The fall season is a complete damn mystery

This is something that's been bugging me about the fall TV season, but it took this Yahoo "story" to crystallize it: Nobody has any idea what's going on.

There's no breakout hits among the new shows and nothing is totally falling on its butt. "Private Practice" is the "hit," but that's like saying "CSI: Miami" is a hit. If you're borrowing a successful name to get your foot in the door, you're not really being judged on your own merits (go ahead and make the Clinton/Bush analogy of your choice).

"Bionic Woman"? "Pushing Daisies"? I like the latter, but I'm far from convinced either of those shows has the staying power of "24" or "Lost," much less the possibility of becoming an honest-to-goodness top-10 hit like "House" or "Grey's Anatomy."

On the other hand, nothing is totally sucking. Yeah, the CW's new shows are putting up miniscule numbers, but "Gossip Girl" already got picked up for a full season, so I can't see the critically approved "Reaper" or "Aliens in America" getting the axe. Fox's "K-Ville" seems like the most likely candidate for cancellation, but Fox just ordered more scripts. Hopefully ones that don't totally blow.

If "Nashville" hadn't blown the Dead Pool before the season even started, this would be the most intense death-watch ever. I just don't know what will happen, and apparently neither does anyone else.