is returning at 8 p.m. ET Thursday for a sixth season , TNT 's gritty cop drama `` Southland '' will be back at 10 p.m. ET January 17 for a fourth season , and the 11th season of `` American Idol '' resumes at 8 p.m. ET January 18 and 19 on Fox . There are also a slew of new offerings to sort through . For your channel-surfing pleasure , we 've selected the good , the bad and the forgettable : The good • `` The Firm '' -LRB- debuts 9 p.m. ET Sunday , NBC -RRB- : Based on the best-selling novel by John Grisham , this intense and sometimes cluttered courtroom drama , follows attorney Mitchell McDeere -LRB- this time played by Josh Lucas of `` The Lincoln Lawyer '' instead of Tom Cruise -RRB- a decade after he brought down a prestigious Memphis law firm . Every week , Mitch will fight for his clients but with a twist because the mob wants him dead as does a shadowy organization behind one of his controversial cases . Do n't worry . It sounds more complicated than it is , and Lucas is a treat
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Good things come to those who wait . And that 's exactly what viewers will be doing when TV 's best midseason offering , `` Good Christian Belles , '' aka `` GCB , '' debuts March 4 on ABC . Reminiscent of `` Desperate Housewives '' in its less desperate heyday , `` GCB '' follows Amanda Vaughn -LRB- Leslie Bibb -RRB- , a woman who ruled in high school but has since been humbled by life when her marriage ends in scandal and she has to return home to Dallas . Unfortunately for Amanda , a mother of two , her former `` frenemies '' - turned-socialites and their husbands have n't quite evolved , and they do everything they can to make her life miserable . Emmy - and Tony-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth stars as one of Amanda 's rivals , and Annie Potts steals scenes as Amanda 's meddlesome mother . The show is based on a best-selling book from Kim Gatlin . While `` Good Christian Belles '' is the best , it 's not the only show to look forward to this winter . NBC 's `` 30 Rock ''