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By the time you read this most of the new shows on television will have had their premiere; somehow the new season came a little too fast. I’d still like to voice my opinion on what shows I feel are worth your time to watch just incase you passed them by. NBC was one of the networks I was most impressed with as far as introducing new shows. They have three new dramas and one new comedy that I found to be very entertaining.

E-Ring (Wednesdays, 8-9:00 p.m., CST) stars Benjamin Bratt ( Law & Order) and Dennis Hopper (Easy Rider) who joins forces in this exciting drama set inside the nation’s Pentagon. The series focuses on the conflicts between American military heroes and the civilians to whom they report to; where crises can escalate into life and death situations for individuals or entire nations. Viewers witness critical decisions by intelligence officers in the war room and the execution of these decisions by covert special ops on the battlefield. The number one mission is survival of the state, often balancing between protecting the homeland and protecting either all of mankind or the life of a single soldier. 

I know the men viewers will really catch on to this series and I think the women will tune in to see Benjamin Bratt but will also get hooked on watching. This might be an excellent show for those who are on Jag withdrawals. I’m not ordinarily a fan of this type of drama but it held my interest and I’d watch it again. I feel this could be NBC’s breakout hit but then that’s just my opinion.

Surface (Mondays, 7-8:00 p.m., CST) is an hour drama that is entertainment for the entire family. The series creators Josh and Jonas Pate (Dragnet) describes the show as: “entertainment for all ages in the tradition of E.T. and Close Encounters. It will have action, suspense, thrills and heart as we track the fantastic into the familiar.”

Surface centers on the appearance of mysterious sea creatures in the deep ocean and tells the story of four characters who track these creatures. Miles (Carter Jenkins, CSI: New York), the young boy who brings the creatures ashore and brings them back to his home and puts them in his family’s fish tank; Laura Daughter (Lake Bell, Boston Legal), the young oceanographer who discovers the secret; Dr. Aleksander Cirko (Rade Sherbedegia, Snatch), the government scientist who tries to cover everything up for fear of worldwide panic; and Richard Owens (Jay R. Ferguson, Judging Amy), the Louisiana fisherman who loses his brother in a suspicious diving accident.

The Pates continued: “We’ll follow the teenager as he raises the sea monster in a suburban garage. We’ll admire the young dedicated oceanographer as she takes unbelievable risks to get to the bottom of the mystery. We’ll feel the grief and obsession of the “every-man” from Louisiana and answer the questions surrounding the mysterious Dr. Cirko. The series will plumb the depths of suspense.”

“Something is down there,” said Jonas Pate.

Surface is a fantastic fun filled hour and I loved it. We seriously need more series like this one that we can sit down and enjoy as a family. If you haven’t watched the first episode please try to catch the next one you won’t regret it.

The last new hour drama on NBC that I truly enjoyed was Inconceivable (Fridays, 9-10:00 p.m., CST); not a show for the youngsters but excellent for adult viewing. It’s another medical drama but those are the best kind, certainly better than all those reality shows. This one focuses inside the Family Options Fertility Clinic where one comes to conceive or in some cases not to conceive. The main theme of the show may be helping desperate couples conceive but the stories also find super-egos of some of the doctors, one in particular, a missing frozen embryo and impending malpractice suits; with added touches of sex, deception and many secrets. This makes this a show you don’t want to miss even if it has a little taste of a soap opera. The cast includes clinic co-founders Rachel Lu (Ming-Na, ER) and Dr. Malcolm Bowers (Jonathan Cake, Empire), along with their new partner, Dr. Nora Campbell (Angie Harmon, Law & Order). Give it a try you just might get hooked.     

The half hour comedy on NBC that I enjoyed and found myself laughing out loud at is Thick Thin, but it won’t make its debut until midseason. The thing that drew me to this show is it makes a statement about overweight people; being physically fit isn’t always what’s it’s cracked out to be. Maybe because I could afford to lose a few pounds I could relate to a lot of the humor.

Jessica Capshaw (The Practice) stars as Mary a young lady who was overweight and lost 60 lbs as a member of a weight-loss center. Adjusting to her new body is a little more difficult than she expected especially since her family and friends still see her as her former self. To make things harder her family is big believers in eating and is there putting temptation in her way. 

A long time friend of Viewers Voice and a multiple EmmyAward winner, Sharon Gless (Cagney and Lacey) and Martin Mull (Roseanne) star as Mary’s protective parents. Jen (newcomer Amy Halloran), Mary’s younger sister who is also a member of the diet group, but unlike Mary, is plus-sized and proud of it.

Thick and Thin has an interesting twist to it and was really fun to watch. When it gets an air date I will let you know and go into more detail on the show.

When I’m in California in a few weeks I’m meeting up with Sharon Gless and will do an interview with her for my column and TV show. So all you die-hard Cagney and Lacey fans look for that when I return and catch up with what Sharon’s been up too. I also recently talked to Barney Rosenzweig, Sharon’s husband, and he’s going to do a phone interview for us in November. He did tell me that he just finished the first draft on his book tentatively titled Cagney, Lacey & Me and is meeting with Sony about the manufacture and distribution of the silver anniversary edition of the DVD for the series.

Until my next column let your voice be heard.