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The New Fall Television Season is in Full Swing

© F. Colin Kingston

Your humble television reporter has been busy recording and watching as many of the new fall television shows as possible. The goal is to watch and review as many of them as possible before nervous television executives give them the hook. This week we feature reviews of three new series: "Veronica Mars" on UPN, "CSI: New York" on CBS and "Hawaii"on NBC.

Without a doubt, the surprise of the season for me is "Veronica Mars." Even more surprising, the series airs on UPN, a network not known for outstanding drama. If future episodes of the series can hold the appeal of the pilot, "Mars" could do for UPN what "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" did for the WB.

Kristin Bell is marvelous in the title role. She plays a high school girl who helps out at her father's detective agency. (Stay with me here, this is much deeper than it sounds.)

Mars lives in the fictional town of Neptune and goes to a high school filled with kids of the wealthy and those who work for the wealthy. Her father was once the sheriff but lost his job after the town thought he botched the investigation of a murdered girl of one of the rich and powerful families in town. The girl happened to be Mars' best friend and sister of her former boyfriend.

There is much potential in this show. Each character has at least one major secret. Several of the main characters are "outcasts" in the town, including Veronica. I'm curious to see how these characters will be fleshed out in future episodes. If UPN can be patient, they may finally have that breakout drama they've been looking for. "Veronica Mars" airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on UPN.

For more on "Veroncia Mars" please visit the official Web site at http://www.upn.com/shows/veronica_mars/i...

Probably the most eagerly anticipated new series of the season is "CSI: New York." The "CSI" franchise has done for CBS what the "Law & Order" franchise has done for NBC. CBS in fact has scheduled their new "CSI" spin-off up against the original "Law & Order." The scheme worked, at least in week one, as "CSI: New York" beat out "Law & Order" in the most recent ratings.

This version of "CSI" stars Academy-Award nominee and Emmy-winner Gary Sinise as Det. Mark Taylor. Press notes indicate that the character has a bit of a dark past that no doubt will be revealed as the series moves forward. Co-starring with Sinise is Emmy-nominee Melinda Kanakaredes. Rounding out the cast are Carmine Giovinazzo as Danny Messer, Hill Harper as the mysterious coroner Dr. Sheldon Hawkes, Eddie Cahill as Det. Ron Flack and Vanessa Ferlito as Aiden Burn.