Spring 2010 TV Preview

Though you wouldn’t know it from the looks of Comm Ave’s icy sidewalks, winter is slowly coming to a close and spring is on its way, which means nicer weather — and plenty of reasons to ignore it, stay in and watch television. Here is a look at this spring’s television schedule: what’s returning, what’s new, and what to expect.

Glee – After a four month hiatus, season one returns April 13th on FOX with nine episodes left.

Since the show had its mid-season finale on December 9th of 2009, “Gleeks” have been dying for more of this Golden Globe-winning show. The show left off with the group deservedly taking first place in sectionals despite the sabotage attempts made by Sue Sylvester. And thank god that the baby-mama-drama story line is over, because it was getting tired. Will finally realized his wife was faking a pregnancy and the secret was spilled that Quinn is carrying Puck’s baby and not Finn’s. Honestly though, she should have been a little more stoked about that, because Puck is way hotter.

Although the secrets are now out in the open, that plot line can’t disappear completely. Will Puck stop being a “dumb jock” and make a good father? Will Finn ever forgive them? Will Mr. Schuester and Ms. Pillsbury live happily ever after (obviously)? Will the Glee club finally get the respect they deserve after taking home a winning title (probably not)? One thing we know we can look forward to as the season finishes out this spring is a Madonna-themed episode, which will include Sue donning the cone-bra look.

Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara – Both of these Showtime hits return for their second season on March 22nd. On “Nurse Jackie,” Emmy-award-winning Edie Falco plays Jackie Peyton, a nurse with a hard attitude, a bad back, and an addiction to painkillers. At times she could be described as the female “House.” Though she is married with two kids, she carries on an affair with her hospital’s pharmacist, Eddie. Since she seems happy with her husband, the show implies that she is only having the affair to ensure a steady flow of free Percocet and other heavy-hitting pain meds (which she often snorts or chews instead of swallows). However, season one ended with Eddie following Jackie after work and finding out her secret. Expect a big blowout to start off season two. We may even find out if her feelings for Eddie were ever real. Unfortunately, Jackie’s friend and co-worker, Mo-Mo, will not be returning for season two. But expect plenty of comedic relief from nurse-in-training Zoey, and goofy, good-looking Dr. Cooper, played by Peter Facinelli.

“United States of Tara” is one of the most original television shows out there right now, penned by the quirky Diablo Cody. Toni Collette won the Emmy for her portrayal of Tara Gregson: a mother and wife battling dissociative identity disorder (multiple-personality disorder) and taking a break from her medication. Season one left off with Tara and her husband, Max, finally getting to the bottom of what happened to Tara at school years ago that may have sparked the emergence of her multiple personalities (alters). Hopefully season two will give us a better look at the fourth and newest alter, “Gimmy,” solve the issue between Tara’s son, Marshall, and his crush, and find Tara’s daughter, Kate, a new love interest so she can say goodbye to that freaky romance with her boss for good.

Parenthood – A brand new comedy premieres March 2nd on NBC stacked with stars such as Lauren Graham, Erika Christensen, and Dax Sheppard. The series was created by the legendary Ron Howard as well as Brian Grazer and highlights the frustrations of parenthood. Howard’s first attempted a “Parenthood” TV series based off of his film by the same name in 1990, but it was quickly canceled. The new version of the show seems to have bad omen written all over it: it was  slated for release last fall until lead actress Maura Tierney was diagnosed with breast cancer, and then a salary agreement could not be reached for second pick Helen Hunt. The show was left with third choice Graham, who will play the lead of Sarah. The previews have looked promising thus far, so hopefully Howard finally manages to pull this one off.

Sons of Tucson – A new comedy on FOX that premieres on March 14th and features the comedic relief of former CW show “Reaper,” Tyler Labine. The show is about three kids whose father gets sent to prison. Instead of being orphaned, they decide to take in Ron (Labine) as their guardian. Ron is a homeless slacker that works at a sporting goods store. Labine seems to be a favorite up-and-coming star of director Kevin Smith, after landing the role of Sock in “Reaper,” of which Smith directed the first episode, as well as a cameo in the Smith film “Zack and Miri Make a Porno.” The show is worth checking out for its talented cast and fun plot line.

FlashForward – ABC’s psychological thriller starring Joseph Fiennes and John Cho returns March 4th after a four month hiatus. Based on the novel by Robert J. Sawyer, the show follows FBI agents trying to figure out the worldwide blackout in which people lost consciousness for two minutes and seventeen seconds and caught glimpses of their futures. Executives say the hiatus had been planned so the remaining 14 episodes could air uninterrupted by the Winter Olympics, but speculation says the lapse was really to give the writers a much-needed break to figure out where they were going with the show and pick up the pace a bit. While its ratings will most likely come no where near that of companion show “Lost,” hopefully “FlashForward” will get a bit more exciting and give “Lost” fans something to turn to after the series finale.

So there you have it: a brief glimpse into what we can expect from spring television. Any shows you are particularly looking forward to? Any predictions, excitements, frustrations? Let us know in the comment section.