Alias (Sunday at 9:00 p.m.) - From J.J. Abrams, the creator of "Felicity," comes this thoroughly contemporary, high-octane series.

Terror-filled eyes. Lungs choked with water. A pounding heartbeat. For Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner, "Pearl Harbor," "Dude, Where's My Car?" ), a vivacious, athletic grad student, it's a typical day in her life at her not-so-typical after-school job: she's an agent for SD-6, a top-secret division of the CIA -- and she's being tortured.

Recruited freshman year, the then shy and lonely Sydney jumped at the chance to be part of something bigger than English 101 and Calculus II. Little did she know how great she'd be at espionage or how much she'd love it.

Today Sydney is no longer shy or alone. Her boyfriend has proposed, and Sydney's facing a huge dilemma: What does she want from the rest of her life, and what does she tell her boyfriend? Revealing her secret is verboten, and if there's one rule you don't break -- this is the one.

But Sydney breaks it, and suddenly her world is spun terrifyingly sideways: Her boyfriend's life is now in grave danger, and Sydney's in a fight for her own life. She discovers that her long-estranged father, Jack (Victor Garber, "Titanic," "Annie" ), is also SD-6 and that the organization might be covering up a secretly nefarious plan. Plus, a terrorist is still holding Sydney's head under water, and coercing info from Sydney is like pulling teeth -- so he's about to try that too...

From Touchstone Television Productions, LLC. J.J. Abrams is executive producer. Also starring Michael Vartan ("Never Been Kissed" ), Bradley Cooper, Merrin Dungey, Carl Lumbly ("Cagney & Lacey"), Ron Rifkin ("L.A. Confidential" ) and Kevin Weisman.

Bob Patterson (Tuesday at 9:00 p.m.) - "Seinfeld" alumnus Jason Alexander returns to primetime as motivational speaker Bob Patterson in a sophisticated comedy that cracks the facade of a man who inspires millions, but has a long way to go himself. He's a complex guy in touch with the people's deepest emotions -- but for all his lectures, infomercials, seminars and TV shows, Bob's a little self-important, a little self-absorbed and hardly ever self-aware.

Millions clamor to live by the philosophies of this man who requires an ensemble of characters to keep his persona marketable. But while he's preaching the values of self-confidence to the masses, he doesn't have enough self-esteem to ask a drop-dead gorgeous water girl out on a date.

If it weren't for the ever- enduring friendship of Landau (comedian Robert Klein), Bob's long-suffering producer, Bob would have no one to constantly reassure him he's not losing his hair and that height does not matter.

From Touchstone Television Productions, LLC/20th Century Fox Television. Jason Alexander, Tim Doyle and Ira Steven Behr are executive producers. Peter Tilden is co-executive producer/writer. Also starring Susan Diol, Chandra Wilson and Jay Paulson.

Philly (Tuesday at 10:00 p.m.) - From executive producer Steven Bochco comes a fast-paced drama series starring "NYPD Blue's" Kim Delaney as Kathleen Maguire who's a year out of law school and steadily building her reputation as a tough, no-nonsense defense attorney in the weathered courtrooms of Philadelphia's City Hall.

Kathleen's ex is the formidable, shrewdly arrogant District Attorney, and she's a single mom to a 10-year-old son who, like his mother, is as bright as he is brazen.

Kathleen's caseload doubled when her law partner got shipped off to the sanitarium following weeks on a pill-fed fad diet. Enter the charmingly scrappy Will Friedman (Tom Everett Scott, "That Thing You Do!" ), a popular young attorney who desperately wants out of the Public Defender's office.

He takes opportunistic pity on Kathleen, convincing her that they'd make a good team. A partnership made in heaven it isn't, but Kathleen's desperately out of options. From the client who pleads guilty to a crime he didn't commit so he'll have the perfect alibi for the one he did, to the cops, prosecutors and even some justices who turn a blind eye to due process, Kathleen definitely has her work cut out for her.

From Steven Bochco Productions in association with Paramount Television. Steven Bochco is executive producer. Also starring Diana-Maria Riva, Joanna Cassidy ("Blade Runner," "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" ), Rick Hoffman and Kyle Secor ("Homicide: Life on the Street").

The Dad (Wednesday at 8:30 p.m.) - Jim Belushi returns to network television as a husband who knows that the key to marriage is nodding at everything your wife says, and the essence of raising children is to remain a big kid yourself.

Jim is a father who's struggling to hang on to what's eluded every other soccer-dad - achieving the picket fence ideals while keeping a firm hold on your manhood. He's the kind of dad who plays "Frozen Guy" with his kids, a game he designed around his love of drinking beer and watching football.

But this guy isn't just a loving father; his devotion to his wife, Cheryl (Courtney Thorne-Smith, "Ally McBeal," "Melrose Place"), knows no boundaries... although he may have a hard time getting off the couch and proving it.

From Touchstone Television Productions, LLC, in association with Brad Grey Television. Tracy Newman, Jonathan Stark, Suzanne Bukinik and Mark Gurvitz are executive producers. Also starring Kimberly Williams ("Father of the Bride" ), Sam Seder, Taylor Atelian and Billi Bruno.

Thieves (Friday at 9:00 p.m.) - John Stamos ("Full House" ) stars in this electrifying new series from Arnold Kopelson, producer of such acclaimed features as "Platoon," "The Fugitive" and "Eraser."

Meet Johnny (Mr. Stamos) and Rita (Melissa George). They're high-class thieves. Johnny is old-school style and charm. He's all about intricate plots, precision timing and think-before-you-shoot.

Rita is high-tech brass and nerve. She's all about sophisticated gadgets, explosives and shoot-from-the-hip first, ask questions later. Lightning fast, smooth as silk, Johnny and Rita are about to pull off the biggest diamond heist of all time... If only they hadn't locked the keys inside the getaway car. They're caught red-handed by the FBI.

But the FBI offers a get out of jail (not so) free card: Johnny and Rita can avoid the pen by recovering "missing" government property. National art treasures, underworld secrets, nuclear launch codes -- anything the Feds have lost, Johnny and Rita must find. It's a lifetime sentence to avoid a lifetime sentence, and the only thing hotter than the merchandise is the sexual tension between this dynamic duo.

From Warner Bros. Television. Jim Leonard, Arnold Kopelson and Anne Kopelson ("The Fugitive," "Se7en" ) are executive producers.

Description of the new pre-season entertainment series joining ABC's primetime schedule for a limited run in August is:

The Wayne Brady Show (premieres in August) - Versatile comedian Wayne Brady, whose improvisational skills, musical talents and hilarious characters have made him a standout star on "Whose Line is It Anyway?," stars in a new comedy/variety series - with a twist.

Breaking the style of the traditional variety show, Wayne and his talented comedy ensemble troupe not only act and sing in the show's comedy skits and musical numbers, but also add improv, with audience participation playing a major role.

Whether spoofing the current boy band craze or performing a dead-on impersonation of his unsuspecting grandmother - who happens to be in the audience -- Wayne's inimitable style of comedy breathes new life into the variety format and launches it into the 21st century.

From Brad Grey Television in association with Touchstone Television Productions, LLC. Bernie Brillstein, Wayne Brady and Don Mischer are executive producers. Also starring Shulie Cowen, Brooke Dillman, Jonathan Mangum and Joel McCrary.

Descriptions of the two new mid-season entertainment series joining ABC's primetime schedule next season are:

The Runner (Monday at 9:00 p.m., beginning in January) - An excitingly new entertainment experience that integrates multiple media - television, the Internet and the real world.

Set in the continental United States, it pits 280 million people - the U.S. population - against one Runner who must accomplish eight simple missions over 28 days without being "tagged" by anyone who has registered to be an Agent.

The Runner's reward for successfully completing the missions is $1 million. The Runner's actions will be covered in real time in the series and on the World Wide Web. Anyone can enjoy watching the Runner's efforts on ABC, or by following the runner on the web.

More importantly, however, eligible audience members can be part of the action by registering as Agents in the show, allowing them to find and "tag" the Runner and claim a reward that will increase toward $1 million over the course of the Runner's missions. From LivePlanet, Inc.

The Court (Monday at 10:00 p.m., beginning in January) - Multi-talented and Oscar-winning actor Sally Field returns to series television in this riveting, new drama series.

The nine Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court represent our Constitution's last defense and shape the fabric of society through decisions derived during monumental battles of intellect and will. But where idealism should reign, politics and hidden agendas sometimes intervene, and the search for truth often becomes the greatest challenge.

Enter the vibrant, young legal clerks of the Court. Tens of thousands of cases per year are filed with the Court, but only a handful are heard by the Justices, and it's the clerks who recommend what gets on the docket.

With the power to consent or reject, the clerks know they're part of history. But they also know that every outstretched hand holds an ulterior motive, and nothing is as it seems.

Privileged by birth, earnest and ambitious, Claudia Padgett (Alicia Witt, "Cybill," "Urban Legend" ) works for tough liberal Justice Audrey Karlin (Ms. Field). Working-class, clever and charming Tom Kappis (Billy Burke, "Along Came a Spider" ) is clerk to domineering conservative Justice Martin Van Horn (Brian Cox, "Rushmore," "Kiss the Girls" ). Karlin and Van Horn are legendary for their gavel-pounding debates with each other, yet they agree on one thing: They both demand absolute loyalty from their clerks.

From Touchstone Television Productions, LLC. Oliver Goldstick and Rob Scheidlinger ("Sports Night") are executive producers. Michael Dinner is co-executive producer. Also starring Adam Scott, D.B. Woodside ("Romeo Must Die" ) and Sandra Prosper.

Description of the new series of entertainment specials joining ABC's primetime schedule next season is:

Ocean Challenge - From Academy Award-winner James Cameron ("Titanic," "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" ) and Peabody Award-winner Jean-Michel Cousteau comes an epic series of undersea specials.These shows will elevate underwater filmmaking into a profound, intellectual and emotional journey. Through unbelievable stories, this ambitious adventure will recapture the passion and spirit of exploration, while the use of new technology will take viewers places they've never been.

Cameron and Cousteau, together with a young band of scientists, undertake the adventure of a lifetime with an unprecedented exploration of the bizarre ecosystems that flourish in the deepest abyss.