No hits, but these 9 shows are hot

By John Kiesewetter
Cincinnati Enquirer

Alicia Silverstone plays divorce lawyer Kate Fox, who attempts to hook up lonely singles in NBC's "Miss Match." The show premieres tonight at 7. NBC

For the second consecutive year, you won't find another great breakout show. Not another "The West Wing," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" or "Scrubs."

But you'll see some very good shows among the 37 new series that could be still standing a year from now — just like, well, "Still Standing," "Everwood," "CSI: Miami" and "Less than Perfect."

Here's my list of nine shows worth watching. Some could become your new favorites:

"Miss Match": For her first TV series, Alicia Silverstone ("Clueless") has made a perfect match with NBC's "Miss Match" from Darren Star ("Sex and the City"). She's divorce attorney Kate Fox, who's absolutely clueless when she receives 12 phone messages for "the marriage broker," until seeing a newspaper wedding announcement crediting her as the matchmaker. Kate struggles with being a tough divorce negotiator with her father (Ryan O'Neal, whose acting hasn't improved since "Love Story") and attempts to hook up lonely singles. This could be a regular Friday date for many women. (7 p.m. Fridays; premieres today on NBC)

"The Handler": Undercover cops have been part of the TV picture for decades, but we haven't seen anybody like CBS' Joe Renato (Joey Pantoliano, "The Sopranos"). He's an FBI agent who trains male and female officers to solve crimes by role-playing. What makes the pilot so compelling is that viewers don't know which scenarios are simulations and which are actual infiltrations. One thing is certain: Pantoliano is a real star. (9 p.m. Fridays; premieres today on CBS).

"Joan of Arcadia": Teenage Joan has seen God on CBS, and he's a hottie, a classmate she has a crush on. Later, God appears to her in school as an African-American cafeteria lady. Joan (Amber Tamblyn, "General Hospital") knows she's an odd choice for the calling, being the daughter of fallen-away Catholics — the police chief (Joe Mantegna) and a school secretary (Mary Steenburgen) — with two brothers, a computer geek (Michael Welch) and a depressed paraplegic (Jason Ritter, John's son). God instructs Joan to get a job, and refuses to let her ask questions. "Let's just say I need you to do some errands," he says. The biggest challenge for this modern day Joan of Arc will be finding Friday viewers opposite "Miss Match" and Fox's "Wanda at Large." (7 p.m. Fridays; premieres today on CBS).

"Two and a half Men": Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen) thinks twice about not letting his brother (Jon Cryer) and 10-year-old nephew (Angus Jones, "Bringing Down the House") move into his Malibu bachelor pad after seeing how women love the boy. As Jake says: "We stopped for ice cream, because I'm a babe magnet!" The sitcom veterans make a great CBS comedy team as the single jingle-writer (Sheen, "Spin City") and the anal-retentive chiropractor (Cryer, "Partners"). This could be an instant comedy hit following "Everybody Loves Raymond." (8:30 p.m. Mondays, CBS)

"I'm with Her": Don't miss this tender romantic comedy. Teri Polo ("Meet the Parents") plays the Hollywood movie star who falls in love with a commoner, a high school English teacher (David Sutcliffe, Rory's father on "Gilmore Girls") who has fallen down a rabbit hole into the wacky world of red carpets and movie premieres. Inspired by writer Chris Henchy's ("Spin City") marriage to actress Brooke Shields, it's funny and realistic — and could be the sleeper hit between "8 Simple Rules" and "According to Jim." (7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, ABC).

"Whoopi": Of course, Whoopi Goldberg's new NBC sitcom is called "Whoopi," but the real star — and likely new breakthrough comedy character — is Nasim, the Iranian handyman and concierge. Omid Djalili ("The Mummy," "Spy Game") makes a great sidekick for hotel owner Mavis (Goldberg) as the fix-it man who declares that a broken TV "is more dead than Saddam's first defense minister." Goldberg saves some good lines for her retired lounge singer character. Together they could become NBC's biggest new weapons of mass amusement. It snagged a whopping 15.1 million viewers for NBC when it premiered Sept. 9. (7 p.m. Tuesdays, NBC)

"Karen Sisco": Carla Gugino, the "Spy Kids" mom, trades life as a secret agent for the role of Karen Sisco, the federal marshal from "Out of Sight," the Jennifer Lopez-George Clooney movie. Though Lopez is a tough act to follow, Gugino pulls it off with the help of Sisco's father (Robert Forster) and boss (Bill Duke); novelist Elmore Leonard's quirky characters; and a production team including Danny DeVito (who will make a cameo). All the pieces may be in place for a long run on TV. (9 p.m. Wednesdays; premieres Wednesday on ABC).

"A Minute with Stan Hooper": Barry Kemp ("Newhart," "Coach") has created a delightful "Newhart"-style comedy with a great surprise — Norm Macdonald in the Bob Newhart role. The former wise-cracking "Saturday Night Live" Weekend Update anchor keeps his mouth shut on this crazy Fox comedy, as Newhart did on his two long-running CBS shows. Macdonald's Hooper, a TV news commentator, moves from New York to Wisconsin to live with "real people," only to find some really wacky ones — a cheese mogul (Fred Willard), paranoid butler (Brian Howe), and the diner owners (Garret Dillahunt, Daniel Roebuck). (7:30 p.m. Oct. 29, Fox).

"The O.C.": More than 8 million viewers have discovered the best new fall drama, which the sly Fox introduced Aug. 5, six weeks before TV's official premiere week. This "Beverly Hills 90210" for a new generation chronicles how a poor outsider, Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie), tries to fit into affluent Newport Beach and Orange County (the "O.C."). Abandoned by his parents, Ryan has been taken in by an idealistic public defender (Peter Gallagher, "American Beauty") and socialite wife (Kelly Rowan), who initially didn't want him influencing their son (Adam Brody) or the teenage beauty (Mischa Barton) next door (moves to 8 p.m. Thursdays on Oct. 30).