NBC: 'FRIDAY NIGHT' SCORES; 'GOOD YEARS' IS GOLDEN

'Heroes'

"Friday Night Lights" puts small-town life, and American dreams, on the line. Above, Matthew Perry and Amanda Peet in "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," a behind-the- scenes look at a sketch-comedy show -- easily confused, perhaps, with "30 Rock," featuring Alec Baldwin, below, as a network honcho overseeing a sketch-comedy show. Right, John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor in the endearing "Twenty Good Years." (By Michael Muller -- Nbc) Save & Share Tag This Article  Saving options 1. Save to description:  Headline (required) 2. Save to notes (255 character max):  Blurb 3. Tag This Article

"Heroes" is a spectacular adventure series hobbled by its own pietistic pretentiousness. The heroes are a far-flung group of young people who come to realize they have superhuman powers, although what they intend to do with them -- and how they'll all get together to battle the evil in the world -- isn't revealed in "Volume One," as the series premiere is called. One woman can fall out a window, break every bone in her body, then mend miraculously in a twinkle. A peculiar young man paints accurately prophetic pictures of future catastrophes and complains, "Something's wrong with me." The transformations into superheroes "will not occur overnight," the prologue warns. By the end of the first hour, though, viewers might already be running out of patience -- and wandering amongst the other channels. (Mondays, 9 p.m.; premieres Sept. 25.)

'Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip'

One of the most eagerly awaited of the new dramas, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" is Aaron "West Wing" Sorkin's attempt to dramatize what might go on backstage at a sketch comedy show like NBC's own "Saturday Night Live" (also the setting, of course, for another new NBC series, "30 Rock"). Sorkin's drama takes place in Los Angeles -- one of the superficial ways to tell it from the other show -- and gets off to a fairly compelling start: Judd Hirsch, as the aging grump of a producer, tells viewers, "It's not going to be a very good show tonight; change the channel." He's obviously been inspired by Peter Finch's immortal Howard Beale in Paddy Chayefsky's "Network," and as part of his rant, he tells viewers they've all been "lobotomized" by television. Speak for yourself, pal. A very iffy beginning, but hopes for "Studio 60" remain high. (Mondays, 10 p.m.; premieres tomorrow night.)

'Friday Night Lights'

Based on a movie about a Texas town's obsession with its high school football team, "Friday Night Lights" is one of the season's best and most evocatively atmospheric new dramas. The premiere follows a week in the town's life as it prepares for the big game Friday, with Kyle Chandler giving a strong, convincing performance as the coach (a man apparently under about as much pressure as the president of the United States). One player drinks heavily, another is a snarling racist, and the star quarterback (pure as Ivory Snow) unfortunately suffers a major injury in the season's first game. You don't have to give a hoot about football to find the details fascinating, and "Friday Night Lights" is habit-forming from the very first scene. (Tuesdays, 8 p.m.; premieres Oct. 3.)

'30 Rock'

"30 Rock" is former "Saturday Night Live" head writer Tina Fey's sitcom about being head writer of "The Girlie Show," a network comedy. The pilot shown to critics is undergoing major renovations -- partly because things weren't working very well, but also because Alec Baldwin, several times an "SNL" host, has joined the cast as a network executive. Fey is a clever writer with a wicked wit, but as an actress, she tends to vanish into her own scenes. Even so, there are plenty of laughs on the premiere, and it's the kind of quality show worth rooting for. (Wednesdays, 8 p.m.; premieres Oct. 11.)

'Twenty Good Years'

"Twenty Good Years" dares to star two actors who are not in their twenties or thirties or even teens. In fact, Jeffrey Tambor and John Lithgow play baby boomers who are facing a fearsome crossroads in their lives: turning 60. What they go through is not only funny but also often touching, resonant and, if you happen to be part of the same generation, a trifle terrifying. Both actors are at the top of their game; they're like a Hope and Crosby for our time -- richly and royally hilarious. (Wednesdays, 8:30 p.m.; premieres Oct. 11.)

'Kidnapped'

"Kidnapped" is another TV series that seems like it should be a movie. In fact, it was a movie, more than once: Parents wait anxiously for news of a child abducted by criminals. The versatile Jeremy Sisto is the standout in this version, playing a kind of freelance private cop who's an expert at retrieving kidnapped children alive. The suspense is intense, and the second episode takes surprising twists and turns, which suggest that the producers and writers (and an outstanding cast) will be able to keep the story going week upon week. (Wednesdays, 10 p.m.; premieres Wednesday.)

'Heroes'

"Heroes" is a spectacular adventure series hobbled by its own pietistic pretentiousness. The heroes are a far-flung group of young people who come to realize they have superhuman powers, although what they intend to do with them -- and how they'll all get together to battle the evil in the world -- isn't revealed in "Volume One," as the series premiere is called. One woman can fall out a window, break every bone in her body, then mend miraculously in a twinkle. A peculiar young man paints accurately prophetic pictures of future catastrophes and complains, "Something's wrong with me." The transformations into superheroes "will not occur overnight," the prologue warns. By the end of the first hour, though, viewers might already be running out of patience -- and wandering amongst the other channels. (Mondays, 9 p.m.; premieres Sept. 25.)