With the beginning of fall semester comes a new season of network television, and for those of us without cable, our only option is the bleak, commercial realm of a few major networks. Luckily for us, network television brings us a few rare and creative new shows every year, hidden among the standard TV fare of laugh-track sitcoms, cheap reality shows, and early-afternoon soap operas. But this season’s fall lineup is different from anything we’ve seen before. After last year’s writer’s strike skewed ratings and prevented many shows from finding their audiences, the networks are airing these shows once again, while concentrating their creative resources on a fewer new shows. The result is a mix of struggling (but high-quality) shows from last season, with a few attention-worthy new shows thrown in.

Take a look at the leftovers from last season and the new shows with some potential:

”Eli Stone” (returns Tuesday Oct. 14, 10 pm/ET): Eli Stone is a talented corporate lawyer with big clients and even bigger paychecks, until he begins experiencing prophetic visions of an unusual nature (in his first vision, George Michael serenades Eli by singing “Faith” in his living room.) Just when Eli begins accepting his role as a prophet, a brain scan reveals that the visions might be the result of a brain aneurism and Eli faces a crisis of faith. ”Eli Stone” is both witty and thoughtful, and the show is slickly produced…it’s simply a joy to watch.

“Pushing Daisies” (returns Wednesday Oct. 1, 8 pm/ET): Quaint and charming, “Pushing Daisies” is now in its second season. For thosenew to the show, it features Ned, a mild-mannered pie maker with the ability to bring the dead back to life. His remarkable gift comes with a catch: one touch will wake the dead, but another will kill them again—permanently. There’s another twist: if they come alive for more than 60 seconds, someone must die in their place. Ned uses his gift to solve murder cases, but when he realizes that one of the victims is Chuck, his childhood sweetheart, he can’t bring himself to give her the second fatal touch. “Pushing Daisies” combines a whodunit mystery, a witty sitcom, and an unusual love story together into a visually pleasing, exuberant show...I highly recommend it!

“Chuck”(returns Sept. 29, Mon. 8/7 c): Chuck Bartowski, a computer technician at a Buy More Electronics store, accidentally opens an e-mail of government secrets and downloads an entire server of secret spy data into his brain. As the only way of accessing the database, Chuck is of utmost importance to the US government—and is the government’s greatest liability. “Chuck” is clever and hip, and if you devote an hour to watching the show, you won’t regret it.

“Fringe”(returns Tuesday, Sept. 9, 8 pm/ET): “Fringe” is “Lost” creator J.J. Abrams’s latest offering. FOX has disclosed very little information about the show, but the hype is intense; Abrams may be able to deliver another engrossing mystery like “Lost.” What we do know is this: FBI agent Olivia Dunham is investigating a growing number of paranormal events, and the only man who may be able to help her is Dr. Bishop, a scientist locked away in a mental institution. No one can be trusted, especially not representatives of Massive Dynamics, a technology company that is undoubtedly as sinister as it sounds. Like ”Lost”, the premise of “Fringe”sounds sketchy, but the potential is huge.

“Dollhouse”(airing January 2009): Speaking of sketchy science-fiction premises, “Dollhouse” may outdo even “Fringe”. The show is about a young woman named Echo, who is an “Active” or “Doll.” The Dolls have had their personalities wiped clean so that they can be imprinted with new personas and skills, and they can be hired to commit crimes or act out fantasies for high paying customers. Unfortunately for her handlers, Echo begins to become self-aware; fight sequences, romance, and fancy special effects will undoubtedly follow.

“The Mentalist”(pilot date not yet annoucned, Tuesday, 9 pm/ ET): In “The Mentalist” an ex-psychic with a prickly personality uses his genius skills of observation to crack tough cases. This difficult-but-brilliant main character should sound familiar, because the show is basically a rip-off of “House”. But keep in mind that “House” is a great show, and if “The Mentalist” can match its wit and astounding likeability, it might be a fun way to waste an hour.

“Eleventh Hour”(pilot date not yet announced, Thursday. 10 pm/ET): Dr. Jacob Hood, a brilliant biophysicist and special science advisor to the government, investigates scientific crises and oddities that the government can’t explain with his attractive FBI sidekick, Special Agent Rachel Young. “Eleventh Hour” sounds like a mediocre show, but its is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and stars an incredibly talented British actor, Rufus Sewell. I’ll watch the pilot, and then make up my mind.