The Nine New TV Shows We’ll Be Watching Next Season

"The Following" (Fox, midseason)
Kevin Bacon takes on his first starring TV role in this dark, nail-bitingly tense drama as a former FBI agent who years ago put away a demented serial killer (James Purefoy, last seen as Victoria’s sex buddy on “Revenge”). But now that killer has busted out of prison and is on the rampage again – and may be recruiting disciples to do his gruesome bidding. It’s a grim, “Seven”-esque thriller that looks to pack plenty of jaw-dropping twists, and Bacon’s star power (he commands the screen like Kiefer Sutherland in “24” here) puts this one over the top for us. 



"The Carrie Diaries" (The CW, midseason)
We admit it: We’re longtime “Sex and the City” fans. (Shut up; before those awful movies, it was a decent show.) So we’re willing to give this ‘80s-set “SATC” prequel, with AnnaSophia Robb (“Soul Surfer”) as a teen Carrie Bradshaw, a fair shake. Based on Candace Bushnell’s novel, “Diaries” takes us back to Carrie’s formative years (back when neon green leopard-print jackets seemed like a good idea) as she gets her first taste of love and sex while exploring the wonders of Manhattan. The producers of “Gossip Girl” are onboard, and the presence of director Miguel Arteta (“Nurse Jackie,” “Enlightened”) is reassuring. But we can’t help but wonder: Will it be the same without Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda?

(Editors' note: Sadly, The CW didn't release any advance footage of "The Carrie Diaries"; guess they're still working to get that neon green leopard-print jacket just right.)