Upfront About the Upfronts: The Crackpipe Remote Looks At His Future

This week has been upfronts in the TV business - where critics and (more importantly) advertising folks get a look at the new pilots & schedules for Fall 2011. As one of my favorite bloggers, Linda Holmes, so wisely wrote earlier this week:

You should not, under any circumstances, look to the upfronts to tell you either (1) what will be good in the fall, or (2) what will be successful in the fall. No, sirree. Critics (like me) will offer you gut reactions, and it's sort of a fun and speculative time when you figure out how the table is being set, but that's all those reactions are, and that's all you should assume they are.

She also said:

So mostly, we are gazing upon a giant cage in which a motley collection of animals is assembled, and very soon, the cage will be opened, they will all attempt to run across the highway at the same time, the vast majority of them will become roadkill, and perhaps two or three will reach the other side. When they do, you may well look at those that survived and say, "Really? The one with the two broken legs and the boulder tied around its neck? That is very curious!"

So, with that firmly in mind, here's my picks for the three shows I'm mostly likely to watch in six months.

Awake (NBC) - a tremendous cast & a mind-bending premise... what if you lived two parallel lives?

Alcatraz (FOX) - another mind-bender... this time with Jorge Garciz (Hurley!) from "Lost" and arch-criminals who've managed to escape - through time!

Person of Interest (CBS) - Pretty intense "real" sci-fi/vigilante show w/Michael Emerson (Ben!) from "Lost" & Jim Cavaziel!