The arrival of fall usually vibrates with promise. If you’re still in school, that excitement is attributable to the arrival of a new school year. But students join the rest of us in pinning hopes to a new season of television, one we hope improves upon the last.

Two disjunct concepts, the fall term and fall TV. Even so, anyone who has a moth-eaten letterman jacket in the attic knows they have numerous similarities. Both school and TV shape us for better or worse, and often both provide our most relatable sources of triumph, disappointment and, yes, humiliation. Years from now, the memories we store from television, like high school, will provide us with the occasional nostalgic titter or, for others such as myself, a fair bit of cringing.

More of that second thought will accompany reminiscing over last season, a year for which broadcast television should be placed in some kind of interminable detention. The place was overrun with losers: idiot sitcoms conforming to worn-out standards; scummy reality shows brought on the team to muscle networks to quick, temporary victory.

Given all of this nonsense, it’s not hard to see why so many viewers transferred from our crumbling free TV system into private school, er, cable television. We should be, like, so over it.

Why, instead, are we glowing with all the sunny optimism of "The O.C.’s" debutante

Summer Roberts, she of the cheery disposition and wry sense of humor? Perhaps because this year may surprise you. If quality has anything to do with it — and in a place where conformist mediocrity typically rules, fat chance of that — the usual clique hierarchy actually could change, and the meek could end up inheriting the ratings.

Regardless of how badly last year treated us, we always give that glowing box another shot, hoping things will really change this time. Maybe 2004-2005 will be the year you find some cool freshmen to hang with, or your favorite upperclassmen pull their acts together.

Then again, if you’ve lost hope in the system, we can’t blame you

Here’s how the kids look this fall:

NBC: The rich kids

NBC reminds me of the high school archetype that James Spader used to excel at playing: charming, well-dressed and, since the merger with NBC Universal, quite full of themselves. Year after year, NBC programming gets top ratings grades with Seattle viewers. We’re more forgiving than the sweetest nun at a Catholic reform school.

That said, NBC failed several major tests last season. Out of all the new series it introduced, only two made it to 2004-2005, "Las Vegas" and "The Apprentice." This fall, it faces fierce challenges from almost every other network for the 8 o’clock hour Thursdays, held by "Friends’ spinoff "Joey" and an aging "Will & Grace." Its new dramas aren’t particularly imaginative. But shows such as "The Apprentice," "Father of the Pride" and "Joey" and a springboard off the Olympics probably will keep this cocky bird from taking too much of a tumble.

ABC: The outsiders

Tired of the other networks holding it down and giving it wedgies every week, Disney expelled the ABC executives responsible for its sinking ratings grade-point average.

Most of last fall’s class has been dismissed, save for "Hope & Faith," a series buoyed almost completely by Kelly Ripa’s homecoming queen personality. Abandoned, too, are any notions that ABC will usher in The Next Great Comedy. Instead, it’s sticking with its unremarkable old friends ("8 Simple Rules," "According to Jim") and hoping to find new blue-collar pals with its only two new sitcoms, "Rodney" and "Complete Savages." In reality, this is the season of the "Swap," as in, "Wife Swap," the show from which "Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy/Daddy/Drunk Uncle" is cloned.

What may earn ABC the award for most improved is a number of surprisingly enjoyable, potentially addictive dramas. They could transform the network from geek to chic — if its lousy reputation doesn’t get in the way.

CBS: Too Cool To Care

It’s the network we hook up with on a regular basis, and for good reason. While everyone else was busy vying for the Biggest Buzzkill award, CBS gave us a good time with "Two and a Half Men," while "Joan of Arcadia" and "Cold Case" had critics and audiences crushing hard.

This year, though, CBS has an early case of senioritis. "Everybody Loves Raymond" is entering its final year. The new class includes a baseball drama, two timid comedies and another bad Rob Lowe project and one sure winner, "CSI: New York." It’s highly unremarkable programming during a season of several intriguing series — on other networks. Beware of a slipping G.P.A., brought to you by professor Nielsen.

Fox: Easy, therefore popular

A juvenile notion, but nonetheless true — naughty gets more attention than nice.

With the bulk of its new series debuting in November, Fox may pay dearly for its tardiness. And reality producers working with NBC and ABC might be hoping that another saying proves true for Fox: Cheaters (or in Fox’s case, copycats) never win.

Fox duplicated three shows off the two networks to premiere on its fall schedule, including "Wife Swap." "The Next Great Champ" will beat NBC’s "The Contender" to the schedule, and joining "The Apprentice" is "The Billionaire: Branson’s Quest for the Best." (To be fair, ABC also swiped the Peacock’s millionaire celebrity idea to create "The Benefactor.") This is in addition to a second season of "The Swan," which took the "Extreme Makeover" concept to strange, nightmarish places.

Fox does this because it knows people are likely to tune in, at least in the short term, to revel in this flashier trash. If it hurts the competition, all the better. Grope! Skewer! Thank you, viewers. But this is simplistic thinking. Take away all the reality, and only a couple of shows are working. A number of the network’s September premieres are holdovers from the summertime, including "North Shore" (with new episodes starting Sept. 6), "Quintuplets" and "Method & Red" (back Sept. 8).

Other than a growing following for "The O.C.," "24" and reality fluff, the only real salvation the Fox squad has is "American Idol," and that’s not due until January. This delinquent strategy could result in plenty of failing grades until then.

The WB: Prom with mom

The news is better in regard to a return to the Frog’s strongest subject, family drama. It’s pushing intergeneration sex appeal with "The Mountain" and creatively exploring the lives of two teenage brothers in "Jack & Bobby." As for stirring the gossip pot about "Everwood," how’s this: The WB announced Anne Heche — yes, that Anne Heche — would be joining the cast, the second new addition for next season. Scott Wolf became part of the cast earlier this summer.

UPN — The wallflower blooms!

It happens every fall, during some pep rally or large gathering. You’re going about your business and some cute stranger catches your attention. And then you realize, it’s the nerd you overlooked, previously an expert shoe-gazer used to shirking into dark corners during social functions. She got a makeover, and now it’s payback time. This season, her name is UPN.

Yes, this is the network that offered us "The Mullets" and "Rock Me Baby" last season. But it also dished out "America’s Next Top Model" and "Amish in the City," which gets its highest ratings in the country from viewers in Seattle.

This fall it dresses up with two intriguing dramas, "Veronica Mars" and "Kevin Hill," and a comedy, "Second Time Around," with an evident emphasis upon quality over quantity.

NEW SHOWS

"The Complex: Malibu"

Settle down by: 8 tonight on KCPQ/13, for a two-hour preview. Regular timeslot 8 p.m. Fridays beginning this week.

Supply list: Eight couples move into four units in a coastal apartment building and take on a renovation challenge. The objective is to first take control of their unit by renovating it room-by-room, and better than the competition, and then put their work up against other couples before judges and the harsh buyers at public auction. The couple whose unit nets the highest-percentage profit will receive the profits from all of the units.

The gossip: They say nothing tries a relationship more than home renovation, which is why several television franchises are based on that notion. Might be interesting.

Evaluation: No tapes are available, but the Australian show upon which "The Complex" is based, "The Block," is reportedly a huge hit Down Under.

Grade: N/A

"Renovate My Family"

Settle down by: 9 p.m. Mondays on KCPQ/13 starting next week; two-hour preview airs 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Supply list: Combining every possible life makeover show into a single shot, this series brings in a crew of experts to renovate a family’s home, eating habits, exercise regimen, car, whatever they really need (and, from what it sounds like, a few things they don’t), under the caring gaze of Dr. Phil’s son, Jay McGraw. Papa must be so proud.

The gossip: Blending the DNA of "Pimp My Ride" and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" was inevitable, I guess. In a savvy piece of critic proofing, the first family to benefit from a Foxified "renovation" is the Bigginses, the likable underdogs from the first "Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy."

Evaluation: Guess what? We didn’t get a review cassette.

Grade: N/A

"Listen Up"

Settle down by: 8:30 p.m. on KIRO/7, starting Sept. 20.

The supplies: Sports talk show host and columnist Tony Kleinman (Jason Alexander) is a hit with the jocks, a family man and gets along famously with his co-host, ex-football player Bernie Widmer (Malcolm-Jamal Warner). But whenever events in the lives of wife, Dana (Wendy Makkena), 14-year-old daughter, Megan (Daniella Monet), and 15-year-old son, Mickey (Will Rothhaar), inspire his work, tension roils within the home team.

The gossip: Inspired by the life and work of Washington Post sports columnist Tony Kornheiser, the show’s bound to attract his fans, as well as anyone curious to see whether Alexander can break the "Seinfeld" curse. Nestling it within CBS’s dominant Monday night comedy mix almost guarantees success. It would have to be truly awful to fail, which it isn’t.

Evaluation: "Listen Up" isn’t particularly great, either. Then again, neither are most of the sitcoms that survived last year’s comedy crash or, for that matter, CBS’s other alleged comedy, "Center of the Universe." As long as the script stays on course and "Listen Up" doesn’t hemorrhage too much of "Still Standing’s" audience, it has a decent chance of surviving the season.

Grade: B-

"Second Time Around"

Settle down by: 9:30 p.m. on KSTW/11, beginning Sept. 20.

The supplies: Architect Jackson Muse (Boris Kodjoe) takes artist Ryan Muse (Nicole Parker) to be his lawfully wedded wife — again. Several years after their first union went up in flames, the pair engage in reckless marital P.D.A. against the odds, which are considered a longshot by Jackson’s younger brother, Nigel (Brian White), Nigel’s Black American Princess of a fiancee. Paula (Danielle Nicolet). and Ryan’s best friend, Coco (Melissa De Sousa).

The gossip: Out with "The Parkers," in with this real-life couple, two of the sexiest cast members from Showtime’s canceled "Soul Food." "Second Time Around" fits in well with the rest of the Monday night lineup, has the kind of story line young urban audiences find relatable and more importantly, did I mention how good looking the cast happens to be? Mm, mm, mm.

Evaluation: Didn’t laugh once. And my guess is that nobody’s going to hyperventilate over this one, but who cares? "All of Us" doesn’t exactly make most people roll around on the floor, either. Besides, with "Girlfriends" as a lead-in, "Second Time Around" would have to mess up royally to face expulsion.

Grade: C

"LAX"

Settle down by: 10 p.m. on KING/5 starting Monday, Sept. 13

The supplies: Harley Random (Heather Locklear) is LAX’s runway chief and a woman who takes no bull. Especially when the bull in question is terminal boss Roger De Souza (Blair Underwood), her main obstacle to being promoted to airport director, a position that suddenly comes open at the beginning of the pilot. This is the main story line in an hour filled with escaped pets, drunken pilots and mail-order brides running wild.

The gossip: Heather Locklear has a new series. So does Blair Underwood. Really, that’s all you need to say to get some viewers to set their TiVos.

Evaluation: Put both their fan bases together after "Las Vegas," and it’s difficult to see how this thing can lose, even though the first episode is a muddled bore. Well, there is one barricade on the runway: Its timeslot competition is "CSI: Miami."

Grade: B-

"The Benefactor"

Settle down by: 9 p.m. on KOMO/4, starting Sept. 13; regular time period thereafter is 10 p.m.

The supplies: Sixteen people compete in a series of tests, from Horse to Jenga, try to prove their worth to billionaire businessman Mark Cuban, who is offering one the opportunity to walk away with one million dollars.

The gossip: ABC’s answer to "The Apprentice" could have been called "Umpteen Habits for Highly Successful Paranoiacs." Cuban has strict standards his ideal beneficiary should meet, with new ones he hasn’t quite thought of coming up all the time. At any time for any reason, even ones he hadn’t previously considered a contestant may be sent home. But with any reality show, the host is less important than the contestants. This group includes a ditzy watermelon queen who writes journal entries to her husband she hasn’t met, a male "Opraholic," and a female football player who needs to buy her mother a leg.

Evaluation: Cuban comes across as a nicer guy than Trump, which may be why the premiere wasn’t all that exciting. Still, given the way his game is constructed, the pace looks like it’ll quicken in short order.

Grade: B

Also premiering in daytime: "The Jane Pauley Show," at 4 p.m. on KOMO/4, and "The Daily Buzz," a nationally syndicated morning news program, at 6 a.m. on KSTW/11.