New dramas hope viewers are willing to commit

Blame it all on “Lost.” Or “Alias.” Or “24.” Those successful dramas, which utilize complicated plots and season-or-longer story arcs, have proven hits with viewers. So this season, every network worth its logo is spitting out more serial dramas, hoping the next “Prison Break”-sized hit is among them.

Serialized dramas have their own set of drawbacks, however. If enough viewers don't tune in right at the start, watchers may think the show is too complex for latecomers to be able to jump on the bandwagon mid-season. These shows require a level of commitment not everyone is willing to give. Sure, "CSI" rewards longtime viewers by developing its relationships, but that show still can be watched easily one episode at a time, and viewers don't need the complex who-appeared-in-whose-flashback knowledge of a show like "Lost."

Our picks for shows most likely to hang in there? "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," "The Nine," and "Ugly Betty" seem to have promise. Shows that will have tougher roads include the too-similar trio of "Vanished," "Kidnapped," and "Runaway." 

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‘Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip’
Rapid-fire dialogue, a strong cast, a willingness to bite the network that feeds him — yes, Aaron Sorkin is back on NBC.  His “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” (NBC, Mondays, 10 p.m. ET) looks able to deliver on its strong initial buzz — good news for a network longing to crawl out of a ratings abyss. 

Danny Tripp (Bradley Whitford) and Matt Albie (Matthew Perry) star as a talented TV team brought in to save a “Saturday Night Live”-style show. Jordan McDeere (Amanda Peet) is the new network executive who brings them in, and a host of other big names make up a talented ensemble cast. What makes this show different from the rest of the Sorkin stable is that it’s far more of an autobiographical effort. Danny and Matt's working relationship on the show mirrors the one between Sorkin and Tommy Schlamme, and Sorkin makes the allusion more obvious by giving Whitford a drug problem to battle, mirroring his own well-publicized issues.

“Studio 60” is Sorkin’s no-holds-barred look at an industry he knows well: network television. NBC executives may spend a lot of Tuesday mornings complaining about some of the show’s dialogue, but as long as the ratings are strong, all will be forgiven.    —Craig Berman

‘Ugly Betty’
One of only a few pilots garnering good buzz is “Ugly Betty” (Thursdays, ABC, 8 p.m. ET). The not-actually-ugly America Ferrara, last seen in “The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants,” plays the badly dressed and orthodontia-heavy Betty Suarez. Betty lands a job as assistant to the male editor of a high-fashion magazine, primarily because the editor’s father thinks she’s too ugly for his son to want to sleep with.

FREE VIDEO 'Ugly Betty' America Ferrara plays an ordinary woman thrust into the world of high fashion. MSNBC

“Betty” will bring to mind “The Devil Wears Prada,” with its collision of unfashionable young woman and glamorous environment. But unlike the cynical Andy from “Prada,” Betty longs to please and finds fashion work fascinating. She can seem a little ingratiating at times, but after she locates her backbone, she’s worth following. The uneven supporting cast includes divinely cast Vanessa Williams as a hyper-elegant schemer unfortunately saddled with a terribly clichéd effeminate assistant.

“Betty” walks a fine line between comedy and drama, and it’s successful most of the time. It’s not inspired, but it’s airy and it doesn’t drag. Depending on the skill with which the characters surrounding Ferrara can be fleshed out, it may live up to the hype.    —Linda Holmes