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Boomtown

NBC's "Boomtown" flies in the face of convention. Although a mere crime drama on the surface, "Boomtown" is distinguished by novel stylistic techniques.

Most notable of these is the program's narrative method -- the story is segmented into the multiple perspectives of prominent and secondary characters. Each week's crime unfolds through the eyes of the police, the witnesses and even the perpetrators.

The way the show is filmed is artistic, too. The story of the first episode's criminal, for instance, is portrayed in reverse chronology beginning with his death -- blood runs into his head and he falls backward to the ledge he slipped from.

But "Boomtown" is certainly not flawless. Though its stories are told in an interesting manner, the show doesn't revolutionize television or the crime drama. The premiere was slightly bogged down by the occasional corny line, bad acting and inauthentic character.

Nevertheless, should these minor faults be hammered out as the series continues, "Boomtown" has great potential to solidify, avoiding the single-season abyss that has consumed so many promising programs in years past.

By Brandon Whiteside

Firefly

Never a man to smite an interesting concept (see previous creations "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel"), Fox's new "Firefly" is writer Joss Whedon's take on an old-fashioned, shoot-'em-up Western -- set in outer space.

The far-out premise, which takes place 500 years in the future, follows the crew and passengers of the spaceship Serenity as it shuttles from planet to planet, haunting dusty bars, fighting the mysterious Alliance and attracting trouble wherever they go.

"Star Trek" this certainly is not. Frenetically paced and deeply detailed, "Firefly" hits the ground running and makes the bold assumption that its audience has the intelligence to keep up -- a novelty in television today.

But "Firefly" is not without its faults. Its background framework is complicated, and the show's characters -- including the renegade pilot, kind-hearted doctor and hooker with a heart of gold -- are more worn Western cliches than fleshed-out humans.

Nonetheless, "Firefly" remains buoyant through Whedon's trademark wit and a satiric self-awareness that makes the show half celebration and half spoof of the space cowboy.

By Jill Spivey

8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter

If you liked John Ritter as Ben's alcoholic dad on "Felicity," you'll love him as Paul Hennessy in ABC's "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter."

Because Paul's wife, Cate Hennessy (Katey Sagal, former Peggy Bundy) has gone back to work, the mild-mannered father is forced to contend with two demanding teenage girls -- Bridget (Kaley Cucco) and Kerry (Amy Davidson) -- and a precocious young son.

Debatably successful attempts at humor take place when Paul tries to view "the game of the century" but is constantly distracted by his children. A drug store displays Bridget on the "Wall of Shame" for allegedly shoplifting, and Paul must exonerate her.

"8 Simple Rules" has no business being funny or being rated the fourth most watched sitcom on television, but apparently it has achieved both. Although ratings dropped slightly from the first to the second week, they are expected to rise again. Through the exploration of forced and constant bickering, the show has stumbled on simple truths about family, appealing to a wide range of viewers.

One question remains: Will Katey Sagal do the Peggy walk just once for old times sake?

By Ashley Harrell

Fastlane

Fox, manufacturer of television's guilty pleasures, is at it again with its new show "Fastlane," a spectacularly horrible display of speed, sin and skin.

The show follows undercover cops Van Ray (Peter Facinelli) and Deaqon Hayes (Bill Bellamy) into the seamy world of high-stakes crime, where the sexy, magnetic criminals they meet are often more appealing than appalling. Lucky for them, their dominatrix of a boss, Billie Chambers (Tiffani Thiessen), keeps them on the straight and narrow -- as well as amply supplied with goodies from the "Candy Store," a "Real World"-esque warehouse filled with seized luxury cars and other high-end items.

"Fastlane" is custom-made for fans of last year's "The Fast and the Furious," featuring fiery race scenes, soft-core sex and dialogue so bad you almost want to watch the show on mute. You'll be hard-pressed to find much substance, but that's really not the point.

This hour of mind-numbing brain candy is the perfect indulgence for your pop culture sweet tooth.

By Erin Sullivan

Everwood

In a genre where storylines are too easily ruined by cliched situations and moralizing characters, the WB puts a fresh twist on an old story with "Everwood." Alongside its weepy lead-in drama "7th Heaven," the show instantly upped the standards for family dramas when it became the network's highest-rated season premiere.

Treat Williams stars as Dr. Andy Brown, a world-renowned neurosurgeon who uproots his family from their New York City home after his wife is killed in a car accident.

Hoping to mend his workaholic ways and reconnect with his children, he moves to Everwood, Colo., where he sets up a free clinic and quickly becomes the talk of the tiny town.

The show's finely tuned recipe for success mixes a cast of seasoned actors with talented newcomers.

It tackles topics such as teen sex, surrogate motherhood and high school cliques with cleverness and tact.

"Everwood" strikes a delicate balance hard for most family dramas to find. It imparts a lesson without being condescending. It's heartwarming without being melodramatic.

By Harmony Johnson

Push, Nevada

The last words television viewers hear before the start of a "Push, Nevada" episode come courtesy of the ABC show's co-creator and executive producer -- movie star Ben Affleck.

"Keep your eyes open," he says with his trademark smirk.

Then "Push, Nevada" tries everything to make you blink.

Hyperactive camera work, rapid flashback sequences and a plot that twists upon itself all contribute to a frantic pace that deliberately leaves the viewer perplexed.

It's all designed to enhance the mystery that is at the show's core. Both the premise of "Push, Nevada" and its gimmick revolve around solving the secluded town's many unknowns.

IRS investigator Jim Prufrock (Derek Cecil) gets an anonymous tip about an embezzlement scandal at Push's only casino.

But upon arrival, he finds the locals uncooperative and the money nowhere to be found.

The show's twist is that audiences can pocket that money for themselves if they follow all the show's clues and solve the mystery on their own.

The cryptic haze that washes over each episode and its lead character creates the dark and haunting kind of atmosphere that is perfect for a tenebrous and mysterious show.

But adequate incentive to wade deeper into this mix requires more than a one-time prize.

It takes shaper dialogue, deeper characters, and less conspiracy cliches than the program can boast.

It's one thing to build a show's mystery, quite another to inject it with mystique.

By Brook Corwin

Good Morning Miami

Imagine the cast of "Murphy Brown" after three pitchers of cheap margaritas, and you have NBC's "Good Morning Miami," a weak show that leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

The series features Jake Silver, a television producer who takes a job at a Miami TV station after a cute hair stylist named Dylan detangles his heart strings with her trusty round brush.

Even more contrived than Jake's instant infatuation is the kooky staff -- a nun as a weather reporter, a neurotic station manager and a recovering alcoholic anchor and his Latina, pug-toting co-host.

The only likeable character is Jake's grandmother. Her warning of a romantic fate "sharing a deep dish with Sheila Chunkakowski" convinces him to turn down a better job in Chicago to try to win Dylan's heart, and the joke serves as the only decent line in the entire pilot episode.

But a sitcom can't survive on cute pugs and fat girl jokes alone.

So far the show relies too much on its laugh track for positive reinforcement. Perhaps this is due to the predictability of Jake's bumbling courtship of Dylan.

Tune in to see if Jake -- or the show for that matter -- makes it to Happy Hour.

By Duncan Pittman