While some of the favorites from last season (Lost, Grey's Anatomy, and Dirty Sexy Money, to name a few) will return this season, many networks are a bit more active experimenting with pilots. By our count, CBS was the most adventurous with at least 5 new shows coming this Fall, followed by NBC with 4. Time will tell which pilots make the cut, but just being at the front of the new season is so exhilarating. Below are our TV picks for September, in chronological order.

90210

Premieres 9/2 (Tuesdays) at 8 pm ET on the CW

Nostalgia over the original Beverly Hills 90210 will probably make the 20 and 30-somethings watch this new take on the same idea. It can also appeal to the general public favoring the OC, Gossip Girl and similar young-minded shows. The cast is gorgeous and, just like the original, starts with two characters - Annie and her brother Dixon, new to school. Aside from the fresh promising faces, the original 90210ers are present too but in a new role - Jenny Garth (who plays a guidance counselor) and Tori Spelling (owner of a boutique). There will be plenty of catty drama and beautiful California scenery. This one definitely peaked my curiosity.

Fringe

Premieres 9/9 (Tuesdays) at 9 pm ET on Fox

As a huge fan of Lost, my eyes are glued to the new creation from J. J. Abrams. In Fringe, he walks a thin line between reality and science fiction. In his own words, "it's a great combination of safety and comedy in the face of utter terror". The first 15 minutes of the show will keep you on the edge of your seat, and the intensity will continue throughout. It starts with flight 627, an international flight landing at Boston's Logan Airport with no signs of life. FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) is at the investigation site. Almost losing her partner, Olivia realizes that science and technology have already advanced beyond any expectation and is desperate for help. Her search leads her to a genius turned mad scientist, Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble). His advances in quantum physics and genetic engineering propelled him into a special relationship with the government. There's only one catch: he's been institutionalized for the last 17 years for an accident in the lab that killed his assistant. And the only way to question him requires pulling his estranged son Peter Bishop (a promising turn by Joshua Jackson) in to help. Olivia and Peter (who have excellent chemistry in the show) quickly discover that what happened on Flight 627 is not the first time this happened in the past 9 months and is just a small piece of a larger, more terrifying truth. The pilot is directed by Emmy Award-winning Alex Graves (The West Wing).

Dancing with the Stars

Returns 9/22 (Mondays and Tuesdays) at 8 pm ET on ABC

This quickly growing in popularity dance show which pairs celebrities of all kinds (sports, showbiz, chefs) with ballroom dance pros, is back for its 7th season on Monday, 9/22. This time it's a 3-night premiere event and two couples are eliminated during the first week. Thirteen stars (the largest cast ever) will take the ballroom floor this season: Lance Bass, Tony Braxton, Brooke Burke, Rocco Dispirito, Maurice Greene, Kim Kardashian, Gloris Leachman, Cody Linley, Susan Lucci, Misty May-Treanor, Ted McGinley, Jeffrey Ross, and Warren Sapp. This time, they will have to prepare two dances right up front, one of many exciting surprises to come this season. As always, voters will decide who stays and who goes. I am excited to see that the Kids Ballroom Dance Competition will also return - it was amazing to see such talented dancers at such a young age. The same hosts - the funny Tom Bergeron and the glamorous Samantha Harris - will carry the show, while the same renowned judges - Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli will offer their interesting remarks.

Opportunity Knocks

Premieres 9/23 (Tuesdays) at 8 pm ET on ABC

It seems there is no limit to game show entertainment. Meet a new one yet - the mobile show. Executive produced by Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg from Punk'd, as well as JD Roth, Karey Burke and Todd Nelson, the show doesn't fly in contestants. Rather, the host, JD Roth, shows up at their homes, with a truck full of prizes. JD says the families have become distant - closing the garage quickly to avoid talking to the neighbors, watching TVs in separate rooms, kids texting everyone. How well do you really know your family? Well, this show will give you a chance to see. When JD shows up at your front door, if you agree, they will pull up the show right on your lawn (with 150-people crew!), and will ask you all kinds of questions about your life - almost like a home invasion that leads to a lot of prizes. The closer the family is, the more they know about each other, the better chance they will have to win.

Gary Unmarried

Premieres 9/24 (Wednesdays) at 8.30 ET on CBS

Jay Mohr stars as Gary Barnes, blue collar kind of guy with a high school education. He is facing a tough post-divorce life from his controlling wife, Allison after 15 years of marriage. At the center of it all is them trying to share custody of their two kids - Louise, a wise-behind-her ears and environmentally conscious 11-year-old and Tom, a geeky 14-year-old who lives his life in "Second Life". Gary is a painting contractor and one job leads him to the house of Vanessa, a beautiful woman who quickly charms him. He is hesitant about moving forward because of his wife's conditions, but when he learns his ex is engaged to their former marriage counselor, he decides to move forward. In quite a comic setting, he is now juggling his two kids, a new girlfriend and her kid, and his ex-wife and her fiancee. Gary is a busy guy, but he is a good father. The show is both hilarious and endearing.

Lipstick Jungle

Returns 9/24 (Wednesdays) at 9 pm ET on NBC

Being a huge fan of Sex and the City, I was very excited last season to see this drama from Candace Bushnell based on her popular book. The show is focused on three powerful sexy ladies in New York City who face daily ups and downs in work and life with class, sophistication, their wonderful friendship, and of course, an impeccable closet worth imitation. Brooke Shields plays a movie mogul, Wendy, who has a great marriage and family but is having a hard time balancing her demanding career with it. Kim Raver gets her character, Nico, exactly right. She is an editor-in-chief at a big fashion magazine and wants to go to the top one day. Her quiet marriage fell apart in the first season and she took on a risky relationship with a young photographer. Finally, an eccentric character and a free spirit, designer Victory is played by Lindsay Price, who tries to reestablish her fashion career after a slew of bad press and retailer let-downs. She also meets her Mr. Right, Andrew McCarthy, along the way. I am sure many new twists to come this season, and I am happy to see this promising show come back.

Ugly Betty

Returns 9/25 (Thursdays) at 8 pm ET on ABC

Executive produced by Salma Hayek, this crowd favorite is also a winner of 11 Emmys, a Golden Globe and multiple other awards - the most for any comedy series on any network. Perhaps, it's the heroine's humility that makes her so appealing to all. Betty Suarez (America Ferrera), a confident writer wearing braces and glasses and colorful outfits is by luck thrown into the superficial world of high fashion at "Mode" magazine where image is everything. The girl from Queens surprisingly finds a ways to fit in and proves herself with her hard-working and optimistic style. Not everyone is her friend - she is up against the monster fashionista Wilhelmina Slater, brilliantly played by Vanessa Williams. The new season has a number of interesting potential turns - Betty's personal life (last season she was at quite an intersection), her boss Daniel's career, and Wilhelmina's new child/heir to the empire.

Grey's Anatomy

Returns 9/25 (Thursdays) at 9 pm ET on ABC

Winner of multiple Emmy nominations and a 2007 Golden Globe award, this drama has excellent writing going for it. It's one of those shows that is alike a movie in each episode - there is no soapy feeling or typical TV pretense. This one is a true original, so no surprise it is back for its 4th season (and I am sure many seasons to come). Great writing is just part of the equation that makes this drama about Seattle hospital residents work. The other part is its incredible cast - Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey, Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang, Patrick Dempsey as Derek Shepherd, Katherine Heigl as Isobel Stevens, Justin Chambers as Alex Karev, T.R. Knight as George O'Malley, Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey, James Pickens, Jr. as Richard Webber, Sara Ramirez as Callie Torres, Eric Dane as Mark Sloan, Chyler Leigh as Lexie Grey and Brooke Smith as Erica Hahn. The doctors deal with a lot of life and death drama, both at the hospital and in their personal lives. What they realize is that there is no black or white, just shades of grey, as hard as it may be. The new season is sure to bring surprises - whether it's the on-off relationship between Grey and Shepherd, Miranda's search for family/work balance, or Izzie's search for a meaningful life.

Amazing Race

Returns 9/28 (Sundays) at 8 pm ET on CBS

I have been scouting boards for months in an effort to find out if one of my favorite shows was coming back for the new season. And yes, Amazing Race, winner of 5 Emmy awards, is back on for its 13th installment. Being a busy Mom, I am living vicariously through the teams traveling the world and competing for a million. There is an amazing array of sights, cultures, traditions and obstacles they encounter on the way around the globe. This season, it's quite a colorful group they got together. First, there are New Yorkers - Terence and Sarah - she is a Wall Street big shot and he is her running coach - who think they have a strategic advantage living the New York city life on a roll. Then, there are the ubiquitous blondes, Southern belles Marisa and Brooke, who are sweet to everyone, but beware. The usual older couple - Arthur and Anita - are living a hippie life (and dressing like that) since the 60s. Lots of comic relief will come from geeks Mark and Carl - comic-book aficionados - and "superbad" fraternity guys Mark and Brad with their abundance of optimism and appreciation for ladies. A separated couple Ken and Jenna - he is a former NFL coach and she is a CEO - hope to win the million, put their marriage back together and touch a lot of lives on the way. Many other couples are in the show, but all for sure will have their lives touched by this once in a lifetime experience. As the ever-so-popular host, Phil Keoghan puts it, it's a show where ordinary people are doing extraordinary things, and that's what makes it one in a million.

Desperate Housewives, a great show from ABC returns on the same day at the same time, but as much as I like the Wisteria Lane residents, my vote is for the Amazing Race.

These premieres and old favorites are just the beginning. Watch our Showbiz section for a preview of October shows this month.