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Untangling the fall TV lineup isn’t as simple as you might think

Twenty-seven new TV shows will debut during the next few months. You can catch them when they premiere on TV or maybe see an early glimpse online. I watched most of them in the course of one exhausting week.

You’d be mistaken if you’re imagining an on-the-clock stint at home, with me wearing pajamas, spooning ice cream straight from the carton, staring at the screen.

Some of the writing here in our Fall TV Preview is produced from home, with a small-but-mighty TV and a computer parked in my lap for enough hours to make the cats jealous. But it’s so much more than watching.

I consider each show’s network, time slot and night it’s on, which shows come before and after and the shows on other networks before, during and after. I check who’s in it, who produced it, who directed it and who stands to make some cash if it’s successful. I consider the grand scheme of what’s new this year, what was new last year and what has survived so far.

Eventually, I remember to laugh, cry, roll my eyes or bang my head against the arm of the couch until it doesn’t hurt anymore. Then, I type.

The early crop of pilots sent to critics, like me, isn’t meant for review. Before the shows hit your TV, some actors will recast; story lines will disappear. Still, we rely on the pilots to give us a sense of where our time will go this fall. Everything in this Fall TV Preview is as up-to-date as possible.

There is no guaranteeing what makes a hit. Often, the best shows fail, the best ideas falter or the worst catch on. Hopefully, this guide will help you.

Give it a read. Grab the ice cream. Get watching.

PREVIEWS AVAILABLE AT NETWORK SITES

All the networks have streaming video on their Web sites. And all of them are offering previews of their new shows before the broadcast premieres, along with featurettes, clips of returning shows and programming schedules.

ABC | CBS | The CW | Fox | NBC