The family hour makes a comeback

5 Boomtown (NBC, Sundays, 10-11 p.m., starting Sept. 29): Most of the creativity this season can be found on the cop shows. There are two this season on the LAPD (CBS' "Robbery Homicide Division" was not available for review at this writing), and aching angst is the order of the day. This one takes a look at crime from the point of view of various characters – à la Kurosawa's "Rashomon" – and the characters are fully engaging. Donnie Wahlberg is especially spellbinding as a bright cop with a tragic personal life.

6 John Doe (Fox, Fridays, 9-10 p.m., starting Sept. 20): Maybe Friday prime time will be rescued this year. A man wakes up on an island off the coast of Seattle, knowing every fact in the world except who he is. He uses his knowledge first to make himself rich, and then to solve crime. As absurd as the premise may sound, this crime-fighting fantasy is fully engaging as the hero searches for the bad guys, rescues innocents, and seeks his own identity.

7 Greetings from Tucson (The WB, Fridays 9:30-10 p.m., beginning Sept. 20): This surprisingly sweet family sitcom about an Irish-American woman married to a Mexican-American man is culturally specific, funny, and charming. Dad is still trying to assimilate, while his wife is proud of his heritage. He's a penny-pincher, and conflicts with his children arise over his work ethic and his frugality. But this sitcom, unlike the egregious "8 Simple Rules" or noxious "Hidden Hills," respects both parents and children enough to create a realistic home life and a more creative view of parenting.

8 Life With Bonnie (ABC, Tuesdays at 9 p.m. beginning with an 8:30 p.m. debut Sept. 17): Bonnie Hunt is a first-rate comedian, and she finally has worthy material to show off her layered talents. A frazzled working mother juggles little children, a demanding doctor-husband, and a daily talk show. She's not always on top of things, as when she interviews a writer on air without having read her book, only to discover the writer is a hate-mongering lunatic. Working women should get a serious kick out of this funny material.

9 Still Standing (CBS, Mondays, 9:30-10 p.m. beginning Sept. 30): This sitcom needs time to warm up, but the jokes are genuinely amusing. Family life, presented here with real feeling for kids and parents, may be a bit goofy, but at least we know who the parents are. English actor Mark Addy's American accent is a lot better than most Americans'. And his sweet, paunchy persona – befuddled by the complexities of raising children who are brighter than he is – is one of the most endearing sitcom dads in a long, long time.

Whether to castigate the nitwit wheel-squealing cop "drama," Fastlane, or the nasty, disheartening family "comedy" 8 Simple Rules, that is the question. Fox's "Fastlane" (Wednesdays, starting Sept. 18) is an attempt to re-create the thrills of "Starsky and Hutch." Maybe the idea is just too dumb to worry about. But there's no excuse for John Ritter's crass "8 Simple Rules For Dating My Daughter" (ABC, Tuesdays, 8-8:30 pm), in which he acts as goalie, cracking wise about his two daughters' sexuality and trying to keep them dressed and their beaus at bay. It is just offensive to hear a middle-aged man ask his daughter about her bodily functions.

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