If there’s any justice in this world, the Friday gambit will work.Tonight’s installment of “Life” features a nifty plot — When isn’t the plot nifty? — revolving around murder amid a support group for disenchanted lottery winners. (Only in Hollywood would someone think of putting “disenchanted” and “lottery winners” in the same sentence. As I’ve said before, money may not buy happiness. But it can sure make misery comfortable.)

As is par for the course on “Life,” the case is really a metaphor for the continuing rehabilitation of Charlie Crews (Damian Lewis), a Los Angeles detective returning to the life he used to know and will never know again after being falsely imprisoned for 12 years for the mass murder of a colleague and his family. Tonight, Charlie (seen in an NBC publicity photo with Erik Estrada, who has a cameo in the unhappy millionaires plot) makes some headway in his attempts to reconnect with the only survivor of the murder spree, the teenage Rachel (Jessy Schram), a key to the conspiracy that framed Charlie.

I’m not sure I buy the Charlie-Rachel relationship. Can he ever be an uncle to her again after so many years of estrangement and distrust? Nor am I insane about Dani Reese (Sarah Shahi), Charlie’s partner, exploring her feelings for their piggish boss, Capt. Kevin Tidwell (Donal Logue). Remember, Dani: Denial can be a good thing.

On the other hand, I find the relationship between Ted (Adam Arkin), Charlie’s former cellmate and current roommate, and Olivia (Christina Hendricks), Charlie’s soon-to-be stepmom, believable and poignant. The scene in the previous episode in which they kissed, in part so Olivia could pull out the pencil in Ted’s hand (hey, stuff happens in an earthquake) was both incredibly sad and romantic.

The quirky characters work. So do the oddball plots and the seemingly unfathomable conspiracy. And at the center of it all is Lewis’ utterly original Charlie, a brilliant, brittle creature disguised as a Zen master. There’s a telling moment at the beginning of tonight’s episode when the vinegary Rachel looks around Charlie’s empty mansion — the partial result of his successful $50-million wrongful imprisonment suit — and opines that she could do 12 years in the pen for this.

The look on Lewis’ face tells you that 1. She can’t begin to know what she’s talking about, and 2. He’s glad of that.

After “Life,” “Law & Order” returns for its 19th season with a particularly strong episode ripped, as usual from the headlines. This one teams the current economic crisis with the ghost of 9/11 and the movie “Fight Club” in a case involving the murder of a stockbroker who likes a good street brawl. Prosecuting the case proves particularly frustrating, leading District Attorney Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) to try a controversial approach that puts him at loggerheads with Det. Cyrus Lupo (Jeremy Sisto) and Assistant District attorney Michael Cutter (Linus Roache).

As usual, the narratives are spot-on, and the cast is seamless, with Roache a standout as the ambitious prosecutor able to pursue a tack he doesn’t believe in — to a point.

He and Lewis are fellow Brits finding “House”-ian fulfillment on this side of the Pond. They’re doing the mother country proud.

On the one hand, Baker should’ve become a big star with his previous Eye Network outing, “The Guardian.” And he’s been an attractive presence in movies good (the delicious race-reversal comedy “Something New”) and bad (the ultra-violent, beyond-awful, post-Civil War study “Ride With the Devil,” a rare misstep by Ang Lee). So I’m glad Baker has gotten his due.

On the other hand, “The Mentalist,” which airs at 9 p.m. Tuesdays, is lightweight fare at best, particularly when compared to the dramatic complexity of “The Guardian.” In “The Guardian,” Baker starred as self-centered, coke-addicted corporate lawyer Nick Fallin, whose community-service sentence took the form of child advocacy. Baker played him with an admirable lack of sentimentality. You understood that Nick was an immature, selfless jerk. But you also realized that the single-minded drive that made Nick such a disaster in his minimalist private life was precisely what made him a successful attorney, and that he was willing to use that gift in service of the children who were now his clients. In one particularly riveting episode, Nick was assigned to a girl who had been abused by her father. Nick was able to extricate her from that relationship by making the father’s life a legal hell.

By the end of the episode, the father thought of Nick as the devil incarnate. Viewers were inclined to agree.

Of course, the psychic and physical damage suffered by Nick’s tiny charges was a mirror of his own. Here Baker played beautifully off of Dabney Coleman as Burton Fallin, Nick’s disapproving daddy and head of the firm where Nick served as a scheming associate. Burton was as gruff, distant and misunderstood a father figure as you were likely to see on TV. (He was also another unsympathetic Coleman character who proved unpopular. See “Buffalo Bill”.)

Perhaps it was the realism of the performances — or of the complicated father-son relationship at its heart — but “The Guardian” never got the ratings or the kudos it deserved.

In “The Mentalist,” Baker is back at his stock-in-trade — the rapscallion in need of redemption. His Patrick Jane is a charlatan psychic whose charade has cost him and his loved ones dearly. But while this could’ve pushed him to the brink in a “House”ian manner, “The Mentalist” keeps things light in what is basically yet another police procedural. It doesn’t help that Robin Tunney, as the agent assigned to mind Baker’s idiosyncratic crime consultant, is playing mommy to his bad boy.

But such is karma that what you send out in the world comes back to you. Baker has the talent, charm and looks of a leading man. And so, “The Mentalist.”

Let’s hope some good karma befalls NBC’s “Life,” which I understand isn’t doing too well at 10 p.m. Fridays and is moving to 9 p.m. Wednesdays, where it will serve as the lead-in to the returning “Law and Order” (Nov. 5).  If ever a show and a star deserve to be a hit, it is this series and this star, Damian Lewis.

The British actor should’ve become a household name after terrific performances in  HBO’s “Band of Brothers” and PBS’ “The Forsyte Saga.” As Charlie Crews — a wrongly imprisoned, brutalized cop who returns to the life he once knew and that will never be the same again — Lewis is quirky, funny, maddening, heartbreaking and always devastating.

Like “The Mentalist,” “Life” is also about the unbearable lightness of being. But “Life” knows how to balance light and shadow. Essentially, it’s a question of tone.

“Life” strikes just the right one.

First, and most important, NBC announced Thursday that “Chuck” will be picked up for a full second season! (Thanks to fellow Accessory Brian Howard for the tip.) Here’s what Teri Weinberg, an executive veep for NBC Entertainment, had to say about the pick-up:

“We couldn’t be more excited with the creative direction Josh (Schwartz) and his team are executing on ‘Chuck.’ This show has really hit its stride and deserves a full-season commitment to carry out the producers’ vision for this unique series.”

Speaking of Awesome casting, Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Ausiello (does that guy ever sleep?) reported Tuesday that Morgan Fairchild and Bruce “Scarecrow” Boxleitner have been cast as Dr. Honey Woodcombe and Dr. Woody Woodcombe, the parents of Ryan McPartlin’s Captain Awesome. And Ausiello reports that transplanted fans of prime-time spy shows will recognize Carl Lumbly (who played Marcus Dixon on “Alias”) playing a “sensei” to NSA agent John Casey (the ridiculously amazing Adam Baldwin).

Mel at the mind-blowing ChuckTV.net (seriously, check it out; you’ll get lost for hours) discovered that the Season 2 premiere will have advance showings in New York City and Los Angeles. The NYC version on Sept. 11 will also feature the opening episodes of “Life” and “Lipstick Jungle,” as well as a preview of “Kings,” starring “Deadwood” superstar Ian McShane and a bunch of other people. The L.A. premiere, however, boasts the “Chuck” cast on Sept. 8. Dang.

Last but not least, some eye candy for you loyal readers. NBC Universal’s released some more photos from the upcoming season, including a bunch from the intriguingly titled season premiere, “Chuck vs. The First Date,” featuring the Oscar-nominated Michael Clarke Duncan. Lots of jaw-dropping photos of the stunning Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah Walker) and one of Adam Baldwin, who may or may not be driving a vintage Crown Vic. You’re welcome!

(Photos by Trae Patton/Courtesy of NBC Universal)

Zachary Levi, who deftly plays the dramedy’s charmingly nerdy title character, will be hosting NBC’s prime-time preview special across the network’s broadcast and online platforms from Aug. 30 to Sept. 28. And in this blogger’s humble opinion, there couldn’t be a better choice.

With the proliferation of the Internet, cable networks and other entertainment sources in recent years, it’s no secret that networks these days have a short leash for new series that struggle to find large audiences. (See ABC’s “Emily’s Reasons Why Not”... because no one else did! Hiyo!) Back when “Seinfeld” struggled to find an audience for The Peacock, networks could exhibit more patience in the hope that word of mouth would not only keep a show afloat but, in time, deliver a ratings champion. But it’s no longer the ‘90s, and networks that fail to land quick hits often pull the plug, leaving audiences disappointed by premature cancellation and more wary than ever to dedicate the time to newer series.

Which brings us back to Levi, “Chuck,” the preview special and NBC’s classy gamble. In having Levi host the show, it’s essentially dedicating a half-hour of subliminal advertising to “Chuck,” which was on the bubble as far as second-season pickups were concerned. For its fall preview special a few years ago, NBC showed similar faith in handing over hosting duties to the stars of another show on the ropes: “The Office,” which since has become a critical darling and modest success in the Nielsens. Here’s hoping “Chuck” receives the same boost.

Of course, “The NBC Primetime Preview” will do more than offer “an exclusive backstage look” at new series like “My Own Worst Enemy” (starring Christian Slater), “Kath & Kim” (Molly Shannon and Selma Blair) and “Crusoe” (Philip Winchester and Sam Neill). It’ll also show off some teasers for returning series (“The Office,” “30 Rock,” “Heroes,” “Life,” et al.).

The special’s being offered to all of NBC’s broadcast and Internet affiliates and will even be shown on “selected United Airlines flights.” Chuck’s flown a helicopter, after all, so I suppose that works.

NBC’s premiere week officially kicks off Sept. 22.

(Photo courtesy of NBC.com.)

30 Rock doesn’t return until Oct. 30, more than a month later, to make room for prime-time, election-editions of Saturday Night Live on Oct. 9, 16 and 23.

Other highlights include Heroes’s three-hour premiere (which includes an hour-long compilation show) Sept. 22, the Oct. 9 debut of Kath & Kim (9:30 p.m. ET) and the relaunch of Knight Rider Sept. 24 (8 p.m. ET). Entertainment chief Ben Silverman unveiled the lineup today.

Chuck returns (Thankfully!) Sept. 29 (8 p.m. ET) and leads into Christian Slater’s new show, My Own Worst Enemy 10 p.m. ET).

Kath & Kim,” starring Molly Shannon and Selma Blair, replaces Scrubs —which jumped to ABC—on Thursdays. Reality hit The Biggest Loser launches with a two-hour Families edition, filling the America’s Got Talent slot on Tuesdays.

America’s Toughest Jobs jumps its Summer 2009 scheduled debut with a two-hour episode on Sept. 12 (8 p.m. ET). Check local listings. Its schedule is zany. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (10 p.m. ET) starts its 10th season Sept. 23.

Knight Rider leads the Wednesdays lineup, followed by Lipstick Jungle. Unfortunately, Deal or No Deal returns eventually as well.

The Thursday night lineup starts, as usual with My Name Is Earl, premiering Sept. 25, at 8 p.m. ET. The Office follows at 9 p.m. ET. ER, oddly, isn’t dead yet but soon. Its 15th and final season starts Sept. 25 at 10 p.m. ET. Kath & Kim, starring Molly Shannon and Selma Blair slots in at 9:30 p.m. ET, right after 30 Rock.

Life is back, which is just wrong since Journeyman is the show they should have saved, on Friday, Oct. 3 (10 p.m. ET). Crusoe debuts Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. ET.

Premiere Schedule

Sept. 22
Heroes 8 p.m.

Sept. 23
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 10 p.m.

Sept. 24
Knight Rider
Lipstick Jungle 10 p.m.

Sept 25
My Name Is Earl – 8 p.m.
The Office – 9 p.m.
ER – 10-11 p.m.

Sept. 29
Chuck – 8 p.m.
My Own Worst Enemy – 10 p.m.

Oct. 3
Life – 10 p.m.

Oct. 9
Kath & Kim – 9:30.

Oct. 17
Crusoe – 8 p.m.

Oct. 30
30 Rock

New Series Descriptions:

Knight Rider—On the heels of NBC’s hit movie, the iconic 1980s television classic comes roaring back to life as a reinvented, updated and super-charged action series showcasing the new KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand). Absolutely the coolest car ever created, KITT is equipped with “AI” (artificial intelligence) that is capable of hacking almost any system. Its weapons systems matches that of a jet fighter, and its body is capable of actually transforming into other vehicles and uses sophisticated holographic imagery to elude villains. “Knight Rider” stars Justin Bruening, Deanna Russo, Sydney Tamiia Poitier and Bruce Davison. David Bartis, Doug Liman and Gary Scott Thompson are executive producers.

Crusoe—An epic and ambitious take on Daniel Defoe’s legendary tale that finds the dashing and resourceful Crusoe after many years of being a castaway on a desert island with his companion Friday. Written by Stephen Gallagher and directed by Duane Clark, Crusoe follows the adventures of the two island dwellers while looking in flashback at Crusoe’s life before he was thrown into an isolated existence filled with danger and adventure. Among those are his tragic childhood with widower father James (Sean Bean), the blossoming relationship with the love of his life, Susannah (Anna Walton) and his entrepreneurial aspirations under the watchful eye of family friend, Jeremiah Blackthorn (Sam Neill). Overcoming marauding militias, hungry cannibals, wild cats, starvation and apocalyptic lightning storms on his seemingly idyllic island, Crusoe dreams of the day he will be reunited with his beloved family.

Kath & Kim—They’re the most dysfunctional duo in suburbia. Kath Day (Molly Shannon) is the mom, a foxy, 40-something divorcée who finally has time for herself and her valiant search for love. Kim Day (Selma Blair) is the daughter, a self-absorbed princess recently separated from her husband who finds consolation in stuffing her face. When Kim decides to move back home, Kath reluctantly agrees—but to Kim’s chagrin, Kath is not about to cater to her every whim as she has in the past. Based on the most successful comedy in Australia of the same name, Kath and Kim are two brassy women who prefer the finer things in life like acrylic nails, big hair and faux diamond chips.

America’s Toughest Jobs—A new extreme competition series that will test 12 people who venture out of their safe, comfortable careers and are injected into some of the most challenging, dangerous and demanding jobs on earth. From logging high in the Oregon Forest to oil drilling on the Texas range, or from driving icy roads to extreme fishing—each job requires guts and stamina, and they’ll have to live up to the same standards as the pros. In the end, their new boss and co-workers will determine success or failure, and those who don’t make the grade get sent home. Upping the ante, the annual salary of each job will be thrown into the pot until the finale, where one rookie will take home the well-earned cash.

But fans of the drama — which returns this fall in the 10 p.m. Friday time slot, where it has the potential to become the Peacock Network’s “House” — have to ask themselves, What kind of life is it?

As we commemorate Human Rights’ Day, we’re regularly confronted on the news with real-life Charlies — men, and women, who’ve serious time for serious crimes they didn’t commit and who were finally exonerated thanks to the new forensics technology. (My favorite recently was Cynthia Sommer, who was convicted of poisoning her Marine hubby, basically because she slept around and got a boob job with the insurance money after he was gone. The case is known on the Web as the Boob Job Murder. Hey, just because you act like a hussy doesn’t make you a killer.)

I don’t have to tell you that few of the exonerated get the sweetheart deal Charlie did — a $50 million settlement from the Los Angeles Police Department, where he was a uniformed officer, plus his job back with an upgrade to detective, and all that $50 million can buy — the mansion, the orange grove, the parade of cool, soon-to-be-discarded cars and cool, equally disposable girlfriends. Then there’s the also-beautiful, also-damaged partner; the sympathetic roomie; the eager stepmom-to-be; the tough but fair-minded boss; the guilt-ridden ex-partner. Sounds like a solid support system, right? This is, after all, TV.

But the truth is Charlie lost the life he knew— the lovely wife he had, the children he might’ve. Indeed, he is not the man he used to be, no man could be after being so brutalized.

So he’s lost himself, or at least the self he was before prison, and one thing more: He’s lost time, 12 years. The question then becomes, How much money could possibly make up for that? Fifty mill is both too little and too much.

It seems to me that from a practical standpoint, the state owes the exonerated some sort of substantial compensation, since these people, through no fault of their own, will probably have trouble returning to the work force. In this, there might be the kind of sliding scale that insurance companies establish for accidents — so much for so many years.

But money can never compensate for the gaping holes in the exonerated’s biography — the relationships altered; the weddings, funerals and graduations missed. And that sense of the unbridgeable leads understandably to bitterness and anger. The irony of “Life” is that the Charlie Crews who emerges from prison really is capable of committing murder. He’s filled with rage at what was done to him and all his Zen-spouting, fruit-chomping and bimbo-chasing is just a way to beat down the beast within.

In such a state, platitudes about forgiveness are meaningless, and yet, genuine forgiveness is precisely what the Charlies of the world need, because it’s the only thing that’s going to set them free.

It would help if the state asked forgiveness of those it has wronged. But more important, the wronged must forgive the state. At the end of this strike-shortened season, Charlie was moving in that direction when he asked the wife who abandoned him in prison nonetheless to forgive him. He recognized that they were both very young when they married, and that she did not have his strength for adversity.

“You’re never going to be like anyone else,” Charlie tells a victim of sexual abuse in another episode.

As Charlie knows, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a life.

Photo courtesy of NBC.

We at Remote Access decided to join in, writing about topics that relate to some of the shows we watch and write about.

First off, at 12:30 p.m., Brian Howard uses The Office as a springboard to talk about the inherent right people have to work and earn a living to support their families.

At 3 p.m., Georgette Gouveia discusses Life and what society owes the wrongly imprisoned.

Finally, at 5 p.m., Amy Vernon addresses 24 and the issue of torture. Just because it works for Jack Bauer, does that make it right?

We’ll update this post as the day goes on to hyperlink to each of the aforementioned posts.

Please feel free to join in the discussion throughout the day.

Monday, “House” returns with first-run episodes. No need to worry about tube amnesia here. Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) is always bedeviling his assistants, looking down Dr. Cuddy’s blouse even as he considers how to outmaneuver her, putting upon the put-upon Dr. Wilson and diagnosing lupus. Thank goodness for misanthropic consistency.

Now if we could only get “Life” back on NBC (alas, not till the fall). I also have my fingers crossed for the autumnal return of “New Amsterdam,” although I’m not loving the way our hero, John Amsterdam (the estimable Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) fell into and out of bed with his beloved.

More sexual tension, less sex, please.

NBC also recently announced it had picked up the American series adaptation of the popular Australian comedy, Kath & Kim. The American version would star Molly Shannon as Kath, “a cheerful, forty-something divorcee,” and Selma Blair as Kim, “her self-absorbed daughter.”

Speaking of, NBC and CBS also announced when several other shows would come back.

First, NBC.

• Medium (Mondays, 10-11 p.m. ET) — Continues current run

• My Name Is Earl (Thursdays, 8-8:30 p.m. ET) — Resumes April 3 with one-hour episode

• 30 Rock (Thursdays, 8:30-9 p.m. ET) — Resumes April 10

• The Office (Thursdays, 9-9:30 p.m. ET) — Resumes April 10

• Scrubs (Thursdays, 9:30-10 p.m. ET) — Resumes April 10

• ER (Thursdays, 10-11 p.m. ET) — Resumes April 10

• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Tuesdays, 10-11 p.m. ET) — Resumes April 15

• Law & Order (Wednesdays, 10-11 p.m. ET) — Resumes April 23

Then, CBS also had some announcements:

• How I Met Your Mother, returns March 17, 9 new episodes expected

• The Big Bang Theory, March 17, 9 new episodes
• Two and a Half Men, March 17, 9 new episodes

• CSI: Miami, March 24, 8 new episodes

• Cold Case, March 30, 5 new episodes

• Criminal Minds, April 2, 7 new episodes

• CSI: New York, April 2, 7 new episodes

• CSI, April 3, 6 new episodes

• Without a Trace, April 3, 6 new episodes

• Ghost Whisperer, April 4, 6 new episodes

• Numb3rs, April 4, 6 new episodes

• NCIS, April 8, 7 new episodes

• Moonlight, April 11, 4 new episodes

• Rules of Engagement, April 14, 6 new episodes

• Shark, TBA, 4 new episodes

CBS pointed out that The Unit, Cane and Shark are on hiatus to accommodate the midseason Big Brother, Jericho and Dexter runs. And Swingtown still hasn’t been scheduled, but will resume production.

Other new episode tidbits out there:

Check out TVGuide’s post-strike chart. And Ausiello had some good news for me: Reaper is expected to shoot 5 or 6 additional episodes to air in April or May. And Supernatural is definitely getting new episodes, too.

When I was a child, the nuns used to tell us that all evil had its roots in selfishness, which I suppose is a good general way of looking at it. But I think in modern times, evil specifically is the disproportionate rage at rejection.

Read between the lines of TV’s recent sad coverage of the shooters at the Omaha mall and Virginia Tech, then go back and look at the biographies of everyone from Adolf Hitler to Lee Harvey Oswald — who haunts a Jan. 14 exploration of John F. Kennedy’s assassination on PBS’ “American Experience” —to Osama bin Laden even, and you’ll see a pattern emerge. These men experienced some kind of rebuff in life — failure to get into a chosen profession, dismissal by a girlfriend, coldness on the part of the father or a daddy figure — and instead of chalking that up to life experience, they chose to visit a world of hurt on others, turning disappointment into devastation.

This has always been a great theme in the arts, and I’m sure someday some clever college professor is going to create a whole course on “the literature of rejection,” including Achilles in Homer’s “The Iliad”; Iago in Shakespeare’s “Othello”; Lucifer in Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” the pathetic monster in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and Heathcliff in Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights,” to name a few.

To these we can add Det. Charlie Crews on NBC’s “Life,” who on the last first-run episode of the year (the series returns in January) came dangerously close to going over the edge in his quest to right the brutal wrong that was done to him. Indeed, part of what kept you transfixed for the hour — I could barely breathe, let alone move — was watching star Damian Lewis and the writers (ah, writers!) dance on that ledge. When Charlie went after Kyle Hollis — the man who actually committed the murders for which he was sent to prison — you feared that Charlie might exact his pound of flesh by burying him alive. The level of ice-cold threat in Lewis’ performance was so riveting at the point that it was like watching in horror as someone you loved revealed a monstrous side you had never seen before. In that moment, I almost found Charlie hateful.

Of course, it all turned out to be a ruse on Charlie’s part to extract a confession from Hollis — a confession that in reality would be inadmissible in court since it was coerced. (Therefore, the other cops clapping for Charlie as the worked-over Hollis was brought into the police station seemed more than a little unrealistic.)

As fascinating as the whole episode was, with some great images — Charlie throwing the Zen tape out the window before his single-minded pursuit of Hollis; the snake with the gun inside it; Charlie cradling the long-lost Rachel (you knew it was her!) “Pietà”-style; Charlie in the car, upside-down after the accident, taking a cool-eyed shot at some bad guys — the single most important scene was the one in which Charlie met with his ex-wife and asked for her forgiveness.

In a way, it was an odd moment: She abandoned him, not vice versa. She loved him but not enough.

But forgiveness is not about the person who’s being forgiven. It’s about the person extending the forgiveness. At that moment, with Hollis in the trunk of his car, Charlie thought he might do something that would send him back to the slammer and so, decided to get right with the ex at least.

It turned out to be a step in the right direction. Another was retrieving the Zen tape from the highway. Charlie has a long road ahead. But when I think of him, I think of those lines from William Wordsworth’s “Imitations of Immortality”:

“Shades of the prison-house begin to close

“Upon the growing Boy,

“But He beholds the light, and whence it flows,

“He sees it in his joy.”

Last night’s tremendous installment — which featured all kinds of creepy, controlling daddy figures — began with the story of a murdered teenage girl and ended with a teenage boy, called Nate, who befriended her. Turns out he had been kidnapped years ago by a guy who was obviously a pedophile and who kept his “son” a psychological prisoner. This, of course, immediately spoke to Charlie (Damian Lewis), who knows that the bars people place on their souls can be as powerful as the ones they put on cells. And it led to an understated but no-less-haunting finale, in which Charlie — hinting at the sexual abuse he undoubtedly endured in prison — reached out to the boy, suggesting by his very presence that while Nate would always be an individual set apart because of his traumatic experience, there was nonetheless a way through it.

I’m of two minds about “Life’s” treatment of the prison rape Charlie must’ve endured. (I say must’ve, because I don’t think it would be possible for such a man — a good-looking cop — not to be assaulted in prison, even if he were ultimately placed in solitary confinement. As one of the characters in Spike Lee’s disturbing “25th Hour” says of the handsome drug dealer brilliantly embodied by Edward Norton, he doesn’t have the face for prison.) On the one hand, I think “Life” should acknowledge the 800-pound-gorilla in the room and address the issue psychologically. On the other hand, with all the exploitative sex and violence on the tube, the series’ restraint and ironic distance might be the best approach.)

In any event, scenes like last night’s closer have clearly given NBC the confidence to order a full complement of episodes of “Life” for this season and to begin to showcase the program with a two-parter airing at 10 p.m. Monday and Wednesday (on Channel 4 locally). This does not, however, bode well for “Journeyman,” which currently occupies the 10 p.m. Monday time slot and has not received the same vote of confidence from the Peacock Network. While I like “Journeyman” and think it’s getting stronger, it’s not as compelling as “Life” and may wind up losing its time slot to the better show. Survival of the fittest. Such is life.

Now a word about Damian Lewis’ performance as Charlie, which looks all the more remarkable when you have the pleasure of contrasting it — as I did over Thanksgiving weekend — with his turn as Soames Forsyte on WNET-Channel 13’s marathon airing of “The Forsyte Saga,” part II.

Soames Forsyte — the constricted, possessive scion of a wealthy British family at the dawn of the 20th century — would so hate the free-wheeling Charlie Crews, even though they have more in common than meets the eye. (Watch Charlie interrogate a suspect. Like Soames, he has a killer instinct.)

Soames’ dark secret — the thing he can scarcely bring himself to discuss, he’s so ashamed — lies with the cruelty he visited on the wife who betrayed him. Yet such is the genius of Lewis’ performance that he makes the sometimes villainous Soames totally intelligible. Indeed, it’s worth watching the entire series on DVD to revel in the stiff way Lewis’ Soames comports himself — speech clipped, shoulders hunched, arms close to the body.

His Charlie has a whole different verbal and kinetic rhythm — looser but still edgy. Like an Olivier, Lewis can create a character from the outside in. But like a good Method actor, he can also express the internal, as in that scene with that lost boy, in which he says and does little and yet conveys so much compassion.

Anyway, here are the TV nominations:

Favorite sci-fi show: Battlestar Galactica, Dr. Who, Stargate Atlantis (my choice: BSG)

Favorite new TV comedy: Aliens in America, Back to You, The Big Bang Theory, Carpoolers, Cavemen, Chuck, Reaper, Samatha Who? (my choice: Reaper)

Favorite TV comedy: The King of Queens, My Name is Earl, Two and a Half Men (my choice: this is a choice?)

Favorite animated comedy: Family Guy, King of the Hill, The Simpsons (my choice: The Simpsons)

Favorite game show: Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?, Deal or No Deal, Jeopardy! (my choice: Deal or No Deal)

Favorite competition/reality show: American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Extreme Makeover: Home edition (my choice: I don’t watch any, but I vote for Idol as a proxy for Chris)

Favorite scene-stealing star: Richard Belzer, Law & Order: SVU; Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother; Chandra Wilson, Grey’s Anatomy (my choice: I don’t watch any of these, but I always loved Belzer in Homicide)

Favorite male TV star: Patrick Dempsey, Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland (my choice: Duh. If you can’t guess, you’ve never read any of my posts)

Favorite female TV star: Sally Field, Katherine Heigl, Jennifer Love Hewitt (my choice: Sally Field)

Favorite new TV drama: Big Shots, Bionic Woman, Cane, Dirty Sexy Money, Gossip Girl, Journeyman, K-Ville, Life, Life Is Wild, Moonlight, Private Practice, Pushing Daisies, Women’s Murder Club (my choice: Pushing Daisies)

Favorite talk show host: Ellen DeGeneres, Jay Leno, Oprah Winfrey (my choice: no Jon Stewart?)

Favorite TV drama: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, House, Law & Order: SVU (my choice: Don’t watch any of these, but I vote for House, as a proxy for Georgette)

NBC’s “Life” (10 p.m. Wednesdays, Channel 4 locally) is finally getting some of the buzz it deserves, with promos on the peacock net’s “Football Night in America” and a spot at No. 10 on Entertainment Weekly’s “The Must List” this week.

Wednesday night’s episode, titled “Farthingale,” should further justify that attention and solidify fans’ adoration. The terrific script — about the bizarre murder of a government agent who both is and isn’t what he appears to be — makes use of word reversals in sentences in a way that recalls the King James Bible, of all things. The episode also keeps all the major characters in play, even Constance (Brooke Langton), who’s back from the right coast with revelations for Charlie (Damian Lewis). Indeed, everyone has something to reveal and something to hide in an episode about the divided self. Meanwhile, the overall conspiracy thickens as the lead detective in the investigation that sent Charlie to prison is murdered, and Charlie becomes suspect numero uno — again.

A couple of things to think about as you watch this episode: The blogs at the show’s official site have begun floating the idea that Dani (Sarah Shahi) may be the long-lost Rachel. “Farthingale” should fuel that speculation.

Secondly, Who is the voice on the Zen tapes Charlie keeps listening to, the ones that tell us we’re not alone, that everything is connected, a major theme Wednesday? The voice has a British accent.

Could it be the voice of Lewis — a Brit actor, after all — speaking to his American alter ego?
Talk about a split personality.

Well, perhaps we’ll get an early rerun of last Friday’s honey of an episode, in which private eye/vamp Mick St. John (Alex O’Loughlin) gets a call from vamp pal Josef (Jason Dohring) — more like a tap on the old cryogenic coffin — to nab a 500-year-old bloodsucker named Lola, who once took Josef for a million bucks. Of course, it’s more complicated than that: Lola’s dealing in a drug made of vampire blood and silver that renders both the living and the undead permanently gone. In small doses, it’s also something of an aphrodisiac, transforming Beth Turner (Sophia Myles) — our otherwise stalwart Lois Lane, who has a long history with Mick — into something of a vixen.

If you saw the haunting preceding episode, in which Beth had to let him feed on her, then you know last Friday’s romantic encounter was inevitable, complete with an erotic, fully clothed shower scene that had a tempted Mick nonetheless struggling to bring Beth and himself back to reality. (Fully clothed shower scenes are big this year, and with good reason. In a recent “Life,” Det. Charlie Crews had to use the same technique to rid Det. Danni Reese, a recovering drug addict, of the cocaine that exploded on her in a bust gone bad. The scene was just as effective and sexy.)

What made last week’s episode of “Moonlight” really work, though, was the sad restraint that O’Loughlin, an Aussie import, now brings to the part of Mick. He wants Beth, but he can never have her. True, we’ve seen that delicious, poignant tension before — “Buffy,” anyone? Still, it works.

That, plus the show has added a taste of the edgy club scene you got on “Buffy” and “Angel.” I’m also enjoying the supporting performances. The Powers That Be could’ve made Josef an older, louche vamp. That he’s a fresh-faced preppy type is a nice ironic touch. It’s the kind of thing Anne Rice would’ve done.

And I can’t say enough about Myles’ Beth. The talented British actress is — and I mean this in the best possible way — a witchy beauty whose features and figure are just irregular enough to make her believable as a Web reporter. When she went to Mick’s apartment after giving him some of her blood and just leaned on the outside door — as if feeling his heartbeat — well, it was a heartbreaking moment.

I’m counting on reruns like this to feed us through the strike.

Surfing the nets this week got me thinking about a variety of subjects. For one, I’m wondering if Det. Dani Reese could possibly be the missing Rachel on NBC’s “Life”? Consider this: She’s about the right age and coloring, and she’s got enough personal demons to make it plausible that she endured some trauma as a child (like surviving the psychopathic murder of her entire family). Of course, she would be deliberately hiding her identity from her partner, Det. Charlie Crews. But still, there could be an explanation for doing so. I’d love to hear from fellow “Lifers” on this.

Still on “Life,” how come everybody on TV seems to have some variation on the name Charles this season? There’s Charlie on “Life” and on CBS’ “Two and a Half Men,” who’s played by a real-life Charlie (Sheen). Then there’s Chuck on ABC’s “Pushing Daisies,” Fox’s “Back to You” and, of course, NBC’s “Chuck.”

“Charles,” from the Old German meaning “free man,” is a chilly, formal name. “Chuck” and “Charlie” have a friendly sound. That must be it.

TV’s Charlies certainly live in fabulous abodes, “Two and a Half Men’s” Charlie in a Malibu beach-house (Does he know Barbie?), while “Life’s” Crews dwells in the quintessential Los Angeles house. Is this the season we go from “House” to houses? Dan’s Victorian on “Journeyman” is to die for, leaky ceilings and all, while the jewel-colored, Cuban-style manse on CBS’ “Cane” is virtually the only reason to tune in the show. (Honestly, if “Cane” is hoping to be the 21st-century’s “Dallas” or “Dynasty,” it’s going to have to get down and dirty and unleash Polly Walker.)

There’s also some nice real estate on CBS’ musical dramedy “Viva Laughlin,” which is otherwise unspeakable. Someone should foreclose on this one.

By far, however, the most entertainment on the tube this week was provided not by a network drama or comedy but by the news divisions reporting on China’s women trouble. Back in 1980, the government instituted a one-child policy, which led many couples to favor boy babies over girls, since sons take care of the parents in old age. Apparently, it never occurred to anyone that this would lead to a scarcity of marriageable women, who would then gain the upper hand in, oh, say, 2007. Duh.

Well, those chickadees have now come home to roost, and anxious young Chinese men are vowing to win the persnickety ladies’ hearts by earning a lot of money and buying big houses. (Gee, like on “Life”? Forget the shacks, guys. Try acquiring some of Damian Lewis’ charisma.)

“Life” may be good, but real life remains unparalleled in its irony.

Additional scripts have been ordered for five new fall series, according to The Hollywood Reporter—Bionic Woman, Life, Journeyman and Chuck, on NBC and Cane on CBS.

This is a big deal because of the looming writer’s strike, which is set to start Nov. 1 if everything falls apart in negotiations.

THR says most of the series involved already have the scripts for their initial 13-episodes order—if not completed, then close to it—and this’ll help get them through, I guess, the end of the year. Or, at least until everything pretty much goes on hiatus for the winter season and the 40-year-old Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Frosty the Snowman, A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and their brethren grace the small screen for a few weeks until after New Year’s.

The NBC shows got three additional scripts and Cane got four.

An order for additional scripts is cheaper than an episodic order, and it keeps the writers working. If the network follows them with a full-season pickup, with the teleplays already in place, the shows can resume production almost immediately with shorter hiatuses for the cast and the crew. Only one new series this season, CW’s “Gossip Girl,” has been given a full-season pickup so far.

Still, the critical eye is never entirely absent. I found many of my first impressions unchanged. I was tickled by “Chuck” the second and third time around —you have to love a guy who’s willing to do “the girl part” in the tango —and wished, yet again, that I could say the same for “Moonlight” and “Journeyman.” (Although you’ll notice that the writers on “Journeyman” are making an effort to explain Dan’s ability to time-travel and to distinguish between past and present with flashes of white light. I still say the show’s success will hinge on the triangle with lost love Livia and beloved wife Katie.)

Some shows, however, improve greatly upon acquaintance. Such is NBC’s “Life” (10 p.m. Wednesdays, Channel 4 locally), which I originally liked for star Damian Lewis’ sake, but which now has me hook, line and sinker.

I love the way exec producers Rand Ravich, Far Shariat, Dan Sackheim and David Semel manage to satisfy two often diametrically opposed audiences. For those who can’t stand continuing story lines, there are cases that are solved each week in the self-contained episodes. But for those who don’t mind being “Lost” in an over-arcing plot, there is the larger issue, unspooled documentary-style, of who framed Det. Charlie Crews (Lewis) for the grisly murder of a family that sent him to the slammer for 12 brutal years. (Clues are embedded in each episode and at nbc.com.)

Crews, we’re told, has emerged from the joint a changed man, and part of my newfound fascination with the show is how this plays with gender expectations. Pre-prison, Crews was a by-the-book cop looking to put in 20 years for a pension. Post-prison, he staves off the dark night of the soul — or does he? —by scarfing down fruit, plumbing philosophy, marveling at the brave new techological world he missed inside and expressing his feelings to his partner, Det. Dani Reese (Sarah Shahi), a recovering addict who’s not into sharing.

If Crews is a feminized male, Reese exemplifies that hot new trend, “the fembot” — a woman who lives her life like a man supposedly does, no strings attached. (We know this is a trend, because the “Today” show recently told us so, using the annoyed and annoying Sandra Oh character on “Grey’s Anatomy” as an example.)

Shahi’s Reese is a more appealing presence. But I do worry about her and the other women on “Life,” who are either tough careerists like Reese and Crews’ boss (the terrifically irritating Robin Weigert) or eye candy helping Crews “meditate” in the mansion he bought with a portion of his $50-million settlement against the police department.

Isn’t it possible that a woman can be devoted to her career and the trappings of traditional femininity? Crews’ lawyer, Constance Griffiths (Brooke Langton), suggests a middle way — which, as Crews would tell you, is a very Zen thing. She’s successful, persistent, attractive and sympathetic, although a tad too eager to bond with her troubled client. (Must a woman always be yearning for a man?)

As that troubled client, Lewis grows in subtlety each week. His pauses contain real reflection, and his quirks are becoming more integrated. (Speaking of quirks, Adam Arkin is wondrous as his idiosyncratic sidekick.)

What’s heartening about Lewis’ performance is that he keeps you guessing: What will he do when he unravels the conspiracy surrounding his wrongful imprisonment?

Clearly, his Crews is not guilty. But he’s also far from innocent.

Bionic Woman lost in total ratings to the Grey’s Anatomy spinoff Private Practice, but in the key “demo” (adults 18-49), defeated Addison & Co., so it’s pretty much a wash. But ABC won the night (just barely, by a 10th of a ratings point!) in part because of a THIRD CONSECUTIVE NIGHT of Dancing With the Stars. What? How many freakin’ nights can this show air?

Anyway, here’s how all the new shows fared last night:
• Bionic Woman, 13.6 million
• Private Practice, 14.2 million
• Criminal Minds, 12.7 million
• CSI: NY, 12.7 million
• Dirty Sexy Money, 10.4 million
• Life, 10.1 million
Other items of interest:
• Though it had fewer overall viewers, Life “won in the demo” over both Dirty Sexy Money and Criminal Minds
• CSI: NY, dropped 26% from last year’s demo ratings.
• Bionic “grew exponentially” from its lead-in (Deal or No Deal) “and added nearly a half-rating point in the demo in the second half-hour.”
• Kitchen Nightmares dropped 1.2 million viewers to 5.4 million
• Criminal Minds was down 22% from last year’s “demo” in the premiere
• Kid Nation dropped 1.8 mil to 7.6 million viewers from last week’s premiere; Deal or No Deal and Back to You had more viewers, tho Back to You dropped 2 million from its premiere.
• Gossip Girl had a steep drop in “the demo,” snagging 2.5 million viewers

Wait, that didn’t quite come out right. There are, of course, women like Dr. Cameron who hope to save the misanthropic Dr. Houses of the world and in so doing, save themselves. More likely, audiences are attracted to brittle characters whose wounds — like that of the legendary Fisher King —fascinate because they cannot be healed.

Damian Lewis’ Charlie Crews — who makes his first bid for our sympathies at 10 tonight in NBC’s new drama “Life” — is the latest candidate for a latter-day Fisher King.

Like that shattered figure — as well as Dr. House over on Fox — police Det. Crews has terrible physical wounds that hint at larger psychic ones. We are told, more than once, that many of his bones were broken en route to his surviving 12 years of imprisonment for a murder he didn’t commit.

Now freed, he has his old job back, a ton of money —$50 million to be exact — and a really big house with no furnishings, because when your world is a prison cell, you yearn for a lot of space.

Crews also acquires an equally fragile partner (Sarah Shahi) and a financial planner (Adam Arkin) who did time for insider trading.

Perhaps not the best person to manage your money. But then Crews is a fruit-chomping, Zen-spouting, husband-of-his-ex-wife-harassing mass of social inappropriateness. (You already figured out that he’s secretly investigating who set him up, right?)

Lewis — whose taut mouth, framed by parenthetical lines, is every bit as eloquent as House’s furrowed brow — is the man for the job, having played the quintessential American hero in HBO’s “Band of Brothers” and the quintessential tragically contained Brit in PBS’ “The Forsyte Saga.” So far, though, his Crews is a work in progress.

Crews’ chinks, like his associates’ kinks, feel imposed. The genius of House is that his misanthropy has an integrity.

In other words, his damaged soul is no literary device but something all his own.

Photo of Damian Lewis courtesy of NBC/Universal. 

Monday, Sept. 24
8 p.m. — Chuck (NBC)
— Dancing with the Stars (special 90-minute premiere) (ABC)
— How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
8:30 p.m. — Big Bang Theory (CBS)
9 p.m. — Heroes (NBC) (pictured, at right)
— Two and a Half Men (CBS)
9:30 p.m. — Rules of Engagement (CBS)
— The Bachelor (special 90-minute premiere) (ABC)
10 p.m. — Journeyman (NBC)
— CSI: Miami (CBS)

Tuesday, Sept. 25
8 p.m. — Bones (Fox)
— Dancing with the Stars (performance show, 90 minutes) (ABC)
— NCIS (CBS)
9 p.m. — House (Fox)
— Reaper (The CW) (pictured, at left)
— The Unit (CBS)
9:30 p.m. — The Singing Bee (NBC)
10 p.m. — Cane (CBS)
— Law & Order: SVU (NBC)

Wednesday, Sept. 26
8 p.m. — Dancing with the Stars Results Show Special (special day and time) (ABC)
— Deal or No Deal (NBC)
9 p.m. — Bionic Woman (NBC)
— Criminal Minds (CBS)
— Private Practice (ABC)
10 p.m. — Life (NBC)
— CSI: NY (CBS)
— Dirty Sexy Money (ABC)

Thursday, Sept. 27
8 p.m. — My Name Is Earl (one hour) (NBC)
— Smallville (The CW)
— Ugly Betty (ABC) (pictured, at right)
9 p.m. — CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS)
— Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
— The Office (one hour) (NBC)
10 p.m. — Big Shots (ABC)
— ER (NBC)
— Without a Trace (CBS)

Friday, Sept. 28
8 p.m. — Deal or No Deal (NBC)
— Ghost Whisperer (CBS)
9 p.m. — Las Vegas (two hours) (NBC)
— Moonlight (CBS)
10 p.m. — Numb3rs (CBS)

Saturday, Sept. 29
8 p.m. — Crimetime Saturday, basically two hours of drama series repeats. So this wouldn’t be a premiere so much as a re-premiere. (CBS)
10 p.m. — 48 Hours Mystery (CBS)

Sunday, Sept. 30
7 p.m. — Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (two-hour premiere) (ABC)
9 p.m. — Desperate Housewives (ABC)
9:30 p.m. — American Dad (Fox)
10 p.m. — Brothers & Sisters (ABC) (pictured, at left)

Ugly Betty, Brothers & Sisters photos courtesy of ABC; Heroes photo courtesy of NBC/Universal; Reaper photo courtesy of The CW.

Most premieres don’t get hot and heavy until the week of Sept. 23, but they start trickling out tonight.

Here, if you prefer not mixing and matching your networks, here are links to the original postings on all the fall lineups:
• ABC
• CBS
• Fox
• NBC
• The CW

Not sure what the heck you’re going to watch this season? Stay tuned to The Journal News, LoHud.com and Remote Access for our previews of the fall season.

On Sunday, in the Life & Style section of The Journal News is our fall TV preview. Then here, on Remote Access, we start a week-long series of webcasts on the entire fall lineup. We’ll give you the lowdown on all the hot shows coming to the small screen, from sci-fi to sitcoms.

OK, ‘nuff said. Here’s the fall premiere dates:

Thursday, Sept. 6
8 p.m. — Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Fox)
9 p.m. — Don’t Forget the Lyrics (Fox)

Saturday, Sept. 8
8 p.m. — Cops (Fox)
8:30 p.m. — Cops (Fox)
9 p.m. — America’s Most Wanted: America Fights Back (Fox)

Tuesday, Sept. 11
8 p.m. — The Biggest Loser (NBC)

Friday, Sept. 14
9 p.m. — Nashville (Fox) (pictured, at right)

Saturday, Sept. 15
11 p.m. — MADtv (Fox)
Midnight — Talkshow With Spike Feresten (Fox)

More premiere dates after the break.

Monday, Sept. 17
8 p.m. — Prison Break (Fox)
9 p.m. — K-Ville (Fox)

Tuesday, Sept. 18
8 p.m. — Beauty and the Geek (The CW)

Wednesday, Sept. 19
8 p.m. — America’s Next Top Model (The CW)
— Kid Nation (CBS) (pictured, at left)
Thursday, Sept. 20
8 p.m. — Survivor: China (CBS)

Wednesday, Sept. 19)
8 p.m. — Back to You (Fox) (pictured, at right)
8:30 p.m. — ‘Til Death (Fox)
9 p.m. — Kitchen Nightmares (Fox)

Friday, Sept. 21
8 p.m. — Friday Night Smackdown (The CW)

Sunday, Sept. 23
7 p.m. — 60 Minutes (wow! its 40th season) (CBS)
— CW Now (The CW)
— Due to live NFL football broadcasts, “encore comedy programming” will be scheduled from 7 to 8 p.m. on Fox
7:30 p.m. — Online Nation (The CW)
8 p.m. — The Simpsons (Fox)
8:30 p.m. — King of the Hill (Fox)
9 p.m. — Cold Case (CBS)
— Family Guy (one-hour premiere) (Fox)
10 p.m. — Shark (CBS)

Monday, Sept. 24
8 p.m. — Chuck (NBC) (pictured, at left)
— Dancing with the Stars (special 90-minute premiere) (ABC)
— How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
8:30 p.m. — Big Bang Theory (CBS)
9 p.m. — Heroes (NBC)
— Two and a Half Men (CBS)
9:30 p.m. — Rules of Engagement (CBS)
— The Bachelor (special 90-minute premiere) (ABC)
10 p.m. — Journeyman (NBC)
— CSI: Miami (CBS)

Tuesday, Sept. 25
8 p.m. — Bones (Fox)
— Dancing with the Stars (performance show, 90 minutes) (ABC)
— NCIS (CBS)
9 p.m. — House (Fox)
— Reaper (The CW)
— The Unit (CBS)
9:30 p.m. — The Singing Bee (NBC)
10 p.m. — Cane (CBS)
— Law & Order: SVU (NBC)

Wednesday, Sept. 26
8 p.m. — Dancing with the Stars Results Show Special (special day and time) (ABC)
— Deal or No Deal (NBC)
9 p.m. — Bionic Woman (NBC)
— Criminal Minds (CBS)
— Gossip Girl (The CW) (pictured, at right)
— Private Practice (ABC)
10 p.m. — Life (NBC)
— CSI: NY (CBS)
— Dirty Sexy Money (ABC)

Thursday, Sept. 27
8 p.m. — My Name Is Earl (one hour) (NBC)
— Smallville (The CW)
— Ugly Betty (ABC)
9 p.m. — CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS)
— Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
— The Office (one hour) (NBC)
10 p.m. — Big Shots (ABC)
— ER (NBC)
— Without a Trace (CBS)

Friday, Sept. 28
8 p.m. — Deal or No Deal (NBC)
— Ghost Whisperer (CBS)
9 p.m. — Las Vegas (two hours) (NBC)
— Moonlight (CBS)
10 p.m. — Numb3rs (CBS)

Saturday, Sept. 29
8 p.m. — Crimetime Saturday, basically two hours of drama series repeats. So this wouldn’t be a premiere so much as a re-premiere. (CBS)
10 p.m. — 48 Hours Mystery (CBS)

Sunday, Sept. 30
7 p.m. — Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (two-hour premiere) (ABC)
9 p.m. — Desperate Housewives (ABC)
9:30 p.m. — American Dad (Fox)
10 p.m. — Brothers & Sisters (ABC)

Monday, Oct. 1
8 p.m. — Everybody Hates Chris (The CW)
8:30 p.m. — Aliens in America (The CW)
9 p.m. — Girlfriends (The CW)
9:30 p.m. — The Game (The CW)

Tuesday, Oct. 2
8 p.m. — Cavemen (ABC) (pictured, at left)
8:30 p.m. — Carpoolers (ABC)
9 p.m. — Dancing with the Stars Result Show (regular day and time period premiere)

Wednesday, Oct. 3
8 p.m. — Pushing Daisies (ABC)

Thursday, Oct. 4
8:30 p.m. — 30 Rock (NBC)
9 p.m. — Supernatural (The CW)

Friday, Oct. 5
9 p.m. — Friday Night Lights

Sunday, Oct. 7
7 p.m. — America’s Funniest Home Videos (ABC)
8 p.m. — Life Is Wild (The CW)

Friday, Oct. 12
8 p.m. — 20/20 (new time slot) (ABC)
9 p.m. — Women’s Murder Club (ABC) (pictured, at right)
10 p.m. — Men in Trees (ABC)

Monday, Oct. 15
9:30 p.m. — Samantha Who? (formerly I Am Sam, until Dr. Seuss’ estate got involved) (ABC)

Thursday, Oct. 18
10 p.m. — Viva Laughlin (CBS), though this is being promoted as just a “special preview.” It moves to its regular time slot, 8 p.m. Sundays, on Oct. 21 “to take advantage of a two-week window in the schedule without football overruns.”

Friday, Oct. 19
8 p.m. — The Next Great American Band (two-hour premiere) (Fox) (pictured, at left)
Thursday, Oct. 25
9:30 p.m. — Scrubs (NBC)

Tuesday, Nov. 27
10 p.m. — Cashmere Mafia (special preview following the finale of “Dancing with the Stars”) (ABC)

Tuesday, Dec. 4
9 p.m. — Cashmere Mafia (regular time slot premiere)

Photos: Nashville, Back to You, The Next Great American Band courtesy of Fox. Kid Nation courtesy of CBS, via the Associated Press. Chuck courtesy of NBC. Cavemen, Women’s Murder Club courtesy of ABC. Gossip Girl courtesy of The CW.

The success of Brit actor Hugh Laurie as everyone’s favorite cranky Yank doc on Fox’s “House”:http://fox.com has paved the way for a number of his countrymen (and women) to get their shot at prime time on this side of the pond:

Kevin McKidd, so moving as the emotionally constricted Lucius Vorenus on “Rome,” stars as time-traveling reporter Dan Vasser on NBC’s “Journeyman”:http://nbc.com.

Ray Stevenson — every bit his match as his good-hearted sidekick, Titus Pullo — is a Long Island detective who tangles with the living dead on “Babylon Fields,” which has been picked up by “CBS”:http://cbs.com.

The character who comes closest to curmudgeonly House, though, is borderline nutcase Charlie Crews (Damian Lewis), a Los Angeles cop wrongfully imprisoned for murder on NBC’s “Life.”

“Life” is one of those “Count of Monte Cristo”-style revenge fantasies, in which Crews winds up not only with his freedom and his old job but a huge settlement and a multimillion-dollar home, thereby illustrating what I’ve long suspected: That while money can’t buy happiness, it can sure make misery comfortable.

It would be unfair to pass judgment on preview tapes of “Journeyman” or “Life.” (I haven’t seen frame one of “Babylon Fields.”) But I would nonetheless like to make a case for Stevenson, McKidd and Lewis as American TV stars. All three have the necessary acting chops, looks and charisma. And yet all three are quite different.
Stevenson is capable of marrying machismo to tenderness. McKidd, who could be Daniel Craig’s brother, riffs on tormented hubby Vorenus in “Journeyman,” playing a guy caught between reclaiming the fiancée he lost and holding on to his increasingly baffled wife.

Lewis, a titian-haired beauty, is harder to pin down, which may be why stardom has eluded him. He should’ve become a big star on these shores after playing Maj. Richard D. Winters, the quintessential American hero, in HBO’s “Band of Brothers.” That performance would’ve been the highlight of many careers, but he followed it up with a poignant performance as the cold, abusive Soames Forsyte in PBS’ “The Forsyte Saga” — a turn so brilliant that it totally reinterpreted the story. You have to be a very good actor indeed to do that.

I don’t want to let this topic go, however, without remembering the ladies. While the men of “Rome” have snagged series’ leads, Polly Walker, the bewitching Atia, has a supporting role on CBS’ Cuban-American drama, “Cane,” a throwback to “Dallas” and “Dynasty.”

Anyone who’s followed the voluptuous Walker’s career — she turned up recently as a tigress of a mother on PBS’ “Miss Marple” — knows she deserves better than the fourth female lead. On “Cane,” she at least plays one of her trademark temptresses, with a Southern accent.

Here’s hoping she gets to unleash both her inner Vivien Leigh and Joan Collins.

Tuesday, Sept. 11

Monday, Sept. 24

Tuesday, Sept. 25

Wednesday, Sept. 26

Thursday, Sept. 27

Friday, Sept. 28

Thursday, Oct. 4

Friday, Oct. 5

Thursday, Oct. 25

For links to the videos,

ABC

NBC