  • Heart of Dallas Bowl: Purdue/Oklahoma State, ESPNU, 12PM

  • Outback Bowl: South Carolina/Michigan, ESPN, 1PM

  • Capital One Bowl: Georgia/Nebraska, ABC, 1PM

  • Rose Bowl: Wisconsin/Stanford, ESPN, 5PM

  • Orange Bowl: Northern Illinois/Florida State, ESPN, 8:30PM

  • Emily Owens M.D. (winter premiere), CW, 9PM

  • Dual Survival (season premiere), Discovery, 9PM

  • Parenthood (winter premiere), NBC, 10PM

Wednesday

  • Whitney (winter premiere), NBC, 8PM

  • Sugar Bowl: Louisville/Florida, ESPN, 8:30PM

  • Guys With Kids (winter premiere), NBC, 8:30PM

  • WWE Main Event, Ion, 8PM

  • Law & Order SVU (winter premiere), NBC, 9PM

  • The Hour (season finale), BBC America, 9PM

  • Inside the NFL, Showtime, 9PM

  • Chicago Fire (winter premiere), NBC, 10PM

  • American Horror Story, FX, 10PM

  • NFL Turning Point, NBC Sports Network, 10PM

Thursday

  • Fiesta Bowl: Oregon/Kansas State, ESPN, 8:30PM

  • Impact Wrestling, Spike TV, 8PM

  • The Big Bang Theory (winter premiere), CBS, 8PM

  • Two And A Half Men (winter premiere), CBS, 8:30PM

  • Person of Interest (winter premiere), CBS, 9PM

  • Elementary (winter premiere), CBS, 10PM

Friday

  • Cotton Bowl: Texas A&M/Oklahoma, Fox, 7:30PM

  • Pacers/Celtics, ESPN, 8PM

  • WWE SmackDown, Syfy, 8PM

  • CSI: NY (winter premiere), CBS, 9PM

  • Blue Bloods (winter premiere), CBS, 10PM

  • Merlin (season premiere), Syfy, 10PM

  • Over/Under (series premiere), USA, 10PM

  • Portlandia (season premiere), IFC, 10 & 10:30PM

  • Lakers/Clippers, ESPN, 10:30PM

Saturday

  • AFC Wild Card Game: Bengals/Texans, NBC, 4:30PM

  • NFC Wild Card Game: Vikings/Packers, NBC, 8PM

  • BBVA Compass Bowl: PITT/Ole Miss, ESPN, 1PM

  • D1-AA (FCS) Football Championship Game: Sam Houston State/North Dakota State, ESPN2, 1PM

  • Cops, Fox, 7PM

  • Underemployed, MTV, 8PM

  • The Mob Doctor, Fox, 9PM

Sunday

  • The Dakar Rally, NBC Sports, 2:30AM

  • AFC Wild Card Game: Colts/Ravens, CBS, 1PM

  • NFC Wild Card Game: Seahawks/Washington, Fox, 4:30PM

  • 60 Minutes, CBS, 7PM

  • Once Upon A Time (winter premiere), ABC, 8PM

  • The Simpsons (winter premiere), Fox, 8PM

  • Bob's Burgers (winter premiere), Fox, 8:30PM

  • Godaddy.com Bowl: Kent State/Arkansas State, ESPN, 9PM

  • Downton Abbey (season premiere), PBS, 9PM

  • Family Guy (winter premiere), Fox, 9PM

  • The Good Wife (winter premiere), CBS, 9PM

  • Revenge (winter premiere), ABC, 9PM

  • American Dad (winter premiere), Fox, 9:30PM

  • The Mentalist (winter premiere), CBS, 10PM

  • Happy Endings (winter premiere), ABC, 10PM

  • Don't Trust The B In Apartment 23 (winter premiere), ABC, 10:30PM