10 new shows worth trying
So many shows! So little time!
What to do? Prioritize, of course. Here are 10 new series that deserve an early look:
1. "Hellcats" (CW; premieres Sept. 8). This show is one part youth melodrama, one part "Glee" in skimpy spandex. Gorgeous prelaw student Marti scorns her university's cheerleading squad, but suddenly she needs to join to keep her scholarship. As luck would have it, Marti (Aly Michalka) was a gymnastics champ in high school. But her scholarship still isn't assured: Funding for the Hellcats is in question. So is Marti's presence on the squad, thanks to a scheming rival.
2. "Nikita" (CW, premieres Sept. 9). It's payback time for Nikita, who is on the run from the secret government agency that trained her as a spy and an assassin - and now wants her dead. "I'm gonna take you apart, piece by piece, mission by mission," vows this petite powerhouse (Maggie Q). Meanwhile, Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca) is a new recruit in the sinister, mysterious Division. She wants out, too. An action-packed reboot of the 1990 film and subsequent USA Network series, this "Nikita" is a slick celebration of conspiracy and sexy women.
3. "Hawaii Five-O" (CBS; premieres Sept. 20). From the opening titles with the timeless theme to the nickname "Danno," this new version of the 1970s original is a miracle of souped-up, loving restoration. Alex O'Loughlin plays simmering Steve McGarrett, who's got a score to settle with some very bad people. The governor of Hawaii gives him carte blanche to set up a justice team, which includes kvetching New Jersey transplant Danny "Danno" Williams (Scott Caan), as well as Chin Ho Kelly ("Lost" alum Daniel Dae Kim) and his sexy, two-fisted sister, Kono (Grace Park). The pilot is a fast-paced, eye-popping, modern-day homage. Be there! Aloha!
4. "Lone Star" (Fox; premieres Sept. 20). A charismatic con man (James Wolk) is married to one beautiful woman and shacking up with another, deep in the heart of Texas. Bob loves them both. He also loves the opportunity to pull scams in two communities. "Lone Star" is a dandy soap opera and more: a solid drama of a man in conflict. The pilot is outstanding.
5. "The Event" (NBC; premieres Sept. 20). Do you miss "Lost"? Check out "The Event," the lone new entry in the serial thriller genre. Boasting a large cast, far-flung locations and helter-skelter time sequence, "The Event" demands a week-to-week commitment for the viewer to have any chance of making sense of the conspiracy that rages at its core. Certainly the pilot episode gives you fair warning; it's anything but self-contained. The hour introduces a slew of characters and raises a slew of questions. NBC has taken a bold chance on this series. Are you willing to take a leap, too?
6. "Raising Hope" (Fox; premieres Sept. 21). Greg Garcia, creator of "My Name Is Earl," is back with a new brood of lovable losers in this wacked-out family comedy. It's a dysfunctional family, of course, whose aimless 23-year-old son, Jimmy (Lucas Neff), stumbles on the fact that he's the father of a baby girl. Suddenly Jimmy has a purpose in life. He persuades his none-too-capable mom and dad (Martha Plimpton, Garret Dillahunt) that baby Hope is their chance for a parenting do-over. Added to the mix is a goofball cousin (Skyler Stone) and borderline-senile grandmother (Cloris Leachman).
7. "Running Wilde" (Fox; premieres Sept. 21). "Arrested Development" creator Mitch Hurwitz has paired Will Arnett, one of his stars from that comedy, with Keri Russell as a radiantly comic odd couple. Arnett plays an oil tycoon's spoiled son named Steve Wilde, the sort of narcissist who welcomes a Humanitarian of the Fiscal Year Award from his own family's company. Steve wants to reconnect with childhood sweetheart Emmy, but she is an environmental activist whose tree-hugging zeal clashes with everything Wilde stands for. "I am going to undo every entitled impulse ever drilled into you," she tells him grandly. "And then together, we're gonna change the world." Don't bet on either.
8. "My Generation" (ABC; premieres Sept. 23). This show is framed as a documentary about graduates of Austin's Greenbelt High School in 2010, intercut with footage shot of them as graduating seniors in 2000. Needless to say, the characters' lives have taken unexpected twists. The characters and their journeys are what make "My Generation" stand out.
9. "Outsourced" (NBC; premieres Sept. 23). Todd (Ben Rappaport) is startled to return from management training to find the Kansas City call center for Mid-America Novelties has been "right-sized." That's a euphemism for outsourced to India. So Todd is dispatched to India to see if he can manage. Besides its spot on timeliness, "Outsourced" is a delightful comedy for how it deftly harvests laughs from the inevitable culture clash, from Todd's overeagerness to bridge the gap, and from the innate silliness of the company's product line (whoopee cushions, foam fingers and the like).
10. "No Ordinary Family" (ABC; premieres Sept. 28). Michael Chiklis ("The Shield") plays a police sketch artist who feels meek both at work and at home. Julie Benz ("Dexter") is his brainy wife, and two teenage kids complete this not-so-happy family. Then, through the oddest of quirks, they all gain superpowers. How can they put these remarkable strengths to good use - and make them a unifying family affair? The pilot episode takes too long to lay out the show's premise, but it adds up to a nice blend of sweetness and action.