Thursday
Everybody Hates Chris
When: 8 p.m., UPN (premières Sept. 22)
Concept: Ever contemplated what The Wonder Years would be like with less gooey sentimentality and more righteous anger? Then check out Everybody Hates Chris, a sitcom narrated by Chris Rock based on his youthful misadventures as the new guy at elementary school.
Will it be any good? It'd better be, since UPN has all but staked its future on the show's success. That kind of pressure can get to a guy (just ask Dave Chappelle), but thankfully, Everybody Hates Chris is enjoying tremendous buzz in all corners.
Likely most memorable episode: In-jokes abound in a crossover episode where Rock meets and befriends a strange new boy at school who speaks his own crazy made-up gibberish language and wields a righteous belt of fury.
Love, Inc.
When: 9:30 p.m., UPN (premières Sept. 22)
Concept: Busy Philipps and Holly Robinson Peete run a successful matchmaking service, yet they can't seem to find their own dates. Or, as UPN rather dramatically puts it: "These modern day wingwomen work day and night in the field bringing desperately seeking single strangers together to make beautiful relationships. Privately, they continue a personal journey to find their own love."
Will it be any good? Though it sounds like a combination of Hitch (minus Will Smith) and Living Single (minus Queen Latifah), Love, Inc. has a sporting chance of actually being funny. It's the creation of former Late Night With Conan O'Brien writer Andrew Secunda, and star Busy Philipps is a Freaks And Geeks alumna. Of course, all that talk about "personal journeys" in the show's description could mean that the show is reaching beyond mere humor to (gulp) a larger message.
Likely most memorable episode: Philipps and Peete compete for the affections of the same male client, in the process discovering the value of friendshipor the value of a good makeover.
The Night Stalker
When: 9 p.m., ABC (premières Sept. 29)
Concept: The X-Files creative force Frank Spotnitz pays back Chris Carter's debt by reviving the original stalking-the-supernatural TV franchise. Stuart Townsend steps into Darren McGavin's shoes as spook-plagued reporter Carl Kolchak.
Will it be any good? The original Kolchak didn't need a partner, but Spotnitz has given Townsend some backup in the form of Gabrielle Union, which seems like a suspicious attempt to force some Mulder/Scully-style sexual tension. Still, the format is flexible enough that any given episode could be another "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"—assuming the show lasts long enough, which seems doubtful.
Likely most memorable episode: While investigating a modern-day Frankenstein, Townsend and Union get whisked away to a magical world shot in rich black and white, or set to music, or fully animated, or some other goddamn thing that'll impress the "Cheers & Jeers" editor at TV Guide.
Reunion
When: 9 p.m., Fox (premières Sept. 8)
Concept: When one of a circle of friends is killed at their 20th high-school reunion, the survivors flash back to what in their shared pasts might have prompted murder. Each episode takes place in a different year, starting with the moment at graduation that set the trouble in motion.
Will it be any good? As with 24 and Lost, this seems like a premise ideal for television, where subplots and red herrings can play out over weeks and months. And who doesn't want to relive the moment when Poison gave way to Nirvana?
Likely most memorable episode: Poison gives way to Nirvana as the cast of suspects—all recently graduated from college—move en masse to Seattle, get jobs in coffee shops, and start spilling their guts to Cameron Crowe.
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