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Fall TV Preview: New shows

St. Petersburg Times and Film.com

Here's the rundown on new shows premiering (or that have premiered) on network TV this fall. Reviews are given for shows yet to premiere and for which an advance copy was available. If a show has debuted or wasn't screened, only a synopsis is listed.

SUNDAY

'In Harm's Way'

7 p.m., The CW. Debuts Sept. 21.

In short: More dangerous jobs (see America's Toughest Jobs on NBC) take center stage in this reality series looking at the lives of people doing life-threatening work, by Discovery guy Craig Piligian (Dirty Jobs).

'Valentine'

7 p.m., The CW. Debuts Sept. 21.

In short: While attempting to keep their real identities secret, Greek gods (Eros, Aphrodite, Hercules, etc.) attempt to bring lovers together.

'Surviving Suburbia'

8 p.m., The CW. Debuts Nov. 2.

In short: Bob Saget, left, stars as a dad trying to handle life in suburbia with his family and new neighbors. Still in casting stages according to the CW's Web site.

'Easy Money'

8 p.m., The CW. Debuts Sept. 21.

In short: Judge Reinhold, Jeff Hephner and Laurie Metcalf star in this show about an eccentric family's payday loan business. It's "a modern-day Dickensian tale of money and identity," according to a news release about the show, which comes from executive producers Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider (The Sopranos, Northern Exposure).

MONDAY

'Worst Week'

9:30 p.m., CBS. Debuts Sept. 22.

In short: A show guaranteed to make visits with any in-laws feel less painful.

Review: You might buy that a hapless guy could accidentally urinate on his future father-in-law's birthday dinner goose, burn down his meticulously crafted portrait and mistakenly convince the family he was dead. You will not buy that CBS can turn this exercise in humiliation )originally developed for British TV) into a 22-episode American comedy worth watching.

TiVo or Ti-NO? Even the British had the good sense to limit their original series to two seven-episode seasons aired daily for seven days and a Christmas special. Still, I'm giving a hopeful TiVo.

'My Own Worst Enemy'

10 p.m., NBC. Debuts Oct. 13.

In short: A Bourne Identity rip-off that doesn't admit it.

Review: Absent an online leak, critics will wait weeks more to see this show, featuring Hollow Man 2 star Christian Slater as Henry Spivey, a middle-class efficiency expert who is also a world-class spy. When the chip in his head that separates the two personalities begins to malfunction, things are supposed to get interesting.

TiVo or Ti-NO? Is the guy from Heathers really going to work this vibe better than Matt Damon?

TUESDAY

'90210'

8 p.m., The CW. Debuted Sept. 2.

In short: Beverly Hills 90210 rebooted with iPods, text messages and at least one black character.

'Fringe'

9 p.m., Fox. Debuted Sept. 9.

In short: The X-Files if Mulder and Scully were rolled into one.

'Privileged'

9 p.m., The CW. Debuted Sept. 9.

In short: Double Trouble meets Gossip Girl in Florida. From the nanny's point of view.

'Opportunity Knocks'

8 p.m., ABC. Debuts Sept. 23.

In short: Mortifying personal secrets revealed in a family-friendly way.

Review: Brought to you by the brain behind Punk'd and Demi Moore's cougar status, producer Ashton Kutcher. His latest TV project is a gonzo game show in which a prize-filled trailer pulls up on a family's lawn. Host J.D. Roth, right, jumps out to quiz lucky contestants on their front yard with embarrassing questions about their home and lives.

TiVo or Ti-NO? If the host doesn't get shot bounding up to the wrong house, this could be interesting. A curious TiVo.

'The Mentalist'

9 p.m., CBS. Debuts Sept. 23.

In short: Like USA's con artist comedy Psych played straight.

Review: Simon Baker's hunky, vacant vibe serves him well as a super-observant con artist who once faked psychic powers and now helps solve crimes. Like all dramas these days, there's a continuing story (a serial killer he once taunted now haunts him) and lots of impossible deductions based on improbable situations.

TiVo or Ti-NO? Up against Dancing With the Stars and Lost creator J.J. Abrams' Fringe, it hardly matters what I think. Everybody else is going to Ti-NO.

WEDNESDAY

'Do Not Disturb'

9:30 p.m., Fox. Debuted Sept. 10.

In short: Fawlty Towers for the Britney Spears set. Starring Jerry O'Connell and Niecy Nash. Earns the title of Worst New Sitcom This Fall.

'Knight Rider'

8 p.m., NBC. Debuts Sept. 24.

In short: Like the '80s kitschy hit Knight Rider, but with better effects and no Hasselhoff.

Review: Last spring, this made a particularly predictable and boneheaded TV movie. But the 21st-century reboot got decent ratings, so we must suffer through a series about an artificially intelligent Mustang with the voice of Val Kilmer. And no Hasselhoff.

TiVo or Ti-NO? Did I mention it has the voice of Val Kilmer? Ti-NO.

'Gary Unmarried'

8:30 p.m., CBS. Debuts Sept. 24.

In short: Like Home Improvement after Tim and Jill Taylor's inevitable divorce.

Review: Last Comic Standing co-creator Jay Mohr is surprisingly charming as a house painter three months past a divorce trying to start a new relationship with a single mom while coping with his snarky ex-wife. For some viewers, it might feel like a documentary.

TiVo or Ti-NO? Unfortunately, Mohr and snarky ex-wife Paula Marshall are super show killers by themselves. In the same cast, it's like new show kryptonite. TiVo while you can because Mohr's kinda funny.

'Stylista'

9 p.m., The CW. Debuts Oct 22.

In short: This reality series challenges 11 fashion enthusiasts vying for a coveted editorial job with Elle magazine and some prizes. Hey, if it works with Project Runway, maybe this Devil Wears Prada rip-off can grab some fans, too.

THURSDAY

'Hole in the Wall'

8 p.m., Fox. Debuted Sept. 11.

In short: Contestants contort their bodies so they can fit through holes in walls or be swept into a pool of water. So, if a game show about opening suitcases can work, maybe this show based on a hit Japanese game show could be a hit. Nah.

'Kath and Kim'

8:30 p.m., NBC. Debuts Oct. 9.

In short: The Odd Couple with Felix and Oscar as mother and child.

Review: In Australia, this oddball comedy about a homely 50-something divorcée and her divorced, slightly less homely 20-something daughter plays like The Office meets Strangers With Candy. So of course NBC hired curvaceous Molly Shannon, above, and sultry Selma Blair for America's version. Let's hope they don't "improve" the funny away, too.

TiVo or Ti-NO? John Michael Higgins (Best in Show) is the secret weapon here, sidesplitting as mama Kath's new boyfriend. TiVo.

'Life on Mars'

10 p.m., ABC. Debuts Oct. 9.

In short: The Time Traveler's Wife meets Kojak.

Review: Ever since onetime superstar producer David E. Kelley left this remake of a British series about a modern cop thrown back to the 1970s after a car accident, it has been tagged as troubled and likely DOA. But producers have smartly shifted locales to New York City, snagging Harvey Keitel and Sopranos alum Michael Imperioli.

TiVo or Ti-NO? For a chance to see Mean Streets re-created on the small screen, TiVo.

'Eleventh Hour'

10 p.m., CBS. Debuts Oct. 9.

In short: The X-Files meets Mr. Wizard.

My take: Star Trek: The Next Generation alum Patrick Stewart starred in the British version of this show, a slick adventure drama about a government-employed scientist-detective who stops those who would abuse scientific breakthroughs. Of course, the U.S. version has a pretty, blond FBI agent who serves as star Rufus Sewell's bodyguard.

TiVo or Ti-NO? Smells like another CSI-slick, Jerry Bruckheimer-created cover for predictable cops and robbers stories. Ti-NO.

FRIDAY

'Crusoe'

8 p.m., NBC. Debuts Oct. 17.

In short: Phillip Winchester and Sam Neill star in this contemporary take on the classic Daniel Defoe novel of a man marooned on a deserted island. We're thinking a lot of flashbacks will be used.

'The Ex List'

9 p.m., CBS. Debuts Oct. 3.

In short: An endless Dating Game episode for one really unlucky woman.

Review: Elizabeth Reaser is supposed to be quirky and charming as Bella Bloom, a florist who freaks when a psychic says she has 12 months to find her perfect mate from a list of old boyfriends or be alone forever. Unfortunately, she mostly comes off as self-involved, superficial and ungrateful.

TiVo or Ti-NO? Would you want to spend an hour a week with somebody who is self-involved, superficial and ungrateful? Ti-NO.