Midseason TV Preview: AMC Premiere Schedule And Trailers

The mid-season doldrums have a tendency to hit many networks, as they try to fill gaps left by shows that didn't stick, filling the winter months with reruns and half-assed midseason replacements. That's not so much the case with AMC, which will hits its stride again with a brand new season of the best show on television - "Mad Men."

While there's no brand new mid-season shows to speak of in the new year, add a six-episode run of the zombie masterpiece "The Walking Dead" (which just started killing it - literally - before it took a mid-season break), and you've got a hell of a lineup for 2012.

Returning Shows:

"Mad Men" - Friday, March. 16th

After going through a series of brutal negotiations after picking up its unparalleled fourth Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series, "Mad Men" is coming back for a fifth season (hooray!) this March.

When we last left Don Draper, he had shocked just about everyone (and in retrospect, no one) by marrying his perky, French-speaking secretary Megan. Joan had decided to have Roger Sterling's baby, and everyone was in a new office under a new company name. The new season will reportedly zoom us ahead 16 months in the timeline, which seems appropriate given the massive gap in real-life time since the last episode. Any bets on whether Don is already sneaking around on his new wife?

Of note: Jon Hamm (aka Don Draper) directed the season 5 premiere.

Watch the Trailer for Season 5 of "Mad Men":

"The Walking Dead" - Sunday, February 12th

We have a total love/hate relationship with AMC. We love their shows, and the incredible talent they bring to the table, but loathe the constant highly-publicized salary battles, the weird scheduling decisions and the seeming lack of respect they have for their audience's reasonable expectations for programming consistency.

Case in point, "The Walking Dead," which the network opted to split into two seasons just as things were getting really really good. The "new season" (really the last six episodes of this season) kicks off February 12th where it left off, leaving us dealing with the aftermath of the "barn incident." If you're not caught up yet, get yee over to Netflix and get there. This show is about to get off the chain...

Watch the Preview for the 2012 Mid-season Premiere of "The Walking Dead":

"The Killing" - TBD (Spring)

Who killed Rosie Larsen? It was nearly AMC, who was close to pulling the plug on this new critically acclaimed series until two million viewers showed up for the final two episodes of the show. While the network has yet to formally announce a date for the start of the new season, most bets are on early April, which is when the first season debuted in 2011.

Watch an interview with actor Eric Ladin about "The Killing" season finale and season 2 of the show: