Gambling on a wide swath of genres for its new series, ABC may be rolling the dice with abandon on the success of its fall TV schedule.

Seven new shows is a heavy load to promote. And yet even a stable network like CBS is launching five new series. Of course, perennial also-ran NBC is running with a half-dozen freshman shows.

So many new shows on all of the networks (FOX also has a bunch), to say nothing of cable options, highlights an inherent problem with the television fall season.

There’s very little time for a new show to catch the attention of the viewing public. How do you cut through the clutter? How do you decide to give a show more than one chance to impress you?

ABC is banking on Marvel’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” to deliver big in its opening salvo. The Marvel pedigree of “The Avengers” and Josh Whedon’s executive producing skills are the starting ingredients for massive goodwill.

Clark Gregg reprises his role of Agent Phil Coulson from Marvel’s feature films, as he assembles a small, highly select group of worldwide law enforcement agents. They investigate the new, the strange, and the unknown across the globe, protecting the ordinary from the extraordinary.

Coulson’s team consists of Agent Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), highly trained in espionage, and Agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen), expert pilot and martial artist. Chloe Bennet’s Skye, a meddlesome new recruit and computer hacker, joins the team.

By the way, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is not the story of superheroes. The team consists of mortals battling the forces of evil. Don’t expect the Hulk or Iron Man to drop in on the action.

In the hour that follows the Marvel series is a comedy block of two new series, which should be known as the dysfunctional family hour. “The Goldbergs” may well be ABC’s most promising new comedy, or in fact the series with the greatest potential.

Set in 1985, “The Goldbergs” taps into the zeitgeist of that era, where family members had to interact with each other because nobody was texting or sending emails. The real star of the show is the family matriarch, Wendi McLendon-Covey’s Beverly, overbearing and hyper-emotional.

Jeff Garlin is the gruff, hot-tempered father given to plenty of yelling. George Segal is the beloved grandfather who is the wild man of the clan, a shameless Don Juan who shares his insights on women with the youngest of the Goldberg children, 11-year-old Adam (Sam Giambrone).

Tony Gentile’s Barry, just turned 16 and overly emotional with severe middle child syndrome, is anxious to get his own car, if for no other reason than to escape his crazy family. At first glance, “The Goldbergs” are worth a continuing look.

The comedy of “Trophy Wife” is what the title implies. Reformed party girl Kate (Malin Akerman) becomes the third wife of an older man, Pete (Bradley Whitford), and suddenly finds herself the stepmother to three children.

What’s worse is that Pete’s ex-wives are still around. First wife Diane (Marcia Gay Harden), an intense meddler and overachiever, is quick to disapprove of Kate. Second wife Jackie (Michaela Watkins), a New-Age neurotic mess, is an intrusive flake.

Meanwhile, Pete’s teenage kids have trouble relating to Kate for different reasons. The daughter is skeptical of Kate’s fumbling attempts to win her trust, while the son may be struggling with a fixation on his dad’s beautiful, young spouse.

James Caan tries his hand at comedy in “Back in the Game” as the beer-swilling, cantankerous former baseball player, Terry “The Cannon” Gannon Sr., who became the single father to Terry Gannon Jr., who happens to be a girl (Maggie Lawson) that was raised to be an athlete.

The younger Terry, a single mother to an uncoordinated young boy, finds her son wanting to play ball with other kids that couldn’t make a team. Of course, mom becomes the softball coach and must endure meddling as well as heckling from her own father.

“Back in the Game” looks like another dysfunctional family comedy, given how James Caan is downright temperamental and quirky in his approach to life and bonding with his family.

“Super Fun Night” is a showcase for the comic talents of Rebel Wilson, who parties every Friday night with her two best female friends, but complications arise when she falls for a handsome British attorney.

Speaking to TV critics during the summer press tour, president of NBC Entertainment Paul Lee claimed that ABC is the “Number One women’s network” and that his network has a “focus on empowered women.” I am thinking he had in mind the launch of Rebel Wilson as the TV star of a female driven show tailored to her obvious flair.

A potentially very interesting, maybe even rewarding, new drama is “Lucky 7,” a show that defies effortless categorization. The premise is about a group of seven gas station employees in Queens, New York, who have pooled their money for years in the lottery, and then win the big jackpot.

The cast of characters is all over the map, from Matt Long’s earnest hard-worker in desperate need of cash because of his pregnant girlfriend, to Isiah Whitlock Jr.’s store manager, possibly the nicest guy in the world.

Others include a single mother, a second generation Pakistani immigrant girl, an ex-con who needs to pay off a debt to vicious thugs, and a middle-aged cashier struggling to lose weight.

The odd man out at the workplace is the mechanic who fell behind on payments to the weekly pool due to pressures at home from his demanding wife.

As “Lucky 7” unfolds, even in the first episode, some ugly things happen with consequences certain to reverberate during the whole season. Secrets will bubble to the surface and everyone will have to overcome obstacles to enjoy their new-found wealth.

Based on the British hit “The Syndicate,” a BBC series that apparently has not aired in the United States, “Lucky 7” may, in fact, get lucky in its series run, in part because the premise is ripe for intrigue and also because Steven Spielberg is the executive producer.

The last new series for this fall is a spinoff from “Once Upon a Time,” and just so you don’t miss the connection, it is entitled “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.”

In Victorian England, young and beautiful Alice (Sophie Lowe) tells an impossible tale of a strange new land that exists on the other side of a rabbit hole. Of course, everyone thinks she’s nuts and doctors try to erase her memory.

But Alice knows this world is real, and she’s saved by the irrepressible White Rabbit (John Lithgow), and together they tumble down the rabbit hole to a Wonderland where nothing is impossible.

I wish I could walk you through the essentials of this mystical world that beckons Alice, but I have not seen a preview. You’ll just have to take your chances in the rabbit hole, if you will.

To keep its street cred with the female demographic, ABC returns “Revenge” and “Betrayal” to the Sunday night lineup, thus offering an alternative to watching Sunday Night Football on NBC.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

There are thousands of poems about caring for the old, but I have never before seen one like this, in which a caregiver wades with an elderly person out into deep water, literally and figuratively. It’s by Marie Thurmer, a poet now living in Nebraska.

A Grandfather

We waded in the shallows,
holding his hands, then just
fingertips, as his feet
slowly lifted off the bottom.
The land did not stop
at the waterline, but simply
became unreachable.
His worn face bobbed above
the waves, breath in an O
as our words, fistfuls
of shimmering minnows,
scattered, lost on their way
to him. The tide carried
him out, then back a bit,
a gradual letting go into dark
waters, and we, still
in the ebb, could almost
mistake that O
for the response we wanted—
on the ins, I’ll remember you,
on the outs, goodbye.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright 2012 by Marie Thurmer, and reprinted by permission of the poet. Introduction copyright 2013 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

COBB, Calif. – CobbMtnArtists is looking for artisans to show their work at the 10th annual Holiday In the Pines Art and Crafts Faire.

The craft faire will be held Saturday, Nov. 9, and Sunday, Nov. 10, in an historic, restored craftsman-style building at Mariah Meadows Resort and Spa on Highway 175 in Loch Lomond.

A variety of space sizes are available, including tables, reasonably priced. The juried show will have a central cashier.

The due date for application is Oct. 7.

For application and more information, contact Gregg Lindsley, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-490-7168.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The vocal quartet EarReverence heads an evening of entertainment presented by the Unitarian Universalist Community of Lake County on Friday, Oct. 4, in Kelseyville.

“I’m Herbert,” a one-act comedy with Linda Guebert and Deon Pollett, is also on the program, and a gourmet vegetarian dinner will be available.

EarReverence has performed both locally and regionally and has received rave reviews for its a cappella renditions of an eclectic mix of musical numbers. The group is made up of Bill Bordisso, Valerie Reid, Nick Reid and Carol Cole-Lewis.

“I’m Herbert” by Robert Anderson is a very funny sketch about two old, old people who each had more than one marriage and perhaps a fling or two in their younger days. Unfortunately, when they reminisce, they are more than a little hazy on the details.

On the vegetarian dinner menu is Moroccan vegetable stew with couscous, mixed green salad with olives, artisan breads, and a fresh fruit dessert.

The event will be held at First and Main streets in Kelseyville. Dinner begins at 6 p.m., with entertainment at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $20 for both, $10 for entertainment only.

Reservations are required for dinner. Call 707-256-8134 for information and tickets.

In the broadcast world, CBS Television, often equated with an expensive jewelry store (the Tiffany network, that is), has thrived in recent years with police procedurals and shows skewing to an older demographic.

Interestingly, four of the five new series for the fall season are comedies, one of which seems so similar in tone and character development to “2 Broke Girls” that it immediately follows that returning series on Monday nights.

During the recent TV press tour, in the absence of Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment, the nation’s critics were treated to an exchange with Leslie Moonves, the head honcho of the entire CBS corporate universe who’s prone to pithy retorts and concise observations.

When not pointing out that CBS had the highest rated show on television last year, Moonves took the ratings war to another level by criticizing the remarks of the top NBC executive who told critics that “flat is the new up” in ratings.

Pointedly, Moonves disagreed, claiming every network has their own point of view about ratings and professing that CBS is “confident we’re going to be up this year. We were up last year.”

Which network is up or down at any given time has about as much relevance as the daily fluctuations of the stock market. Like a blue chip investment, networks are around for the long haul.

And yet in a gambling move, CBS may be rolling the dice on its new comedy lineup, with potential for an upside reward. The show that will follow “2 Broke Girls” is “Mom,” which, as already noted, seems somewhat derivative.

We’re not quite sure if the titular character in “Mom” is Anna Faris’ Christy, the dysfunctional mother of two children, or her own mother, Bonnie (Allison Janney), who struggles with her own demons while trying to impose her mark as the family matriarch.

As a single mother, Christy is sleeping with her boss (Nate Corddry) to get a top job at an upscale restaurant, for which she is unqualified, as witnessed by her tearful meltdowns while trying to take someone’s dinner order.

Along comes Christy’s estranged mother Bonnie, who’s still kicking around a few vices but shows great interest in reconnecting with her daughter and the grandkids. “Mom” could have a short run, if for no other reason than Anna Faris’ appeal could be limited by her broad comic strokes.

“The Millers,” not to be confused with Jennifer Aniston’s film “We’re the Millers,” has an interesting premise of the dysfunctional family dynamic, with an appealing cast to flesh out the characters.

Will Arnett’s Nathan Miller, a recently divorced local roving news reporter, was looking forward to the singles’ life until his parents’ marital problems derail his plans. After announcing his breakup, parents Tom and Carol (Beau Bridges and Margo Martindale) are inspired to follow suit.

Actually, it’s Nathan’s father’s idea to leave his wife of 43 years, so Nathan’s interfering mom moves in with him, while the absent-minded Tom imposes upon Nathan’s sister, her husband and their daughter. “The Millers” is just one more comedy with meddlesome parents.

After watching “The Crazy Ones,” starring Robin Williams as an advertising man teamed up with Sarah Michelle Gellar as his daughter and partner in the firm, you might say the dysfunctional family is an unshakable theme for the new comedy shows.

Williams’ Simon Roberts is an advertising genius whose unorthodox methods and unpredictable behavior would ordinarily cause alarm. But he’s the head of a powerful agency, now working with his daughter Sydney (Gellar) by his side.

Sydney is the opposite of her old man; she’s focused, organized and eager to make a name for herself. But circumstances make her the responsible partner in the family firm, as she tries to reign in her father’s excesses.

Not surprisingly and true to form, Robin Williams typically sucks the oxygen out of the room whenever he appears in “The Crazy Ones,” which, of course, is most of the time. After all, Williams’ brand of humor is the take-no-prisoners variety. We’ll have to see if this works in the long run.

The last new comedy is not about a dysfunctional family, unless you turn the concept on its head. “We Are Men” is about four single guys living in a short-term apartment complex who find camaraderie over their many missteps in love and relationships.

Though previously married several times, Tony Shalhoub’s Frank Russo still fancies himself a ladies’ man. Jerry O’Connell’s Stuart Weber, a Speedo-wearing doctor, is hiding his assets (umm, the financial kind) until his second divorce is settled.

Kal Penn’s Gil Bartis was caught having the world’s worst affair. Meanwhile, the newcomer to the group is Chris Smith’s Carter, who moved in after being ditched at the altar mid-ceremony. Unwisely, Carter ends up taking advice from the other losers in the marriage department.

“We Are Men” seems like a throwback to the 1970s in communities like Marina del Rey, in the Los Angeles area near the ocean, where swingers congregated in hot tubs and pool-side barbeques in apartment complexes catering to the singles lifestyle. Let’s see if nostalgia holds sway.

The most promising show on the CBS fall schedule is a high-octane suspense drama, which is puzzling in the sense that it feels like it should be an event movie rather than a season-long series.

“Hostages” may create almost as much dilemma for script development as it does for the family held in peril.

A chilling political conspiracy is at the center of “Hostages,” when Dylan McDermott’s rogue FBI Agent Duncan Carlisle, along with a team of accomplices, takes Toni Collette’s Dr. Ellen Sanders, a prominent surgeon, and her family hostage.

Dr. Sanders is scheduled to operate on the president of the United States the following day. Carlisle and his team are determined that the commander-in-chief not survive surgery if the doctor is persuaded to use an untraceable medicine that will make the death look like an inevitable result of a tricky operation.

Shortly after taking the family hostage, the captors take off their masks. Of course, this causes panic because the bad guys never anticipate leaving potential witnesses behind.

And yet, Carlisle has done his homework and knows the secrets of the Sanders family members, which he intends to use to manipulate his captives into submission.

Knowing that hostages can’t normally be held for a long period, the viewer is likely to be drawn into the moral complexity of the choices facing both victims and villains alike.

“Hostages” is definitely worth a look, maybe one that could be lasting for the season.

On a side note, CBS chief Moonves announced that “Under the Dome” would return next summer, with Stephen King writing the first episode of the 13 episode arc.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

LUCERNE, Calif. – The Lucerne Alpine Senior Center is hosting “Open Mic Lucerne” on Saturday, Sept. 21.

The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the center, 3985 Country Club Drive.

This monthly event is every third Saturday of the month.

Bands are already signing up for September. They will be performing with house band FOGG.

More sign-ups can be on site at 5 p.m. Saturday night or you can call 707-245-4612 or 707-274-8779.

There is so much talent in Lake County, which has been demonstrated in past months.

This is a great venue to show off your talent. Music, comedy, mime, any other activity that is family-oriented will be appreciated.

Come be an audience member and join the fun. Room is available for dancing and relaxing. Last month the performances were great. There is no charge for attendance.

For those wishing to have dinner, an inexpensive meal is available with cost according to age. This is a child friendly event so bring the family.

All proceeds from the meal benefit the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center, a nonprofit that serves the senior populations on the Northshore with lunches on site and Meals on Wheels.

For more information call Lucerne Alpine Senior Center at 707-274-8779.