Little mystery to new shows as networks play it safe

NEW YORK -- If there's one thing the networks want you to know as you prepare for the fall TV season, it's this: You'll be able to spend a lot of time noodling around with their shows online.

As they presented their fall lineups to advertisers in the annual "upfront" presentations this week, the networks went out of their way to insist that online content will be as rich as the productions on the air. CBS trotted out its head of digital content in a suit and sneakers -- for maximum geek credibility -- to talk about such innovations as a Facebook-style site for " CSI" corpses. NBC announced that it is creating an online magazine based on the fictional magazine in its upcoming drama "Lipstick Jungle." And the CW, following in the path of MTV, is creating a virtual world where fans can visit the sites in the teen soap "Gossip Girl."

It's all time-consuming stuff, but it's getting ahead of the game: Before you go online to "interact" with a TV show, you have to care about the show. And this season, the networks' lineups are most notable for what's absent. Remember all of those plot-driven serials containing deep mysteries? The ones that were supposed to draw hours of online mystery-solving? This season, they're practically gone. Instead, the new fare fits into a few less mentally taxing categories:

LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH AND MISERABLE

The networks are offering an abundance of sudsy "Dynasty" descendants, in various telegenic settings. "Gossip Girl," from "The O.C." creator Josh Schwartz , focuses on pre school teens in Manhattan. CBS's "Cane," starring Jimmy Smits , is the tale of rich Cuban-Americans in Miami. And ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" stars Peter Krause as the lawyer for a corrupt, rich clan of New Yorkers.

SEXY, POWERFUL 40- SOMETHING WOMEN

Desperate? Yes. Housewives? No. Competing for primetime space? Of course. NBC's "Lipstick Jungle" and ABC's "Cashmere Mafia" look to be virtually indistinguishable, and have sprung from various minds that once contributed to "Sex and the City." And then there is "Private Practice," the ABC "Grey's Anatomy" spin off that follows Dr. Addison Montgomery -- who might be technically in her 30s, but is 40- something in spirit -- in a search for love and professional fulfillment in Los Angeles. Even "Back to You," Fox's newscast-centered sitcom starring Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton , turns Heaton's character into an uptight careerist type. With a heart, of course.

IMMORTAL DETECTIVES LOOKING FOR LOVE

Yes, two of them, on different networks. CBS has picked up "Moonlight," the tale of a vampire who happens to be a sensitive private eye. And Fox is premiering "New Amsterdam," about an immortal detective who works for the New York Police Department, and who will turn into a regular guy once he finally meets his soulmate.

PROCEDURALS WITH A TWIST

Some crimes are solved by mere mortals. But they're interesting mortals. NBC's "Life" centers on a detective who spent years in prison, framed for murder. ABC's "Pushing Daisies" is the tale of a forensic investigator who can bring the dead back to life. And ABC's "Women's Murder Club" features crimes solved by . . . sexy, powerful, 40- something women.

LOVABLE NERDS

Viewers love glamorous women, but they also love "Ugly Betty." So the networks now officially love nerds, and this fall promises geeks of varying degrees of credibility. The most lovable ones appear to be in the CW's coming-of-age sitcom, "Aliens in America," about the friendship between a geeky Wisconsin teen and a Pakistani exchange student. NBC's "Chuck," also from Schwartz, is the tale of a not-so-bad-looking geek who accidentally gets access to secret government data, and now must protect himself from a cadre of assassins.

The CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" operates on the Hollywood-driven premise that all geniuses must wear mismatched plaid, and all blondes they encounter must be ditzes. And the CW's "Reaper" -- from Kevin Smith , the impresario of "Clerks" -- is about a slacker whose parents sold his soul to the devil, and who now must use a Satanic hand-held vacuum to return escaped souls to hell. He's sort of nerdy. His sidekick friend is even more so.

MUSIC

The networks are continuing to feed off the love for "American Idol "; it's the spirit behind CBS's experimental "Viva Laughlin," in which actors sing along to familiar songs, and "Nashville," the Fox docu drama set in the country-music industry. The CW will offer another competition for a slot in the Pussycat Dolls midseason (though really, they're less about music and more about lack of clothes). Fox has hired the "Idol" producers for "The Search for the Next Great American Band." And of course, in January, "Idol" will be back. It would have been back even if Sanjaya had won.

OUTSIDE-THE-BOX REALITY SHOWS

Don't hold your breath; reality TV isn't dying. It's just trying to get creative. CBS will present "Kid Nation," in which a group of kids is set loose in a Western ghost town with no adults around, except for the camera crews, producers, a host, and -- let's hope -- a medical staff. (A better show might focus on the sorts of parents who would sign up their progeny for this.)

Fox will follow "Hell's Kitchen" chef Gordon Ramsay on a hunt for restaurants in crisis. And for mid-season, the CW is offering "Crowned," a contest that pits mother-daughter teams against each other for a beauty pageant, and a matchmaking show that needs little explanation, called "Farmer Wants a Wife."

FANCY INTERSTITIALS

In an ongoing effort to keep viewers tuned into commercials, NBC has teamed with Jerry Seinfeld, who will offer short films that happen to promote his upcoming Pixar film. The CW will continue to use "content wraps," which hawk products during commercial breaks, and will offer advertisers a series of five-second spots called "CWickies."

But if advertisers are truly worried about those DVRs, the networks are offering increasing chances for. . .

PRODUCT PLACEMENT

The CW will debut "CW Now," a half-hour show devoted entirely to plugging brands. (It's meant to be a rundown of the hottest trends, but apparently, you can buy yourself into "hot.") And at NBC's upfront on Monday, NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly promised "a seat with the creators," in order to get "on board earlier with product integration." Which means that we can expect a lot more shots of Staples products on "The Office." And that "30 Rock" might start pitching GE trivection ovens . Oh, wait. They've done that already.

Joanna Weiss can be reached at weiss@globe.com. For more on TV, go to www.viewerdiscretion.net