Top 10 Most Anticipated New Shows

Leaves turn gold, kids wheel their backpacks to school, and a fresh harvest crop comes to TV. Fall TV may no longer be just a quaint tradition in an age of DVRs and online streaming -- it's a dying ritual. Hollywood powerhouses are changing the way they do business, which may mean the eventual demise of fall premieres. But while we still have it, we're going to savor this prickle of anticipation for this latest batch. Among the fictional offerings, vampirism has replaced surrealism, but there's comfort in the familiar, thanks to high doses of medical dramas, spinoffs galore, and primetime soap remakes. Here are the 10 most anticipated shows for the 2009 fall season, based on Yahoo! searches. Saturday, August, 29, 2009, 1:29 AM

10. "NCIS: Los Angeles" (CBS): Sticklers for procedurals have helped this California offshoot of "NCIS" make the top 10. The original -- itself a creative sprout from "JAG" -- has been investigating naval crime for six years. Compared to "Law & Order" and "CSI," the geographical spinoff's way overdue. Familiar faces Chris O'Donnell, LL Cool J, and Linda Hunt play naval agents hunting down criminals who threaten America’s way of life. CBS hopes to improve the odds by having the show follow the original "NCIS," with a crossover visit from character Abby Sciuto (a favorite onscreen and online). Tuesdays at 9pm ET on CBSCBS/Joseph Cultise - Thursday, August, 20, 2009, 10:20 PM

9. "Trauma" (NBC): The second medical show in the Top 10 Buzz mix pays its respects to paramedics. Another California town provides the setting, although this time San Francisco gets the limelight. Apparently, all those hills lend themselves really well to car crashes, fiery tanker explosions, and really bad helicopter landings. Unlike "Mercy," yet another new medical drama that has been dubbed a "relationship-driven" show, the emphasis here is on action, with accident victims and rubberneckers providing the emotional gist. Mondays at 9pm ET on NBCNBC/Mitchell Haaseth - Thursday, August, 20, 2009, 10:20 PM

8. "The Beautiful Life" (The CW): Here's a hallway conversation that finally made its way onscreen: Take the whopping success of "America's Top Model," add in some male hardbodies, and fictionalize the behind-the-scenes antics. But this program's not over-dramatizing it, or so claims exec producer and persistent Twitterer Ashton Kutcher. Instead, "The Beautiful Life" aims to tell the real fashion-industry stories that reality TV leaves out. As if art imitating life weren't enough, star Mischa Barton's well-publicized off-screen problems may be a case of life imitating art. In either case, interest has been enough to put the show in the top 10. The CW/Jan Thijs - Thursday, August, 20, 2009, 10:20 PM

7. "FlashForward" (ABC): A world event makes everyone lose consciousness for two minutes and 17 seconds. This surreal, ambitious, and horrific premise (40 million people don't survive) could snag that audience seeking a fix for "Lost" (ending May 2010). "FlashForward" is drawing broad interest, about evenly split between males and females. As for the show's name, that refers to a twist: Survivors glimpse a moment in the future, precisely 8pm April 20, 2010. Pretty respectable cast pedigree, with Joseph Fiennes and John Cho … and before you ask, no, the flash is no "Harold & Kumar" hallucination. Thursdays at 8pm ET on ABCABC/Bob D'Amico - Thursday, August, 20, 2009, 10:20 PM

6. "Three Rivers" (CBS): Yet another stab at the ubiquitous medical drama, this CBS entry takes heart-stopping action literally by following three perspectives of organ donation: the giver, the receiver, and the surgical middlemen. Expect lots of racing against the clock and tearjerker storylines. The name by the way refers to the show's setting in Pittsburgh, where three rivers converge (although the drama's transplant center is actually on a LA soundstage). A bit of trivia: The uber-modern hospital’s modeled after Scandinavian medical set-ups ... and we’re not talking Ikea. Sundays at 10pm ET on CBSCBS/George Holz - Thursday, August, 20, 2009, 10:20 PM

5. "The Cleveland Show" (FOX): Just like when "The Jeffersons" spun off from "All in the Family" all those years ago, Cleveland Brown of the long-running and subversive "Family Guy" comes into his own primetime slot. Typical of FOX shows, the animated adventures of a stepfamily won't be relying on domestic dysfunction alone: Cue the requisite friendly rednecks, hipsters, Brit expats, and talking bears. Oh my. The only cartoon among the new shows, Cleveland should make up for the FOX fiasco "Sit Down, Shut Up." Out of all the top 10 shows, Cleveland is the ultimate father figure: He boasts the most under-21 Web fans (57%). Sundays at 8:30pm ET on FOXFOX - Thursday, August, 20, 2009, 10:20 PM

4. "Stargate: Universe" (Syfy): Now for what guys want: getting lost in space. Ming Na and Lou Diamond Phillips play crew members stranded on a ship called Destiny. Sounds angsty for "Stargate"? The franchise may be one of the Science Fiction Channel's staples, but it never got love like its interstellar brother "Battlestar Galactica" (which received program of the year kudos from TV critics). Now "Universe" creators are following the "Battlestar" strategy, from hiring "The Shield" director of photography for a "grittier look," to doing 30 webisodes, to promising no "rubber-faced" aliens. Fridays at 9pm on SyfySyFy Channel - Saturday, August, 29, 2009, 1:29 AM

3. "Melrose Place" (The CW): It's like you never left home -- or at least, the Los Angeles neighborhood that dominated 1990s television. Now the primetime soap returns with new tenants and better technology. Some old-timers like Sydney Andrews (Laura Leighton) and Jo Reynolds (Daphne Zuniga) are back, as are the fans: Ladies in their '30s and '40s have been tracking its return. The missing link: Will Heather Locklear reprise her role as neighborhood bully Amanda Woodward? Right now Locklear's comeback is only a rumor, but that's what "Melrose Place" is all about. Tuesdays at 9pm ET on The CWThe CW/Frank Ockenfels - Thursday, August, 20, 2009, 10:20 PM

2. "Glee" (FOX): A brilliant move or ill-advised gamble? FOX slipped the pilot in after the "American Idol" finale, then tucked the comedy musical away until the fall season, presumably to build a buzz. The single episode got decent ratings and Web lookups, and viewers got busy downloading the show's version of "Don’t Stop Believing." But this is no Disney "High School Musical"; think of it more as a "postmodern" take from "Nip/Tuck" creator (and a glee club alum) Ryan Murphy. Any show that can turn Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" into a squeaky-clean, big stage number will get people giddy for more. Wednesdays at 9pm ET on FOXFOX/Matthias Clamer - Thursday, August, 20, 2009, 10:20 PM

1. "The Vampire Diaries" (The CW): The CW wants just a taste of "Twilight" and "True Blood" success. Adapted from L.J. Smith's literary series, "Diaries" scored big in Buzz, especially among females. Two orphaned siblings, 17-year-old Elena Gilbert and younger brother Jeremy, must survive on their own in a small town. Enter Elena’s romantic complications: a conflicted vamp and his bloodthirstier brother. Shades of "Dawson’s Creek" meets "Buffy" meets "Smallville"? Hungry eyes will be on Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder, as good vampire-bad vampire, but Steven R. McQueen (Jeremy) might intrigue some: His granddad was (you guessed it) tough-guy idol Steve McQueen. Thursdays at 8pm ET on The CWThe CW/Kharen Hill - Thursday, August, 20, 2009, 10:20 PM