Fall TV Preview Part 1 - New Dramas

Today is one of those rare times of year when my bitter, jaded, cynical heart begins to feel the fain, unfamilar echo of hope. I speak, of course, of the upcoming television season. New shows still have promise and returning shows still have stable timeslots. Today I'm going to rundown my five most anticipated new dramas of the upcoming season. NOTE: For now I'm just touching on fall-debuting shows. Shows that debut after October will be covered in a later post.

Heroes - NBC Mondays @ 9
The Premise - A group of seemingly unrelated individuals begin to develop extra-ordinary powers.
The Promise - This is a lot closer to a prime time superhero show than any network has attempted in a long time, so the concept still seems fresh. It also appears to follow the Lost formula by showing connections between all of the affected individuals. NBC seems to be putting a lot of promotional muscle behind this show, and airing the day after Sunday Night Football can only help. In addition to having a hot lead in (Deal or No Deal) it also doesn't go up against any established shows.
The Problem - If it's percieved as being too much of a comic book show it'll never gain a following. If Deal slips in the ratings it won't have much of a lead in.

Jericho - CBS Wednesdays @ 8
The Premise - A nuclear disaster leaves a small Kansas town cut off from the rest of the world. The residents must deal with their isolation while trying to find out exactly what happened, and if anyone else survived.
The Promise - A very interesting premise for a show. It seems to have all the elements needed for an hourlong: action, drama, conflict and a hook to tie them all together.
The Problem - The thought of nuclear annihilation may be a little too close to the actual news coming out of the Middle East for some. When Skeet Ulrich gets top billing on a show you may have trouble reeling in the viewers.

The Nine - ABC Wednesdays @ 10
The Premise - Nine people are taken hostage in a bank robbery. Each episode sheds a little more light on what actually happened in the bank as the Nine struggle to come to terms with what they experienced.
The Promise - I love a good mystery, and this seems to fit the mold by asking one question "What really happened in the Bank?" You can't ask for a better lead-in.
The Problem - It sounds like it takes the least interesting part of Lost, the flashbacks, and made them the centerpiece of the show. It's got a rough timeslot

Kidnapped - NBC Wednesdays @ 10
The Premise - The efforts to find and save the kidnapped son of a wealthy man unfolds in a one-day-per-episode format.
The Promise - A less restrictive take on 24's real-time format sounds good. A very good cast on this one.
The Problem - A tough timeslot, a poor lead-in (The Biggest Loser) and a very similar show on another network(Fox' Vanished) give this show an up hill battle.

Smith - CBS Tuesdays @ 10
The Premise - A gang of thieves pull of elaborate heists while still trying to live normal lives.
The Promise - I loves me some heist movies. A heist show with a great, big name cast? Sounds like gold to me, especially with The Unit as a lead in.
The Problem - The last two heist shows, Thief & Heist didn't do anything for me. It's got a brutal timeslot

Overall Themes? Lots of shows trying to ape, or combine, attributes of Lost & 24