Need a little extra motivation to start working on that New Year’s resolution — a k a exercise program — but haven’t quite graduated into “The Biggest Loser” jean-size territory just yet? Look no further than TV hotties to make you think, “Maybe I should get off the couch”:
“Chicago Fire” (Wednesday, Jan. 2, 10 p.m., NBC) Mama would happily be rescued by any one of the buff members of Chicago Firehouse 51, who returned from their winter break last week. But chief among the shirtless wonders is Lieutenant Severide, played by scruffy — and scrumptious — Taylor Kinney. Sure, he has a pill addiction to cover for a career-ending injury, but at least they aren’t steroids.
“The Good Wife” (Sunday, Jan. 6, 9 p.m., CBS) Finally rid of her abusive hubby (Marc Warren), the hottest law firm employee, kick-ass investigator Kalinda Sharma (Archie Panjabi), is back in fighting form — although the mysterious circumstances surrounding her lesser half’s welcome exit could prove problematic. For now, Mama’s crush-worthy investigator will be on hand as Michael J. Fox returns to play Alicia’s (Julianna Margulies) nemesis in what Mama can only assume is his final performance, seeing how he will have his own show this fall.
“Justified”(Tuesday, Jan. 8, 10 p.m., FX) Any Neanderthal can pump up his biceps until they burst, but it takes a real man to look hot in a suit — and the same goes for a cowboy hat. There isn’t a piece of gym equipment that will make you look as good as Timothy Olyphant does in a Stetson. And since each season of “Justified” is mostly a self-contained story, if you haven’t seen the Kentucky lawman yet, you can still hitch your horse to TV’s best cop show.
“Last Resort” (Thursday, Jan. 10, 8 p.m., ABC) They’re burning off the remaining episodes of this sunk sub series, but there are still plenty of reasons to tune in to this island adventure, including a little inspiration from the guns on that rebel SEAL James King, played by Aussie actor Daniel Lissing.
“Arrow” (Wednesday, Jan. 16, 8 p.m., The CW) The best thing on the CW fall schedule was “Arrow,” a series constructed around its star’s abs. Oliver (Stephen Amell) finally found his match in the mid-season finale as he nearly died at the hands of the Dark Archer, who was “revealed” (because who didn’t know his nemesis’ identity by this point?) to be the impossibly good-looking John Barrowman’s Malcolm Merlyn. We’ll have to wait another week for the series to return from its holiday break to see if these two kill each other or spot each other as they pump iron, since there’s no way they could look this good without spending more time in the weight room than destroying bad guys.
“Spartacus” (Friday, Jan. 25, 9 p.m., Starz) Imagine donning a metallic speedo with knee-high rag boots and still looking hot. Yes, that’s what a bunch of former Roman gladiators and sex slaves do on “Spartacus”; these men and women were born to make you feel inferior in all physical aspects. But watch five minutes of the beefy stud Gannicus (Dustin Clare) and sculpted Saxa (Ellen Hollman) heat up the screen, and Mama would dare anyone not to consider pushing an extra rep. And not to spoil anything for you, but this is the final season for the tale of the gladiatorial uprising, and it turns out (in case you missed that day in history class) the Roman Empire ultimately was not felled by ultra-sexy rebels.
Phil Mushnick’s column returns next week.