You'll need to be patient. Two of the good ones, ABC's V and the CW's Life Unexpected, don't turn up until at least November. And you'll need to shell out for both HBO and Showtime to keep up.
If you don't have cable, there are still big doings on PBS: Ken Burns' The National Parks: America's Best Idea spends two hours for six consecutive nights starting Sept. 27, traipsing through the parks themselves as it examines the history of their making.
The Best New Fall Series
Glee. Fox. Wednesdays, 9 p.m. Premiered Sept. 9. This effervescently edgy take on a high school show choir has more hooks than a tuna boat: music, dance, humor, pathos, cute kids, deliciously cynical adults.
Matthew Morrison is the Spanish teacher, who, remembering trails of glory from his choir past, organizes a bunch of apparent losers and fools to try to revive a beloved tradition at McKinley High. They prove to have more talent and fortitude than meets the eye. If only Teach can get the quarterback, who's a secret vocal virtuoso, to join the group.
Many of the young stars have already appeared on Broadway, but before you get the idea that this is some sort of High School Musical treacle-fest, know that Nip/Tuck originator Ryan Murphy is the creator here.
Modern Family. ABC. Wednesdays, 9 p.m. Premieres Sept. 23. Forget technological progress; the age-old TV rules still apply. The two best new shows are on at exactly the same time. Fortunately, we now have DVRs and VCRs and anytime online viewing.
The linchpin of ABC's bold, new, two-hour Wednesday sitcom block, this decidedly contemporary family laffer stars Ed O'Neill (Married . . . With Children), Julie Bowen (Boston Legal), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (The Class), and a solid ensemble cast, as it follows three very different families who have one important thing in common.
