TV Gord’s What’s On for the week of March 1-7, 2015.

Not too many years ago, the first week of March on TV would be nothing but a ghost town of reruns. You will notice plenty of those this week, but there’s also a healthy list of fresh, new TV shows to watch (and you can fill in some of those rerun slots with 13 fresh episodes of House of Cards, released on Netflix on February 27^th). Here are the highlights ahead this week (all times are eastern):

Sunday

THE GOOD WIFE IS BACK! THE GOOD WIFE IS BACK THE GOOD WIFE IS BACK THE GOOD WIFE IS BACK. Carry on….

Secrets and Lies – 9pm on ABC and CTV

Ryan Phillippe and Juliette Lewis star in this ten-part series about a man who finds the body of a young boy and quickly becomes the suspect in the child’s murder. It’s based on an Australian series of the same name which aired on CBC last summer. Yes, the premise does sound similar to the outstanding British series, Broadchurch, but the character studies are quite different, and both series deserve to be judged on their own merits. (The first two episodes air in a two hour block. The first episode also airs on Monday at 10pm)

The Last Man on Earth – 9pm on Fox

Will Forte (Saturday Night Live) stars as Phil Miller, a man living in the year 2020, when a virus sweeps the planet and leaves him (cue the echo effect) The Last Man on Earth. January Jones (Mad Men), Kristen Schaal and Mary Steenbergen also star in this comedy that Jimmy Kimmel says is one of the funniest things he’s seen in a long time. The first two episodes air back-to-back this week, but it will settle into its regular time slot following Family Guy next week.

Battle Creek – 10pm on CBS and Global

When Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan wrapped up that stellar series, all eyes were on what his next project would be, and this was the first one announced. Josh Duhamel and Dean Winters star in this “buddy cop” series where the cops are not buddies. Duhamel says the show has the same winning elements that you would expect from a Gilligan series, but he says this one has more of an emphasis on the comedy.

Other Highlights

The Broadchurch (Showcase) and Downton Abbey (PBS) season finales air tonight. Downton is a two-hour special, so check your PBS listings (which can vary) to be sure you catch both hours.

Monday

The Following (9pm on Fox and Bravo) begins its 15-episode third season with Kevin Bacon’s Ryan dealing with old wounds being reopened despite the fact that his nemesis, Joe Carroll, is behind bars.

Tuesday

Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD (9pm on ABC and CTV) returns from its winter hiatus with an episode appropriately entitled “Aftershocks”, where the team deals with the aftermath of its war with HYDRA.

Wednesday

CSI: Cyber – (10pm on CBS and CTV)

Fans of CSI will already be familiar with recent Oscar winner Patricia Arquette’s Avery Ryan, a Cyber Psychologist who gets inside the minds of criminals who ply their trade primarily on the internet (her character was introduced on an episode of CSI). The show also stars Peter MacNicol and James Van Der Beek, with Luke Perry occasionally showing up as a former member of the cyber crime division. (Fun Fact: continuing the CSI tradition of using songs by The Who as its theme songs, this one has chosen, “I Can See for Miles”.)

Thursday

American Crime – (10pm on ABC and CTV)

Not to be confused with the upcoming FX series, American Crime Story, this one stars Felicity Huffman and Timothy Hutton and was created, written and produced by John Ridley (12 Years A Slave). It follows the murder case of Matt Skokie, a war veteran who was killed in a home invasion in which his wife was also attacked. The series promises to follow the case while dealing with issues of race, class and gender politics. ABC is hoping this show will hang onto the audience that grew attached to How To Get Away With Murder, which ended its season last week in the same time slot.

Saturday

Saturday Night Live welcomes Chris Hemsworth and The Zac Brown Band to this week’s show. (Reminder: don’t forget to spring your clocks forward one hour after the show and before bed.)