29 new shows are headed for your TV

Will it work? Probably not. Certainly not without a whole lot better scripts for Lewis to work with. And at least somewhat less quirkiness.

Debuts: Wednesday, Sept. 26

Thursdays

BIG SHOTS (Thursdays, 9 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4) is sort of, kind of, the male version of "Sex and the City." With less sex. (And fewer men, to be perfectly honest.)

This hourlong comedy/drama follows the adventures of four men who are wildly successful in business but considerably less successful in their personal lives. Brody John (Christopher Titus of "Titus") is senior vice president at Alpha Crisis Management — and he's under the thumb of his new wife. Karl Mixworthy (Joshua Malina of "The West Wing") is the CEO of a huge pharmaceutical company — and he's henpecked by both his wife and his mistress.

James Walker (Michael Vartan of "Alias") is navigating the shark-infested waters at the top of AmeriMart Industries — and his wife is fooling around with someone very close to him. And Duncan Collinsworth (Dylan McDermott of "The Practice") is the CEO of Reveal Cosmetics — he's a divorced playboy who has discovered he's in love with one of his ex-wives and is dealing with a rebellious grown daughter.

The guys are best buddies who support each other in guy ways. They're not women masquerading as men, they're men trying to deal with life.

What's to like? How about a great cast with great chemistry, smart writing and great production? If that's not enough, there's a lot of genuine humor in "Big Shots" and story lines that look like they could carry the show a long way.

What's not to like? Well, Vartan's character is a bit morose in the pilot. But that's nitpicking.

Will it work? Looks like a hit.

Debuts: Thursday, Sept. 27

Fridays

THE NEXT GREAT AMERICAN BAND (Fridays, 7 p.m., Fox/Ch. 13) is "American Idol" for groups. (It's even from the producers of that show.)

You've got three judges — John Rzenznki of the Goo Goo Dolls, Sheila E. and Australian TV personality Ian "Dicko" Dickson. You've got a host — Dominic Bowden — no one has ever heard of before. You're got a bunch of hopefuls, auditions, viewer voting and so on and so on.

You've got "American Idol" for groups.

What's to like/what's not to like? Not available for preview.

Will it work? It's impossible to say without having seen anything, but remember — Fox tried an "American Idol" for kids a couple of years ago and it failed miserably.

Debuts: Friday, Oct. 19