Midseason TV Preview: Showtime Premiere Schedule and Trailers

With heavy hitter "Dexter" and freshman phenom "Homeland," Showtime has become drama-heavy in the fall. But that just means that the premium network's winter season is packed with comedy.

The 2011-2012 midseason for Showtime features the return of a multi-season veteran, a sophomore with critical acclaim, and a brand-new show with a lot of buzz, all of them comedy. As if that wasn't enough, there's also a new documentary series from Steve Carell, that's about--you guessed it--comedy.

New Shows:

"House of Lies" - Sunday, January 9th at 10pm

This hotly anticipated new show earned some big buzz early on due to the casting of Oscar nominee Don Cheadle in the lead role. Cheadle plays the cutthroat head of a management firm that uses less-than-honest practices to stay on top of the business. Cheadle is joined by former "Veronica Mars" star Kristen Bell and "Parks and Recreation" recurrer Ben Schwartz.

"Inside Comedy" - Thursday, January 26th at 11pm

Were you wondering what Steve Carell has been doing since leaving "The Office?" Well here's your answer (or part of it at least). This 10-episode documentary series, produced by Carell, features interviews with comedians like Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock and Ellen DeGeneres.

Returning Shows:

"Shameless" - Sunday, January 9th at 9pm

This dramedy, adapted from the UK hit, was a big critical success in its first season on Showtime. Now, "Shameless" returns for its second season and swaps season one's cold Chicago winter for a hot Chicago summer.

"Californication" - Sunday, January 9th at 10:30pm

Now entering its fifth season, "Californication" was a sleeper hit that found its audience and kept delivering higher and higher levels of Hank Moody shenanigans. Last season's finale brought some big events, so the start of this one should be pretty interesting.