The finals week of the Australian Open. Channel 10’s Super Sunday. Home and Away returns to our screens. I guess two out of three ain’t bad. Welcome to week four of 2012 and still three weeks out from the start of the ratings season proper – with it comes the start of Ch10’s new programming strategy and all the joy of new shows, returning series, and some networks flat out struggling to keep up (eh, Channel 9?). Over the next few weeks everybody starts back up: some with hands forced; some sticking to the schedule as planned. Welcome to 2012 indeed.

MOLK PICKS

  • The Project – Sun 6pm, Ch10
  • Young Talent Time (series return) – Sun 6:30pm, Ch10
  • Video Killed The Radio Star – Sun 7pm, ABC2
  • Grand Designs – Sun 7:30pm, ABC1
  • 60 Minutes – Sun 7:30pm, Ch9
  • Modern Family (series return) – Sun 7:30pm, Ch10
  • New Girl (series premiere) – Sun 8pm, Ch10
  • Homeland (series premiere) – Sun 8:30pm, Ch10
  • Once Upon A Time In Cabramatta (part 3 of 3) – Sun 8:30pm, SBS one/two
  • The Biggest Loser (series premiere) – Mon-Thu 7pm, Ch10
  • Kung Fu Kitchen – Mon-Fri 7pm, SBS Two
  • Whoose Line Is It Anyway? – Mon 7:30pm, ONE
  • Mythbusters – Mon 7:35pm, SBS one
  • The Glades – Mon 9:30pm, Ch10
  • The Office (US) – Tue 9pm, Eleven
  • Commercial Kings – Tue 9pm, ABC2
  • Underbelly Files: The Man Who Got Away (rpt) – Wed 8:30pm, Ch9
  • The Killing (season finale) – Wed 9:30pm, ONE
  • Zumbo (rpt) – Thu 7:30pm, SBS one
  • Jimmy’s Food Factory (final) – Thu 8pm, ABC1
  • Adam Hills: Inflatable – Thu 8:30pm, ABC1
  • 24 Hours in Emergency – Thu 9:35pm, SBS one
  • Southland – Fri 12am/1am, Ch9
  • Last Man Standing (Nagaland, India) – Fri 8:30pm, ABC2
  • Adam Hills In Gordon St Tonight (rpts) – Fri 10:45pm, ABC1
  • Accused – Sat 8:35pm, ABC1
  • RocKwiz (rpts) – Sat 8:35pm, SBS one

BURIED TREASURE

  • Dragon’s Den – Sun 7:30pm, ABC2
  • Animaniacs – Weekdays 6:30am, GO!
  • Boston Legal (rpt) – Mon 11pm, 7mate
  • The Unusuals – Mon/Tue (final) 11:30pm, Ch9
  • The League – Wed 1am, ONE
  • Hardcore Pawn – Wed 8:30pm, 7mate
  • Arrested Development – Thu 8:30pm, ABC2

SECRET TV PLEASURES

  • The Project – Sun-Fri 6pm, Ch10
  • Hell’s Kitchen – Mon 9:30pm, GEM
  • Blue Bloods – Mon 10pm, ONE
  • MOVIE: Pitch Black – Thu 8:30pm, ONE
  • MOVIE: The Last Starfighter – Fri 7:30pm, GO!

AT YOUR OWN RISK

  • Freddie Flintoff Versus The World – Mon 8:30pm, SBS one
  • Outnumbered – Wed 8pm, ABC1
  • From Sydney to Tokyo By Any Means – Wed 8:30pm, SBS one
  • The Good Wife – Wed 8:30pm, Ch10
  • A Gifted Man – Thu 8pm, Ch10
  • The Graham Norton Show – Sat 8:30pm, Ch10

LAST CHANCE(S)

  • Lewis Black’s Root Of All Evil – Tue 10:25pm, ABC2

DO. NOT. BOTHER.

  • Two and a Half Men – Tue 8:30pm, Ch9
  • Phoneshop – Tue 8:30pm, ABC2
  • Top Gear USA – Sat 6:30pm, GO!

It’s quirky, and the promo is far too linked to the non-word “adorkable”, but New Girl is a lot of fun. The pilot is hilarious, then with the series picked up from E02 the cast changes and it’s a little clunky but improves across the season. It’s an easy and enjoyable half hour of television.

Homeland – JUST. WATCH. IT.

Any competition where the contestants could lose a finger through their own incompetency has my vote. Welcome Kung Fu Kitchen.

The Killing wraps on ONE this week, and the case is closed. Finally. Some great twists yet to come. Bring on season two.

Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee! and it’s so much fun. If you’ve not already downloaded and seen it, the first three eps are the last from the end of 2011, including the Christmas epsiode, and they are brilliant. Santana owns this first return episode.