Most Anticipated New Shows

Good guys, crusty pops, hellish cheerleaders, and vengeful spies. Those are the kind of people that audiences want to bring into their living rooms, or wherever they plan to catch the new fall TV offerings. Some shows are twists on old familiars (Tom Selleck in a police procedural meets family drama), a few more are shameless "reboots" ("Hawaii Five-0"). Even a Twitter-inspired show fits nicely into the CBS geriatric model. Check out the top 10 most anticipated shows, based on Yahoo! Search interest from the past 30 days, and who may already be turning out to be their biggest fans. [Share this slideshow on Twitter]Wednesday, August, 25, 2010, 10:25 PM

"I didn't say you were ugly. I said your girlfriend is better-looking than you, and standing next to her, you look ugly." That's among the cleaner tweets that Justin Halpern has put out, allegedly straight from the guttermouth of his 73-year-old father, Sam. The tweets made for a No. 1 best-seller, and somehow snuck past the CBS censors for the sitcom "$#*! My Dad Says," starring William Shatner. Now, thanks to papa (a Kentucky-born retired doctor of nuclear medicine), Halpern's living his dream as the show's comedy writer. Will his 1.6 million Twitter followers tune in for a whole 30 minutes? So far, the online interest's coming mostly from ages 35 on up ... way way up. Halpern may need to retweet the script. (Premieres September 23 on CBS) [Share this slideshow on Twitter]CBS/Warner Bros. Entertainment - Wednesday, August, 25, 2010, 10:25 PM

Now that "Lost" is gone, something had to fill the Aloha State void. CBS took a big gamble with "Hawaii Five-0" — no, not going after an old brand, but having Alex O'Loughlin head the cast. After three failed TV programs, the young Aussie carries the "show-killer" curse. The flame-out of "The Back-Up Plan," his big-screen romantic outing with J.Lo, hasn't helped his rep either. Still, the cop drama has name recognition — especially among searchers 35–64 — and throws in a famous son (Scott Caan, son of James Caan), a "Lost" alum (Daniel Dae Kim), and a "Battlestar Galactica" femme (Grace Park). Just in case you were worried: The theme song's pretty much the same. (Premieres September 20 on CBS) [Share this slideshow on Twitter]CBS/Art Streiber - Wednesday, August, 25, 2010, 10:25 PM

In the original 1990 French film, "La Femme Nikita," the she-spy felt tortured about the whole assassin thing. This "Nikita" reboot, starring mega-hottie Maggie Q, starts with the spy already on the run, with plans to bring down the secret CIA agency called the Division. The real suspense is how much Q (which stands for Quigley) will be allowed to do her own thing: The Honolulu-born actor has held her own in action films both in Hong Kong and the U.S. So far Q's billboards have been too dangerous for the local malls, so imagine what she'll do for The CW Thursday nights. Judging by show searches, if one of her jobs is bringing in the men, then it's mission accomplished. (Premieres September 9 on The CW) [Share this slideshow on Twitter]The CW/Jan Thijs - Wednesday, August, 25, 2010, 10:25 PM

"The Event" may be sold as a "taut political thriller," but for NBC, this drama's more like a feel-good turnaround show for a network that has been stumbling for a bit. The plot surrounds one man (Jason Ritter, another famous son) trying to find out what happened to his fiancée (Sarah Roemer). The investigation takes him into "cover-up" territory that may involve an assassination attempt on the newbie president (Blair Underwood). Sound vaguely familiar? The execs said it's no "FlashForward"... but, yeah, maybe a little "24." That may explain the slight male tilt in searches (60%), especially ages 25–44. Unlike Jack Bauer, let's hope Ritter's character gets a bathroom break. (Premieres September 20 on NBC) [Share this slideshow on Twitter]NBC/Joseph Viles - Wednesday, August, 25, 2010, 10:25 PM

Critically praised book + HBO stamp of quality + "The Sopranos" screenwriter + pilot director Martin Scorsese + New Jersey = big critical buzz. Yes, these days, Jersey — or in the case of "Boardwalk Empire," Atlantic City during the Prohibition era — is part of the essential formula for TV success. The formula's not complete yet: Throw in scenery-chewing Steve Buscemi as gangster Enoch "Nucky" Thomson and "The Wire" alum Michael Kenneth Williams (Omar's back!) as the area's informal black mayor, and you have must-see TV. Present-day Atlantic City's betting million (in ads) that intrigued viewers (predominantly males aged 21–44, based on Yahoo! Search) will want to come and soak up the atmosphere, and the local paper even has a blog from the real-life inspiration, Nucky Johnson. Just don't expect to see film crews: 1920s Atlantic City has been reconstructed in New York City. (Premieres September 19 on HBO) [Share this slideshow on Twitter]HBO - Wednesday, August, 25, 2010, 10:25 PM

Who knew pompoms were the route to being a legal beagle? Another book-inspired freshman show, "Hellcats" follows a wannabe law student (Alyson Michalka) who joins a cheerleading team to make her way through college. While the show may be tailor-made for gal-friendly destination The CW, the cast has some strong Disney roots, including star Michalka and Ashley Tisdale ("The Suite Life of Zack & Cody," "High School Musical"). The dramedy also features some "One Tree Hill" grads Matt Barr and Robbie Jones. The true twist may be the lesbian cheerleader, described as "ballsy." Hmmm. At any rate, "Hellcats" pulls in major interest from the under-18 crowd, although the searches from all ages and a nice gender split (55% female/45% male) could make this the "Glee"-like family show of the season. (Premieres September 8 on The CW) [Share this slideshow on Twitter]The CW/Jack Rowand - Wednesday, August, 25, 2010, 10:25 PM

Bravo's resident fitness trainer returns with "Thintervention With Jackie Warner," described as a "docu-series." The new schtick takes Warner out of her Los Angeles gym and into her clients' hood. The trainer's tough-love approach eventually backfired in her last show, "Workout." The low point was when she was accused of disparaging the breast implants of a woman who had had cancer. (In her last "Workout" blog, Warner says she never made that remark — assistant Lisa did — and that nobody knew the client had suffered cancer.) Thanks to Bravo market research, though, this show's now less about running a business and more about fitness tips and that all-important "emotional story line." (Premieres September 6 on Bravo) [Share this slideshow on Twitter]Bravo/Stewart Volland - Wednesday, August, 25, 2010, 10:25 PM

Except for "Smallville," the superhero cycle is at an all-time low on TV... but never fear! "No Ordinary Family" is here! Except star Michael Chiklis ("The Shield," "The Commish") asserts that this show is no "Heroes" or "The Incredibles" or even sci-fi....aww, Chiklis, give us a crumb, would you? After all, this ABC drama follows a suburban family who can suddenly leap buildings and read minds after surviving a plane crash in the Amazon. One reviewer may have a comparison pinned down: a well-adjusted "Fantastic Four." Chiklis should have a Thing for that suggestion. Julie Benz (who had the shocker offing from "Dexter") plays mom. All signs (includes Yahoo! searches) point to family-friendly appeal. (Premieres September 28 on ABC) [Share this slideshow on Twitter]ABC/Craig Sjodin - Wednesday, August, 25, 2010, 10:25 PM

No, not the Melissa de La Cruz Manhattan vampire series. This "Blue Bloods" — while also set in New York — combines the procedural with family drama about a cop clan. The ensemble cast's bloodline isn't bad either, with Tom Selleck, Len Cariou, Bridget Moynahan, and Donnie Wahlberg in front of the camera, and "Sopranos" writers and producers Mitchell Burgess and Robin Green behind it. All this explains the programming faith CBS has by slotting the drama on a Friday night. (Premieres September 24 on CBS) [Share this slideshow on Twitter]CBS/Heather Wines - Wednesday, August, 25, 2010, 10:25 PM

Ah, Detroit, will you ever catch a break? The beleaguered Motor City finally gets a TV show, although the name "Detroit 1-8-7" refers to the murder police code and Atlanta subbed in as the surroundings for the pilot (the rest of the season was filmed entirely on location). ABC shook up the pilot's "mockumentary" formula, after the city banned film crews from following cops, and went for grit — with grit specialists Michael Imperioli ("The Sopranos," "Law & Order") and James McDaniel ("NYPD Blues"). While the mayor appreciates the entertainment value, not everyone's rooting for screen time: One city council member didn't like the tie-in of Motor City with a murder code. The producer promises local heroes...like likee Eminem, maybe. (Premieres September 21 on ABC) [Share this slideshow on Twitter]ABC/Craig Sjodin - Wednesday, August, 25, 2010, 10:25 PM