Every year, I do a massive post on Multiple Mentality about the shows I watched last year, the shows that are returning next year, and the shows that the networks are praying we'll watch. It's chock-full of information, ratings, and derisive humor. Most of the latter directed at ABC and NBC, and their massive load of new shows. So sit back, relax, and expand this entry, because Josh Cohen's Great Big Look Ahead At Fall 2006 is next up on Wizbang Pop!

(NB: Information comes from AOL TV)

This is not a complete list of returning shows. I have only focused on the shows I watched this season. If you don't see a show you liked, it's because I didn't like it or watch it. Don't take it personally.

The CW (formerly UPN and WB)

Since it's blatantly obvious that neither of these networks wants to make a commitment to quality programming or even try to fill an entire schedule with anything but Top Model repeats, CBS swallowed them whole and this is what we get.

Previous Engagements

Veronica Mars

This season, someone caused a bus to crash and kill several students, a teacher, and the driver. That, plus dealing with the fallout of last year's Lilly Kane murder mystery, the usual spate of mysterious events and private eye work, and the pressure to win a scholarship so she can go to college with a full ride, Veronica has been uber-busy. The season itself hasn't had a whole lot of cringeworthy moments, but it needs more Backup (Veronica's dog). VM survived a move to Wednesdays (against Lost) and then back to Tuesdays (against House and Idol) but kept enough of a viewer base for CW to order at least another 13 episodes.

This season's grade: DDDD (out of 5)
Next season's prediction: DDD (also out of 5)

Wallace is going to one college. If Veronica wins the scholarship, she's going to Stanford (not the same one Wallace is going to). The crap she pulls in high school won't fly when she's a legal adult living outside of her father's (admittedly-lax) supervision. VM needs the sidekick factor with Wallace. Plus, with Neptune, CA so far from Stanford (Neptune is near San Diego), how will we ever see the rest of the home crowd? As with most high school ensemble shows, once the cast graduates and moves on, it becomes very difficult to keep up with them. Unless the show is completely reinvented (which is possible) or Veronica doesn't go away to school (also possible), VM may find its third season to be its last season.

Smallville

I honestly thought Smallville would be in trouble, given that everyone's in college now. But somehow Metropolis, a massive city, is within easy driving range of Smallville, which is basically a smallish farming community with about ten decent-sized streets. Smallville, however, wasn't as good this season as it has been in the past. Too much melodrama, too much mooning over Lana, not enough Clark-on-Chloe action. (That's going to attract some nasty Google hits, I reckon.) And all the in-jokes about how Lois could never fall for Clark have started to fall flat.

This season's grade: DDD.
Next season's prediction: DDD.

The writing on this show is too sharp (if a little inconsistent) for it to fail outright, but it's getting silly now. If Clark doesn't end things next season and move the Superman lore onward, the show will become little more than One Tree Hill for the DC crowd.

Supernatural

Last summer, I thought this show was laughable: two brothers driving around in a Chevy Impala killing evil supernatural beings. But despite the laughably-bad emoting of Jensen Ackles and the too-little-too-late "I need my family more than they need me", Supernatural has held my interest, and I honestly want to see what happens. Of course, they did steal their season finale from Alias's midseason finale/dropoff, but I can live with it.

This season's grade: DDDD.
Next season's prediction: DDDd.

They found their father. Now they have to kill the thing that killed their mom. But how much driving around and conning people can the viewing audience take?

7th Heaven

I don't watch this show, but rumors abound that CW picked it up for at least 13 episodes, and according to AOL TV, it's true. It's still on the schedule. After the terrible finale (even my wife, who enjoyed the show, thought it sucked; I just watched the finale because I had nothing else to do), 13 episodes won't be enough to satisfy the fans, and it'll be 13 episodes too many to satisfy its critics.

New Shows

The Game (Sundays at 8:30pm, 30 mins): Tia Mowry stars as the wife of a third-string receiver on a fictional San Diego (where else) football team. Kind of like Any Given Sunday, but about the players' wives. It reads as a drama, but it's only a half-hour, which means it's a sitcom. And it's on CW. Ugh. Verdict: DD. Mowry's a decent actress, but this won't even attract football fans.

Runaway (Mondays at 9pm, 60 mins): A family on the run, hiding from the law that unjustly accused the father of a "terrible" crime. Basically, another season-long secret fest mixing The Fugitive, the first season of Alias, and some elements of 24. Verdict: DDD. There's too much of this on TV already.

The CW is also introducing Hidden Palms as a midseason replacement and bringing back Reba for another year at midseason.

Other Survivors: Everybody Hates Chris, All of Us, Girlfriends, America's Next Top Model, ANTM (rerun of last week's show), Gilmore Girls, One Tree Hill, Smackdown!

Casualties: The Bedford Diaries, Blue Collar TV, Charmed, Cuts, Eve, Everwood, Get This Party Started, Half & Half, Living With Fran, Love, Inc., Modern Men, One on One, Pepper Dennis, Related, Survival of the Richest, Twins, What I Like About You

FOX

Once again Fox is forcing upon us schedule shifts, spring/fall schedule changes, and several new shows that will most probably be cancelled after three episodes. Oh, and another load of bull in the form of American Idol.

Previous Engagements

American Dad

I honestly didn't like this show when it started out, but it's grown on me as sort of a less-surreal Family Guy. Of course, a lot of plots are directly lifted out of FG.

This season's grade: DDD.
Next season's prediction: DDD.

With Seth McFarlane at the helm, the show can't actually suck -- the writing and acting will be good enough to save it. But the premise is a little thin.

Family Guy

Hey, I love FG, I admit it, but this season had some terrible episodes. Oh, sure, they had funny bits, but come on... "Petarded"? Who greenlit that farce? Fortunately, there were enough great episodes to offset the bad ones, and most of them were mediocre at absolute worst. The fall-flat endings, though, are starting to bug me.

This season's grade: DDDD.
Next season's prediction: DDDD.

FG has enough good stuff to appeal to viewers, and with reruns running on Cartoon Network, there's always going to be people who're tuning in for the new stuff. McFarlane, though, had better work on those endings.

Prison Break

I'll be the first to admit that I thought I would enjoy this show, even though I also thought it had a silly premise behind it. And it kind of does. Like 24, it depends upon fantastical twists of fate and coincidence for our heroes to survive. The political maneuvering that came out toward the latter half of the spring season gave us new insight on the Vice President (a thinly-veiled Hillary Clinton), but the LJ storyline wasn't at all interesting to me.

This season's grade: DDDD.
Next season's prediction: DDDd.

I haven't seen the very last episode yet, but they are out of prison now, right? I know they now have to survive on the outside and unravel the conspiracy that put Lincoln on death row, but calling it Prison Break, unless there's something big coming up on my next tape, might not be so accurate.

24

I seriously considered not watching this show this season. But I did anyway. I enjoyed it -- I wasn't disappointed by the main plot and even the obligatory Kim Bauer sighting wasn't too tiresome. However, like PB, 24 relies on coincidence, stupid villain mistakes, and the near-mythical survival powers of Jack Bauer, who continues to thrive despite everything put upon him. Also, introducing the Paul McCrane-led conspiracy with only five episodes to go wasn't too bright. That could've been a whole new season.

This season's grade: DDDd.
Next season's prediction: DDD.

We know Kiefer Sutherland has signed a three-year contract to star in 24. Therefore, the danger factor is severely lessened. He won't die. So what's the point in watching?

House

House started out pretty good to begin with. This season, the show has been very interesting and enjoyable. However, it's also been very predictable. They think they know what's wrong, they're wrong, House says something pithy or trite, he and Foreman or Cameron face off, rinse and repeat, and finally something totally unrelated ("Foreman, you chauvinist, you were watching WHAT kind of porn last night? House? House, what is it?") gives House the clue he needs to solve the problem.

This season's grade: DDDD.
Next season's prediction: DDDd.

I predict a gradual downfall of this show in terms of new and interesting plots. Kind of like Without a Trace, which has been doing some serious stretching to keep it interesting.

New Shows

Happy Hour (Thursdays at 8:30pm, 30 mins): He's got it all. He loses it all in one day. He moves in with a "lovable rogue". We've seen this before, thousands of times. Verdict: D. Remember in Family Guy the "single white girl in the city working at a magazine" cutaway? That's the vibe I get off this show.

Justice (Wednesdays at 9pm, 60 mins): I don't know how I can improve on AOL's description: "an unflinching, behind-the-scenes look at the way high-profile cases are tried in the media age." Despite the Bruckheimer name and the fact that this is pretty relevant right now, I don't think it'll last very long. Fox doesn't usually put much stock in new dramas unless they get explosive ratings in the first two weeks. Verdict: DDd. Even the small-mouthed Victor Garber won't be able to save this one, but I think in time it would have done decently.

Standoff (Tuesdays at 8pm, 60 mins): Hostage negotiators having sex with each other. Like The OC meets The Negotiator, but without the awesomeness of Samuel L "Snakes on a Motherfucking Plane" Jackson or Kevin "There is no Keyser Soze" Spacey. Verdict: Dd. The tiresomeness of the people sleeping together will quickly outweigh anything interesting they might do in the negotiation arena. Despite a good cast (Ron Livingston of Office Space and Gina Torres of Firefly), this one won't last.

The Wedding Album (Fridays at 9pm, 60 mins): The "affirmed bachelor" is a wedding photographer. The "plucky female assistant he bangs and then falls in love with" is going to eventually end up marrying him by the end of the first season. Verdict: Dd. Yawn.

The Winner (not yet scheduled): This show seems surprisingly-relevant: a successful man in his 40s reflects back on his early 30s, when he was still living at home, a social recluse. There are more and more of these out there. Still won't get me to watch it (probably), but it's an interesting premise. Verdict: DDD. This'll win some critical acclaim but fall by the wayside, or worse yet, go the way of Fearless.

Til Death (Thursdays at 8pm, 30 mins): Brad Garrett finally gets out of Ray Romano's shadow and becomes the sitcom patriarch. Eddie Kaye Thomas (American Pie 1-3) is the newlywed whose bright and shiny nature makes Garrett's character that much grumpier. Verdict: DD. Garrett, Thomas, and Joely Fisher might have some good lines, but I'm not impressed by the premise.

Vanished (Mondays at 9pm, 60 mins): This is designed solely to hold the spot until 24 returns, but at least it seems interesting. Another vast-conspiracy show, but I think I'll give it a shot. Verdict: DDd. Shows scheduled for this timeslot exist solely to keep people watching until 24 comes back. (I just said that a few sentences ago, but it bears repeating.) I don't know if Vanished can capture audiences the way Prison Break did, but more power to them if they can.

Fox is also holding onto Duets and On the Lot, the latter of which will probably suck hardcore, should any of their existing shows not pull AI-like ratings and fail miserably.

Other Survivors: The Simpsons, The War At Home, American Idol, Bones, The Loop, The OC, Nanny 911, Trading Spouses

Casualties: Arrested Development, Bernie Mac, Reunion, Stacked, That '70s Show

CBS

This year, CBS went with its strong points: keep up with the shows people want to see, quietly remove the ones they're not watching, and don't overpromote anything. It seems to have worked, too; aside from Threshold, which honestly was good but a little too formulaic, I didn't even notice when shows got cancelled. There's some schedule changes in store for this year.

Previous Engagements

Without a Trace

I really like this show, but I worry that they're going to run out of different scenarios for missing people. As promised in past years, they've spent more time showing what goes on outside the case -- Martin's drug addiction, Jack's budding relationship, Viv's son -- and I'm really interested to see what's driving Jack's (Anthony LaPaglia) personality change. He's been a lot harsher and angrier lately, as if something is eating at him. I'll be interested to see what happens when he finally breaks.

This season's grade: DDDD.
Next season's prediction: DDDd.

I expect the high standards WaT has delivered since day one. I hope the move to Sundays (and the accompanying NFL-related time-shifting) doesn't hurt the ratings.

Criminal Minds

I have to tell you up front: I didn't think I'd be able to buy Thomas Gibson (best known as Dr Nyland on Chicago Hope and Greg on Dharma and Greg) as an FBI profiler. But he has shown good acting in his role. Mandy Patinkin, of course, is the consummate performer, and the rest of the supporting cast keeps you interested. I hope next year Kristen Vangsness (Garcia) makes it into the main credits; she certainly does a good enough job with her small amount of screen time to deserve it.

This season's grade: DDDd (surprisingly)
Next season's prediction: DDD.

They really hit it out of the park on a lot of episodes, in terms of story and interesting twists. Where else is there to go once you've used your best material?

Numb3rs

I'm surprised this show has lasted this long. I know there's a lot about mathematics I don't know, but what are the odds that Charlie gets brought in on every case? However, the personal dynamics of the characters make it worth watching.

This season's grade: DDD.
Next season's prediction: DDD.

If it really sucked, CBS would've cancelled it. While the premise is a tad farfetched on occasion, it's always interesting.

New Shows

The Class (Mondays at 8:30pm, 30 mins): Yet another show about people who were all friends once upon a time and reunite later on in life. Kind of like Reunion was supposed to be. I think this might have worked better as a What About Brian-style dramedy, but it'll probably do pretty well. Verdict: DDD. I don't watch sitcoms, but if I did, I'd watch this one.

Jericho (Wednesdays at 8pm, 60 mins): Didn't Showtime try this with Jeremiah? "A nuclear mushroom cloud suddenly appears on the horizon, plunging the residents of a small, peaceful Kansas town into chaos, leaving them completely isolated and wondering if they're the only Americans left alive." Verdict: DDd. Trying to capitalize on the themes of Invasion... but Invasion didn't get renewed. Even the hotness of Ashley Scott probably won't save this one.

Shark (Thursdays at 10pm, 60 mins): Is this really worth the #1 spot on TV? Despite the admirable acting chops of James Woods, there's too many lawyer shows on TV. This one will probably last a couple of seasons, but win a mediocre appeal. The whole "evil lawyer has personal epiphany and becomes good lawyer" concept is overplayed. Verdict: DD. At least it has Jeri Ryan to look at.

Smith (Tuesdays at 10pm, 60 mins): More big-name stars in another plot rehashed from cable shows, this time Heist and Thief, with a taste of Fun With Dick And Jane. If you know what those are all about, you don't need me to tell you about it. Verdict: DD. What's the point?

CBS also has in store for us 3 lbs, Rules of Engagement, and Waterfront.

Other Survivors: The Amazing Race, How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, The New Adventures of Old Christine, NCIS, The Unit, CSI NY, CSI Miami, CSI, Survivor, Ghost Whisperer, Close to Home

Casualties: Courting Alex; Love Monkey; Out of Practice; Still Standing; Threshold; Yes, Dear

ABC

ABC got very lucky with some big hits over the past 18 months: Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, What About Brian... makes you forget about their subpar sitcoms and the other shows that just never quite made it. This year, another plate of spaghetti to throw at the wall (and a metric buttload of new shows). Let's see what sticks.

Previous Engagements

Desperate Housewives

I was getting very tired of this show by the end of the season. Unlike Veronica Mars or even DH's first season, we never really had a single underlying mystery to hold the show together. Once we found out why Mary Alice killed herself and who she and Paul (her husband) really were, everyone started drifting their separate ways. It really has become a soap opera.

This season's grade: DDD.
Next season's prediction: DDD.

There'll be just enough to keep us interested, but without an underlying story, the attention span of the country won't be enough.

What About Brian

I really didn't think I would like this show, but with JJ Abrahms at the helm, I figured, it's worth a shot. And it's everything a dramedy should be: amusing, serious, character-driven, and with a point. If Good Morning Miami had been this well put-together, it wouldn't have been cancelled.

This season's grade: DDDD.
Next season's prediction: DDDD.

There were enough plot threads planted in the short spring season to keep us interested, and there's the underlying will-they-won't-they of Brian and Marjorie. But I think the real surprise was how interested everyone is in the story of Dave and Dina. When he finally went for it with the girl from Leviathan Games, L and I were heartbroken. Plus, the complete turnaround of Barry Watson from Matt Camden, the good boy, to Brian, the guy who has sex with whomever he wants but can't find someone to love, has been quite interesting.

Lost

The fact that this entire season only took about two weeks in "real time" is very easy to forget. But it did. Lots of repeats and lots of hiatuses (hiatii?) led to that. But we've still had plenty of useful mysteries, and regrettably, the death of Libby won't allow us to see her story in the mental hospital. I still have three or four more episodes to watch, but I feel confident that Lost will continue to have "holy crap" moments for at least another season.

This season's grade: DDDd.
Next season's prediction: DDDd.

They need to thin the herd a bit; every time things start to get interesting, we're forced into another Charlie-still-loves-Claire story. Too many characters, too many flashback stories that don't cover the things fans really want to know, and not nearly enough Hurley. I *heart* Hurley.

Grey's Anatomy

ABC is extremely lucky to have this show. It recaptures the feeling of the early days of ER, but by having a smaller cast and fewer ancillary characters, we really manage to keep the story small enough that it's easy to care about all the characters... even Alex.

This season's grade: DDDDD.
Next season's prediction: DDDDd.

Pretty soon they'll finish their internships, and then what?

New Shows

Betty the Ugly (Fridays at 8pm, 60 mins): The problem with a show about an "ugly" girl is that, even on TV, ugly girls are pretty. Exhibit A: America Ferrera, who plays Betty. Verdict: DD. This has been done better as a TV movie. Even the "ugly" part won't save it.

Big Day (Thursdays at 8pm, 30 mins): 24, but for the wedding crowd. What's the point of having a show revolve around an event that, when it happens, will be basically the ending of the show? It's like ABC is trying to kill this show before it even makes it to November sweeps. Verdict: D. Who churns out this crap?

Brothers and Sisters (Sundays at 10pm, 60 mins): Yet another version of The Royal Tenenbaums. Of all the shows to come back to do, why would Calista Flockhart pick this one? Verdict: DD. Might have a few nice twists, but overall blah. Won't hold onto the DH lead-in.

Day Break (midseason, Wednesdays at 9pm, 60 mins): So far, this is the first new show I've looked at this season that I'm more than just "interested" in watching. I'm a big fan of interesting uses of time in TV and film, and this Groundhog Day meets Tru Calling show about a detective who lives the same day over and over while trying to clear his name seems like it'll be a winner, although I don't see how it will last more than one season. Verdict: DDDd. A better vehicle for Taye Diggs than that show he was a lawyer on. I can't even remember the name of it.

Help Me Help You (Tuesdays at 9:30pm, 30 mins): Didn't ABC try this last year? And didn't CBS try it with Becker, only where Becker was a doctor instead of a therapist? Verdict: d. I pity everyone involved in this show.

In Case of Emergency (not yet scheduled): Another pale rehash of Reunion. Not nearly as interesting-sounding as The Class. Plus we'll have to watch David Arquette. Even the Kelly Hu factor can't outweigh that. Verdict: DD. If the theme to this show is "We All Need Somebody To Lean On" I will kick my TV. But not too hard, because I can't afford a new one.

Let's Rob... (Tuesdays at 9pm, 30 mins): Let's rob Mick Jagger's apartment. We're all a bunch of doofuses. Gee, this sounds like it'll be a great program. Verdict: d. A great cast won't save this nightmarish story. And that's coming from someone who likes Donal Logue.

Men in Trees (Fridays at 9pm, 60 mins): Another yawner about a doctor who can't take her own advice and has a ridiculous name ("Marin"). Verdict: D. I'm not sure which is a sketchier prospect: this show, or the fact that Anne Heche is in it.

Notes From the Underbelly (Thursdays at 8:30pm, 30 mins): ABC has a problem with this whole "getting advice from other people" theme. This time, it's about a couple who's going to have a baby, and everyone's giving them advice. Not an attractive prospect for a show; plus, they're going to have to pay for a pair of twins or set of triplets to play the baby once it's born. Verdict: DD. Might be able to squeeze out a few laughs, but it's not the next Full House.

Set for the Rest of Your Life (midseason, Tuesdays at 8pm): A game show. A prime time game show. Just because it worked for Fox (Unanimous) doesn't mean it'll work for ABC. Interesting premise -- how much money will you get, and how long will it last -- but what's the hook? Trivia? Stunts? I'd have to know more. Verdict: DD. Trying to revive old-school game shows? Bad news.

Six Degrees (Thursdays at 10pm, 60 mins): Going into this slot, the show has a lot to live up to, but at least it's not facing off against two heavy-hitters (just ER, which is on the decline, I think). Sort of like a season-long Crash mixed with some elements of Reunion, this show is going to follow six New Yorkers (who else, really) as they gradually impact each others lives and grow closer to actually meeting. Verdict: DDD. Good premise, but again, writers are just writing for a single season now. Once they meet, what's the hook? Still, I'll watch it.

The Nine (Wednesdays at 10pm, 60 mins): A classic example of a great short-season premise gone horribly wrong. "Nine people are caught in a bank robbery gone wrong and endure a 52-hour hostage standoff that will leave more than one person dead. When all is said and done, these people will never be the same." Just how long can this continue to keep our interest? Verdict: DDd. Chi McBride will make it watchable, but even he and Kim "hatchet-face" Raver (a good actress with an odd appearance) won't save it.

Traveler (unscheduled): Just read what AOL says about it: "Jay, Tyler and Will are friends whose simple prank to rollerblade through one of New York City's most famous museums makes Jay and Tyler prime suspects in a terrorist bombing that destroys the museum seconds later. Hopeful that Will can help clear up this misunderstanding, they learn he's been missing since the explosion and think he may be dead. They're unable to turn to authorities when they realize they can't prove Will even exists." How can I improve on that? Verdict: DDD. Another single-season story that will be interesting for only one reason: will Steven Culp (Enterprise, ER, Desperate Housewives) live to see season two?

Other Survivors: Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Wife Swap, The Bachelor, Dancing With The Stars, Boston Legal, 20/20

Casualties: Commander-In-Chief, The Evidence, Freddie, Hope & Faith, In Justice, Invasion, Less Than Perfect, Miracle Workers, Sons & Daughters, Rodney'

NBC

Like ABC, NBC will foist horrible new shows upon us, a schedule with a couple of gems that will be quickly cancelled. They're really on the decline these days. Still, I'm excited about Heroes

Previous Engagements

ER

Last year -- and I can't find the post to prove it, but I know I said it -- I predicted that ER would only last half a season this coming year. And, lo and behold, ER is going on hiatus this January. This year, ER suffered from too many repeats and preemptions, and way too much political crap. The stories -- except for the Sam storylines -- were actually very good.

This season's grade: DDD.
Next season's prediction: DDd.

ER is running out of time. If it were a patient -- and you can mark my words, this analogy will be used by at least three professional TV writers in some form -- it would be sitting up in bed, trying to survive, but suffering from a malady beyond the powers of even the dream team of Debenko, House, Shepherd, and Burke. This season, I think ER will go down quietly, and no one will even notice.

Las Vegas

This show is the ultimate guilty pleasure, and I am pleased to see it return for a fourth season. Even if the stories get a little old, even if there's a little too much cheesecake from time to time, even if some of this stuff could never ever happen, LV continues to entertain with a perfect mix of talented actors and guest stars who are never overused and never allowed to steal the show. (Except Jean-Claude Van Damme, but that was a special case.) The "wedding" angle will hopefully end soon; they already pulled that one once.

This season's grade: DDDD.
Next season's prediction: DDDD.

I don't know if anyone else remembers this, but early this season, when Sarasvati (the Indian woman who runs accounting, played by the lovely Lakshmi Manchu) was receiving the new chips for the rebuilt Montecito, she had sort of a covetous look about her. I think they were laying threads for her to pull off a massive heist. But regrettably, we haven't seen it yet. Still, as a minor character she's done well for herself and I'd like to see her make the main credits in Season Four.

New Shows

20 Good Years (Wednesdays at 9pm, 30 mins): John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor as older dudes who want to live their last 20 years as their best 20 years. Do people in that age bracket even watch sitcoms? Verdict: DDd. John Lithgow just might be able to save this one.

30 Rock (Wednesdays at 9:30pm, 30 mins): Starring Tina Fey as Tina Fey, basically. NBC has two of these this year -- behind the scenes shows, that is. While people profess to be interested in this sort of thing, if NBC really wanted their money's worth they'd do a Real-World style behind-the-scenes of SNL, not pale imitations. Verdict: Dd. Blah.

Andy Barker, P.I. (not yet scheduled): And now, starring Andy Richter as Andy Richter. In real life, if your office used to belong to a PI, you set people on the right track. You don't become a PI. Verdict: D. Not going to cut it.

The Black Donnellys (Thursdays at 10pm, 60 mins, will replace ER): The Sopranos, but with Irish mobsters instead of Italians. And, again, it takes place in New York City. Verdict: DDd. Critical acclaim, general suckage. Not worthy of ER's timeslot.

Friday Night Lights (Tuesdays at 8pm, 60 mins): Just like the movie, only now it's the next season. If they retained the original writers from the film, this may actually be decent, but I don't think it has a broad enough appeal to survive. Verdict: DDD. I believe I've said everything that needs saying.

Heroes (Mondays at 9:00pm, 60 mins): Similar in tone to the "round-up" of Surface, seven ordinary people discover they have superpowers. Once they meet up, they must save the world. A good cast, including Greg Grunberg (Alias) and his excellent comic timing, but regrettably this show will probably not do so well. Verdict: DDDDd. This is my pick for "Josh Cohen's Best New Show of 2006/7". I hope it lasts longer than Surface did.

Kidnapped (Tuesdays at 9pm, 60 mins): A wealthy family's son is kidnapped. Watch it unfold. Verdict: DD. Have you watched Without a Trace? Have you watched Ransom? Have you watched Prison Break? Then why are you watching this show?

Raines (unscheduled): Jeff Goldblum stars as, basically, a cross between Alison Dubois of Medium and Melinda Gordon of The Ghost Whisperer. And, of course, Goldblum is described as "eccentric"... though I don't think I can buy him as a police detective. Verdict: DDD. This might be good. I'll watch it. Even in crappy films, Goldblum does well.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (Thursdays at 9pm, 60 mins): This isn't even worth me writing about it. Here, read what AOL has to say: "[a] crackling take on the drama behind the humor of producing a popular, late-night comedy sketch show. [Writer Aaron] Sorkin lays bare the backstage politics, romances and delicate balance between creative talent, on-air personalities and network executives in an instant text-messaging world." Verdict: DD. I don't care how good a writer Aaron Sorkin is, this show will still fail.

The Singles Table (not yet scheduled): The always-amusing John Cho leads a group of (you guessed it) witty strangers who meet when they all sit at (you guessed it) the singles table. Verdict: DDd. Probably the only one of the "wedding" shows this season that will survive to next year, but still nothing to write home about.

Sunday Night Football (Sundays at 8pm, 180 mins): If they don't bring back the old-school NFL on NBC theme, I'm gonna be pissed.

NBC will also force us to watch America's Got Talent, their foray into the world of AI-like programming.

Other Survivors: Deal or No Deal, Medium, Law & Order SVU, The Biggest Loser, Law & Order, My Name Is Earl, The Office, Law & Order CI

Casualties: Conviction, E-Ring, Four Kings, Heist, Joey, Surface, Teachers, The West Wing, Will & Grace

What's Josh Cohen Taping This Season?

Now that I have a TiVo (yes, I broke down and bought one, go ahead and laugh), we're going to be cutting back on the number of VCR tapes. Still, we're going to need to tape at least one night of television: Sundays. I'm just going to set a tape for CBS from 9pm to 12:30am and let it roll, because you know with football, shows are going to get pushed forward up to an hour, and I really don't want to miss Without a Trace in its new timeslot.

Symbol key:
* indicates I am taping the show for my wife to watch.
Italics indicate that this is one of my picks for a great new show this season.

ABC:

• Desperate Housewives (Sunday 9pm)


• What About Brian? (Monday 10pm)


• Lost (and then Day Break when Lost goes on hiatus in the fall) (Wednesday 9pm)


• Six Degrees (Wednesday 10pm)


• Grey's Anatomy (Thursday 9pm)

CBS:

• Cold Case* (Sunday 9pm)


• Without a Trace (Sunday 10pm)


• Criminal Minds (Wednesday 9pm)


• Numb3rs (Friday 10pm)

CW:

• 7th Heaven* (Monday 8pm)


• Veronica Mars (Tuesday 9pm)


• Smallville (Thursday 8pm)


• Supernatural (Thursday 9pm)

Fox:

• American Dad (Sunday 8:30pm)


• Family Guy (Sunday 9pm)


• Prison Break (Monday 8pm)


• Vanished (to be eventually replaced by 24) (Monday 9pm)


• House (Tuesday 9pm)

NBC:

• Heroes (Monday 9pm)


• Medium* (Monday 10pm)


• ER (Thursday 10pm)


• Las Vegas (Friday 9pm)

Other:

• Battlestar Galactica (SciFi, Friday 10pm)

And that'll about do it for my annual Look Ahead. Enjoy the good shows while you can, because we all know they won't last.

Josh Cohen writes one of these things every year.