‘Sacred,’ ‘Cracker’ Lead Surge Into Fall

The fall season kicks into gear this weekend, with the premieres of several new series and the return of old favorites.

ABC unveils two unusual series tonight: “Nothing Sacred,” about a Catholic priest working in a poor parish, at 8 p.m. on Channel 7, followed by “Cracker” at 9 p.m., about a police psychologist who can’t keep his personal demons in check. The new syndicated series “Wild Things,” tonight at 9 on KCOP-TV Channel 13, will offer an “in your face” look at wildlife around the world.

The master of bizarre foreign accents, Bronson Pinchot, headlines the new CBS family comedy “Meego,” Friday at 8:30 p.m on Channel 2. Pinchot, best known as Balki on “Perfect Strangers,” plays a stranded alien who becomes nanny to three kids.

John Corbett, who played deejay Chris Stevens on “Northern Exposure,” returns to series TV in Fox’s “The Visitor,” premiering Friday at 8 p.m. on Channel 11. Corbett plays a pilot who returns to Earth 50 years after disappearing during World War II.

The former CBS series “Due South” gets a new life in syndication. Paul Gross returns in the lighthearted police drama as the stoic Canadian Mountie. Callum Keith Rennis is his new partner, Sunday at 2 p.m. on Channel 2.

Today

The Dick Van Dyke mystery series “Diagnosis Murder” kicks off its fifth season on CBS at 9 p.m. on Channel 2, with several veterans of cop shows: Angie Dickinson (“Police Woman”), James Darren (“T.J. Hooker”), Fred Dryer (“Hunter”) and Kent McCord and Martin Milner (“Adam 12”).

Friday

Two of ABC’s long-running “TGIF” comedies move to CBS: “Family Matters,” scheduled at 8 p.m., and “Step by Step,” at 9:30 p.m. on Channel 2.

Chris Carter’s dark “Millennium” returns for its second season on Fox at 9 p.m. on Channel 11.

Don Johnson’s detective series, “Nash Bridges,” returns for a third season on CBS, at 10 p.m. on Channel 2. Kelly Hu joins in the cast in a recurring role as a tough Asian American detective.

Saturday

Bravo presents “The Life and Music of Irving Berlin,” at 4 p.m., a documentary on the songwriter.

The Disney Channel offers “Ray J in Concert With Brandy,” at 7 p.m. The hip-hop concert features the popular brother and sister.

David E. Kelley’s “The Practice,” kicks off its second season at 10 p.m. on Channel 7.

“The Execution Machine: Texas Death Row,” at 10:30 p.m. on HBO, is an “America Undercover” documentary on a death row unit that is trying to break its own record for carrying out the most executions in a year since the death penalty was reinstated in Texas in 1976.

Fox’s late-night comedy series, “Mad TV,” celebrates its third season at 11 p.m. on Channel 11.

Sunday

The classic tale “Zorro” becomes the latest animated action-hero, at 7:30 a.m. on Channel 13.

Tony Award-winning Nathan Lane talks about his craft on Bravo’s “Inside the Actors Studio,” at 5 and 9 p.m.

CBS’ “60 Minutes,” returns for an amazing 30th year, at 7 p.m. on Channel 2. CBS’ biggest dramatic hit, “Touched by an Angel,” kicks off its fourth season at 8 p.m.

Fox’s animated series “The Simpsons” celebrates its ninth season at 8 p.m., followed by the season opener of “King of the Hill,” at 8:30.

Yasmine Bleeth stars in ABC’s dark satire of beauty pageants, “Crowned and Dangerous,” at 9 p.m. on Channel 7.

E! Entertainment Television’s “Jim Carrey: Celebrity Profile,” airing at 9 p.m., features behind-the-scenes footage of the actor in his movies and days as a stand-up.

Richard Chamberlain, Hal Holbrook and Karen Allen star in the CBS drama “All the Winters That Have Been,” at 9 p.m. on Channel 2. Chamberlain plays a man who attempts to win back the woman he loved and lost.

The Discovery Channel travel documentary “Great Train Stations,” at 10 p.m., looks at the grand stations in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Washington.