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First impressions can be dead wrong. Last year, I loved the pilot for “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” and thought “30 Rock” was all over the map. Within a month or two, “30 Rock” had become one of the gems of the season, while “Studio 60” took a swan dive in the quality department. Another new TV season officially begins Monday, although a handful of new series already have premiered. If the networks’ clutch of newcomers doesn’t appear to contain, at first glance, an instant game-changer such as “Lost,” be patient. Something great might emerge from this fall’s crop. Or not. We’ll just have to keep watching. Until then, some initial impressions of the new scripted series:
Monday
“”Chuck” (8 p.m., premieres Monday, NBC): In this charming but slight entry into the fall nerd-o-rama derby, Zachary Levi plays a computer-playing geek who, via an accidental download into his brain, becomes one of the government’s most vital intelligence assets. Levi is winning and “Chuck” (from “The O.C.” creator Josh Schwartz) is pleasant enough, but this show is likely to be overshadowed (out of the gate, anyway) by the CW’s superior and similar “Reaper.”
Verdict: Liked it.
“”Aliens in America” (8:30 p.m., Oct. 1, CW): A nerdy Wisconsin teen’s mother brings an exchange student into their home – only to find that he’s a Muslim from Pakistan. This promising series uses a light touch to look at intercultural fears (a relief after years of darker post-9/11 dramas), and it pokes fun at stereotypes without descending into cruelty. It’s one of fall’s weirdest (but most promising) hybrids: a timely, culture-clash “Wonder Years.”
Verdict: Hope it lives up to its potential.
“”The Big Bang Theory” (8:30 p.m., Monday, CBS): CBS’ entry in the fall nerd-a-thon is both mean-spirited and predictable (a sitcom twofer!). Two super-geniuses with massive IQs and nonexistent social skills meet their new neighbor – a shapely blonde who’s not so endowed with the gray matter. Hilarity allegedly ensues, if you buy into the premise that it’s funny to take potshots at intelligent people.
Verdict: Are you kidding me?
“”K-Ville” (9 p.m., premiered Sept. 17, Fox): This gritty drama follows an unlikely cop duo as they attempt to police a post-Katrina New Orleans. In the pilot, the show’s various elements – mismatched cops, urban action, post-Katrina conspiracy theories and New Orleans flavor – bumped up against one another somewhat awkwardly, but this potentially interesting series bears watching, not just because it shines a light on a great, troubled city, but for the stellar performance of “Shield” veteran Anthony Anderson.
Verdict: Liked it.
“”Samantha Who?” (9:30 p.m., Oct. 15, ABC): Christina Applegate stars as a woman who wakes up from a coma to find out that she has amnesia – and that she wasn’t very nice in her former life. It’s all a bit too frantic to enjoy, but Applegate, a skilled actress, does her best.
Verdict: Blah.
“”Journeyman” (10 p.m., Sept. 24, NBC): Kevin McKidd (memorable as charismatic soldier Lucius Vorenus in HBO’s “Rome”) plays a time-traveling reporter in this drama, which feels like a holdover from last season’s batch of serialized thrillers. Overall, it feels like a slightly pallid remake of the ABC thriller “Day Break,” which flopped.
Verdict: Blah.
Tuesday
“”Cavemen” (8 p.m., Oct. 2, ABC): This show, which is based on the Geico commercials starring a series of thick-browed throwbacks, is bound to be one of the most controversial offerings for fall. I didn’t actually hate it; I just thought it was a one-joke comedy, in which the cavemen suffer through a constant series of discriminatory situations.
Verdict: Blah.
“”Carpoolers” (8:30 p.m., Oct. 2, ABC): Do we need to say much about this show? It’s a fledgling ABC comedy, meaning its life span is probably shorter than that of a cicada. In any case, the title says it all – the show concerns the misadventures of a group of suburbanites who ride to work together every day.
Verdict: Blah.
“”Reaper” (9 p.m., Tuesday, CW): One of fall’s most buzzed-about new shows, and for good reason: The “Reaper” pilot is a nearly flawless hour of television. Layabout Sam (the likable Bret Harrison) finds out why his parents never pushed him to succeed: They sold his soul to the devil, who turns up and wants Sam to go to work as a bounty hunter chasing fugitives from hell. Ray Wise is fantastic as the smooth-talking devil, and there’s a lot of charm and comedy in this sharp, well-written pilot, which was directed by Kevin Smith (“Clerks”).
Verdict: Hope it lives up to its potential.
“”Cane” (10 p.m., Tuesday, CBS): This is the sort of large ensemble family soap that ABC has specialized in making in recent years, and CBS’ attempt is somewhat clunky. Then again, it stars the able Jimmy Smits, who’s backed up by Hector Elizondo and Rita Moreno. Smits plays Alex Duque, the favorite son of a wealthy Cuban-American clan with a successful South Florida rum and sugar business. Who will inherit the business? What skeletons lurk in the Duques’ closets? Will Alex and his ambitious brother Frank go to war? If you’re thinking of a glossy (and predictable) Latino update to “Dallas,” you’re not far off.
Verdict: Blah.
Wednesday
“”Pushing Daisies” (8 p.m., Oct. 3, ABC): According to the 2007 Hype Act, critics are required by law to love this show, which tells the tale of a young piemaker with the gift of bringing corpses to life. I thought the pilot, which was directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (“Men in Black,” “Get Shorty”), was impressive and aesthetically pleasing, but I wasn’t emotionally drawn in by it. Still, it has potential aplenty, and it’s good to see a network taking chances and trusting a creator’s unique vision.
Verdict: Liked it.
“”Back to You” (8 p.m., premiered Sept. 19, Fox): If there’s one hit on the fall schedule, it’s this sitcom (and I’ll eat my “Frasier” boxed sets if I’m wrong). Kelsey Grammer does his usual excellent job as a blowhard anchor whose journey up the career ladder goes awry thanks to a YouTube debacle. After getting fired from a plum gig, he goes back to read the news at a local station in Pittsburgh, where his former co-anchor and ex-flame, played by Patricia Heaton (“Everybody Loves Raymond”), is still working. The material isn’t exactly as sparkling as “Frasier” in its prime, but it’s good enough, and Heaton and Grammer are such pros that they make “Back to You” perk along nicely.
Verdict: Liked it.
“”Bionic Woman” (9 p.m., Wednesday, NBC): This remake of the ‘70s series has a couple of big things going for it: name recognition and Katee Sackhoff (“Battlestar Galactica”) as Sarah Corvus, the nemesis of newly created “Bionic Woman” Jamie Sommers (Michelle Ryan). The rest of the show (so far) is an exercise in mediocrity, despite the presence of stellar supporting cast members such as Mark Sheppard and Miguel Ferrer, who do the best they can with a subpar pilot script.
Verdict: Blah.
“”Gossip Girl” (9 p.m., premiered Sept. 19, CW): This soapy drama, which is set in the world of tony Manhattan private schools, is based on the popular novel series of the same name. Though Josh Schwartz, creator of “The O.C.” is on board here, the deeply cynical “Gossip Girl” lacks that Fox show’s heart, and the “Gossip” cast is far more bland, which is a big problem. Also, the constant cattiness of the narrator – the unseen title character who anonymously blogs about Manhattan’s top high school socialites – can be tedious, if not depressing.
Verdict: Are you kidding me?
“”Private Practice” (9 p.m., Wednesday, ABC): Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh), a fan favorite on “Grey’s Anatomy,” moves to sunnier climes in the hopes that working at an L.A. wellness clinic will give her more balance in her life. Here’s hoping the show is more fun than the pilot we saw last spring, when Montgomery’s new colleagues (one of whom, a doctor played by Merrin Dungey, was replaced over the summer by Broadway vet Audra McDonald) were shown to be a pretty whiny bunch.
Verdict: Too early to tell.
“”Dirty Sexy Money” (10 p.m., Wednesday, ABC): Peter Krause (“Six Feet Under”) returns to television as the family lawyer for the very screwed-up and mind- bogglingly wealthy Darling clan. Also in the cast: Donald Sutherland, Jill Clayburgh and Blair Underwood. It’s a powerful lineup of actors, and the writing is just as sharp as the cast. If the terrific pilot (which mixes in some murder-mystery elements) is any indication, “Dirty Sexy Money” promises to be one of fall’s keepers.
Verdict: Loved it.
“”Life” (10 p.m., Wednesday, NBC): English actor Damien Lewis is better than this new drama in which he finds himself. In this cop show, Lewis plays a detective who was wrongly imprisoned for a dozen years. He solves weekly cases in an unorthodox, Zen-inspired style while he also attempts to figure out who framed him. The riveting Lewis is so good that he even makes the mediocre parts of this show interesting. But earlier this year, another NBC quirky-detective drama, “Raines,” didn’t last long, so hopes are not sky-high.
Verdict: Blah.
Thursday
“”Big Shots” (10 p.m., Thursday, ABC): Ugh. A masters-of-the-universe fantasy, with four business tycoons vying for the biggest jobs, the hottest mistresses and bragging rights at their posh country club. It doesn’t take long to list all of this show’s positive attributes, because, despite the presence of Dylan McDermott and Michael Vartan, there aren’t any.
Verdict: Are you kidding me?
Friday
“”Moonlight” (9 p.m., Sept. 28, CBS): This drama about a vampire investigator has had a troubled history. The pilot was completely reshot; the entire original cast, aside from lead Alex O’Loughlin (“The Shield”), was ditched; and respected writer David Greenwalt (of “Angel” fame) signed on and signed off in record time. Still worth checking out to see if it provides a moderately decent vehicle for new co-star Jason Dohring (“Veronica Mars”).
Verdict: Too early to tell.
“”Women’s Murder Club” (9 p.m., Oct. 12, ABC): This show entirely depends on your capacity to deal with Angie Harmon, and I can’t say I have a huge desire to see her on my TV every week. But at least this procedural, which is based on a series of novels by James Patterson about four San Francisco women who solve crimes, ticks along efficiently. Two former “Shield” producers are the head writers here, so maybe “Club” will improve on the pilot, which was fairly colorless.
Verdict: Blah.
Sunday
“”Life Is Wild” (8 p.m., Oct. 7, CW): An urban teen and her family are uprooted from their comfortable New York City life to live in South Africa. D.W. Moffat and Stephanie Niznik (“Everwood”) have replaced the actors who played the parents in the pilot, and the show, which is filmed on location, is undergoing extensive reshoots, so I’ll reserve judgment for now.
Verdict: Too early to tell.
“”Viva Laughlin” (8 p.m., Oct. 18, CBS): CBS attempts to shed its image as TV’s boring-but-successful network by unveiling a musical – which it won’t call a musical (it’s labeled “a drama with music”). Despite the presence of Hugh Jackman in the pilot, this adaptation of the BBC hit “Viva Blackpool” is mostly a giant mess, and any hopes of fixing it are entirely sunk by terrible casting.
Verdict: Are you kidding me?