FOX

Executive Producer Shawn Ryan may have just said goodbye to his just cancelled FX show Terriers, but he’s got another chance to impress with serialized drama, The Chicago Code. More than your typical cop drama, this show provides an inside look into the city, the cops and the corruption. And it stars both Jennifer Beals and Delroy Lindo. On the opposite side of the spectrum, you’d recognize the face before his name but Alphonso McAuley (Love That Girl) costars with Christina Slater in Breaking In, a workplace comedy based at a high-tech security firm.

ABC

ABC might be onto something. With a slew of potential hits notably Mr. Sunshine starring Matthew Perry (Friends) as a self-absorbed manager of a subpar San Diego sports arena, with the underrated James Lesure (Las Vegas) as part of his crew. Dana Delany (Desperate Housewives) headlines in Body of Proof as a brilliant neurosurgeon forced to make a career change after a car accident prevents her from operating. She is joined by The Wire’s subtle Sonja Sohn; this show has great legs.

Not to be outdone is Damon Wayans, Jr. – of the famously funny Wayans family, in Happy Endings. This comedy centers around a couple fighting over who gets their friends after a breakup, and stars Elisha Cuthbert (24). Not to be outdone is series creator Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice) with Off the Map. This is another medical drama, though this one is off the North American continent. Whether this series manages to stick, it marks the first time an African-American woman has three drama series on the air simultaneously. Herstory in the making.

NBC

Will The Cape be the catalyst for the reversal of fortune NBC needs? This dramatic comic book-like caper stars David Lyons (ER) as a wrongly accused cop who dons a cape and mask to fight corruption. The devilishly good Keith David costars as his knowledgeable though wily mentor, willing to exploit and share the superhero burden. And though new legal dramedy Harry’s Law brings stellar Kathy Bates to series TV, the jury’s still out on the supporting cast. Let’s see if Aml Ameenas as Malcolm can stand out.

FX

Animated fare gets a little racy with Archer. Aisha Tyler voices one of the principal characters in this half-hour comedy set at spy agency, the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS), where espionage and global crises are merely opportunities for its highly trained employees to confuse, undermine, betray and royally screw each other. Not to be outdone is up-and-comer Erica Tazel in the drama Justified. Tazel holds her own up against the formidable Timothy Olyphant who plays a reluctant U.S. Marshal forced to return home to Kentucky to uphold the law.

ABC FAMILY

Cable — basic and premium, now plays in the same league with the broadcast networks, and ABC Family leads the charge with shows like Greek. Both Amber Stevens and Paul James co-star in this collegiate drama where growing up, and hooking up, are a lot more difficult than they realize.

SHOWTIME

Michael Ealy is having a good year. With a recurring role as Derek Bond on CBS hit The Good Wife, and now a guest starring turn on the David Duchovny starrer Californication, Ealy does double duty good. For those not watching, Duchovny stars as the self-centered and self-destructive novelist Hank Moody, who’s life and now hot book are suddenly fodder for a Hollywood ending. Oh, and to ratchet it up a notch, William H. Macy in Shameless has delivered something rather unusual to the cable TV grid — an interesting show about a proud, unapologetic and defiant single dad of six smart, spirited and independent kids, who without him, would probably be better off. One of kids just happens to be African-American.

SOAPNET

The little cable show that could is Being Erica. This popular Canadian dramedy debuts January 2011 for its third season. Little known Vinessa Antoine plays best friend and sounding board to the plucky title character, Erica Strange. Strange constantly finds herself in a strange land as she revisits her past to fix her future.

STARZ

For those lamenting the loss of ailing lead actor, Andy Whitfield, in the network’s breakout hit Spartacus: Blood and Sand, their new show — the prequel, just might do the trick. Spartacus: Arena of the Gods takes place at the House of Batiatus before the arrival of Spartacus. John Hannah and Lucy Lawless reprise their roles as Batiatus and Lucretia, along with the regal Peter Mensah. Mensah reminds me of a young Woody Strode, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for his supporting role in the feature film, Spartacus, in 1960.

THE STYLE NETWORK

Tempestt Bledsoe returns to TV as host of Style Network hit, Clean House. The former Cosby kid replaces Niecy Nash, leading a team of talented stylemakers in this homage to organized housekeeping.

TBS/TNT

These Ted Turner networks keeps churning out the hits with the return of both Are We There Yet? and Southland. Terry Crews and Essence Atkins, as well as Regina King grace us with their longevity and talented ability.

USA

It’s time for Sharif Atkins (pictured above) to headline his own show. He gets a little time to shine as a supporting character in White Collar — a crisply conceived whodunit that centers on the unlikely partnership of a con artist and an FBI agent who have been playing cat and mouse for years. Atkins is joined by TV vet — Marsha Thomason (Las Vegas), who will add a bit of gloss this season. Matt Bomer headlines.

And last but not least, there’s Fairly Legal. Newcomer Baron Vaughn costars in this drama that centers on a top female litigator frustrated with the endless bureaucracy and daily injustices she witnesses, who turns on the system to become the ultimate anti-lawyer: a mediator.

This midseason second wind is a time for high hopes. Many hit shows, and hot stars, have risen from this unlikely landscape. Yet, despite a dizzying array of choice, an audience still awaits; they’re just waiting for the right show to deliver.