Fall 2012's new TV series offerings proved to be underwhelming at best. But with every winter there comes a new TV pilot season, and with it a new crop of contenders to become our next must-see series.
This year, call us naive, but the pilots the networks have greenlit so far sound promising, by and large, and feature the return of several stars we would be happy to welcome back to our TVs every week.
A pilot order, of course, doesn't mean the show is guaranteed to become a series, but here are the most interesting pilots the networks have ordered so far. Which ones get your vote for most likely to live on to a series order?
CBS
"Beverly Hills Cop": Eddie Murphy will co-produce and make a cameo appearance; "The Shield" creator Shawn Ryan will produce; and "Tropic Thunder" star Brandon T. Jackson will star as the son of Axel Foley, Murphy's iconic movie character.
[Related: Russell Brand to Eddie Murphy: 'Have all the Spice Girls, for all I care']
"Bad Teacher": "Community" and "My Name Is Earl" writer Hilary Winston will write and executive produce this adaptation of the Cameron Diaz comedy film, about a newly divorced woman who takes a job as a teacher in hopes of meeting a replacement husband.
"Mom": Anna Faris will star as a newly sober mom in this comedy, the latest from "The Big Bang Theory" and "Two and a Half Men" creator Chuck Lorre.
[Related: First look at Jaime Pressly on 'Two and a Half Men']
"Hostages": Emmy-winning "United States of Tara" star Toni Collette stars in this high-stakes drama about a surgeon whose family is taken hostage when she's given the task of operating on the president of the United States.
NBC
Untitled Michael J. Fox comedy: The network has already ordered 22 episodes of this comeback series, in which Fox will play a TV newsman who retires when his Parkinson's disease begins to affect his work, but then he returns to the workplace when medication brings his symptoms under control. "Breaking Bad" star Betsy Brandt will play Fox's wife in the semi-autobiographical series, while "The Wire" and "Treme" alum Wendell Pierce will play his boss.
See Michael J. Fox on "The Good Wife":
Untitled Craig Robinson/Greg Daniels comedy: "The Office" star will play a musician who becomes a music teacher and has to deal with the kiddies, parental interference, and office politics (after dealing with Michael Scott, how can Robinson not nail that last one?). In addition to "Office" executive producer Daniels, the comedy will also include "Office" producer/writer Owen Ellickson and Robinson himself as producers.
[Related: Rainn Wilson will miss ensemble but not Dwight's hair when 'The Office' ends]
Untitled Sean Hayes comedy: The "Will & Grace" Emmy winner, who's been largely behind the scenes recently as the producer of shows like "Hot in Cleveland" and "Grimm," will star as the single father of a teenage daughter. Victor Fresco, creator of "Better Off Ted" and writer for "Mad About You," is penning the pilot.
Untitled Jessica Simpson comedy: The network has ordered a presentation, not yet a full pilot, on a comedy that would revolve around Simpson playing a version of herself, à la Matt LeBlanc's "Episodes."