Top 10 Anticipated New Shows

The Great Writer's Strike of 2007-08 lasted 100 days, but the wounds are still visible in the Fall '08 TV line-up. Fans with a craving for new series will find the typically abundant fall pickings relatively slim, but there are a handful of newbies that sparked some fevered Yahoo! search action. Click through this slideshow to countdown the Top 10 most anticipated new series according to Yahoo! Buzz.Wednesday, August, 20, 2008, 6:20 PM

#10 THE MENTALIST ** Simon Baker lasted four years with CBS as "Guardian" and one year with "Smith," now the Aussie actor's giving it another go with the crime drama "The Mentalist." Whether it's hindsight or foresight, Baker's decision to play a celebrity psychic-turned-detective has so far been getting fairly positive feedback. Even the lukewarm reviews admit Baker's a charmer, who pops up 40% in searches over the past month. By the way, as if the airwaves aren't already littered with mediums and self-aware frauds, CBS will feature a real-life mentalist in an upcoming reality show called "POI: People of Interest." Tuesdays at 9pm ET on CBSCBS/Cliff - Wednesday, August, 20, 2008, 6:20 PM

#9 OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS ** Ashton Kutcher brings the creative spree behind "Punk'd" and "Beauty and the Geek" to ABC with "Opportunity Knocks." The first and only game show on the most-anticipated list, the contest quizzes families on how well they know one another, the mail carrier, or the folks next door. The concept isn't exactly ambush game-show: Wannabe contestants could apply online… but they have to live in a "traditional neighborhood" in a house with a 20x20 foot yard or driveway to make room for the camera crew. Seems like opportunity only knocks for those already in a pretty cozy state. Tuesdays at 8pm ET on ABCABC/Vivian - Wednesday, August, 20, 2008, 6:20 PM

Recent images coming in from the Phoenix Mars Lander have fueled public speculation about Red Planet denizens… but barely anyone would have figured on Harvey Keitel being in the mix on "Life on Mars."Actually, "Life on Mars" has nothing to do with the fourth planet closest to the sun, but is an ABC remake of a British drama. The show is actually about a cop (Jason O'Mara) who gets transported from present-day to the '70s after a car accident. And while Keitel and "Sopranos" alum Michael Imperioli may be the show's acting heavyweights, co-stars Gretchen Mol and Lisa Bonet reap the online popularity. Thursdays at 10pm ET on ABCABC/Kevin - Wednesday, August, 20, 2008, 6:20 PM

#7 EASY MONEY ** Another show with a "Sopranos" cred, "Easy Money" essentially delves into a similarly criminal enterprise: a successful loan-sharking family. Blue-collar comedies have faded since their peak in the '70s and '80s, so it's rare to see a dramedy tackle the uncomfortably touchy subject of usury. It's even odder to find the program's unlikely home on The CW, champion of shallow wealth. Starring Emmy Award winner Laurie Metcalf and Jeff Hephner as her doubting son (and the show's conscience), the comedy may be the odd family out on the slick CW line-up, but could add up in these tough economic times. Sundays at 9pm ET on The CW The - Wednesday, August, 20, 2008, 6:20 PM

#6 TRUE BLOOD ** "Six Feet Under" didn't quite revive the dead, but brought lively storytelling to a funeral business. Now its creator Alan Ball gets his hands bloody in "True Blood," based on the vampire-mystery novels by Charlaine Harris. Rave reviews are coming in for the Southern-steeped HBO comedy set in Louisiana. Vampires, thanks to a Japanese invention, can live amongst human beings, but find themselves faced with demanding groupies and deadly poachers. The show stars Anna Paquin (up 48% in searches) as a mind-reading, mystery-solving barmaid. With the movie "Twilight" soon emerging, expect corpuscles to be the next hot thing. Sundays at 9pm on HBOHBO/Prashant Gupta - Monday, August, 25, 2008, 11:25 PM

#5 SANCTUARY ** Weaned on the Web, "Sanctuary" moves into slightly larger environs when the science-meets-supernatural show crosses over to the SciFi Channel. The show's creative legacy stems from the "Stargate" series, and its webisode venture allowed fans to do video mash-ups. Don't expect a cyberspace storyline to carry over: Star Amanda Tapping (who looks pretty good for a 157-year-old doctor sniffing out undercover alien residents) reports that the TV version will be different. What will be the same: continued use of digital sets, a la "Sin City" and "300," making "Sanctuary" the first TV show ever to employ virtual backgrounds. Premieres Friday, 10/3 at 9pm on SciFiSciFi/Jamel - Wednesday, August, 20, 2008, 6:20 PM

#4 FRINGE ** "The X-Files" helped establish Fox, and while the network isn't exactly suffering nowadays with its "American Idol" juggernaut, there's a sense of paying homage to its fictional routes with "Fringe." The show, fourth in online interest, pairs a female FBI agent with a nutcase scientist and his 'estranged' son. Producer J.J. Abrams ("Lost," "Cloverfield") isn't just the mastermind behind the dramatized investigations into 'fringe science,' but also behind one of the most expensive pilots ever at $10 mil plus. A comic book prequel debuts first to warm up the fanboys, but many already suspect this will be the break-out hit of the fall. Tuesdays at 9pm ET on FoxFOX/Michael - Wednesday, August, 20, 2008, 6:20 PM

#3 SONS OF ANARCHY ** With "The Shield" turning in its badge this season, FX is rolling out biker outlaws in "Sons of Anarchy." Ages 21-54 have been drawn to the chrome hog drama about a motorcycle-riding, gun-running family syndicate. But fans aren't all male gearheads, with ladies making up more than a third of online searches. The show bears a mutt pedigree, but check out the creative DNA: a "Shield" scriptwriter, "Sopranos" director, and a cast that includes English bloke Charles Hunnam, Ron "Hellboy" Perlman (for once, free of beastly makeup), and Katey Sagal. Wednesdays at 10pm on FXFX/Timothy - Wednesday, August, 20, 2008, 6:20 PM

#2 KNIGHT RIDER ** Co-starring with a talking car made David Hasselhoff the toast of Germany and beyond, and the '80s detective show still has life in international cable reruns. Still, with the original K.I.T.T. (and its parent GM for that matter) in derelict condition, can Justin Bruening and Val Kilmer's voice jumpstart a second "Knight Rider" run? One thing hasn't changed: Marketing's in maximum overdrive, starting with a Knight Rider GPS featuring the first K.I.T.T.'s prissy tones (William Daniels). The new cast includes Paul Campbell, Tamiia Poitier (yes, daughter of the great one), and a modified Shelby GT500KR with 605 horsepower. Wednesdays at 8pm ET on NBCNBC/Mitchell - Wednesday, August, 20, 2008, 6:20 PM

#1 "90210" ** Primetime soaps go back all the way to "Peyton Place," and CW series "90210" continues the grand tradition, although it's clearly the offspring of the '90s melodrama "Beverly Hills, 90210" with the same siblings-out-of-sparkling-water storyline. The show's not only reuniting Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty (Tori Spelling's holding out for equitable pay), but also throws in "Melrose Place" alumni Rob Estes as the dad. As for the young Beverly Hills-billies, Shenae Grimes ("Degrassi") and Tristan Wilds ("The Wire") bring good acting creds to their roles as interracial siblings (one's adopted). Expect Drama with a capital D. Tuesdays at 8pm ET on The CWThe - Wednesday, August, 20, 2008, 6:20 PM