TV programmers have shuffled their lineups again for the new year, trying to save critical darlings such as “Friday Night Lights” and prevent ratings catastrophes elsewhere (“Lost” moves out of the way of “American Idol.”) The networks are also bringing back the hottest shows on TV. Besides “Idol,” there are new seasons for “24” and “Rome” and “Heroes” picks up after a short year-end break. NBC tries to wring the last remaining drop on interest out of “The Apprentice.”

That network has higher hopes for its new reality series, “Grease: You’re the One That I Want,” a talent show debuting this week that aims to cast the leads for the Broadway revival of “Grease.” On January 10, CBS introduces “Armed & Famous,” a new reality series that turns washed-up celebrities into crime fighters. Yes, that’s La Toya Jackson protecting the citizens of Muncie, Indiana. ABC premieres two sitcoms “Knights of Prosperity” and “In Case of Emergency.” The biggest contest of all will be between “Idol” and ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” due to return in the spring.

The cable channels venture into riskier territory. Courteney Cox plays a mud-slinging tabloid report on FX’s “Dirt.” On VH1, “The Surreal Life” is back this week with an all-star challenge in which 12 contestants from previous seasons compete to see who is the most famous of them all. On Wednesdays at 8 p.m., Lifetime offers its peculiar new dating show called “Gay, Straight or Taken,” in which a female contestant goes out with three men and must decide which of them is actually available. MTV has “I’m With Rolling Stone,” a “reality drama” that finds six writers competing for a “contributing editor” contract with the venerable music magazine. Well, that would make one of them almost famous.