WEEKEND: New shows worth watching

With some long time TV staples such as “Lost,” “24” and the original “Law & Order” leaving the airwaves, (though the “L&O” spinoffs unmercifully continue) some new shows this fall have a chance to step into a pretty big spotlight. Most of the new stuff you’ll see is probably trash, so we’re here to pick through it all, just for you.

“Boardwalk Empire”
The obvious draw to HBO’s new series is the direction of the pilot episode by none other than Martin Scorsese. This is his first foray into television since he directed an episode of Steven Spielberg’s “Amazing Stories” in the 1980s, and the expectation is that Scorsese will have a good deal of creative input on the rest of the first season. The show stars Steve Buscemi as the boss of a Republican machine in Atlantic City during the prohibition era, well-tread ground for Scorsese and former “Sopranos” writer Terence Winter.

“The Walking Dead”
We haven’t had to deal with a zombie apocalypse yet, but the media hasn’t been able to stay away from the undead recently. “Walking Dead” is based on a comic book series of the same name and features a group of relative unknowns as the cast of survivors who travel the country searching for refuge, post zombie-apocalypse. Based on AMC’s phenomenal track record of original programming and the truly haunting trailer, some critics expect “Walking Dead” will be this fall’s biggest hit.

“The Event”
Any show that has been entrusted to the programming masterminds at NBC is hard to look forward to, but the new thriller has an ambitious conspiracy story arc that promises to be an enjoyably epic failure at the very least. Jason Ritter will be expected to carry most of the show as a man who uncovers an enormous conspiracy while (surprise) investigating the death of his spouse. While the details of the plot are obviously under wrap, the belief is that the mystery might be the cause of an alien invasion, with obvious fundamental human implications. The reports out of Comic-Con from Reuters were that the pilot episode was generally well-received.

“Hawaii Five-0”
CBS is rebooting one of their most famous shows of all time with this crime procedural. That very term might inspire some to gouge out their eyes, but the network hopes that a little bit of nostalgia can be enough for another popular crime drama. Famed characters Steve McGarrett and Danny “Danno” Williams return, played by Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan respectively, but each will be rebooted to pay respect to the original characters. What should be most interesting to see is how the show deals with a dramatically different Hawaii today than it was during the show’s 1970s hey-day.