January is always the time of year when we see the next big continuation of our favorite shows. This year it’s particularly important, however, given that it’s been such a bumpy ride over the fall. The Writers Guild Strike did wonders in causing chaos for the networks in terms of scheduling and other plans, and four notable shows haven’t had any new episodes at all in 2008 thanks to the strike. So what should we expect when these shows return? It depends on the series, as I’m particularly excited to see what direction Scrubs will take it’s final season while shying away from the plastic surgery drama Nip/Tuck.

We last left Scrubs when J.D. was finally starting to look..well human., He’s always stumbled and bumbled through relationships and his work seeming much mroe akin to a child (or a homosexual man, which the shows writers were never afraid to play on), and it was good to see him making serious decisions that actually require an ounce of maturity. As the show shifts over to ABC for it’s final season, expect to see some Courtney Cox in several episodes as she assumes the role of the chief of medicine.

Another notable return is 24, which has had a rough ride along with many other shows like Heroes, where many fans tired of the direction of the show and wanted something new. Thankfully we did get just that with the release of the movie 24: Redemption, which took us to new settings and characters. The new season will involve the end of the CTU and focus on what’s going on in the nation’s capitol. We’ll also see some new cast members and a few returning veterans.

That leaves some others too, like Americal Idol (blargh), Battlestar Galactica is winding down, and Damages has surprisingly continued to exist despite being hurt fairly badly from the writer’s strike.