Our Guide to the Fall's Hottest New Shows

Kath & Kim
TELEVISION: Molly Shannon and Selma Blair star in this show based on an Australian mother-daughter sitcom. NBC, OCT. 9
PRO: Shannon will get a great chance to unleash her brilliant comic talents.
CON: Aussies loved the original, but it looks too broad against supersmart shows like "The Office" and "30 Rock."

The Ex List
TELEVISION: The latest Israeli import focuses on a woman determined to reconnect with her mystery soulmate. CBS, OCT. 3
PRO: Elizabeth Reaser is a delight as Bella, a woman told by a psychic that she has already dated and split from the man of her dreams. If she doesn't find him again, and soon, she'll spend her life alone.
CON: The show's high concept worked in Israel, where it ran for only two seasons, but will it work for an open-ended American series?

Sons of Anarchy
TELEVISION: An edgy drama about a ruthless biker gang. FX, SEPT. 3
PRO: Little-known Charlie Hunnam has the chops and good looks of a star, while Katey Sagal (of "Married With Children" fame) is deliciously duplicitous as his mother.
CON: The brooding tone can be overwhelming. Lighten up, bikers!

Fringe
TELEVISION: The "Lost"brain trust's "X-Files"-style supernatural thriller. FOX, SEPT. 9
PRO: With a smokin'-hot star (newcomer Anna Torv) and the imaginative J. J. Abrams producing, this one has potential.
CON: The pilot features a cool, creepy plot, but introduces an overarching mythology that could wear thin.

Life on Mars
TELEVISION: The Americanization of a hit British series about a time-traveling cop who goes back to the '70s. ABC, OCT. 9
PRO: "Mad Men" and "Swingtown" have proved how much visual style a change of era can lend a drama.
CON: This time-traveling shtik is getting a tad old—neither "Journeyman" nor "Day Break" made it very far into the future with viewers.

True Blood
TELEVISION: Alan Ball, creator of "Six Feet Under," tangles with vampires in backwoods Louisiana. HBO, SEPT. 7
PRO: Now that CBS's sanitary "Moonlight" is dead, this scary sleazefest can replace it. Finally—TV vampires with teeth.
CON: It's a little heavy-handed, with the vampires fighting their persecuted minority status. It'd be better if they just sucked.

90210
TELEVISION: Another take on the teen soap opera for the "Gossip Girl" set CW, SEPT. 2
PRO: The return of Shannen Doherty. It's bound to be too campy, but can you ever have too many guilty pleasures?
CON: Critics can't screen it, which portends a dismal guilt-to-pleasure ratio.

My Own Worst Enemy
TELEVISION: Christian Slater plays a suburban superspy in this Jekyll-and-Hyde tale. NBC, OCT. 13
PRO: Christian Slater is back! And the spy-fi premise suggests the show could be a worthy successor to "Alias."
CON: Backstage upheavals may mean that production hasn't been going so well.