Don't worry about the filler shoved through television's meat grinder. This category is all prime cut, thanks to the movies that TV wants to be, and the stars the medium attracts.
We have beefcake (Morris Chestnut), aged steak (Wesley Snipes), steak Oscar (Dianne Wiest) and steak who should've won an Oscar by now (Joan Allen). Choose your spice rub: Indian (Pryanka Chopra), Korean-American (Ken Jeong) or Latin (Eva Longoria).
And that's just the movie stars. Three fall shows directly cribbed from Hollywood hits appear ready to earn their popcorn.
Minority Report
9 p.m. Mondays, Fox (Sept. 21)
Set 15 years after Steven Spielberg's sci-fi thriller, when the tactic of using mediums called Precogs in law enforcement to predict crimes has been banned. One Precog, Dash (Stark Sands), uses his gift-curse to secretly help a detective (Meagan Good) while searching for a missing brother and sister, also Precogs.
Limitless
10 p.m. Tuesdays, CBS (Sept. 22)
Based on 2011's sleeper starring Bradley Cooper; the brain-boosting drug NZT now courses through Brian Finch (Jake McDorman). Brian is strong-armed by the FBI to use his cognitive power to solve cases. Cooper has stated he's open to making guest appearances, which would be a mini-event.
The Player
10 p.m. Thursdays, NBC (Sept. 24)
After doing the crime (tax evasion) and the time, Wesley Snipes is back as the mysterious Mr. Johnson, the "pit boss" for an exclusive underground gambling ring. Members bet on crimes, not games, and the chance that a designated offense can be prevented. Philip Winchester is "the player," a security expert solving the cases. The series comes from the folks who brought us James Spader in The Blacklist.
Ash vs. Evil Dead
9 p.m. Saturdays, Starz (Oct. 31)
Cult movie icon Bruce Campbell reprises his signature role as Ash, the chainsaw-handed demon slayer from Sam Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy. This half-hour series is described as a "sitcom" but the situation is a Deadite plague threatening the world. Raimi and Campbell are executive producers, so this one should be a howl.
Also airing: Rosewood (Fox), starring Morris Chestnut; Life in Pieces (CBS), starring Dianne Wiest; Quantico (ABC), starring Pryanka Chopra; and three — count 'em — three shows with Rob Lowe (The Grinder on Fox, Moonbeam City on Comedy Central and You, Me and the End of the World on NBC next year).
Coming later: The Family (ABC), starring Joan Allen; Uncle Buck (ABC), starring Mike Epps; Shades of Blue (NBC), starring Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta; and Rush Hour (CBS), starring Jon Foo and Justin Hires.