From The River:

[Redacted]: A 27-year-old reformed bad boy, who after having spent five years shipwrecked on a tiny, brutally dangerous island in the South China Sea returns to town a different man. Or to be more specific, a tortured, thoughtful master of the bow with a ferocious determination to make a difference.

From Fringe:

Bzzzzt! The correct answer has already been given as The Walking Dead. Thanks for playing!

Correct, but a little late. You win the runner-up prize: A full set of The Walking Dead action figures with real monologue action.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

Bzzzzt! But you're close.

That would be awesome.

Bzzzzt! "Our Southern folks" refers to the main characters.

These are new characters being added to a pre-existing show when it returns from its Winter break.

Bzzzzt! But that would make the show in question much more entertaining.

Bzzzzt!

[DAVE] 30 to 45. Male. Any ethnicity. A charming, friendly guy from a city in the Northeast (very different from our Southern folk). He's the kind of guy you'd like to have a beer with and has probably spent a significant amount of time in low-rent bars. He's able to disarm with a smile, but can quickly turn dangerous.