Fall TV Night-By-Night: Friday

Three new shows, all at 9 p.m., and one of them premieres tonight. Yet it's a returning show that's about the only thing I can recommend on Friday night. Still, Fridays are better than "random repeat Saturdays."

Beginning on Oct. 12, ABC will air "20/20" at 8 and put on "Men In Trees" at 10 on Fridays. I'm baffled at the endurance of the latter, a shotgun wedding between "Northern Exposure" and "Sex And The City" - She's a writer of romantic advice! She needs it herself! And there are bears! It's not a formula I get, and star Anne Heche just strikes me as weird. But whatever. The one new show bowing that night on the network is "Women's Murder Club," a rote drama based on novels by the serial-killer-novel hack James Patterson. It stars Angie Harmon as a cop who's assisted in solving murders by her circle of friends in other professions. I will not be watching.

CBS rolls out its Friday schedule on Sept. 28, with the inexplicably popular bit of Jennifer Love Hewitt nonsense "Ghost Whisperer" at 8 and the modest procedural success "Numb3rs" at 10. At 9, the eye will offer "Moonlight," a new series with Alex O'Loughlin (pictured) as a vampire private eye. Yup.

"Moonlight" has been going through some backstage changes, and I'm not optimistic about the final product. I haven't even seen a full episode, since they're still working on the thing. I think this will only been on your viewing schedule if you really like "Ghost Whisperer" and are too overcome with Hewitt's performance to manage the remote control. If so, I advise you to seek medical attention immediately.

Fox rolls out "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader" tonight at 8, followed by the lame reality show "Nashville" at 9. A bunch of interchangeably handsome country music hopefuls trying to make it in Music City in both sense of the word. It's like "The Hills," with cowboy hats. Uh, no thanks.

NBC offers returning shows "Deal Or No Deal" at 8 and the Tom Selleck-equipped "Las Vegas" at 10. Both bow for the season on Sept. 28, and the latter might actually be worth a look, anyway, just to see Selleck's million-dollar smile again. He's a much better actor than he's given credit for, all wry subtext. But the night's best show returns to the peacock at 9 p.m. on Oct. 5. Despite ratings troubles, NBC is bringing back the critically acclaimed "Friday Night Lights," and let's hope this well-done Texas high school football drama gets the audience it deserves.