What I love about the fall

... are new TV shows! As if following Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, Gossip Girl, Brothers & Sisters, Desperate Housewives, Pushing Daisies, Private Practice & Heroes isn't enough. I give you my picks of TV Guide's picks for this season post-writers' strike line-up!


90210 (CW) = GG meets F&G minus the early nineties


Premiered: Tuesday, Sept. 2, 8 pm/ET

Who's on it: A whole bunch of shiny, happy newcomers including Shenae Grimes and Tristan Wilds as adoptive siblings; series vets Lori Loughlin and Rob Estes play their thoroughly modern parents.

What it's about: It's a reboot of the classic '90s Fox series, in which a Midwestern family relocates to Beverly Hills. Just to shake things up, this time one of the kids is adopted and African-American. Look for appearances by original cast members Jennie Garth, Shannen Doherty and Joe E. Tata.

Why it's an editors' pick: Nostalgia aside, the creators of Freaks and Geeks remaking 90210 intrigues us.


True Blood (HBO) = Twilight mixed with Red Shoe Diaries minus Buffy


Premieres: Sunday, Sept. 7, 9 pm/ET

Who's on it: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer (The Starter Wife)

What it's about: In an unspecified future, the invention of synthetic blood makes it possible for vampires (including Moyer's Bill Compton) to walk among us. Paquin plays Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic, small-town waitress in rural Louisiana. Creator Alan Ball (Six Feet Under), who adapted the novels of Charlaine Harris, promises that Blood will avoid vampire clichés. "One of the things I love about Charlaine's books is the way she treats the supernatural world so matter-of-factly," he says. "We want to keep the supernatural rooted in nature, so that it's just more nature than we're used to in everyday life."

Why it's an editors' pick: Its impressive pedigree: Ball + Paquin + HBO + vampire stories = appointment TV.


Fringe (Fox) = X-files plus Alias minus Jennifer Garner


Premieres: Tuesday, Sept. 9, 9 pm/ET

Who's on it: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble

What it's about: An FBI agent (Torv) enlists an institutionalized scientist (Noble) and his con-artist son (Jackson) to help solve the mystery of a plane full of people killed by a mysterious necrotizing skin condition. The deadly flight appears to be part of "the pattern," a larger, disturbing nightmare scenario.

Why it's an editors' pick: Joshua Jackson is the wild card in this very serious drama; he'll keep it light and entertaining.


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Later this year, we will be hyping for Dollhouse, 11th Hour and possibly... Knight Rider.