Not too long ago, serialized programs couldn't get arrested on the broadcast networks. Thanks to the syndication success and endless repeatability of self-contained procedurals and dramas that only timidly dipped into ongoing story lines, fans of challenging, strongly serialized programs often had to go to the cable networks for intensely serialized, character-driven fare.

But in the wake of the success of "Lost" and "Prison Break," the broadcast networks can't seem to get enough of dramas that have season-long plots, extended character arcs and even genre elements. "Jericho," "Heroes," "The Nine," "Six Degrees," "Runaway" "Kidnapped" and "Vanished" are just some of the shows that will depend to a large degree, as "Prison Break," "24" and "Lost" do, on viewers who are not only willing but eager to watch those shows week in and week out.

"I think we got in under the wire, and I do think we'd have a tougher time coming up against (fall's) real glut of serialized dramas," says Matt Olmstead, an executive producer for "Prison Break," a serial that debuted a year ago. "We're very glad that we premiered when we did."

As well he should; last year, "Prison Break" stood out; this year, it's the template. But the fact that the broadcast networks are throwing out so many serialized shows should prompt viewers to toss these questions back: How much time do you network people think we have, even if we get our DVRs to work overtime? And why should we trust the networks, which have burned us so many times by canceling serialized shows after we got addicted to them — remember "Threshold," "Invasion" and "Reunion," to name a few?

Nina Tassler, the president of entertainment for CBS, glibly nixed those kinds of concerns at the Television Critics Association press tour in July. "I don't think audiences make a decision to commit to a show, one way or the other, based on it being serialized or not," she said. And if viewers get hooked on a show that tantalizes them with a complicated series of questions, "in success, those questions will be answered."

Translation: We'll cancel arc-heavy shows that don't get "Lost"-style ratings, and too bad for you if your favorite serialized drama bites the dust.

If you think you've seen the darkest anti-hero that television can produce, you're wrong.

"Dexter" blows your baddest bad boy (or bad girl) away. The drama is on the pay-cable network Showtime, where producers can get away with much more, but still, is America ready for a drama about a forensics expert who, in his free time, goes around killing people who he decides are evil?

The new shows on the broadcast networks this fall aren't quite that dark, but we're certainly seeing the influence of HBO, FX and other quality cable channels on their broadcast brethren.

On the glossy "Smith," in which Ray Liotta's character leads a gang of experienced thieves, more than one innocent civilian dies in the course of the robbery crew's big heist. None of the thieves seems to have much remorse about it, nor does "Smith" executive producer John Wells apologize for the show's edgy tone.

"People are expecting something from serious drama, from, for lack of a better term, high-end drama," said Wells, a veteran of "The West Wing" and "ER," at a TCA panel on the show.

"I think that we have to be competitive, constantly be aware of and competitive with what's happening on basic cable, what's happening on pay cable, what's happening on broadcast television, and what's happening in feature film."

Usually the pilot for a network series has been so fussed over and focus-grouped that, even if it has potential, it can feel tame and stale. And many times a show with promise blossomed into something much better later in its run.

This fall, saints be praised, there is a bumper crop of extremely intriguing, well-executed pilots. But some look more like well-made films than TV shows that will be able to fill out a 22-episode season.

When you watched the first episode of "Lost," you knew that was a show that had lots of stories to tell. But the relationship drama "Six Degrees," in which viewers meet six New Yorkers whose paths coincidentally collide? Not so much, though I thought the pilot was exceedingly well-acted and lovely to look at. And I'll be happy to be proved wrong about the staying power of "Six Degrees."

There is not only a bumper crop of worthwhile pilots this fall, but many of them have the same name. Well, that's not entirely true, but one-word titles, a la "Bones" and "House," are in vogue. The result is that this fall, audiences will be introduced to "Kidnapped," "Vanished," "Smith," "Justice," "Heroes," "Runaway," "Jericho," "Standoff" and "Shark."

How are we ever supposed to tell these shows apart? Their titles aren't helping.

The subtrend is numbers-oriented names: "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," "20 Good Years," "30 Rock," "The Nine" and "Six Degrees."

It's enough to make one want to watch "The Knights of Prosperity" and "Brothers and Sisters," just because their titles are different. And they have more than one word.

Who would have thought that the cast of "thirtysomething" would take over television?

Peter Horton, who played Gary Shepherd on the groundbreaking '80s drama, is an executive producer and director on the hit ABC show "Grey's Anatomy," and has directed scores of other TV programs as well. Ken Olin, aka Michael Steadman on "thirtysomething," is an executive producer on "Brothers and Sisters," and helped create "Alias," among other projects.