Free sneak previews of the new Fall-TV shows

Sick of staying in every night, watching TV? Why not try a nice night out - get dressed up, drive to Beverly Hills and ... watch TV.

In order to generate interest in what so far has been a pretty quiet run-up to the fall season, The Paley Center for Media (formerly The Museum of Television & Radio) in Beverly Hills will host five evenings of Fall Preview parties, one for each network to introduce their new wares - or, not, in ABC's case.

Each evening begins at 6 p.m. with a reception, followed by a Q&A featuring talent from the shows at 7, with the screenings to follow. Here's the schedule:

Friday, September 5: FOX will unwrap "Fringe" and "Do Not Disturb."

(We tend to run a lot of photos from "Fringe," even though there aren't that many good ones out there yet. But this one's OK, better than the one of her in the hazmat suit but not as good as the one of her in the sensory-deprivation chamber.)

Saturday, September 6: The CW presents "90210," which will have already debuted, and "Privileged."

Monday, September 8: NBC presents what may be the first chance for anyone to see its new shows "My Own Worst Enemy," "Kath & Kim," "Crusoe" and, uh, "Knight Rider."

Tuesday, September 9: CBS uncorks "Gary Unmarried," "The Ex List," "Worst Week" and "The Mentalist," but not "Eleventh Hour." Hmmm.

("The Ex List:" "Whattaya mean you can't tell me how my show will do? You're a friggin' fortune teller!")

Wednesday, September 10: ABC will only have a "preview" of "Life on Mars" to share, not an entire episode. Double hmmm. And since that's their lone new scripted show, they'll busk by re-introducing "Pushing Daisies," "Private Practice" and "Eli Stone," but not "Dirty Sexy Money." Triple hmmm.

And hey, it's free (though you'll pay a grave toll on your psyche by sitting through "Gary Unmarried"). First come, first served each night. More information and schedule updates at PaleyCenter.org.