Now that the holidays are over, we can go back to our daily lives of work and watching television. And while many of our favorite shows came to a close before the fat guy came down the chimney, many are coming back now that the last verse of "Auld Lang Syne" has been sung.
So when is your favorite show headed back to the airwaves? Let's take a look:
"HOMELAND SECURITY":
8 p.m. Tuesday on ABC. America is obsessed with reality television so it was only a matter of time before the Patriot Act got its own show. And the best part? It goes up against "Idol" in its second week. What's the threat level on that?"SCRUBS": 9 p.m. Tuesday on ABC. Upon getting booted from NBC after a poorly promoted, poorly executed season, "Scrubs" found itself a new home on ABC. Will it be one more season for the underappreciated comedy?
"NIP/TUCK": 10 p.m. Tuesday on FX. A whole new set of controversy goes under the knife when the series kicks off its sixth season.
"DAMAGES": 10 p.m. Wednesday on FX. After a stellar season that garnered praise and few awards, Glenn Close returns as hard-hitting litigator Patricia Hewes.
"MONK": 9 p.m. Friday on USA. Tony Shalhoub's obsessive compulsive Adrian Monk returns for season seven with guest star Steve Zahn as Monk's delinquent half-brother and prison escapee, Jack Jr.
"PSYCH": 10 p.m. Friday on USA. "Psych" could quietly be one of the most entertaining shows on TV. Now in its third season, the show about a fake psychic detective (Yes CBS, the idea has been done. "The Mentalist" is not an original idea.) roars back after a sea lion is found dead in the premiere.
"24": 8 p.m. Jan. 11 on Fox. Welcome back, Jack Bauer. This year opens with CTU dismantled and good ole' Jack facing criminal charges. I don't want to give much away but look for the return of a former colleague in hour one.
"AMERICAN IDOL": 8 p.m. Jan. 13 on FOX. "Idol" welcomes a new judge this season, singer/songwriter Kara DioGuardi. Nothing is written in stone but look for DioGuardi to be Abdul's replacement when she leaves after this season.
"BATTLESTAR GALACTICA": 10 p.m. Jan. 16 on Sci Fi. One more season for this cult favorite. Who is the final cylon? And honestly, will any answer be sufficient for hardcore fans?
"THE UNITED STATES OF TARA": 10 p.m. Jan. 17 on Showtime. Created and produced by Oscar-winning "Juno" scribe Diablo Cody, "Tara" stars Toni Collette as a seemingly ordinary housewife and mom who just so happens to have multiple personalities. With Steven Spielberg getting an executive producer nod here, this is one I'm looking forward to.
"BIG LOVE": 9 p.m. Jan. 18 on HBO. If you haven't seen this dramedy about love and polygamy, you need to. Bill Paxton returns as the head of the Henrickson clan as he runs his hardware stores and deals with the everyday problems of being an outcast Mormon with three wives.
"FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS": 9 p.m. Jan. 18 on HBO. All right, let's face it. You either love this comedy about a pair of "musicians" from New Zealand or you don't. I love it.
"LIE TO ME": 9 p.m. Jan. 21 on FOX. One of the few new shows to make this list of most anticipated premieres. "Lie To Me" brings Tim Roth to the small screen as human lie detector Dr. Cal Lightman. It's produced by "24" head honcho Brian Grazer so it's worth a shot.
"LOST": 8 and 9 p.m. Jan. 21 on ABC. It's been a long eight months for "Lost" fans but the wait is almost over.
"HELL'S KITCHEN": 9 p.m. Jan. 29 on FOX. You better watch Gordon Ramsey's reality show, you (expletive deleted) donkey.
"HEROES": 9 p.m. Feb. 2 on NBC. Series writer Bryan Fuller returns this season to "Heroes" after the cancellation of "Pushing Daisies." Sad for "Daisies" fans but good news for "Heroes" which desperately needs a shot in the arm.
"SURVIVOR": 8 p.m. Feb. 12 on CBS. This time the show heads to the Brazilian highlands for more bug eating and island voting.
"DOLLHOUSE": 9 p.m. Feb. 13 on FOX. The latest from "Firefly" creator Joss Whedon, "Dollhouse" stars Eliza Dushku in a show about an organization that employs mind-wiped humans, implanted with false memories and skills, for various missions. Hmm ... interesting.
