New TV shows for fall

Science fiction/fantasy

1. Invasion (Wednesdays, 9 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4) opens with a bang — under the cover of a hurricane, lights fall from the sky in what is some sort of alien invasion. The story centers on a Florida family — the cast includes William Fichtner, Eddie Cibrian, Lisa Sheridan, Kari Matchett and Tyler Labine — at least one of whom seems, um, different after the storm.

At first glance, this looks a lot like a lot of other shows that have ripped off "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." But there is hope — without giving too much away, this series appears to be headed in directions other than the obvious. And, with "Lost" as a lead-in, it should have the time to head off in those directions.

Premieres Wednesday, Sept. 21

2. Supernatural (Tuesdays, 8 p.m., WB/Ch. 30) is about two brothers (Jared Padalecki of "Gilmore Girls" and Jensen Ackles of "Smallville") who didn't get the best start in life — their mother was (apparently) burned up by some sort of demon, and their father has turned into a demon hunter. Now young adults, they take off across America in search of their missing father and fight ghosts and demons and other "Supernatural" stuff along the way.

This show is pretty entertaining. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and it's got two hot-guy stars who will appeal to the teenage girls who make up a big chunk of the WB's audience. And it's airing on the night and network where "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was so successful. It won't take magic for "Supernatural" to succeed.

Premieres Tuesday, Sept. 13

3. Surface (Mondays, 7 p.m., NBC/Ch. 5) is another alien-invasion show, only in this one we're being invaded by sea creatures. And they aren't from outer space. At least I don't think so. But some of them are big enough to chomp on nuclear subs, some drag divers to their deaths and some lay eggs that hatch and wreak havoc if you take them home and put them in your aquarium. Really.

Like "Invasion," this show features a large cast (including Lake Bell, Jay R. Ferguson and Carter Jenkins). The pilot is intriguing, but you've got to wonder whether it will hold up as a weekly series. And the time slot isn't going to help.

Premieres Monday, Sept. 19

4. Night Stalker (Thursdays, 8 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4) has a lot in common with its predecessor, the 1970s series "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" — Carl Kolchak (Stuart Townsend) is a newspaper reporter who investigates supernatural happenings. This time around, however, he's suspected of having murdered his wife, and his newspaper co-worker (Gabrielle Union) thinks he's nuts.