Last season’s TV favorites return for fresh fall premieres

As summer wanes to its unforgiving end, so does the brutally awful summer TV schedule…. As summer wanes to its unforgiving end, so does the brutally awful summer TV schedule. Ignominious reality shows, hare-brained dramas and reruns from fall hits (along with abbreviated conclusions for some failed ventures).

While most shows will begin in October, “Lost” fans will have to wait until February to get their fix of J. J. Abrams’ mind and reality-bending island mystery. Last season was almost as tenuous for fans as it was for the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. Amid grumblings of a languid pace and a lack of “answers,” the producers of “Lost” promised more closure.

That came about by way of the apparent demise of popular central character Charlie, along with a few of the villainous Others. Season three closed with apparent contact between the survivors and a rescue team. If there is one consistent theme in the show, however, it is that things aren’t what they seem and are, in fact, usually worse.

Meanwhile, everyone’s favorite moody, misanthropic and brilliant doctor is back for another heaping of medical mysteries and excess Vicodin consumption. Some critics have hailed “House, MD” as the best show on television, thanks in large part to British thespian Hugh Laurie’s award-winning work as Gregory House, a pathologist with a pathological need to keep everyone around him at a distance. At the close of season three, House’s cantankerous temperament appeared to catch him, as his crack team of underlings parted ways with him. There’s no guarantee, however, that Cameron, Chase and Foreman won’t be back, as the show has thrown curveballs on more than one occasion.

Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) has been beaten, shot, stabbed, electrocuted, even brought to the brink of death on more than one occasion. All in a day’s work. Still, much like Rodney Dangerfield, he can’t get no respect – last season followed the now-stale story line of Bauer chasing down nukes while trying to avoid the terminally inept government agents. Sensing that things got weary last season, producer Manny Coto promised a “reboot,” with smaller, more personal storylines and less shoot-’em-up action.

“The Office” has attracted a loyal following, if not a particularly large one. NBC’s most critically lauded comedy, based on the British original, will move to a new time, Thursdays at 9 p.m., with the first four episodes running an hour in length. Stars Steve Carell and Rainn Wilson are becoming more widely known for movie roles (Carell headlined “Evan Almighty,” the most expensive comedy in cinema history, and Wilson appeared in “The Last Mimzy”), but that hasn’t slowed the pace of the show, now entering its fourth season.

Not many television shows get a second chance. Indeed, even the much revered “Firefly” couldn’t survive the initial ax. But CBS’s “Jericho” has managed to do precisely that: Initially left off the fall schedule, “Jericho” became Lazarus when a legion of fans bombarded the network with requests for a reprieve. “Jericho” will make a seven-episode run as a midseason replacement and possibly extend beyond that, pending viewer numbers.

Long after other hospital dramas, including “Chicago Hope,” closed their doors, NBC’s “ER” remains open. The show, entering season 14 (making it one of the longest running fictional shows still on the air), is no longer the ratings blockbuster it was back when George Clooney was playing doctor, but a stronger-than-expected showing last year staved off a trip to the morgue. Last season ended with a cliffhanger, as Dr. Neela Rasgotra found herself trampled in an (unintentionally comical) anti-war rally, which will doubtlessly sadden the dozen or so characters who were romantically interested in her.

Many more shows will make long awaited returns, too. From James Woods’ courtroom antics in CBS’s legal drama, “Shark,” to the surprise hit “Heroes” on NBC, several shows will brave a sophomore campaign, while other, more tenured shows, including “CSI” and “Numb3rs”, return for another heaping of episodes. TV fans rejoice: Your wait is almost over.