By ROB OWEN, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It's something many parents probably concluded long ago: It's a Disney world; we just live in it.

For five seasons, a grumpy doctor has been in the "House," curing the ill while popping pain meds. The Fox series, now airing at 8 p.m. EST Mondays, celebrates its 100th episode this week in an episode about a cancer researcher who collapses and is admitted to the hospital.

HBO's "The Trials of Ted Haggard" offers an extraordinarily humane depiction of the former leader of the National Association of Evangelicals, who fell from their good graces after a scandal involving gay sex and drugs. Haggard comes off as pitiful, a self-described "first-class loser" who appears to be suicidal at one point.

Fox executives are apparently bullish on prospects for "Lie to Me," a new drama series that premieres in a plum time slot (9 p.m. EST) after "American Idol" Wednesday. And why not? It's "House" minus the medical mystery, plus a criminal mystery.

When last we saw the crew of "Battlestar Galactica," both the humans and Cylons were wandering a ruined, rubble-strewn Earth beach. As the new season begins at 10 p.m. EST Friday on Sci Fi Channel, they confirm the planet was nuked 2,000 years before their arrival and radiation still permeates the water supply and food chain.

There's a fine line that divides a tough-guy cop from a jerk. Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) on "The Shield" avoided the latter. Sure, he was a sociopath, but he cared about his kids and frequently tried to protect the innocent.

Parsing the politics of "24" may be more entertaining than the stories in the new season (kicking off 8 p.m. EST Sunday and Monday, Fox).

After a fall TV season that was both a ratings and creative disappointment, broadcast networks are banking on midseason replacements that roll out between now and April to win back viewers.
January alone is loaded with season and series premieres on broadcast and cable channels. Here's some of what you can tune in to watch in the next four weeks:

ABC

There have been better years for prime-time television than last year. In fact, this may have been the worst year for TV in a decade. NBC's decision to hand over its 10 p.m. time slot to a five-night-a-week "Jay Leno Show" doesn't bode well for the future either.
That said, if we look past the disastrous fall TV season, there are bright spots:

Usually the week between Christmas and New Year's is pretty dead in TV land. Not so much this year.
Networks are scheduling new programs, and not just the New Year's Eve specials, although those are among the new shows, too.
Granted, much of what will air is reality show junk, but beggars can't be choosers.
Here are some of the TV offerings this week: