Movie Central rings in the New Year with a slew of new series and a returning favourite. From Showtime comes the series premieres of Shameless, Episodes and the return of Californication. From Starz comes the prequel to Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. Also premiering this month the tongue-in-cheek comedy Hot Tub Time Machine and the remake of the cult classic Clash of the Titans.
SHOWTIME SEASON PREMIERE
CALIFORNICATION (SEASON 4)
Golden Globe®-winner David Duchovny is back as self-destructive, brutally honest and deeply flawed novelist Hank Moody in Showtime’s half-hour comedy series Californication. In the 12-episode fourth season, Hank will have to deal with the fall-out from his one-night stand with then-underage pseudo step-daughter Mia (Madeline Zima) going public. His epic legal troubles force him to enlist the aid of hot, high-powered defense attorney Abby (Carla Gugino) to keep him out of the big house. The series also stars Madeleine Martin, Natascha McElhone and Evan Handler. Rob Lowe (Parks & Recreation) special guest stars, withother guest stars including: Michael Ealy (Flash Forward), Zoe Kravitz (Twelve) Stephen Tobolowsky (Glee), Callie Thorne (Rescue Me), Addison Timlin (Cashmere Mafia) and rocker Tommy Lee.
Movie Central: Monday, January 10 at 8:30 p.m. PT
The Movie Network: Monday, January 10 at 9:30 p.m. ET
SHOWTIME SERIES PREMIERES
SHAMELESS
Showtime and producer John Wells (ER, The West Wing) bring the adaptation of the long running British series Shameless, to North American. Oscar®-nominated William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum star in this fiercely engaging and fearlessly twisted 13-part one-hour drama series about Chicagoan Frank Gallagher, the alcoholic patriarch of a large, unconventional, blue-collar family. The Gallagher clan lives in working-class Chicago during the challenging times of today’s recession. Making ends meet is always difficult, especially with a mother who is AWOL and a father who usually ends up passed out on the living room floor. Emmy Rossum stars as oldest daughter Fiona, whose left to the often-impossible task of keeping her five younger brothers and sisters on track.
Movie Central: Monday, January 10 at 7 p.m. PT
The Movie Network: Monday, January 10 at 8 p.m. ET
EPISODES
Matt LeBlanc returns to television as a deliciously outrageous version of himself in Episodes, a seven-part half hour co-production between Showtime and the BBC, written by two of America’s most acclaimed comedy writers, David Crane (Friends) and Jeffrey Klarik (Mad About You). The series follows Sean and Beverly Lincoln, a happily married English couple, who are also the creators of a hit British TV show. Their life seems complete, that is until a hugely powerful and charismatic US network president persuades them to move to LA to recreate their show for American television. Things begin to unravel as soon as Sean and Beverly arrive in LA. It soon becomes clear that the network president has never even seen their show. To make matters worse, he insists that they replace their brilliant lead actor, an erudite Royal Shakespeare veteran, with… Matt LeBlanc! The series also stars Stephen Mangan, Tamsin Greig and John Pankow.
Movie Central: Monday, January 10 at 8 p.m. PT
The Movie Network: Monday, January 10 at 9 p.m. ET
STARZ SERIES PREMIERE
SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, the highly anticipated prequel to Spartacus: Blood and Sand, tells the story of the original Champion of the House of Batiatus – Gannicus. The House of Batiatus is on the rise, basking in the glow of its infamous champion Gannicus. Poised to overthrow his father and take control, a young Batiatus will freely betray anyone to ensure his gladiators are in the highest demand. With his loyal and calculating wife Lucretia by his side, they will stop at nothing to deceive the masses in this audacious prequel to Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Joining returning stars, John Hannah (The Mummy, Four Weddings and A Funeral) as Batiatus, Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess) as Lucretia and Peter Mensah (300, The Incredible Hulk) as Oenomaus, will be additional cast members Dustin Clare (Underbelly) as Gannicus, Jaime Murray (Hu$tle) as Gaia and Marisa Ramirez (General Hospital) as Melitta.
Movie Central: Sunday, January 23 at 9 p.m. PT
The Movie Network: Sunday, January 23 at 10 p.m. ET
MOVIE CENTRAL ORIGINAL SERIES PREMIERE
SKINS
In association with MTV U.S., Skins is produced as a Canada/UK co-venture based the popular UK series. The 10-episode, one-hour drama features an ensemble cast of young Canadians and U.S. actors, and explores the gritty and complex relationships, politics of friendship and difficulties of daily life in high school. The series follows master manipulator Tony, his best friend Stanley, his girlfriend Michelle, his younger sister and their group of friends Cadie, Chris, Tea, Abbud and Daisy as they get into sex, drugs, the breadth of friendships and the depth of heartbreaks.
Movie Central: Monday, January 17 at 9 p.m. PT
The Movie Network: Monday, January 17 at 10 p.m. PT
JANUARY MOVIE PREMIERES
Clash of the Titans (2010)
Movie Central: Saturday, January 1 at 8 p.m. PT
The Movie Network: Saturday, January 1 at 9 p.m.
Cop Out (2010)
Movie Central: Saturday, January 8 at 8 p.m. PT
The Movie Network: Saturday, January 8 at 9 p.m. ET
Letters to Juliet (2010)
Movie Central: Saturday, January 15 at 8 p.m. PT
The Movie Network: Saturday, January 15 at 9 p.m. ET
The Killer Inside Me (2010)
Movie Central: Friday, January 28 at 8 p.m. PT
The Movie Network: Saturday, January 28 at 9 p.m. ET
The Last Song (2010)
Movie Central: Saturday, January 29 at 8 p.m. PT
The Movie Network: Saturday, January 29 at 9 p.m. ET
MORE GREAT PREMIERES ON MOVIE CENTRAL IN JANUARY
The following titles air only on Movie Central and are all available in high definition. All times PT.
Jack & the Beanstalk (2010) premieres Saturday, January 1 at 5 p.m.
Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) premieres Sunday, January 2 at 8 p.m.
The Good Witch 3: The Good Witch’s Wedding (2009) premieres Tuesday, January 4 at 9 p.m.
William Shatner’s Gonzo Ballet (2009) premieres Wednesday, January 5 at 9 p.m.
Passenger Side (2009) premieres Thursday, January 6 at 8 p.m.
Repo Men (2010) premieres Friday, January 7 at 8 p.m.
Preacher’s Kid (2010) premieres Sunday, January 9 at 7:10 p.m.
One Angry Juror (2010) premieres Tuesday, January 11 at 9 p.m.
The Wild Hunt (2009) premieres Thursday, January 13 at 8 p.m.
Pirate Radio (2010) premieres Friday, January 14 at 8 p.m.
The Perfect Teacher (2010) premieres Tuesday, January 18 at 9 p.m.
Greenberg (2010) premieres Friday, January 21 at 8 p.m.
The Wolfman (2010) premieres Saturday, January 22 at 8 p.m.
Fairfield Road (2010) premieres Tuesday, January 25 at 9 p.m.
Year of the Carnivore (2009) premieres Thursday, January 27 at 8 p.m.
