TV Surveillance

With the traditional television season entering the final quarter, most series will be ramping up for their end-of-the-season runs by the time March comes to a close. But this is also a time when networks trot out brand new series for a sort of trial run in hopes of finding success that can carry on into next fall. The short time frame also means less opportunity to build an audience, but here are a handful of programs that are trying to do just that.  

PROGRAM: “Parenthood” (NBC)
TIMESLOT: Tuesdays at 10 p.m.
ODDS IT IS GOOD: 85 percent
ODDS IT SURVIVES: 90 percent

NBC’s hope to rebuild its reputation hinges on the success of this family drama that’s based on the Ron Howard film of the same name. Produced by Howard, written by one of the best in the game Jason Katims (“Friday Night Lights”) and featuring a star-studded cast led by Lauren Graham, Peter Krause and Craig T. Nelson, this should be a no less than solid. But, it’s hard to trust anything coming from NBC, even if all the pieces fit.  

PROGRAM: “Justified” (FX)
TIMESLOT: Tuesdays at 10 p.m. starting March 16
ODDS IT IS GOOD: 90 percent
ODDS IT SURVIVES: 96 percent

Despite the train wreck that was the final few seasons of “Nip/Tuck,” FX consistently produces rock-solid programming and this Timothy Olyphant project about a modern day, “19th-century style” U.S. Marshall looks like it will follow suit. Based on the character featured in a slew of Elmore Leonard works (“Out of Sight,” “Get Shorty”), “Justified” reunites the underrated Olyphant with the cowboy hat, a combination that worked out damn fine on HBO’s “Deadwood.”  

PROGRAM: “Sons of Tucson” (FOX)
TIMESLOT: Sundays at 9:30 p.m. starting March 14
ODDS IT IS GOOD: 59 percent
ODDS IT SURVIVES: 73 percent

The hilarious, kinetic Tyler Labine (“Reaper”) powers this sitcom about a slacker hired as a replacement father by three young boys who just lost their real father to prison. Completely unrealistic and still sort of cliche, this wouldn’t be worth mentioning without Labine’s involvement. The guy made the shouldn’t-have-been-canceled “Reaper” must-watch television and, with the right material, could do the same here. But don’t expect much. It might be back for a second helping just because FOX has trouble letting go of sitcoms (see: “’Til Death”).

PROGRAM: “The Pacific” (HBO)
TIMESLOT: Sundays at 10 p.m. starting March 14
ODDS ITS GOOD: 100 percent
ODDS IT SURVIVES: N/A

This one is a cheat since it’s a miniseries, but it should still be the most-anticipated event of the spring outside of the “Lost” finale. The winning producing team of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks returns to the world of World War II, an event they chronicled from a European vantage point in the now-famous “Band of Brothers” almost 10 years ago. This time, as the title suggests, we get to see the war in the Pacific through the eyes of a sprawling set of cast members. What’s not to love?

March might not be as busy as September or January, but these four newbies, along with the return of some heavy hitters — “Breaking Bad,” “Southland” and “Nurse Jackie” most notably — means there will be a hell of a lot of great television to get us out of a post-Olympics slump.