Working for the Creative Services department for a WB Affiliate has its merits. This is one. I can watch the pilot episodes for the new fall shows. So far, I've only gotten to see two of them and here's what I think about them.

Everwood stars Treat Williams, but don't let that scare you off. Many TV critics are saying this show is perfect for him and more or less will make him cool again (I consider him cool in "Hair").

The story revolves around his family. He is a world famous neurosurgeon and has apparently worked on folks like Liz Taylor and Tiger Wood's Uncle. And, he's not a good father in the sense that he's not there for his kids all the time. For example, he misses his son's piano recital. Well, in the beginning, his wife is killed in an accident and he is empty. So, in an attempt to make up for being a bad father and to be the doctor his wife always wanted him to be, he moves the family to Everwood, CO and opens a general practice.

So, the plot for the series looks like its going to be about a father learning to cope with the loss of his wife and learning to be a good father. He seems to go a little nutso when he talks to his dead wife, but its really a flashback to previous conversations they had when they were alive. It's an interesting way to tell a story, but it confused me at first. I thought he actually talking to the memory of his wife while his daughter watched from the hall, but he was just reliving a conversation.

Now, I don't know if you'll cry - I didn't - but you should be entertained. That is if you can get past the first 15 minutes of how the good Doctor and his family moved here to Everwood. I think the WB has a good show here, but I think the audience Everwood wants doesn't watch the WB. This show seems to be aimed for the "slightly younger than the Touched By An Angel" audience. But it could be another Gilmore Girls, a hit for the WB, but cancelled on one of the Big 4. It helps that 7th Heaven, the WB's #1 show, will be its lead-in. Everwood will air on Mondays at 9pm Eastern/8pm Central in the fall.

Which brings us to Family Affair. I'll start this by saying that my wife was a big fan of the original Family Affair. This new updated version stars Tim Curry as Mr. French (hey a good actor, it has promise). Well, I had to turn it off about half way through because I was afraid of what my wife was going to do to me for making her watch it. I did chuckle a few times, but, it has a canned laugh track.... Family Affair will lead off Thursday nights at 8pm Eastern/7pm Central.

More reviews coming soon when I have a chance to watch them, including Bird of Prey...