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We all know how it goes. It's instinctive. When something isn't working, breaks down or freezes, you shut down and restart. We're mystified by what's going on, but we know "close, quit, shut down and reboot" seems to work.

That's this TV season, too. For the U.S. networks and, to a slightly lesser extent, the cable channels, it's a restart-reboot season.

The last TV season, which started a year ago with such promise - compelling, smart dramas in Pushing Daisies and Life; the sizzling high-grade soap Dirty Sexy Money; and the mind-boggling, sexy vacuity of Gossip Girl - ended in disarray and disappointment almost as soon as the Writers Guild of America went on strike.

There was carnage, as the mediocre but heavily hyped shows Big Shots, Cane and Bionic Woman were evaporated by the strike. There was confusion as the expected rash of reality shows never really materialized. Then along came the cable drama Mad Men.

And an awed audience and industry realized that television drama is still the iconic, most important storytelling genre of our time.

It has been a very confusing period.

And if there's a theme to the smaller-than-usual batch of new dramas and comedies, it's just that - confusion. Just as most of us are unsure about the workings of the equipment we shut down and reboot, the writers and producers of new U.S. network shows are focusing on the unknown, the hard to fathom, the mystery of things that we sense but cannot understand.

The Fox drama Fringe, now running, is about fringe science - experiments in mind control, pesticides and mercurial weapons that turn people into mush but don't kill them. The Mentalist, a seemingly textbook CBS police procedural, is really about the possibility that if psychic powers exist, they are used for evil purposes. Dollhouse, coming in mid-season from Fox, features characters who have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas. My Own Worst Enemy, the NBC drama starring Christian Slater, is about a guy programmed to have two separate personalities.

The fascination with fringe science, and paranoia about how it is used, continues on the CBS drama Eleventh Hour, which is about "reproductive cloning, cryogenic preservation and experimental brain surgery," among other things. Life on Mars, ABC's remake of the British hit, is about a guy going back in time after a car crash. Even the sitcoms are full of odd, let's-look-at-the-unknown themes, with the single-gal comedy The Ex List being about a psychic's warning to the main character that she's already met "the one."

There's confusion and uncertainty, too, in more mundane matters. NBC's schedule is generally considered a shambles, and programming executive Ben Silverman has been the target of vicious rumours that he will soon quit.

Shows that had little or no impact after a strong start two years ago, such as Heroes, are in dire danger of collapsing if their audience does not return this year, and it might not. Fox's 24 hasn't aired for two years and there's fear the momentum has been lost. Many shows are still in development and not arriving until January.

Like anyone who is obliged to shut down and reboot, the U.S. TV industry is nervous about losing everything.

These lists of recommendations come with a caveat: Some shows have been seen, while others (Life on Mars, for instance) aren't available yet, and in some cases only a selection of clips was available. In late August, ABC announced production on five new shows to air this season, and none have seen the light of day so far. Also, these lists focus on U.S. network TV. An overview of Canadian TV will come later.

FIVE ESSENTIAL SHOWS

The Mentalist (Mondays, A; Tuesdays, CBS; starts Sept. 22)

Simon Baker plays Patrick Jane, a former celebrity TV psychic who now admits that his powers were highly tuned observational skills. And yet he's so good at finding the truth, it's uncanny. Now he consults with the cops, the California Bureau of Investigation, where most of his colleagues (Robin Tunney plays his grumpy boss) really dislike his superskills. For a show that is obviously derivative, The Mentalist is charming and enjoyable TV drama. Baker is very, very good here, a mercurial character who can be convincingly witty, smart and then vulnerable. There's an intriguing back story about a serial killer who targeted Patrick's family.

My Own Worst Enemy (NBC, Global; Mondays, starts Oct. 13)

Christian Slater stars as a man with dual identities - Henry, a suburban dad with an ultra-ordinary life; and Edward, a cool, ruthless, globetrotting spy - in what is a twist on the Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde story. A chip was implanted in superspy Edward's brain and the chip malfunctions. Or something. Slater is the reason to watch. Very little of the show was available in advance, but Slater looks lively in the clips and Alfre Woodard has been cast as Edward's boss. The show could go nowhere fast or become excellent.

The Ex List (CBS, Global; Fridays; starts Oct. 3)

An odd and very adult comedy-drama, this stars Elizabeth Reaser (Ava on Grey's Anatomy for a while) as thirtysomething Bella Bloom, who is told by a psychic that she needs to find her true love within the year, or else she will never marry. The catch is the psychic says Bella has already dated the guy she should marry. So she goes back into her past and begins seeing old boyfriends. Friends and family are either rooting for her or disbelieving. A great many female critics adore this show, which is based on a hit series in Israel. It's a strange blend of raunch and sentimentality, and Reaser is adorable.

Eleventh Hour (CBS, A; Thursdays; starts Oct. 9)

Like My Own Worst Enemy, this is recommended with reservations - little of it has been seen, apart from highlight reels. It's a science-mystery show. Rufus Sewell (he plays the character played by Patrick Stewart in the British version) is a scientist who is called in to help the government solve out-there, weird-science incidents. Sewell is a good actor, here making his American-series debut, and the show is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (the CSI franchise, Cold Case and others), who is currently the most successful producer in U.S. network TV. There appears to be good chemistry between Sewell's character and FBI Special Agent Rachel Young (Marley Shelton). The science aspect is strictly pop stuff, but the show has an obvious visual oomph.

True Blood (TMN, Movie Central; Sundays; now running)

This new series by Alan Ball (Six Feet Under) about vampires living as regular folks in Louisiana isn't for everybody - it's an HBO show, so it has sex, violence and rough language. But it often has inspired, prickly wit. Based on the novels by Charlaine Harris, it has one great character in Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a waitress with special powers who falls for a nice vampire. It's weird, a little heavy on the symbolism (vampires are outsiders who need to be understood and embraced, like any outsiders), but it's got bite and it's a cut above most new network dramas.

WORTH CHECKING OUT

Fringe (Fox, A; Tuesdays; now running)

Anything from J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias) is going to get your attention. Fringe is by far his most open and accessible series, a work that is seemingly derived from The X Files, but has a much more human, reality-anchored core. As FBI agent Olivia Dunham (who's investigating a complex plot that starts with an entire planeload of people being turned to goo), Australian actress Anna Torv is wonderful. You can't take your eyes off her. Which is good because the mystery to be solved is deep and wide-ranging. The show has flair, humour and Canadian Josh Jackson acting up like nobody's business.

Worst Week (CBS, Global; Mondays; starts Sept. 22)

Another show based on an imported idea, Worst Week is a droll and occasionally inspired sitcom based on a British comedy. A no-laugh-track, single-camera show, it's about an absurdly accident-prone magazine editor (Kyle Bornheimer) who always screws up while trying to impress his fiancée's parents. More French farce than typical network sitcom, it is full of physical and occasionally crass jokes.

Life on Mars (ABC, Global; Thursdays; starts Oct. 9)

Nobody has seen this, because the first version, made by David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal, Boston Legal) was trashed, recast, and Kelley dropped out. But there is a fascination with seeing how ABC translates a modern Brit classic. And while the premise is the same - modern cop (Jason O'Mara) is in a car crash and transported back to 1973 - some heavy hitters have been brought in. Michael Imperioli (Christopher on The Sopranos) has been cast as a 1973 cop, and Harvey Keitel plays the crass, seventies-era cop boss.

Gary Unmarried (CBS, CITY-TV; Wednesdays; starts Sept. 24)

A very trad sitcom, this stars Jay Mohr as Gary, a newly divorced dad trying to find new love and remain at peace with his ex-wife (Paula Marshall), who has decided to marry the couple's former marriage counsellor. It's almost retro in its one-liners, timing and staging, but it occasionally crackles with wit. Mohr is very good as an ordinary guy who ain't particularly handsome but tries to be sweet. As usual, Marshall is too shrill (which is why in Snoops she was known as "the show killer.")

Privileged (The CW, CITY-TV; Tuesdays; now running)

If you want another drama about rich kids, but you want it smart, this is the one. It's about rich kids in Palm Beach, Calif. You've got Laurel (Anne Archer), a wealthy cosmetics tycoon who wants to get her two pampered grandkids into college because their parents died, but they are feckless, partying fools. She hires Megan Smith (Joanna Garcia), a Yale graduate who has just lost her job, to tutor the irritating nitwits. What ensues is a loopy blend of teen drama and genuine tension about intergenerational values.

Also

Testees (Showcase, Tuesdays, starts Oct. 14) is a sitcom from the Kenny vs. Spenny boys, made for the FX cable channel. Two guys (Steve Markle and Jeff Kassel) make a living from being medical guinea pigs.

The Life & Times of Tim (TMN, Movie Central; Sundays; starts Sept. 28) is an HBO animated series about a put-upon nice guy and his girlfriend living an unglamorous life in New York.

Little Britain USA (TMN, Movie Central; Sundays; starts Sept. 28) is what it says - the stars of the hit, twisted BBC sketch show do their thing in the United States.

Easy Money (Sundays, The CW, starts Sept 21) hasn't been seen, but it has buzz. Laurie Metcalf from Roseanne stars as the matriarch of a family that operates a payday loan business.

RETURNING SHOWS

Pushing Daisies (ABC, CTV; Wednesdays; starts Oct. 1), like many shows in this category, barely had a chance to register last season. Visually sumptuous and smart, it was created by Bryan Fuller (who produced the much-admired Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me), and it stars Lee Pace as a pie baker with the power to raise the dead. The show also has a great ensemble cast, with Kristin Chenoweth, Chi McBride and Anna Friel in supporting roles. Sweet and melancholy with bits of barbed wit, it's very grown-up. This season, the producers promise "a Twin Peaks-ian soap opera."

Dirty Sexy Money (ABC, A; Wednesdays; starts Oct. 1) never got around to being as deliciously dirty as it could be. It stars Peter Krause as Nick George, a lawyer for New York's superwealthy Darling clan. The patriarch of the clan is played with relish by Donald Sutherland. Lucy Liu also joins the cast now, as a crafty woman who works her way into the Darlings' inner circle.

Life (NBC, Global; Fridays; starts Sept. 29) also drew more praise than viewers but showed great promise. Central character Charlie Crews (brilliantly played by English actor Damian Lewis), a good cop, was jailed for a crime he didn't commit. Now exonerated and given a big cash settlement, he's back at work, but with a dissenting attitude. Wealthy enough not to care about much, he's a cop-philosopher, a one-man crusade against ineptitude. And he wants to find out who framed him. He's still working on that this season, as Zen as ever.

Private Practice (ABC, A; Wednesdays; starts Oct. 1) is the Grey's Anatomy spinoff that got huge ratings over its short, prestrike airings, but was criticized for being wussy. This year, Addison (Kate Walsh) and her cohorts will handle more medical issues and spend less time chatting about canoodling. Or so the show's creator promises.

Also

Desperate Housewives (ABC, CTV; Sundays; starts Sept. 28) restarts as it stopped, now five years into the future.

CSI (CBS, CTV; Thursdays; starts Oct. 9) will see the departure of William Petersen as Gil Grissom midway through the season; Laurence Fishburne will replace him as the lead forensics expert. Grey's Anatomy (ABC, CTV; Thursdays; starts Sept. 25) will explore "what happens when you are a woman who suddenly discovers she is attracted to other women," says creator Shonda Rhimes. Oh my. It has come to this - girl-on-girl action. Rhimes denies that she's going to kill off Katherine Heigl's character, Izzie.

Heroes (NBC, Global; Mondays; starts Sept. 22) will reveal who shot Nathan and continue to chronicle the battle between good and evil. ER (NBC, CTV; Thursdays; starts Sept. 25) will end forever in mid-season, with some original stars returning, but not George Clooney.

REALITY ROUNDUP

Stylista (The CW, E!; Wednesdays; starts Oct. 22) is promoted as "a reality version of The Devil Wears Prada." Thus, nice young people compete to become an assistant to Elle magazine's Anne Slowey. The show is hideously focused on bitchiness and bad behaviour, especially by Slowey. Who'd want to work in hell?

Opportunity Knocks (ABC, Tuesdays, starts Sept. 23) descends on a neighbourhood, and families take part in a quiz show. They answer questions to determine how well they know each other. The novelty is in the travelling road show that invades local neighbourhoods. But if nobody dances or sings, it's unlikely to stand out.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS

Do Not Disturb (Wednesdays, Fox, now running) is a deeply unfunny, grotesquely overcooked sitcom about the upstairs/downstairs worlds of a Manhattan hotel. Jerry O'Connell plays the obnoxious manager and reveals that he cannot act. Do not watch.

90210 (The CW, Global; Tuesdays; now running) is abysmal. As a Canadian TV exec said, "They had a poster. They didn't have a show."

Knight Rider (NBC, Wednesdays, starts Sept. 24) is about some guy and a talking car. Been there. Done that.

Kath & Kim (NBC, Global; Thursdays; starts Oct. 9 ) is a pointless Americanization of the long-running, much-loved and zany Australian series, recast with Molly Shannon and Selma Blair as a suburban mother and daughter. From the clips available, it looks utterly lame.