The New Fall Season: Mondays

Tough to say exactly when the new season starts on broadcast TV. Some networks are sticking with reruns until the Emmys Sunday. NBC has trickled out its new roster since the Olympics. And this week a few more shows start. So we picked this week to preview the season night by night, starting with Mondays.

NEW SHOWS

“Partners” (CBS, 8:30 p.m., starts Sept. 24). The success of “Modern Family” has allowed other networks to move forward with gay couple comedies. Like Fox’s “The New Normal,” this one features Michael Urie, turning it on as if he were on Bravo. He reacts badly when his best friend and business partner (David Krumholtz) announces he’s getting married to his girlfriend. This is the same plot of a previous (and equally undistinguished) comedy also called “Partners” some years back, but this one presents a gay-straight friend alliance as if it were some new invention. Which only makes it seem out of date, as well as not so entertaining.

“The Mob Doctor” (Fox, 9 p.m., tonight) has a premise that’s all too obvious from the title, which will open the gates for such shows as “The Mob Plumber,” “The Mob Gardener” and “Mob Chiropractor.” Jordana Spiro was so good in “My Boys” it’s hard to take her seriously as the doctor (she joins the ranks of Rachel Bilson in “Hart of Dixie” as not quite credible waif of a medical doctor). This one has to fight mobsters too, who are pretty well cast and seem to have been culled from “Boardwalk Empire.” A vow to help the mob was always a side issue in series like “Sopranos”; this one doesn’t seem like it will ever go beyond marginal.

“Revolution” (NBC, 10 p.m., tonight) is one of those post-“Lost” series that blows half its budget on the pilot. The premise is that all the power goes out worldwide — at home, but also all engines and cars for some reason. “Lost” had a plane fall from a sky? A half dozen fall here. And that’s all in the first three minutes. Then it’s 15 years later and weeds have overgrown over the cities (everybody lost their hand clippers too?). Survivors have formed factions who have to fight off the quasi-government militias marauding the country. Somebody’s hiding an amulet with the secret of where the power went, and maybe the show will be interesting at some point. But for now it looks like it will turn into something as old hat as “Jericho,” “Terra Firma” or “Falling Skies” factions fighting factions. Ho hum.

RETURNING SHOWS

“Dancing with the Stars” (ABC, 8 p.m., returns Sept. 24), “How I Met Your Mother” (CBS, 8 p.m., Sept. 24), “Bones” (Fox, 8 p.m., tonight), “The Voice” (NBC, 8 p.m., Sept. 10), “90210” (The CW, 8 p.m., Oct. 8), “2 Mean Girls” (CBS, 9 p.m., Sept. 24), “Gossip Girl” (The CW, 9 p.m., Oct. 8), “Mike & Molly” (CBS, Sept. 24),  “Castle” (ABC, 10 p.m., Sept. 24), “Hawaii Five-0” (CBS, 10 p.m., Sept. 24).

Here’s what’s going on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.