Midseason TV Preview: Fox Premiere Schedule and Trailers

New mid-season dramas? Check. One new animated series and one returning favorite stepping up to the Sunday-night plate? Check. Kiefer Sutherland? Check. "American Idol?" And . . . check. Yep, it must be January on FOX.

NEW SHOWS

"The Finder" - Jan. 12 at 9 PM ET/PT

Sure, the midseason "Bones" finale was pushed back until next month so that Emily Deschanel can enjoy her maternity leave, but it also lets the finale serve as a lead-in to the show's long-awaited spin-off and until-spring replacement "The Finder."

Based on the two-book The Locator series written by Richard Greener, the procedural drama follows recurring season-six "Bones" characters Walter Sherman (Geoff Stults) and Leo (Michael Clarke Duncan). Walter possesses a unique gift for locating lost things and people, and Leo is there to deal with any obstacles that enter Walter's path.

"Napoleon Dynamite" - Jan. 15 at 9:30 PM ET/PT

If you loved the quirky, understated 2004 comedy of the same name, congratulations - you are the show's built-in audience. The animated comedy reunites the film's director Jared Hess with the original cast of Jon Heder as Jack-of-all-sweet-skills Napoleon; Aaron Ruell as his unemployed, smooth-pimp-of-the-Internet older brother Kip; Efren Ramirez as Napoleon's pal and everybody's favorite class president Pedro; Tina Majorino as Napoleon's would-be girlfriend and purveyor of fine glamour shots Deb; and Jon Gries as deadbeat Uncle Rico. Together, they'll teach you to laugh, love, hone your ninja skills, brush up your slickest dance moves and make everyone's dreams come true.

"Alcatraz" - Jan. 16 at 8 PM ET/PT

If we were talking about new shows' prospects based upon name value alone, "Alcatraz" would seem a mortal lock based on "Lost" and "Alias" mastermind J.J. Abrams' involvement alone - oh, and it's also a show about an island's mystery. A clue in a gruesome San Francisco homicide leads Det. Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones) to former Alcatraz inmate Jeffrey Pierce, who's been dead for years. With the help of Alcatraz expert Dr. Diego "Doc" Soto ("Lost" alum Jorge Garcia), she discovers just how dead Pierce isn't, and that the unsettlingly ageless inmate's killing won't stop until they stop him. To make matters worse, the mystery and the threat is much, much bigger than Madsen could realize.

"Touch" - Jan. 25 preview at 9 PM ET/PT, then official premiere March 19 at 9 PM ET/PT

Former "24" star Kiefer Sutherland returns to FOX with a new one-hour thriller. He plays widowed former journalist and luggage handler Martin Bohm and David Mazouz plays his mute, numerically gifted, future-predicting young son Jacob, who narrates the show. Danny Glover also plays a professor skilled at reaching gifted children, who helps the Bohms cope with Jacob's gift. The show is helmed behind the camera by "Heroes" creator Tim Krieg.

RETURNING SHOWS

"American Idol" - Two-part, two-night premiere Jan. 18 & 19 at 8 PM ET/PT both nights.

It's the 11 verse of the same song, as the premiere prime-time talent search returns with judges Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson back to find America's next big recording sensation.

"Bob's Burgers" - 8:30 PM ET/PT on March 11

Break's over, and it's time for the Belcher family to start their next shift in the fast food oriented workplace comedy.