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By Bill Keveney, Jayme Deerwester, Mike Snider, Gary Levin, Marco R. della Cava and Bruce Schwartz, USA TODAY

Grey’s Anatomy, ABC
Thursday, 9 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 23

Where we left them:Seattle Grace and its doctors were recovering from a lethal rampage — turning “a hospital into a crime scene,” creator Shonda Rhimes says — by a man who blamed Derek (Patrick Dempsey) for the death of his wife. Derek, Owen (Kevin McKidd) and Alex (Justin Chambers) were shot, but all survived; Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) had a miscarriage; Callie (Sara Ramirez) and Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) opened the door to possibly starting a family; and Lexie (Chyler Leigh) learned Alex’s heart remains with the long-gone Izzie.

“I really wanted to make what would feel like a small movie,” Rhimes says. “I wanted it to be really self-contained. I did not want it to be a cliffhanger, because I felt like what we were doing was so violent that I truly didn’t feel it was fair to people to end the season with Derek’s life in the balance or any of those things. … We all know everyone will be forever altered by the event.”

Where they’re headed: ”The theme of the new season,” which opens about a month later, “is rebirth,” Rhimes says. Flashbacks will help fill in the passed time. “We’re going to be seeing our characters dealing with and struggling with what happened to them. They’re trying to rebuild their lives and the reputation of the hospital,” Rhimes says.

The characters have different responses to the tragedy, she says. Alex reverts “to the evil spawn he used to be”; Cristina (Sandra Oh) fears entering the operating room; Derek has taken to speeding — and getting arrested — as he feels invincible; and Meredith is taking care of everyone except herself. While others get cleared for surgery, she can’t. And there’s a marriage in the first episode, though Rhimes won’t say who.

Who’s new:James Tupper (Men in Trees) appears for three episodes as the therapist who clears doctors to return to surgery. In returning news, Jason George plays Bailey’s love interest in the first episode, and Mandy Moore is back in a later episode. — Bill Keveney

Parenthood, NBC
Tuesday, 10 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 14

Where we left them: Dysfunction reigned over the tightknit Bravermans, with rebellious daughters (including Sarah Ramos as Haddie), a drunk and separated patriarch (Craig T. Nelson as Zeek) and the challenges of unmarried parents (Dax Shepard as Crosby and Joy Bryant as Jasmine). “To my dismay, no one has yet taken me up on a story line where Craig and I start a racing team,” says car nut Shepard.

Where they’re headed: ”We’re pumping up the story lines of some characters,” says executive producer Jason Katims. Look for brother-in-law Joel Graham (Sam Jaeger) to clash, then bond, with Zeek; matriarch Camille (Bonnie Bedelia) to wrestle Zeek into counseling and onto the dance floor; Julia Braverman-Graham (Erika Christensen) to consider another child; Crosby to man up as a father; and Adam (Peter Krause), the family’s rock, to start to crack. “They’re all trying to get to the next level as a family,” says Katims.

Who’s new: Billy Baldwin swoops into the Bravermans’ lives as Adam’s boss and, in the process, catches the eye of Adam’s sister Sarah (Lauren Graham), whose stalled career path has led big brother to give her a job. — Marco R. della Cava

The Good Wife, CBS
Tuesday, 10 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 28

Where we left them: Lawyer Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) was at a crossroads: Would she stay with her husband, Peter (Chris Noth), who was embarking on a new campaign for state’s attorney, or go to her smitten colleague, Will Gardner (Josh Charles)? “It was a good cliffhanger,” Margulies says. “We pick up in the first episode right where we left off, which I think is a lovely way to enter the second season. It’s a little bit, I don’t want to say Romeo-and-Juliet-esque, but in that there’s a tremendous communication flaw in what happens and things have to be left undone for a while. I’m talking in terms of that phone call that Will gives Alicia.”

Where they’re headed: ”There are a lot of changes at the law firm, because it is going through so much of the economic turmoil we all are ‘enjoying’ at the moment,” co-creator Robert King says. “They merge with a smaller, boutique firm from Washington, D.C., which brings in a lobbying element. The theory is (firm partners) Will and Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) will swallow the smaller firm, but it has designs on swallowing them up.”

Law firm investigator Kalinda Sharma (Emmy winner Archie Panjabi) is “thrown back on her heels” by the smaller firm’s investigator (Scott Porter), who learns things about her past, King says. Alicia’s past will be explored, too, with the arrival of her brother (Dallas Roberts). “Our intention and hope was always to do a hybrid show. We love procedurals, but we also love the personalities of these characters, and we wanted an opportunity to do both,” co-creator Michelle King says.

Who’s new: Michael J. Fox guest-stars as a cynical lawyer — “probably the most cynical lawyer Alicia will face,” Robert King says — who uses his own medical condition to engender support for a large, unsympathetic pharmaceutical company. Griffin Dunne (After Hours) and Corbin Bleu (High School Musical) also will make guest appearances. — Bill Keveney

CSI, CBS
Thursday, 9 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 23

Where we left them: Imprisoned serial killer Nate Haskell (comedian Bill Irwin in a chilling guest turn) helped the CSIs capture another of his kind, Dr. Jekyll — and, in the final moments, managed to grab Ray Langston (Laurence Fishburne) by surprise and stab him. Last scene: Langston, lying on the floor in a pool of blood.

Where they’re headed: Fishburne being a star of the series, it’s not much of a spoiler to reveal he doesn’t die. But that doesn’t mean he won’t suffer. The murder attempt “affects (Langston); he loses something very valuable,” says executive producer Carol Mendelsohn. “He spends the entire premiere episode in the hospital — he still works on the case, but he’s in a lot of pain and doesn’t want to take anything for it, it clouds his thinking.” And the Langston/Haskell thread runs through the whole season, she says, from hospital to courtroom and beyond. “There is a connection between Nate Haskell and Ray Langston. Are the CSIs smart enough to eventually bring Nate Haskell down? That will be up to Langston to figure out.”

Who’s new: Teen heartthrob Justin Bieber, in a story line starting in the premiere and picking up in February. “It’s his debut as a dramatic actor,” says Mendelsohn. “Justin plays Jason McCann, a troubled young man raised in the foster care system, whose hard-luck life has left him scared and angry.” He’s stuck in the middle between the law and a brother out for revenge. “Is Jason a good kid in a bad situation, or a bad kid hiding behind his cute looks?” — Bruce Schwartz

Bones, Fox
Thursday, 8 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 23

Where we left them: The investigative team at the Jeffersonian Institute went their separate ways in last season’s finale, with Booth (David Boreanaz) off to train Afghan soldiers and Brennan (Emily Deschanel) headed to an Indonesian anthropological dig, accompanied by lab assistant Daisy (Carla Gallo). Newlyweds Angela (Michaela Conlin) and Hodgins (T.J. Thyne) head to Paris. “Everyone is exploring an alternate life, another path they could have taken,” Deschanel says.

Where they’re headed: About seven months later, the team members return to help Saroyan (Tamara Taylor) solve a case. Saroyan “has found herself in a bit of a dilemma,” Deschanel says. “She is being criticized for not identifying the remains of a child. … We get rounded up to save her from being publicly humiliated.” But things have changed. Booth has met a war correspondent (Katheryn Winnick), and they move in together. “It becomes a whole dynamic,” Deschanel says. “Brennan is torn between loving him and wanting him to be happy.”

Who’s new:David Alan Grier guests as a children’s TV personality. And when Brennan and Booth investigate a case in Jersey, they encounter a nightclub bouncer (Antonio Sabato Jr., General Hospital). Having mistaken a reality series for a documentary, Brennan “considers herself to be an expert (on) the culture, customs and vernacular of the guidos,” Deschanel says. — Mike Snider

House, Fox
Monday, 8 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 20

Where we left them: Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein), engaged to Lucas (Michael Weston), dumps him. House (Hugh Laurie), on the verge of a Vicodin relapse, is greeted by Cuddy, who tells him she loves him in a surprise ending to the season finale; Thirteen (Olivia Wilde) takes a leave of absence (but will return later this season).

Where they’re headed: Season 7’s opener picks up immediately after, but the episode avoids the usual medical-mystery plot, instead addressing the Cuddy-House relationship: “Do they trust each other? Can it sustain when they work together, when she’s his superior and she has a kid at home?” says executive producer Katie Jacobs. “If Cuddy is being entirely realistic about this relationship, she’s not expecting to change him.”

Who’s new: Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia) joins the cast in a recurring role as “an incredibly bright but cloistered med student,” whose naiveté and strong sense of ethics are new to House, Jacobs says. — Gary Levin

Fringe, Fox
Thursday, 9 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 23

Where we left them: The Fringe team narrowly escaped the alternate universe — but brought home the wrong Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv). Meanwhile, our Olivia is being held captive by a sane but stoic “Walternate” (John Noble), who serves as the secretary of defense in the other world.

Where they’re headed: Within a few episodes, we’ll have a better idea of “Bolivia” (short for “Bad Olivia”) and Walternate’s intentions.

Which Olivia is more fun to play? “Last year, I would have said Bolivia for certain,” says Torv. “But this season, I’d say Olivia. It’s been refreshing to look in from the outside.”

The relationship between Walter and Peter (Joshua Jackson) will evolve now that the younger Bishop knows he was kidnapped from the alternate universe as a boy and has been back to meet his real parents.

“Both are going to become self-actualized, no longer co-dependent,” says executive producer Jeff Pinker. “That’s going to be a scary journey for Walter.”

For the first third of the season, each episode will focus on one of the worlds, but Pinker promises it will be easy to tell where you are. Episodes in our world will sport the show’s traditional blue credits sequence. Over there, you’ll be seeing red. And the show will continue to pepper the alternate world with visual cues like the polished Statue of Liberty.

Who’s new: Amy Madigan (Carnivale) joins as Olivia’s mom, and Andre Royo, who played Bubbles on The Wire, will trade Baltimore for the alternate universe. Seth Gabel is back as an alt-world Fringe agent. As for Leonard Nimoy, Pinker says there’s still a story in place for him should the retired sci-fi star decide to pull a “Brett Favre.” — Jayme Deerwester

The Office,NBC
Thursday, 9 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 23

Where we left them: Andy (Ed Helms) was revealed as a key whistle-blower on the case of the exploding Sabre printers, which earned him the ire of colleagues but the admiration of girlfriend Erin (Ellie Kemper). Dwight (Rainn Wilson) opted to use newfound cash to buy the company’s business park, while Michael (Steve Carell) may have persuaded boss Jo (Kathy Bates) to bring back old flame Holly (Amy Ryan).

Where they’re headed: ”The first half of the year we’ll try to do all the things we’ve wanted to do with Steve but haven’t,” says executive producer and actor (as HR exec Toby) Paul Lieberstein, referencing Carell’s final Office season. After a major blunder, look for Michael to go into counseling — with his nemesis Toby. Angela (Angela Kinsey) keeps wooing Dwight, while Kelli (Mindy Kaling) takes a management course.

Why continue at all without Carell? “We have a deep bench,” says Lieberstein. “Did the Lakers quit when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar left?”

Who’s new: Steely-eyed Timothy Olyphant (Justified) slips a thorn in Dunder Mifflin’s side as a master salesman who seems to be siphoning off clients. But he’s also an ex-flame of Pam’s (Jenna Fischer). Cue the awkwardness. — Marco R. della Cava

NCIS, CBS
Tuesday, 8 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 21

Where we left them: Gibbs (Mark Harmon) had been lured to Mexico and kidnapped by a drug lord whose father Gibbs had assassinated 20 years earlier. Rather than kill Gibbs for revenge, she frames him for murder and threatens his family and friends in an attempt to turn him into a mole. Gibbs plays along, but only for a while, and in the final scene, she enters Gibbs’ father’s (Ralph Waite) general store and menacingly flips the sign on the door to “closed.”

Where they’re headed: Say it ain’t so — kill Pa Walton? Executive producer Shane Brennan demurs but says that the season opener, which picks up in Gibbs’ father’s store, is “a very intense episode. In that opening sequence, you understand where Gibbs got his fight and his fire from.” And he promises “a big surprise ending.”

In a November two-parter, look for the return of Ziva’s (Coté de Pablo) father, Mossad chief Eli David (Michael Nouri), as the newly naturalized U.S. citizen puts family issues to rest. “As of now, her relationship with her father is pretty much non-existent,” says de Pablo. “The last thing we all know about their relationship is he set her up, sent her on a suicide mission. She was rescued by her ‘real family,’ which is NCIS.” And later in the season, Brennan says, several “origins” episodes will explore the past of NCIS team members and the reasons they joined. “I’m sure the fans will love the insight,” he says.

Who’s new:Robert Wagner (It Takes a Thief, Hart to Hart) returns as DiNozzo’s (Michael Weatherly) father, Anthony Sr., a suave, womanizing con artist. “It’s a very special episode,” says Brennan. “You cannot not bring an actor of his caliber back into the show.” — Bruce Schwartz

Desperate Housewives, ABC
Sunday, 9 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 26

Where we left them: Busy. Bree (Marcia Cross), on the outs with husband Orson (Kyle MacLachlan), was about to tell Gabrielle (Eva Longoria Parker) that Andrew had run over her mother-in-law; Susan (Teri Hatcher) was moving away to a smaller apartment because of Mike’s (James Denton) financial problems; Lynette (Felicity Huffman) had just given birth. A Wisteria Lane resident was about to find out a child she raised wasn’t her own. And the villainous Paul Young (Mark Moses) returned to rent Susan’s house — “with a grudge and a plan and a new wife,” executive producer Bob Daily says. “He brings a wonderful creepy factor to the show.”

Where they’re headed: Bree finds a potential love interest in a contractor (Brian Austin Green). Desperate to return to Wisteria Lane, Susan gets into “a slightly shady business venture with her new landlady (Lainie Kazan),” Daily says.

Who’s new: Ugly Betty’s Vanessa Williams comes to Wisteria Lane as Renee Perry, a college roommate of Lynette, “sort of a frenemy and a classic troublemaker,” Daily says. Williams says she’s pleased to be on board: “I think they’re going to write to my strengths. They’re going to make her have some kind of presence. As much as (her Betty character) Wilhelmina was a force, I think she was likable. I think they’ll find the same balance with Renee.” — Bill Keveney

Private Practice, ABC
Thursday, 10 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 23

Where we left them: Dell (Chris Lowell) died as a result of a car crash, but Maya survived and had her baby. Cooper (Paul Adelstein) proposed to Charlotte (KaDee Strickland). Addison (Kate Walsh) gave Pete (Tim Daly) permission to go to Violet (Amy Brenneman) and, at the end, Addison went to Sam (Taye Diggs).

Where they’re going: It’s one month later, and Pete and Violet tie the knot in the first episode. Cooper and Charlotte are engaged, but they’re not going to get to the altar right away. “We’re going to take a while to get them married,” creator Shonda Rhimes says. “I want to enjoy watching the run-up to the wedding.” And while it may have seemed so right for Addison and Sam in the season finale, “it’s not as definitive as you’d think,” Rhimes says.

Who’s new: Justine Bateman appears in the second episode as a mother who gives marijuana to her autistic son. — Bill Keveney

By Bill Keveney, Jayme Deerwester, Mike Snider, Gary Levin, Marco R. della Cava and Bruce Schwartz, USA TODAY

Grey’s Anatomy, ABC
Thursday, 9 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 23

Where we left them:Seattle Grace and its doctors were recovering from a lethal rampage — turning “a hospital into a crime scene,” creator Shonda Rhimes says — by a man who blamed Derek (Patrick Dempsey) for the death of his wife. Derek, Owen (Kevin McKidd) and Alex (Justin Chambers) were shot, but all survived; Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) had a miscarriage; Callie (Sara Ramirez) and Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) opened the door to possibly starting a family; and Lexie (Chyler Leigh) learned Alex’s heart remains with the long-gone Izzie.

“I really wanted to make what would feel like a small movie,” Rhimes says. “I wanted it to be really self-contained. I did not want it to be a cliffhanger, because I felt like what we were doing was so violent that I truly didn’t feel it was fair to people to end the season with Derek’s life in the balance or any of those things. … We all know everyone will be forever altered by the event.”

Where they’re headed: ”The theme of the new season,” which opens about a month later, “is rebirth,” Rhimes says. Flashbacks will help fill in the passed time. “We’re going to be seeing our characters dealing with and struggling with what happened to them. They’re trying to rebuild their lives and the reputation of the hospital,” Rhimes says.

The characters have different responses to the tragedy, she says. Alex reverts “to the evil spawn he used to be”; Cristina (Sandra Oh) fears entering the operating room; Derek has taken to speeding — and getting arrested — as he feels invincible; and Meredith is taking care of everyone except herself. While others get cleared for surgery, she can’t. And there’s a marriage in the first episode, though Rhimes won’t say who.

Who’s new:James Tupper (Men in Trees) appears for three episodes as the therapist who clears doctors to return to surgery. In returning news, Jason George plays Bailey’s love interest in the first episode, and Mandy Moore is back in a later episode. — Bill Keveney

Parenthood, NBC
Tuesday, 10 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 14

Where we left them: Dysfunction reigned over the tightknit Bravermans, with rebellious daughters (including Sarah Ramos as Haddie), a drunk and separated patriarch (Craig T. Nelson as Zeek) and the challenges of unmarried parents (Dax Shepard as Crosby and Joy Bryant as Jasmine). “To my dismay, no one has yet taken me up on a story line where Craig and I start a racing team,” says car nut Shepard.

Where they’re headed: ”We’re pumping up the story lines of some characters,” says executive producer Jason Katims. Look for brother-in-law Joel Graham (Sam Jaeger) to clash, then bond, with Zeek; matriarch Camille (Bonnie Bedelia) to wrestle Zeek into counseling and onto the dance floor; Julia Braverman-Graham (Erika Christensen) to consider another child; Crosby to man up as a father; and Adam (Peter Krause), the family’s rock, to start to crack. “They’re all trying to get to the next level as a family,” says Katims.

Who’s new: Billy Baldwin swoops into the Bravermans’ lives as Adam’s boss and, in the process, catches the eye of Adam’s sister Sarah (Lauren Graham), whose stalled career path has led big brother to give her a job. — Marco R. della Cava

The Good Wife, CBS
Tuesday, 10 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 28

Where we left them: Lawyer Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) was at a crossroads: Would she stay with her husband, Peter (Chris Noth), who was embarking on a new campaign for state’s attorney, or go to her smitten colleague, Will Gardner (Josh Charles)? “It was a good cliffhanger,” Margulies says. “We pick up in the first episode right where we left off, which I think is a lovely way to enter the second season. It’s a little bit, I don’t want to say Romeo-and-Juliet-esque, but in that there’s a tremendous communication flaw in what happens and things have to be left undone for a while. I’m talking in terms of that phone call that Will gives Alicia.”

Where they’re headed: ”There are a lot of changes at the law firm, because it is going through so much of the economic turmoil we all are ‘enjoying’ at the moment,” co-creator Robert King says. “They merge with a smaller, boutique firm from Washington, D.C., which brings in a lobbying element. The theory is (firm partners) Will and Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) will swallow the smaller firm, but it has designs on swallowing them up.”

Law firm investigator Kalinda Sharma (Emmy winner Archie Panjabi) is “thrown back on her heels” by the smaller firm’s investigator (Scott Porter), who learns things about her past, King says. Alicia’s past will be explored, too, with the arrival of her brother (Dallas Roberts). “Our intention and hope was always to do a hybrid show. We love procedurals, but we also love the personalities of these characters, and we wanted an opportunity to do both,” co-creator Michelle King says.

Who’s new: Michael J. Fox guest-stars as a cynical lawyer — “probably the most cynical lawyer Alicia will face,” Robert King says — who uses his own medical condition to engender support for a large, unsympathetic pharmaceutical company. Griffin Dunne (After Hours) and Corbin Bleu (High School Musical) also will make guest appearances. — Bill Keveney

CSI, CBS
Thursday, 9 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 23

Where we left them: Imprisoned serial killer Nate Haskell (comedian Bill Irwin in a chilling guest turn) helped the CSIs capture another of his kind, Dr. Jekyll — and, in the final moments, managed to grab Ray Langston (Laurence Fishburne) by surprise and stab him. Last scene: Langston, lying on the floor in a pool of blood.

Where they’re headed: Fishburne being a star of the series, it’s not much of a spoiler to reveal he doesn’t die. But that doesn’t mean he won’t suffer. The murder attempt “affects (Langston); he loses something very valuable,” says executive producer Carol Mendelsohn. “He spends the entire premiere episode in the hospital — he still works on the case, but he’s in a lot of pain and doesn’t want to take anything for it, it clouds his thinking.” And the Langston/Haskell thread runs through the whole season, she says, from hospital to courtroom and beyond. “There is a connection between Nate Haskell and Ray Langston. Are the CSIs smart enough to eventually bring Nate Haskell down? That will be up to Langston to figure out.”

Who’s new: Teen heartthrob Justin Bieber, in a story line starting in the premiere and picking up in February. “It’s his debut as a dramatic actor,” says Mendelsohn. “Justin plays Jason McCann, a troubled young man raised in the foster care system, whose hard-luck life has left him scared and angry.” He’s stuck in the middle between the law and a brother out for revenge. “Is Jason a good kid in a bad situation, or a bad kid hiding behind his cute looks?” — Bruce Schwartz

Bones, Fox
Thursday, 8 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 23

Where we left them: The investigative team at the Jeffersonian Institute went their separate ways in last season’s finale, with Booth (David Boreanaz) off to train Afghan soldiers and Brennan (Emily Deschanel) headed to an Indonesian anthropological dig, accompanied by lab assistant Daisy (Carla Gallo). Newlyweds Angela (Michaela Conlin) and Hodgins (T.J. Thyne) head to Paris. “Everyone is exploring an alternate life, another path they could have taken,” Deschanel says.

Where they’re headed: About seven months later, the team members return to help Saroyan (Tamara Taylor) solve a case. Saroyan “has found herself in a bit of a dilemma,” Deschanel says. “She is being criticized for not identifying the remains of a child. … We get rounded up to save her from being publicly humiliated.” But things have changed. Booth has met a war correspondent (Katheryn Winnick), and they move in together. “It becomes a whole dynamic,” Deschanel says. “Brennan is torn between loving him and wanting him to be happy.”

Who’s new:David Alan Grier guests as a children’s TV personality. And when Brennan and Booth investigate a case in Jersey, they encounter a nightclub bouncer (Antonio Sabato Jr., General Hospital). Having mistaken a reality series for a documentary, Brennan “considers herself to be an expert (on) the culture, customs and vernacular of the guidos,” Deschanel says. — Mike Snider

House, Fox
Monday, 8 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 20

Where we left them: Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein), engaged to Lucas (Michael Weston), dumps him. House (Hugh Laurie), on the verge of a Vicodin relapse, is greeted by Cuddy, who tells him she loves him in a surprise ending to the season finale; Thirteen (Olivia Wilde) takes a leave of absence (but will return later this season).

Where they’re headed: Season 7’s opener picks up immediately after, but the episode avoids the usual medical-mystery plot, instead addressing the Cuddy-House relationship: “Do they trust each other? Can it sustain when they work together, when she’s his superior and she has a kid at home?” says executive producer Katie Jacobs. “If Cuddy is being entirely realistic about this relationship, she’s not expecting to change him.”

Who’s new: Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia) joins the cast in a recurring role as “an incredibly bright but cloistered med student,” whose naiveté and strong sense of ethics are new to House, Jacobs says. — Gary Levin

Fringe, Fox
Thursday, 9 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 23

Where we left them: The Fringe team narrowly escaped the alternate universe — but brought home the wrong Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv). Meanwhile, our Olivia is being held captive by a sane but stoic “Walternate” (John Noble), who serves as the secretary of defense in the other world.

Where they’re headed: Within a few episodes, we’ll have a better idea of “Bolivia” (short for “Bad Olivia”) and Walternate’s intentions.

Which Olivia is more fun to play? “Last year, I would have said Bolivia for certain,” says Torv. “But this season, I’d say Olivia. It’s been refreshing to look in from the outside.”

The relationship between Walter and Peter (Joshua Jackson) will evolve now that the younger Bishop knows he was kidnapped from the alternate universe as a boy and has been back to meet his real parents.

“Both are going to become self-actualized, no longer co-dependent,” says executive producer Jeff Pinker. “That’s going to be a scary journey for Walter.”

For the first third of the season, each episode will focus on one of the worlds, but Pinker promises it will be easy to tell where you are. Episodes in our world will sport the show’s traditional blue credits sequence. Over there, you’ll be seeing red. And the show will continue to pepper the alternate world with visual cues like the polished Statue of Liberty.

Who’s new: Amy Madigan (Carnivale) joins as Olivia’s mom, and Andre Royo, who played Bubbles on The Wire, will trade Baltimore for the alternate universe. Seth Gabel is back as an alt-world Fringe agent. As for Leonard Nimoy, Pinker says there’s still a story in place for him should the retired sci-fi star decide to pull a “Brett Favre.” — Jayme Deerwester

The Office,NBC
Thursday, 9 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 23

Where we left them: Andy (Ed Helms) was revealed as a key whistle-blower on the case of the exploding Sabre printers, which earned him the ire of colleagues but the admiration of girlfriend Erin (Ellie Kemper). Dwight (Rainn Wilson) opted to use newfound cash to buy the company’s business park, while Michael (Steve Carell) may have persuaded boss Jo (Kathy Bates) to bring back old flame Holly (Amy Ryan).

Where they’re headed: ”The first half of the year we’ll try to do all the things we’ve wanted to do with Steve but haven’t,” says executive producer and actor (as HR exec Toby) Paul Lieberstein, referencing Carell’s final Office season. After a major blunder, look for Michael to go into counseling — with his nemesis Toby. Angela (Angela Kinsey) keeps wooing Dwight, while Kelli (Mindy Kaling) takes a management course.

Why continue at all without Carell? “We have a deep bench,” says Lieberstein. “Did the Lakers quit when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar left?”

Who’s new: Steely-eyed Timothy Olyphant (Justified) slips a thorn in Dunder Mifflin’s side as a master salesman who seems to be siphoning off clients. But he’s also an ex-flame of Pam’s (Jenna Fischer). Cue the awkwardness. — Marco R. della Cava

NCIS, CBS
Tuesday, 8 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 21

Where we left them: Gibbs (Mark Harmon) had been lured to Mexico and kidnapped by a drug lord whose father Gibbs had assassinated 20 years earlier. Rather than kill Gibbs for revenge, she frames him for murder and threatens his family and friends in an attempt to turn him into a mole. Gibbs plays along, but only for a while, and in the final scene, she enters Gibbs’ father’s (Ralph Waite) general store and menacingly flips the sign on the door to “closed.”

Where they’re headed: Say it ain’t so — kill Pa Walton? Executive producer Shane Brennan demurs but says that the season opener, which picks up in Gibbs’ father’s store, is “a very intense episode. In that opening sequence, you understand where Gibbs got his fight and his fire from.” And he promises “a big surprise ending.”

In a November two-parter, look for the return of Ziva’s (Coté de Pablo) father, Mossad chief Eli David (Michael Nouri), as the newly naturalized U.S. citizen puts family issues to rest. “As of now, her relationship with her father is pretty much non-existent,” says de Pablo. “The last thing we all know about their relationship is he set her up, sent her on a suicide mission. She was rescued by her ‘real family,’ which is NCIS.” And later in the season, Brennan says, several “origins” episodes will explore the past of NCIS team members and the reasons they joined. “I’m sure the fans will love the insight,” he says.

Who’s new:Robert Wagner (It Takes a Thief, Hart to Hart) returns as DiNozzo’s (Michael Weatherly) father, Anthony Sr., a suave, womanizing con artist. “It’s a very special episode,” says Brennan. “You cannot not bring an actor of his caliber back into the show.” — Bruce Schwartz

Desperate Housewives, ABC
Sunday, 9 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 26

Where we left them: Busy. Bree (Marcia Cross), on the outs with husband Orson (Kyle MacLachlan), was about to tell Gabrielle (Eva Longoria Parker) that Andrew had run over her mother-in-law; Susan (Teri Hatcher) was moving away to a smaller apartment because of Mike’s (James Denton) financial problems; Lynette (Felicity Huffman) had just given birth. A Wisteria Lane resident was about to find out a child she raised wasn’t her own. And the villainous Paul Young (Mark Moses) returned to rent Susan’s house — “with a grudge and a plan and a new wife,” executive producer Bob Daily says. “He brings a wonderful creepy factor to the show.”

Where they’re headed: Bree finds a potential love interest in a contractor (Brian Austin Green). Desperate to return to Wisteria Lane, Susan gets into “a slightly shady business venture with her new landlady (Lainie Kazan),” Daily says.

Who’s new: Ugly Betty’s Vanessa Williams comes to Wisteria Lane as Renee Perry, a college roommate of Lynette, “sort of a frenemy and a classic troublemaker,” Daily says. Williams says she’s pleased to be on board: “I think they’re going to write to my strengths. They’re going to make her have some kind of presence. As much as (her Betty character) Wilhelmina was a force, I think she was likable. I think they’ll find the same balance with Renee.” — Bill Keveney

Private Practice, ABC
Thursday, 10 ET/PT
Premiere: Sept. 23

Where we left them: Dell (Chris Lowell) died as a result of a car crash, but Maya survived and had her baby. Cooper (Paul Adelstein) proposed to Charlotte (KaDee Strickland). Addison (Kate Walsh) gave Pete (Tim Daly) permission to go to Violet (Amy Brenneman) and, at the end, Addison went to Sam (Taye Diggs).

Where they’re going: It’s one month later, and Pete and Violet tie the knot in the first episode. Cooper and Charlotte are engaged, but they’re not going to get to the altar right away. “We’re going to take a while to get them married,” creator Shonda Rhimes says. “I want to enjoy watching the run-up to the wedding.” And while it may have seemed so right for Addison and Sam in the season finale, “it’s not as definitive as you’d think,” Rhimes says.

Who’s new: Justine Bateman appears in the second episode as a mother who gives marijuana to her autistic son. — Bill Keveney

With the economic recovery faltering and midterm elections approaching, simmering anger against illegal immigrants seems to be reaching a new boiling point.

Polls show most Americans back Arizona’s controversial new law aimed at arresting undocumented immigrants, and now support is growing for an even more drastic move to deny citizenship to babies born in the U.S. unless their parents are here legally. Several leading Republican lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Mitchell McConnell, have called for hearings into the issue.

Any effort to repeal what’s known as “birthright citizenship” faces a big obstacle: the 14th Amendment. Ever since the amendment was ratified in 1868, the Constitution has repeatedly been held to confer automatic American citizenship on anyone born in the USA.

The repealers’ argument — logical and enticing — is that an amendment written to ensure that the children of slaves received citizenship rights is obsolete in a modern era of illegal immigration, jetliner travel and international tourism. As a solution to the nation’s illegal immigration problem, though, it is at best an unworkable distraction, one so fraught with practical difficulties as to make the effort impractical and unwise.

For one thing, amending the Constitution is difficult to do, and deliberately so. It takes a vote of two-thirds of both the House of Representatives and the Senate to propose an amendment, and then three-quarters of the states to ratify it. In today’s polarized political environment, it’s hard to imagine that happening.

Some opponents of birthright citizenship say that an amendment isn’t necessary, that Congress could do the same thing merely by passing a law to “clarify” the 14th Amendment. But such a law would no doubt be challenged, and birthright citizenship has consistently withstood court tests.

The opponents also tend to give short shrift to the practical difficulties of enforcement. It’s not difficult to envision the joy of childbirth being encumbered by bureaucratic red tape. Is it worth inflicting citizenship tests on the parents of all 4.3 million children born in the USA each year in an effort to identify the estimated 8% born to illegal immigrants? And any sort of delivery-based enforcement mechanism would undoubtedly cause some women to avoid hospitals, endangering the health of mother and child.

If babies were really the problem, perhaps it would make more sense to change the 14th Amendment. But charges that “anchor babies” begin a pernicious “chain migration” ignore the fact that a baby born a citizen here has to wait 21 years before trying to bring in most relatives. The undocumented parents of a U.S.-born baby are still illegal immigrants; they should not be allowed to plead the citizenship of their child to stave off deportation.

The real ways to fight illegal immigration are the same as they’ve always been: Tighten the border. Make it harder for immigrants to work here illegally. Fix the E-Verify system that lets employers check whether job applicants are here legally. Set up a temporary worker system. And establish a path to legality for undocumented aliens already here who pay taxes and stay out of trouble.

Repealing birthright citizenship is so divisive, and so far down the list of solutions, as to make it an unworthy addition to the national debate on immigration.

By Dennis Wagner, USA TODAY

About 30 Army National Guard soldiers were scheduled to arrive at the Arizona-Mexico border this week in the first wave of reinforcements sent by the Obama administration to bolster security.

More soldiers will be sent each Monday until 532 have joined the mission, said 1st Lt. Valentine Castillo, a National Guard spokesman in Phoenix.

“Everything is right on track to be fully operational by the beginning of October,” Castillo said.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, said Guard members will begin providing border security in his state Wednesday. No date has been given for deployments in Texas and New Mexico.

The soldiers got two to three weeks of training in surveillance techniques and first aid. They will be armed for self-defense, Castillo said, but will not have law enforcement authority. Instead, they will serve as “extra eyes and ears” for the U.S. Border Patrol.

Some will be assigned to teams in concealed locations to watch for smugglers and illegal immigrants entering the U.S. When the soldiers spot them, they’ll call in agents to grab the suspects, Castillo said. Others will monitor computers and work with electronic detection systems.

“We’re here to support Customs and Border Protection,” he said.

Mario Escalante, of the Border Patrol’s Tucson sector, said many will be doing mobile or remote surveillance. “It’s going to help a lot,” he said. “There will be certain areas where they play a major role as a deterrence factor,” forcing illegal migrants to use routes patrolled by agents.

President Obama announced in May plans to deploy the National Guard amid controversy over Arizona’s immigration enforcement law and under pressure from GOP Gov. Jan Brewer and members of Congress.

In March 2009, Brewer wrote to the Defense Department requesting 250 additional soldiers for Arizona’s Joint Counter Narco-Terrorism Task Force, which already uses National Guard personnel.

Brewer spokesman Paul Senseman said the governor is “grateful for the additional assistance” but believes 6,000 reinforcements are now needed, with half of them in Arizona.

Senseman said Brewer is calling for the larger force to ensure that extreme cartel violence in northern Sonora does not leapfrog into Arizona.

Contributing: The Associated Press

By Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY

Many folks back-burnered this year’s back-to-school shopping until they could almost hear the clang of the first school bell.

Now comes their payoff: deals.

This weekend, shoppers can get Elmer’s Glue for a quarter at Walmart; girl’s Arizona tees for $4.99 at J.C. Penney; women’s flats for $8 at Target; Sharp calculators for $9.99 at Kmart and 50%-off backpacks at Office Depot.

Then, there are the Bic pen eight-packs for just a penny — yep, a measly 1 cent — this Sunday at Staples.

Worth the wait? Perhaps. Much like consumers who put off holiday shopping until the last moment, there’s a growing contingent of frugal folks, many pummeled by the economy in recent years, who delay back-to-school shopping in hopes of landing bargains like these — or who put it off simply because they didn’t have the money.

Retailers from Wal-Mart to Target to J.C. Penney are keenly aware of how skittish consumers are about spending money this back-to-school season and how late they’ve been buying. It’s forced retailers to tweak the way they merchandise and market their back-to-school stuff. And savvy, deal-seeker shoppers are increasingly aware that if they wait long enough in a game of chicken with retailers, the back-to-school deals will come.

“A dynamic shift that started at the holidays is becoming an important part of back-to-school shopping,” says Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at researcher The NPD Group. “Retailers have (trained) consumers into purchasing later for big discounts. Now, the tough economy has brought that front and center.”

Two years ago, 36% of consumers waited until Aug. 1 — or later — to make their first back-to-school purchase. But this year, 62% of consumers say they held off until at least August to make that initial purchase, NPD says.

That means well over half of consumers did not — or will not — start their shopping until just days before the yellow school bus shows up. While school has started in a number of Southern states, it doesn’t begin until the day after Labor Day in much of the Northeast. But in each region, many shoppers waited almost until school began to hit stores.

Consumers increasingly are buying closer to the moment of need in order to save a few nickels — or waiting for the next paycheck to be able to pay for it.

A small but growing minority are even waiting until September for the first back-to-school buy. Just two years ago, that number was nearly 0%, NPD says. Last year it rose to 2%. This year, it’s projected to pass 5%.

“Back-to-school shopping peaks are coming later and later every year — and the peaks are more violent at the end,” says Mike Boylson, chief marketing officer at J.C. Penney, which delayed its back-to-school marketing push by two weeks this year.

Wal-Mart also delayed its back-to-school push by two weeks and is stretching it two weeks at the end, says Stephen Quinn, chief marketing officer. “Consumers are buying much closer to the moment of need, not just with back-to-school, but with everything.”

A few years ago, Wal-Mart would clear out its back-to-school merchandise the day after school started in each region, Quinn says. This year, he says, displays will stay up at least two weeks after school begins.

For the first time, Target is sending daily text messages (to those who sign up) about its back-to-school deals, says Stacia Andersen, senior vice president of merchandising.

Retailers rely on students

A lot is on the line for retailers. For most, the only bigger time of year than back-to-school is the holiday season. For Staples, back-to-school is bigger.

“This is the one time of year when Staples looks like Macy’s on Black Friday,” says Don LeBlanc, senior vice president of retail marketing, referring to the busy shopping day after Thanksgiving. “The strongest weeks are in front of us.”

This year, however, it seems consumers are wary, even if there are deals. While the National Retail Federation projected back-to-school spending will grow to $55.1 billion this year, many retailers are finding that optimistic.

Back-to-school spending has been slower this year than last year, says Mark Snyder, chief marketing officer at Kmart.

It may still pick up: Many kids now want to see the trends at school before buying. “When I went to elementary school it was important to have everything I needed on this first day of school,” Snyder says. “Today, kids want to get back to school first and see what’s being worn.”

But consumers also are showing more impulse control. In years past, many shoppers would come to Office Depot for last-minute hot deals and often walk out with costlier items. This year, they’re coming in for the deals — and sticking with them, says Steve Mahurin, executive vice president of merchandising.

Consumers must be frugal

It’s about making each back-to-school buck count.

“People are waiting to the last minute because they don’t want to let go of their dollars,” says David Szymanski, dean of the business school at University of Cincinnati. “Everyone knows there will be more meaningful sales as they get closer to the deadline.”

Debra Johnson, a mom in Columbus, Ohio, planned to go down to the wire, intending to shop just one week before her 7-year-old son’s school started, and even that plan got delayed when the school’s supply list was tardy.

“I know if I wait, the same items will be 20% to 30% off,” she says. “The later you wait, the better deals you get.”

She expects to spend about $150 on her son, Zuri, who is entering first grade.

For many, the hunt for bargains is about need this year.

Parissa Eggleston of Baltimore is trying to balance the realities of kids’ back-to-school needs with the harsher reality of her husband losing his job as a graphic designer. He does project work, but the regular paycheck is gone.

That’s why Eggleston waited until mid-August to start back-to-school shopping. She knew the deals would be better. And she timed it for the weekend Maryland offered residents a back-to-school sales tax holiday.

“I didn’t think the deals could get any better than this,” says Eggleston, a computer programmer. She limited her shopping to one Target store, where she spent $200 for school uniforms and supplies for her 7-year-old son entering second grade.

As for her 4-year-old daughter in preschool, there’ll be no back-to-school shopping, she says. Instead, they’ll do a clothing swap with some friends.

A look at some big deals

Here are some tactics retailers will be using this weekend through Labor Day:

•Selling stuff for a penny. For a penny, Office Depot through Saturday is selling acrylic rulers (regularly 99 cents); two-pocket paper folders (regularly 29 cents) and pencil boxes (regularly 79 cents). Staples will sell the Bic Stick pen packs for a penny Sunday through Sept. 4.

•Luring with loss leaders. Walmart, through Sept. 20, is selling 70-sheet notebooks for 15 cents. For 25 cents it’s offering 100-sheet composition books; 24-count Crayola crayon boxes and 4-ounce bottles of Elmer’s School Glue.

•Doling out dollar deals. For a buck, Office Depot is selling, through Saturday, Sharp Scientific Calculators (normally $6.99). Staples has $1 one-hole punches (regularly $3.99) and Target has 40-page drawing pads (regularly $1.99).

•Rolling out big coupons. J.C. Penney has a coupon for $10 off any purchase of $25 or more today and Saturday at retail stores, on jcp.com and via catalogs.

Office Depot mailed out $20-off coupons for $100 purchases, expiring Sept. 18. Staples’ current newspaper circular includes a $5-off coupon for store purchases of $50 or more through Saturday.

•Pushing fat discounts. All backpacks are 20% off at L.L. Bean and 30% off at Kmart this weekend. They’re 50% off at Office Depot through Saturday. At Kohl’s, all student lounge furniture is 55% off through Saturday.

•Offering free shipping online. L.L. Bean is now offering free shipping on all online orders with no minimum purchase. There’s free shipping on all purchases over $49 at jcp.com at least through Monday.

Where shoppers may splurge

There is one thing, however that many sale-seeking parents say they’ll spend what they have to for back-to-school: shoes.

Eggleston, the Baltimore resident, made certain that she got her 7-year-old son new sneakers at Stride Rite. (And it was not because the store has a “buy one pair, get a second pair half-off” sale through Sunday.)

She paid $30 for a pair of shoes for her son. “I don’t spend $30 on my own sneakers,” she sighs. “I wait for a sale and pay $20.”