Fall dramas try to offer something for everyone

'Easy Money'
Though this drama brings more spoiled rich folks to the CW, it doesn’t focus on teenagers. Jeff Hephner stars as Morgan, a 28-year-old who takes over his family’s short-term loan business, only to discover that his paycheck might not be enough to compensate for putting up with his pampered, ethically challenged family.

Nick Searcy and comedy goddess Laurie Metcalf (Jackie on "Roseanne") play Morgan’s parents, and the ensemble cast also includes “Beverly Hills Cop” star Judge Reinhold as a part-time detective.

One to watch? Maybe. Of The CW’s new Sunday night shows, which all are produced by studio Media Rights Capital, “Easy Money” — which comes across as “Dirty Sexy Money” lite  — sounds the most promising.  (Premieres Sept. 21, CW, 9 p.m.)    —Jeff Hidek

'Eleventh Hour'
One of many new shows being adapted from British originals, “Eleventh Hour” began as a British miniseries starring Patrick Stewart and “Ugly Betty’s” Ashley Jensen.

Marcel Williams / WARNER BROS. "Eleventh Hour" seems a lot like fellow new show "Fringe."

For the new CBS drama, Brit actor Rufus Sewell takes over the Stewart role as Dr. Jacob Hood, a special science advisor to the FBI. Hood and his FBI handler (played by Marley Shelton) investigate “crimes and crises of a scientific or technological nature,” according to executive producer Cyrus Vori.

If that sounds an awful lot like that new Fox show “Fringe,” which features a government team investigating cases of “fringe science” and paranormal events, Vori was quick to point out to critics this summer that “Eleventh Hour” deals with science fact, not science fiction. The pilot episode deals with human cloning, and future episodes will tackle cryonic preservation and genetic engineering.

One to watch? Maybe. Success will depend more on the chemistry of Sewell and Shelton than the chemistry in the plotlines. (Premieres Oct. 9, CBS, 10 p.m.)    —J.H.

‘The Ex List’
There’s nothing wrong with well-written shows that cater to a female-only audience. Then there’s “The Ex List,” a drama so poorly executed and demeaning to women that it’s a shame that the adorable Elizabeth Reaser — so intriguing as “Grey’s Anatomy's” Jane Doe — has chosen this dreck as her first lead TV role.

Cliff Lipson / CBS Elizabeth Reaser should have stayed with "Grey's" instead of "The Ex List."

The premise is as thin as the script pages it’s written on. Reaser, a cute and bubbly thirtysomething, goes to a psychic who explains to her that she’s already dated her future husband. If she doesn’t reconnect with him over the next year, she’ll be single forever.

So out comes the list — didn’t we already do this on “My Name Is Earl”? — and she needs to check back in with all the guys that she broke up with since her teenage years. They should consider themselves lucky they got out when they did.

One to watch? Absolutely not. Make this show an "Ex" right from the start. (Premieres Oct. 3, CBS, 9 p.m.)    — Stuart Levine

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