NBC Upfronts- Gut Reactions

Oh NBC, how you are the current laughing stock of John Q. Public. Because of the Jay Leno Show disaster that was the 2009-10 season, the Peacock has a ton of new shows set for next year. Let's take a look at how it all shapes up.

Canceled: Heroes, after a terrific first season, has failed to churn out anything of quality since and has finally gotten the axe. Thank God, because I was too invested to stop watching, and it was killing me to watch such garbage. The original Law and Order is finally off the air, while Mercy and Trauma didn't make it past one season.

Returning: Despite all the trash talk, NBC has a lot of quality programming returning to its lineup. All four Thursday comedies are back for the first time in a while, but Parks and Rec has been sent off to mid-season to leave room for a terrible-looking new sitcom. Chuck is back for what I bet is its last season, while Parenthood will get a second year and Friday Night Lights' final season will get run off some time in the spring.

New Shows

With the multitude of newbies on NBC's plate, there are four that I will give a shot at early on. The Event seems to be the only one that they are showcasing at this point that could be good. It stars Simon Elder from Dirty Sexy Money as the President and is pretty confusing as to what it is actually about. There's an assassination plot, a kidnapping and a CIA cover-up in the trailer so it seems pretty exciting.

I also really like the looks of The Cape. Anything that eerily resembles Batman Begins is worth a look in my book. The main character is framed for murder, fakes his own death and then trains to fight crime as a vigilante in a crime-filled city. Awesome.

And on the comedy side of things, The Paul Reiser Show looks good. I never watched Mad About You, but this Curb Your Enthusiasm-type show shows promise with its trailer. I will also give Perfect Couples a try.  The only notable is Janice from Flash Forward, but the character that likes to leave rooms with his own depressing music seems golden.

Then there are a couple that are in limbo for me. Outlaw is airing on Fridays, but it stars Jimmy Smits as a retired supreme court justice turned renegade so it could be decent. Friends with Benefits seems to be a sort of sitcom starring Kyle from Party Down and Daneel Harris so it could be decent, but the trailer doesn't make it seem that funny.  The Undercovers is a spy show from JJ Abrams.  It is about a married couple a la Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

And then there are a bunch of new shows that don't look good. Love Bites seems to be a mess of a romance show at this point. Another Law and Order, this time in LA. The Chase and Harry's Law are standard cop and law shows, respectively. And then there is Outsourced, which is taking Parks and Rec's spot in the fall and looks absolutely terrible.