'The Mob Doctor' getting whacked, 'Touch' returning in February

It looks like The Mob Doctor is about to have her license revoked, while viewers will experience Kiefer Sutherland's Touch once again, just in time for Valentine's Day.

FOX has announced it will burn off the final four episodes of the first—and likely only—season of The Mob Doctor within a nine-day span during the dead zone of television between late December and early January. Because most Mondays during the month of December are overrun by holiday specials and other events, such as the American Country Awards on December 10, some of the episodes will be moved from the show's regular night. All airing at 9:00 PM, the new shows will run on Saturday, December 29, Monday, December 31, Saturday, January 5, and Monday, January 7 to complete the freshman drama's 13-episode season.  Although the network claims that it hasn't decided on the fate of The Mob Doctor, the show debuted to anemic ratings and only got worse from there. The numbers have seen an incremental increase over the last few weeks, but the total audience still hovers around 4 million and draws a weak rating of approximately 1.0 in the Adults 18–49 demographic.

On a seemingly more positive note, FOX also announced that the season premiere of Touch, starring Kiefer Sutherland, would be held off for an extra week to accomodate additional promotion for the sophomore drama. Originally scheduled to make its Season 2 debut in late fall as a lead-in for Fringe, Touch was later postponed until Friday, February 1, two weeks after Fringe's series finale. Now, Touch will return one week later on February 8 at 8:00 PM with a two-hour season premiere. The following week, the show will settle into its new regular 9 PM timeslot, likely preceded by Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. Touch wasn't exactly a ratings blockbuster in its first season and it has been relegated to the so-called Friday night "death slot," so it wouldn't be surprising to hear of its cancellation in a few months' time.

I've never watched either of these shows, but Touch sounds like it has an intriguing concept and The Mob Doctor's series premiere received a B+ from TV Rage's discerning critic Adam J. Langton. Are you anxiously awaiting Kiefer Sutherland's Touch? Will you miss The Mob Doctor?