Fall’s new shows: from hot to cold

As the leaves begin to change outside, so do the prime-time offerings inside on your television. This fall, there are 24 new shows on the major broadcast networks, but they will not all succeed. For every “Prison Break,” there are several “Commanders in Chief” and “Freddies” each season. Those wiseacres at BrillantButCancelled.com are making a game of the tube’s become-a-hit-or-be-canceled mentality. Visitors can play make-believe network executive by picking the shows they think will get chopped in the site’s “Fall Season Death Watch 2006.” Need some help playing – or just wanna know what’s most likely to tank? We sat through the pilot episodes of the new shows and, based on quality, buzz and scheduling, ranked them from hot to cold on our Canceled-O-Meter.

Hot

•”Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” (NBC, Mondays, 10 p.m., premieres Monday): That NBC commercial with all those critics proclaiming how wonderful “Studio 60” is ain’t just hype. This juicy, behind-the-scenes drama about a “Saturday Night Live”-like sketch comedy show is funny, smart, compelling and just dry enough to whet a wide array of viewers’ appetites.

•”Ugly Betty” (ABC, Thursdays, 8 p.m., premieres Sept. 28): ABC originally scheduled “Ugly Betty” in the Friday night graveyard. Now with a fabulous spot alongside hit “Grey’s Anatomy,” this fresh, inspiring, innovative and funny show about a Latina fashion magazine gofer trying to make in the city is sure to have a pretty first season.

•”The Nine” (ABC, Wednesdays, 10 p.m., premieres Oct. 4): “The Nine” is well-written, well-paced and, well, intriguing. But that doesn’t really matter; in a can’t-miss move, this drama about nine people who meet during a bank hostage situation is being paired with “Lost” on Wednesday nights.

•”Smith” (CBS, Tuesdays, 10 p.m., premieres Tuesday): Starring Virginia Madsen, Ray Liotta and a handful of other people with more films than TV shows on their resumes, “Smith” is a sleek drama about a group of thieves that feels more like a movie. It’s sure to steal viewers with a lead-in like breakout hit “The Unit.”

•“Jericho” (CBS, Wednesdays, 8 p.m., premieres Wednesday): This drama about a town that witnesses mushroom clouds from afar might be too weird for the mainstream. Then again, the same thing could’ve been said about “Lost” two years ago. Viewers who see the pilot will get roped in.

•“Six Degrees” (ABC, Thursdays, 10 p.m., premieres Thursday): Same thing goes for this sly character mystery from executive producer J.J. Abrams, the mastermind behind “Lost,” about six interconnected New Yorkers – and some of them don’t even know it! With this formula, “Six Degrees” surely can’t be deep-sixed. Can it?

Lukewarm

•“The Game” (CW, Sundays, 8:30 p.m., premieres Oct. 1): This sitcom, which follows the ladies behind a group of professional football players, is one of only two new pilots that was picked up after the WB-UPN merger formed the new CW network. Although the jokes aren’t touchdowns, it’s a perfect play pairing “The Game” with “Girlfriends” on Sundays.

•“Kidnapped” (NBC, Wednesdays, 10 p.m., premieres Wednesday): This super serial about a kidnapping case is likely to last the entire season. Although the formula should be getting stale by now, “Kidnapped” is as gripping as “24” or “Prison Break.”

•“Runaway” (CW, Mondays, 9 p.m., premieres Sept. 25): The real star in this fugitive-family-on-the-run drama isn’t Donnie Walhberg (who plays the dad); it’s Dustin Milligan as the disobedient son. Don’t expect “Runway” to be an, um, runaway hit, but The CW doesn’t have other shows up its sleeve.

•“Vanished” (Fox, Mondays, 9 p.m., premiered Aug. 21): We know. This quadruple-layered mystery about a missing senator’s wife is already airing alongside “Prison Break.” It’s doing well and probably won’t vanish once NBC’s “Heroes” or The CW’s “Runaway” begin their seasons and start competing for eyeballs. Or will it?

•“Shark” (CBS, Thursdays, 10 p.m., premieres Thursday): If Fox’s “House” was a lawyer, he’d be “Shark.” That simple bait-and-switch could work, your honor; just look at the success of “CSI” ripoff “Bones” last season. With James Woods in his first TV show, “Shark” is a sharp legal drama that probably won’t lose.

•“30 Rock” (NBC, Wednesdays, 8 p.m., premieres Oct. 11): Don’t confuse “30 Rock” with “Studio 60.” This is the less serious, more giggly of NBC’s “SNL”-inspired shows. With Tina Fey behind and in front of the camera, this should be comedy gold. But there have been some last-minute casting changes that could spell trouble.

•“Standoff” (Fox, Tuesdays, 8 p.m., premiered Sept. 5): Whee! Berger (aka Ron Livingston) from “Sex and the City” finally got his own show. Boo! It’s an uneven romantic dramedy about two FBI hostage negotiators. Whatever. At least Livingston and his co-star, Rosemarie DeWitt, have chemistry.

•“Justice” (Fox, Wednesdays, 9 p.m., premiered Aug. 30): Here’s another savvy Fox drama that’s already hit the air. Starring Victor Garber and Kerr Smith as lawyers who put the va-va-voom in criminal trials, “Justice” is standing strong so far. It’s different enough from the competition to get a not-guilty verdict.

Cool

•“The Knights of Prosperity” (ABC, Tuesdays, 9 p.m., premieres Oct. 17): Don’t let the nondescript title fool you. This kooky comedy about a madcap band of everymen who plot to rob Mick Jagger’s apartment has a unique sensibility and uproarious comedic timing that could rob Tuesday night if it wasn’t up against “The Unit.”

•“Help Me Help You” (ABC, Tuesdays, 9:30 p.m., premieres Sept. 26): Ted Danson returns to television as a group therapist. If this and “The Knights of Prosperity” can help each other, the ABC pair might be a formidable prescription for funny in a night of otherwise serious shows.

•”Twenty Good Years” (NBC, Wednesdays, 8:30 p.m., premieres Oct. 4): This is a classic-style sitcom starring two kings of sitcomedy, John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor. They play old guys who start living life like they’ve only got – you guessed it – 20 good years left. Even with Lithgow and Tambor, this one is ehhhh.

•“Friday Night Lights” (NBC, Tuesdays, 8 p.m., premieres Oct. 3): Sure, this drama feels like a rich extension of the feature film of the same name. The acting is great. The writing is great. The cinematography is great. But shows about sports never do as great as sports themselves.

Chilly

•” ‘Til Death” (Fox, Thursdays, 8 p.m., premiered Sept. 7): Brad Garrett returns to television as a gruff hubby living next door to smiley newlyweds. This LOL-inducing sitcom would’ve rated higher on the Canceled-o-Meter, but it’s up against two funnier shows: NBC’s “My Name is Earl” and ABC’s “Ugly Betty.” Sorry, Brad.

•“Men in Trees” (ABC, Fridays, 9 p.m., premiered Sept. 12): Anne Heche stars as a relationship expert. Sounds crazy, right? Plus this “Sex in the City” meets “Northern Exposure” girlie dramedy feels too much like last season’s quickly axed “Emily’s Reasons Why Not.” The Canceled-o-Meter says: Timber!

•”The Class” (CBS, Mondays, 8 p.m., premieres Monday): The premise for this sitcom is supremely silly. Members of a third-grade class reunite 20 years later? Don’t buy it. Audiences won’t either, especially considering this is leading – not following – popular CBS sitcoms “How I Met Your Mother” and “Two and a Half Men.”

•“Heroes” (NBC, Mondays, 9 p.m., premieres Sept. 25): Geeks rejoice! Sci-fi (“Lost” doesn’t count) is coming back to network TV, but probably not for long. In this awkward drama, ordinary people discover they have extraordinary powers. Unless the show gains its own superpower, “Heroes” probably won’t be flying for long.

Cold

•“Brothers & Sisters” (ABC, Sundays, 10 p.m., premieres Sept. 24): Despite an all-star cast (Sally Field! Calista Flockhart! Brenda from “Six Feet Under!”), there’s been too much behind-the-scenes drama (firings! rewrites! reshoots!) for this confused family drama to grow deep roots.

•“Happy Hour” (Fox, Thursdays, 8:30 p.m., premiered Sept. 7): This unfunny, uninnovative sitcom about friends – but not those kind of “Friends” – living in a Chicago apartment building and enjoying cocktails when not chasing tail will make viewers want to reach for a drink, too. Actually, make that a double.