666 Park Avenue (Sun., 10–11PM): At the ominous address of 666 Park Avenue, anything you desire can be yours. Everyone has needs, desires and ambition. For the residents of The Drake, these will all be met, courtesy of the building’s mysterious owner, Gavin Doran (Terry O’Quinn). But every Faustian contract comes with a price. When Jane Van Veen (Rachael Taylor) and Henry Martin (Dave Annable), an idealistic young couple from the Midwest, are offered the opportunity to manage the historic building, they not only fall prey to the machinations of Doran and his mysterious wife, Olivia (Vanessa Williams), but unwittingly begin to experience the shadowy, supernatural forces within the building that imprison and endanger the lives of the residents inside. Sexy, seductive and inviting, The Drake maintains a dark hold over all of its residents, tempting them through their ambitions and desires, in this chilling new drama that’s home to an epic struggle of good versus evil.

The Neighbors (Wed., 9:30–10 PM): How well do you know your neighbors? Meet the Weavers, Debbie (Jami Gertz) and Marty (Lenny Venito). Marty, in hopes of providing a better life for his wife and three kids, recently bought a home in Hidden Hills, a gated New Jersey townhome community with its own golf course. Hidden Hills is so exclusive that a house hasn’t come on the market in 10 years. But one finally did and the Weavers got it! It’s clear from day one that the residents of Hidden Hills are a little different.

For starters, their new neighbors all have pro-athlete names like Reggie Jackson (Tim Jo), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Toks Olagundoye), Dick Butkis (Ian Patrick) and Larry Bird (Simon Templeman). Over dinner, Marty and his family discover that their neighbors receive nourishment through their eyes by reading books, rather than eating. The Weavers soon learn that the entire community is comprised of aliens from Zabvron, where the men bear children and everyone cries green goo from their ears.

The Zabvronians have been stationed on Earth for the past 10 years, disguised as humans, awaiting instructions from home, and the Weavers are the first humans they’ve had the opportunity to know. As it turns out, the pressures of marriage and parenthood are not exclusive to planet Earth. Two worlds will collide with hilarious consequences as everyone discovers they can “totally relate” and learn a lot from each other.

Nashville (Wed., 10–11 PM): Chart-topping Rayna James (Connie Britton) is a country legend who’s had a career any singer would envy, though lately her popularity is starting to wane. Fans still line up to get her autograph, but she’s not packing the arenas like she used to. Rayna’s record label thinks a concert tour, opening for up-and-comer Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere), the young and sexy future of country music, is just what Rayna needs. But scheming Juliette can’t wait to steal Rayna’s spotlight. Sharing a stage with that disrespectful, untalented, little vixen is the last thing Rayna wants to do, which sets up a power struggle for popularity. Could the undiscovered songwriting talent of Scarlett O’Connor (Clare Bowen) be the key to helping Rayna resurrect her career? Complicating matters, Rayna’s wealthy but estranged father, Lamar Hampton (Powers Boothe), is a powerful force in business, Tennessee politics, and the lives of his two grown daughters. His drive for power results in a scheme to back Rayna’s handsome husband, Teddy, in a run for Mayor of Nashville, against Rayna’s wishes.

Last Resort (Thu., 8–9 PM): 500 feet beneath the ocean’s surface, the U.S. ballistic missile submarine Colorado receive their orders. Over a radio channel, designed only to be used if their homeland has been wiped out, they’re told to fire nuclear weapons at Pakistan. Captain Marcus Chaplin (Andre Braugher) demands confirmation of the orders only to be unceremoniously relieved of duty by the White House. XO Sam Kendal (Scott Speedman) finds himself suddenly in charge of the submarine and facing the same difficult decision. When he also refuses to fire without confirmation of the orders, the Colorado is targeted, fired upon, and hit. The submarine and its crew find themselves crippled on the ocean floor, declared rogue enemies of their own country. Now, with nowhere left to turn, Chaplin and Kendal take the sub on the run and bring the men and women of the Colorado to an exotic island. Here they will find refuge, romance and a chance at a new life, even as they try to clear their names and get home.

Malibu Country (Fri., 8:30–9 PM): When Reba Gallagher (Reba) discovers that her husband, Bobby, (Jeffrey Nordling) a country music legend, has a cheatin’ heart, her world is turned upside down. Reba dreamt of becoming a country star herself, but put her career on hold to raise a family. Now she’s questioning all of that, big-time. With the ink on her divorce barely dry, Reba packs up her sharp-tongued mother, Lillie May (Lily Tomlin), her two kids and the U-Haul and heads for sunny California to begin a new chapter. Leaving Nashville in the rear view, they start over at their Malibu residence — the last remaining asset they have. Reba gets to know her new open and loving neighbor Kim (Sara Rue) and her son, Sage, but also discovers that relocation to Southern California is going to be quite an adjustment for a traditional southern belle: the West Coast seems like the polar opposite of Music City, and Reba feels like an outsider. Still, with the support of her family she sets about finding her voice, jump-starting her music career with the help of her new music agent, Geoffrey (Jai Rodriguez), and embracing this chance to begin again.

Partners (Mon., 8:30–9 PM): a comedy based on the lives of creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, about two life-long best friends and business partners whose “bromance” is tested when one of them is engaged to be married. Joe (David Krumholtz) is an accomplished architect who leads with his head and not his heart, especially in his love life. That’s in stark contrast to his gay co-worker, Louis (Michael Urie), who is spontaneous, emotional and prone to exaggeration. Both have found joy in their love lives: Joe is newly engaged to Ali (Sophia Bush), a beautiful and sophisticated jewelry designer, while Louis is dating Wyatt (Brandon Routh), a vegan nurse who Louis insists is just a promotion away from becoming a doctor. As news of Joe’s engagement settles, time will tell if their business and personal bond can adapt to the addition of two other important relationships.

Vegas (Tue., 10–11 PM): Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis star in VEGAS, a drama inspired by the true story of former Las Vegas Sheriff Ralph Lamb, a fourth-generation rancher tasked with bringing order to Las Vegas in the 1960s, a gambling and entertainment mecca emerging from the tumbleweeds. Ralph Lamb (Quaid) wants to be left in peace to run his ranch, but Las Vegas is now swelling with outsiders and corruption which are intruding on his simple life. Recalling Lamb’s command as a military police officer during World War II, the Mayor appeals to his sense of duty to look into a murder of a casino worker – and so begins Lamb’s clash with Vincent Savino (Chiklis), a ruthless Chicago gangster who plans to make Vegas his own. Assisting Lamb in keeping law and order are his two deputies: his diplomatic, even-keeled brother Jack (Jason O’Mara) and his charming but impulsive son, Dixon (Taylor Handley). Ambitious Assistant District Attorney Katherine O’Connell (Carrie-Anne Moss), who grew up on the ranch next to the Lambs, also lends a hand in preserving justice. In Vegas, two powerful men – Lamb and Savino – are engaged in a fierce battle for control of the budding oasis, and for both of them, folding is not an option.

Elementary (Thu., 10–11 PM): stars Jonny Lee Miller as detective Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson in a modern-day drama about a crime-solving duo that cracks the NYPD’s most impossible cases. Following his fall from grace in London and a stint in rehab, eccentric Sherlock escapes to Manhattan where his wealthy father forces him to live with his worst nightmare – a sober companion, Dr. Watson. A successful surgeon until she lost a patient and her license three years ago, Watson views her current job as another opportunity to help people, as well as paying a penance. However, the restless Sherlock is nothing like her previous clients. He informs her that none of her expertise as an addiction specialist applies to him and he’s devised his own post-rehab regimen – resuming his work as a police consultant in New York City. Watson has no choice but to accompany her irascible new charge on his jobs. But Sherlock finds her medical background helpful, and Watson realizes she has a knack for playing investigator. Sherlock’s police contact, Capt. Tobias “Toby” Gregson (Aidan Quinn), knows from previous experience working with Scotland Yard that Sherlock is brilliant at closing cases, and welcomes him as part of the team. With the mischievous Sherlock Holmes now running free in New York solving crimes, it’s simple deduction that he’s going to need someone to keep him grounded, and it’s elementary that it’s a job for Watson.

Made in Jersey (Fri., 9–10 PM): a drama about a young working-class woman who uses her street smarts to compete among her pedigreed Manhattan colleagues at a prestigious New York law firm. Martina Garretti (Janet Montgomery) finds her firm’s cutthroat landscape challenging, but what she lacks in an Ivy League education she more than makes up for with tenacity and blue-collar insight. After just a few weeks, firm founder Donovan Stark (Kyle MacLachlan), takes note of Martina’s ingenuity and resourcefulness, as does her sassy secretary Cyndi Vega (Toni Trucks). With the support of her big Italian family, including her sexy older sister Bonnie (Erin Cummings), Martina is able to stay true to her roots as a bold, passionate lawyer on the rise in a new intimidating environment.

Revolution (Mon., 10–11 PM): Our entire way of life depends on electricity. So what would happen if it just stopped working? Well, one day, like a switch turned off, the world is suddenly thrust back into the dark ages. Planes fall from the sky, hospitals shut down, and communication is impossible. And without any modern technology, who can tell us why? Now, 15 years later, life is back to what it once was long before the industrial revolution: families living in quiet cul-de-sacs, and when the sun goes down lanterns and candles are lit. Life is slower and sweeter. Or is it? On the fringes of small farming communities, danger lurks. And a young woman’s life is dramatically changed when a local militia arrives and kills her father, who mysteriously – and unbeknownst to her – had something to do with the blackout. This brutal encounter sets her and two unlikely companions off on a daring coming-of-age journey to find answers about the past in the hopes of reclaiming the future.

From director Jon Favreau (“Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2″) and the fertile imaginations of J.J. Abrams (“Lost,” “Person of Interest”) and Eric Kripke (“Supernatural”), comes a surprising “what if” action-adventure series, where an unlikely hero will lead the world out of the dark. Literally. The series stars Billy Burke (“The Twilight Saga”), Tracy Spiridakos (“Being Human”), Anna Lise Phillips (“Terra Nova”), Zak Orth (“Romeo + Juliet”), Graham Rogers (“Memphis Beat”), J.D. Pardo (“A Cinderella Story”), Giancarlo Esposito (“Breaking Bad”), David Lyons (“The Cape”), Maria Howell (“The Blind Side”), Tim Guinee (“Iron Man”) and Andrea Roth (“Rescue Me”).

Go On (Tue., 9–9:30 PM): Misery loves company. Unless you’re sportscaster Ryan King (Matthew Perry, “Friends,” “Mr. Sunshine”) who thinks misery should just be left alone. After taking some time off, Ryan – who recently lost his wife in a car accident – is now ready to get back to work. And while he seems like his same old charming, cocky self, his boss won’t set him back on the air until he seeks counseling. So, Ryan reluctantly joins a support group with one goal in mind: get in, get out and get back on the radio as quickly as possible. Played by the fast-talking, sarcastic, and charismatic Perry, Ryan gives grief a real run for its money. Within one day of group therapy, he hijacks the meeting and suddenly the downtrodden are cajoled into playing a game of “who’s got the best sob story?” And in no time all of them are battling it out, trying to one-up each other’s despair. Now, this is fun! Ryan’s total lack of interest in healing might be just what this group needs – and maybe, exactly what he needs to move on with his life. Also starring are Tony winner Laura Benanti (“The Playboy Club”), Julie White (“Transformers”), Suzy Nakamura (“Dodgeball”), Khary Payton (“General Hospital”) and Allison Miller (“Terra Nova”).

The New Normal (Tue., 9:30–10 PM): These days, families come in all forms – single dads, double moms, sperm donors, egg donors, one-night-stand donors… It’s 2012 and anything goes. Bryan (Andrew Rannells, “Girls,” “The Book of Mormon”) and David (Justin Bartha, “The Hangover”) are a Beverly Hills couple and they have it all. Well, almost. With successful careers and a committed and loving partnership, the one thing missing is a baby. And just when they think the stars will never align, enter Goldie (Georgia King, “One Day”), an extraordinary young woman with a checkered past. A Midwestern waitress and single mother looking to escape her dead-end life and small-minded grandmother (Ellen Barkin, “Ocean’s Thirteen”), Goldie decides to change everything and move to L.A. with her precocious 8-year-old daughter. Desperate and broke – but also fertile – Goldie quickly becomes the guys’ surrogate and quite possibly the girl of their dreams. Surrogate mother, surrogate family.

Animal Practice (Wed., 8–8:30 PM): Meet Dr. George Coleman (Justin Kirk, “Weeds”), a top-dog New York veterinarian. With an unorthodox style of operating, George’s success comes from his undeniable gift with animals of all kinds. That is, all but the human kind. Dorothy Crane once held the key to George’s heart, but today she also holds the key to the family business as she takes over Crane Animal Hospital. Not only is she George’s new boss, but her romantic history with him and her lack of experience with animals is seriously cramping his style. Dorothy is whip-smart and ambitious, and she’s going to make George pay for the past. Needless to say, he’s determined not to make any changes in his (animal) kingdom — which includes poker games with a resident capuchin monkey. Also starring are Tyler Labine (“Reaper,” “Sons of Tucson”) as Dr. Doug Jackson, a vet who’s great with animals but hapless in matters of the heart, Bobby Lee (“Harold & Kumar”) as Dr. Yamamoto, and newcomer Betsy Sodaro as Angela.

Guys with Kids (Wed., 8:30–9 PM): From Emmy winner and executive producer Jimmy Fallon comes a new comedy about three thirty-something dads trying to hold on to their youth, while holding onto their new babies’ hands. Easy, right? Thankfully, Chris (Jesse Bradford, “The West Wing”), Nick (Zach Cregger, “Friends with Benefits”) and Gary (Anthony Anderson, “Law & Order”) have each other to help navigate their survival as new dads, while still trying desperately to remain dudes. Balancing work or staying at home, painfully married or happily divorced, they know that taking care of the little ones while maintaining a social life is a daily challenge. Whether it’s hosing the little squirt down in the kitchen sink or hitting the bar strapped with a baby björn, these guys are on a roller-coaster adventure – parenting like you (and they) have never seen before. Also starring are Jamie Lynn Sigler (“The Sopranos”) and Tempestt Bledsoe (“The Cosby Show”). Someone once said it is much easier to become a father than to be one. These three guys are about to find out just how true that is.

Chicago Fire (Wed., 10–11 PM): No job is more stressful, dangerous or exhilarating than those of the Firefighters, Rescue Squad and Paramedics of Chicago Firehouse 51. These are America’s everyday heroes — the courageous men and women who forge headfirst into danger when everyone else is running the other way. But the enormous responsibilities of the job also take a personal toll. Big reputations and hefty egos, coupled with the pressure to perform and make split-second decisions, are bound to put squad members at odds. When a tragedy claims one of their own, there’s plenty of guilt and blame to go around. In the middle of a divorce, Lt. Matthew Casey (Jesse Spencer, “House M.D.”) tries to go about business as usual but can’t help butting heads with the brash Lt. Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney, “The Vampire Diaries”) of the Rescue Squad – and each blames the other for their fallen team member. When it’s “go-time” though, they put aside their differences and put everything on the line for each other.

Do No Harm (Sun., 10–11 PM): Dr. Jason Cole (Steven Pasquale, “Rescue Me”) is a highly respected neurosurgeon who has it all – a lucrative career, confident charm, the gift of compassion. But he also has a deep, dark secret. One morning when he wakes up disoriented in a wrecked hotel room amidst several near-naked women he’s never seen before, he knows one thing: it’s happening again. Every night at the same hour, something inside Jason changes, leaving him almost unrecognizable – seductive, devious, borderline sociopathic. This new man is his dangerous alternate personality who goes by the name of ‘Ian Price.’ For years he’s battled Ian, keeping him in check with a powerful experimental sedative. But now his – their – body has developed a resistance to the serum, setting Ian free once again. And to make matters worse, after being suppressed for so long, Ian’s hell-bent on taking revenge on his oppressor. With everyone Jason cares about at risk – patients, friends, coworkers and even the woman he loves – he’s got to stop Ian once and for all. Will they find some common ground, or will they bring each other down? Hell hath no fury like an alter ego scorned. Also starring are Alana De La Garza (“Law & Order”), Mousa Kraish (“Superbad”), Michael Esper (“A Beautiful Mind”), Ruta Gedmintas (“The Borgias”) and Phylicia Rashad (“The Cosby Show”).

The Mob Doctor (Mon., 9–10 PM): For most physicians, the Hippocratic oath is sacred. But for one Chicago doctor, who is indebted to the mafia, saving lives isn’t her only concern. THE MOB DOCTOR is a fast-paced medical drama featuring a brilliant young female cardiothoracic surgeon who is split between two distinct worlds as she juggles her promising medical career with her lifelong debt as a doctor to Chicago’s Southside mob. DR. GRACE DEVLIN (Jordana Spiro, “My Boys”) is a top resident at Chicago’s Roosevelt Medical Center. Smart and self-assured, she’s heralded as one of the country’s most promising young surgeons. But family ties keep her glued to her Southside roots. To pay off her brother’s life-threatening gambling debt, she makes a deal with the devil and agrees to work “off book” for the mafia men she once despised.

During the day, Grace must deal with the emotionally compelling cases at Roosevelt Medical – a toddler in need of a heart transplant, an elderly man desperate to donate a lung to his sick wife, the mass chaos in the wake of a two-train collision on the ‘L.’ But in her other vastly different world, she must juggle an onslaught of mob-related demands, including operating in mob-sanctioned locations, removing bullets from dead bodies to hide incriminating evidence, saving a juiced-up race horse and covertly helping an aging mobster with his erectile dysfunction. All the while, Grace must keep her dual life a secret from everyone: her protective best friend, NURSE ROBERTA “RO” ANGELI (Floriana Lima, “Glory Daze”); her handsome, blue-blooded boyfriend, DR. BRETT ROBINSON (Zach Gilford, “Off The Map,” “Friday Night Lights”); her boss at Roosevelt Medical and Chief of Surgery, DR. STAFFORD WHITE (Zeljko Ivanek, “The Event,” “Damages”); her rival, DR. OLIVIA WATSON (Jaime Lee Kirchner, “Necessary Roughness,” “Mercy”); even her well-meaning screw-up brother, NATE (Jesse Lee Soffer, “As the World Turns”), and her overly dramatic mother, DANIELLA (Wendy Makkena, “NCIS”).

The only one who knows the true scope of Grace’s activities is the man to whom Grace owes her debt: the charming and diabolical Southside mob boss CONSTANTINE ALEXANDER (William Forsythe, “Boardwalk Empire”), an oddly compassionate killer whose relationship with Grace is more than it seems. Recently released from prison, the former head of the Chicago mob looks to reclaim his place in the organization, with the help of his right-hand associate – and Grace’s ex-boyfriend – FRANCO (James Carpinello, “The Good Wife”). As Grace tries to heed the demands of these two conflicting worlds – not to mention the needs of her own slightly dysfunctional family – her moral center comes into direct conflict with the very immoral things she’s asked to do. But with nerves of steel and a tough-as-nails exterior, she somehow manages to make it all work – at least for now.

Ben and Kate (Tue., 8:30–9 PM): What happens when an exuberant, irresponsible dreamer who always says “yes” moves in with his overly responsible little sister to help raise her five-year-old daughter? BEN AND KATE, a new single-camera young ensemble comedy, follows these odd-couple siblings as they push each other out of their comfort zones and into real life. KATE FOX (Dakota Johnson, “The Social Network”) followed the rules all her life…until she got pregnant in college and dropped out just shy of graduation. After the birth of her daughter, MADDIE (Maggie Jones, “We Bought a Zoo,” “Footloose”), Kate put her twenties on hold. Now working as a bar manager to make ends meet and maximize her time with five-year-old Maddie, she’s uber-prepared for every possible catastrophe – except for the arrival of her older brother, BEN FOX (Nat Faxon, “Bad Teacher”).

Ben likes trouble a lot more than his sister does. His infectious energy makes you want to follow him into any number of bad ideas. He’ll totally screw up your life, but somehow, you’ll feel good about it. Where Kate is all about planning and preparing, Ben is big on spontaneity and out-of-the-box ideas. But don’t let the Velcro wallet fool you – he’ll probably be a millionaire someday. When Ben comes to crash on Kate’s couch for a few days, he finds a sad state of affairs. Kate’s surviving, but not living. Ben realizes that for the first time in their lives, Kate needs his help and he’s determined to bring some much-needed chaos into her overly stable world. He starts by offering to help look after Maddie so Kate can get back to experiencing her mid-twenties and making mistakes, since the one real “mistake” she’s made turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to her.

Always there to help with Ben’s crazy schemes is his partner-in-crime, TOMMY (newcomer Echo Kellum), who worships Ben like a hero and nurses a serious crush on Kate. Kate’s British best friend, BJ (Lucy Punch, “Bad Teacher”), is a cocktail waitress at the bar that Kate manages and an all-around hot mess who would do anything for Kate, even if her advice is often questionable and occasionally illegal.

The Mindy Project (Tue., 9:30–10 PM): a new single-camera comedy from Emmy Award-nominated writer/producer and New York Times best-selling author Mindy Kaling (“The Office”) that follows a woman who, despite having a successful career, desperately needs to break bad habits in her personal life. After all, how many doctors make inappropriate toasts at their ex-boyfriend’s wedding, nearly drown at the bottom of a stranger’s pool and get arrested for disorderly conduct just moments before having to deliver a baby?

Funny, impatient and politically incorrect, MINDY LAHIRI (Kaling) can quote every romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan that exists. She loves the good ones and the bad ones, because the girl always gets the guy. Mindy is determined to be more punctual, spend less money, lose weight and read more books – all in pursuit of becoming a well-rounded perfect woman…who can meet and date the perfect guy. Mindy is a skilled OB/GYN and shares a practice with a few other doctors, none of whom make life any easier for her. JEREMY REED (British writer/comedian Ed Weeks) is the walking definition of total bad news. He not only shares a practice with Mindy, but sometimes her bed as well – despite her best efforts to resist. He is funny, self-absorbed and super sexy.

In contrast, DANNY CASTELLANO (Chris Messina, “Damages”) is a hothead and guys’ guy who has a habit of stealing Mindy’s patients. Danny criticizes her for everything, including her struggling love life and her lack of professionalism – even though it’s obvious to everyone except Mindy that he secretly admires her work. His blue-collar childhood gives him a big chip on his shoulder, but he is a dedicated physician, which Mindy can’t stand to admit because he’s always getting on her case. Rounding out the office staff are the receptionists – BETSY PUTCH (Zoe Jarman, “Huge”), young, earnest and easily excitable, who thinks the world of Mindy and is always trying to impress her; and SHAUNA DICANIO (newcomer Dana DeLorenzo), a self-assured Jersey Girl who is indifferent to Mindy, always knows where the cool party is and carries a poorly concealed torch for Danny.

Mindy is in constant communication with her beloved best friend from college, GWEN GRANDY (Anna Camp, “The Good Wife”), who also happens to be the governor’s daughter. Gwen is a hilarious, sometimes too-blunt friend, and secretly a former carefree party girl (which only Mindy seems to remember). Although Gwen is now happily married to a financial analyst, with a six-year-old daughter, this lawyer-turned-Pilates mom remains squarely in Mindy’s corner. As Mindy attempts to get her career off the ground and meet a guy who passes her red flag test (no drug habits, no skinny jeans and no secret families, among others), only time will tell if she gets her romantic comedy ending.

Emily Owens, M.D. (Tue., 9–10 PM): At long last, Emily Owens feels like she is an actual grown-up. She can finally put her high school days as the geeky-girl-with-flop-sweats behind her; she’s graduated from medical school and is now a first-year intern at Denver Memorial Hospital, where she’ll have the chance to work with world-famous cardiologist Dr. Gina Beckett – and where, not-so-coincidentally, her med-school crush Will Rider is also an intern. So why does everyone keep warning her that the hospital is just like high school?

Emily soon finds out the hard way – her high school nemesis, the gorgeous, popular Cassandra Kopelson, is also just starting out at Denver Memorial, and it seems like they’re rivals all over again – not only as surgical interns, but for Will’s attention. Fellow intern Tyra Granger warns Emily that the cliques at Denver Memorial are all too familiar: the jocks have become orthopedic surgeons; the mean girls are in plastics; the rebels are in the ER, and Tyra has her own awkward place as the principal’s kid – her father is the chief resident.

Emily’s the new kid all over again, and it’s just as awkward as high school. Only this time around, Emily will have to balance the personal and emotional turmoil of social politics with the high-stakes world of life-and-death medical decisions. At least she has fellow intern Tyra and nerdy-but-cute resident Micah, to count on as friends. Emily is growing to realize that although she may be a geek, she may also grow to be a great doctor, flop sweats and all. The series stars Mamie Gummer as Emily, Justin Hartley as Will, Michael Rady as Micah, Aja Naomi King as Cassandra, Kelly McCreary as Tyra and Necar Zadegan as Gina.

Arrow (Wed., 8–9 PM): After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. When he returns home to Starling City, his devoted mother Moira, much-beloved sister Thea, and best friend Tommy welcome him home, but they sense Oliver has been changed by his ordeal on the island. While Oliver hides the truth about the man he’s become, he desperately wants to make amends for the actions he took as the boy he was. Most particularly, he seeks reconciliation with his former girlfriend, Laurel Lance.

As Oliver reconnects with those closest to him, he secretly creates the persona of Arrow – a vigilante – to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society, and restore Starling City to its former glory. By day, Oliver plays the role of a wealthy, carefree and careless philanderer he used to be – flanked by his devoted chauffeur/bodyguard, John Diggle – while carefully concealing the secret identity he turns to under cover of darkness. However, Laurel’s father, Detective Quentin Lance, is determined to arrest the vigilante operating in his city. Meanwhile, Oliver’s own mother, Moira, knows much more about the deadly shipwreck than she has let on – and is more ruthless than he could ever imagine. The series stars Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, Colin Donnell as Tommy, Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance, David Ramsey as John Diggle, Willa Holland as Thea Queen, with Susanna Thompson as Moira Queen and Paul Blackthorne as Detective Quentin Lance.

Beauty and the Beast (Tue., 9–10 PM): Detective Catherine Chandler is a smart, no-nonsense homicide detective. Several years earlier, Catherine witnessed the murder of her mother at the hands of two gunmen. Catherine would have been killed too, but someone – or something – saved her. No one has ever believed her, but she knows it wasn’t an animal that attacked the assassins…it was human. Years have passed, and Catherine is a strong, confident, capable police officer, working alongside her equally talented partner, Tess. While investigating a murder, Catherine discovers a clue that leads her to a handsome doctor named Vincent Keller, who was reportedly killed by enemy fire while serving in Afghanistan in 2002.

Catherine learns that Vincent is actually still alive and that it was he who saved her many years before. For mysterious reasons that have forced him to live outside of traditional society, Vincent has been in hiding for the past 10 years to guard his secret – when he is enraged, he becomes a terrifying beast, unable to control his super-strength and heightened senses. Catherine agrees to protect his identity in return for any insight he may have into her mother’s murder.

Thus begins a complex relationship between Catherine and Vincent, who are powerfully drawn to each other yet understand that their connection is extremely dangerous for both of them. The series stars Kristin Kreuk (“Smallville,” “Chuck”) as Catherine, Jay Ryan (“Terra Nova”) as Vincent, Max Brown (“The Tudors,” “MI-5″) as Evan, Nina Lisandrello (“Nurse Jackie”) as Tess, Nicole Gale Anderson (“Make It or Break It”) as Heather, Austin Basis (“Life Unexpected”) as J.T., and Brian White (“The Shield,” “The Cabin in the Woods”) as Joe.

Yes, that’s an unabashed cop from the Barney Stinson playbook, but given the film in question, we’re pretty sure he’d approve, especially since among the plot keywords listed for “Bitch Slap” on IMDb are such gems as “breasts,” “sex,” “stripper,” “beautiful woman, “female nudity,” and – wait for it – “lesbian scene.” Mind you, you also get “non-linear timeline,” “nun,” “Tourette’s Syndrome,” and “yo-yo,” but let’s not lose our focus here.

Here’s the two-sentence summary of “Bitch Slap” that’s been floating around the internet:

When three curvaceous babes arrive at a desert hideaway to steal over $200 million from an underworld kingpin, things quickly spiral out of control. Allegiances are switched, truths are revealed, criminals are unmasked and nothing is quite what it seems as the fate of the world is precariously balanced among this trio of sexy femmes fatales.

“Bitch Slap” is definitely an acquired taste, with its attempt to offer up a tongue-in-cheek version of the kind of motion pictures that are virtual parodies to begin with, but if you approach it with the right mindset, it’s a laugh riot. It also looks gorgeous, and that’s even when the aforementioned trio of curvaceous babes aren’t on the screen, but when they are…? Look out.

Bullz-Eye had a chance to chat with one of those lovely ladies – Erin Cummings, who plays Hel – in conjunction with the release of “Bitch Slap” on DVD…and when we did, you can bet we made sure to ask her about as many of those plot keywords as possible.

Stay tuned for…

Erin Cummings: Hi, Will, how are you?

Bullz-Eye: I’m good. How are you?

EC: I’m excellent, thank you. I was just telling Jennifer that I’m in the Phoenix airport, so if you hear a little bit of background noise, I apologize for that. Hopefully it won’t be too bad.

BE: No problem. You’ve got a good excuse. Well, the first thing I’m curious about is how a film as unique as “Bitch Slap” was first pitched to you. (Laughs)

EC: (Laughs) Well, it wasn’t really pitched to me as much as it was that my agent at the time basically just sent me the audition information. I kind of looked at it and went, “Really? Is this what my career has come to: doing something that’s basically on the level of soft-core porn, almost?” (Laughs) I just assumed it was low budget, and a movie called “Bitch Slap” about sexy women…you just kind of assume that it’s going to be poorly-written material. And then I read…actually, it was the scene with Hel and Deputy Fuchs, and just from that one scene I could tell that it was something that was really interesting and well-written. I thought that Hel was such a lovely, well-rounded character, and also she’s really strong and intelligent. And…I’m going to go ahead speak for the other women quite a bit during this interview, just so you know… (Laughs) …because we’ve done over a year and a half of publicity together, so we can almost finish each other’s sentences at this point. But it’s a bit of the same for them, too, which is that we all kind of had the immediate reaction of, “Absolutely not, I’m not going to be in a movie called ‘Bitch Slap,’” to reading a page or two of the script and going, “This is actually really funny, and I get the joke, so I definitely want to do it!” Interestingly enough, we all – each of us – really responded to our characters. I know that, for me, I never really had any interest in playing Trixie or Camaro. It was always Hel for me, and I know Julia was very adamant about that as well (with playing Trixie).

BE: Rick Jacobsen (writer/director of “Bitch Slap”) obviously came into the film with a vision. Was it ever difficult for you as an actress as he tried to bring that vision to fruition?

EC: No, because when I first met the guys…interestingly enough, my agent was supposed to have sent me the script, because they knew when they saw my tape that I was the one they were going to hire, so they wanted to have a meeting with me. Obviously, there’s a great of fighting, there’s the lesbian love scene, and there’s a great deal of sexuality about the film, so they really wanted to make sure that I was comfortable with all of that before they started making any offers. So they brought me in for a meeting and asked me what I thought about the script, and I said, “Well, my agent didn’t send it to me.” Which is part of the reason why I fired him later. (Laughs) But it actually gave us a really great opportunity for them to pitch me the movie. And they said, “Well, since you’re here, we’ll go ahead and tell you what we think.” And they filled me in on what their vision was, their idea and the motivation behind a few of the choices they made, and I think that really made a difference when I was reading the script, because I knew not to take anything too seriously. I know that there were certain actresses who turned down the project after reading the script – fortunately! – because they just didn’t really get it. They didn’t understand that it was all supposed to be tongue in cheek. I think Eric Gruendemann and Rick Jacobsen did a really fantastic job of being open and honest with us about what the requirements were going to be and what the tone and the vision of the whole film was. I think that when you have such clear direction like that…I mean, Rick Jacobsen, who I’ve worked with multiple times, not just on “Bitch Slap” but subsequently on “Spartacus” as well, he’s just one of those directors who knows exactly what he wants and knows how to ask for it. So, yeah, it wasn’t very difficult, because we were given such good direction.

BE: So how familiar were you with the films that this is sort of paying homage to?

EC: You know, I wasn’t really. I mean, when I was high school, one of my favorite films was “Student Bodies,” which was… (Laughs) …sort of a classic B-movie, but in more of the horror genre. Otherwise, I wasn’t familiar with these kinds of films at all. But it’s kind of one of those things where I also knew that I couldn’t let my performance be sort of skewed to be a B-movie performance. If you do a little nudge-nudge, wink-wink to the camera, it takes a little bit of the authenticity of the film away, and one of the things that adds to the ridiculousness of the film is that these characters really do take everything incredibly seriously. I mean, if Hel knew that some of the things that were coming out of her mouth were so obnoxious, like when I’m talking about how to keep the trillions of self-replicating robo-viruses away from the crazed libertarians…I mean, that’s an absolutely insane line. It’s ridiculous! But as an actor, if I played the ridiculousness of it, it takes away the humor. So for me, my choice was to play everything as straight as possible, and I think that’s where a lot of the comedy comes in. And not only that, but if someone takes one scene out of the movie to isolate my performance, I would actually like people to think that I’m a good actor! (Laughs)

BE: Which scene was the hardest for you to deliver from a dialogue standpoint?

EC: Well, there’s a couple. Having to remember the name of the K-49 Corsair Belt-Fed Rail Gun with Zion Laser Scope Hellfire Dampening System and blah blah blah…? (Laughs) That was very difficult just having to memorize the actual title of the gun. And then I think the greatest level of difficulty was probably just the scene towards the end when Hel gets very emotional, and it’s this big character arc. That was, more than anything else, because of the environment. If you’re going to work yourself into an emotional place, that’s not necessarily difficult, but when you’re outside and you can’t control things that are going on…I mean, we would have to stop every five seconds, because either a plane would fly by, or you could hear someone over at Craft Services, which was down the road, but everything was echoing out there, and they’d be yapping up a storm, and I’d be, like, “Could someone please tell them to shut up so I can actually concentrate over here and try to cry?” (Laughs) So there were a lot of difficulties in just the sound and controlling the elements when you’re working outside, and we were working in such harsh conditions, as far as there was wind blowing and there was sand everywhere. I mean, we were finding sand in places… (Starts to laugh) …for about a week after we’d performed, to the point where we couldn’t even shoot sometimes. So the sand was very difficult. Or there’d be blistering heat and the sun’s beating down on you, or it’d be freezing cold. So there were definitely harsh conditions. But the great thing was that we had such an amazing crew, and as actor, you kind of feel like a bit of a jackass complaining about anything. You have a little trailer to sit in, and there are people doing your hair and make-up and taking care of you, whereas the crew is out there much longer than the actors are, setting everything up, breaking everything down, and just working hard. Rick Jacobsen’s wife, Rachel, was our script supervisor, and she was actually eight months pregnant during this whole thing, so anytime any of us had a little “woe is me, this is hard” moment, we would just look over at the pregnant lady. (Laughs) “Oh, right. It could be much more difficult.”

BE: You and Julia (Volt) obviously had to be pretty comfortable with each other, given the big scene you’ve got together in the film.

EC: Yes. (Laughs)

BE: How did you come to reach that level of comfort? Did you discuss the scene beforehand?

EC: Yeah, well, first of all, since this was Julia’s first film and I’ve been going at this for almost a decade now, we had a really great dialogue back and forth about, y’know, just certain expectations and things. Our trailers…we actually had a door that connected our trailers, so we would a lot of times have the door open, and we would have lunch together, and we really development a friendship. I’m not saying that we didn’t develop the same friendship with America, but it was definitely a different level. I think Julia and I became really close during the filming, but we really got a chance to know America (Olivio) a little bit better and on a different level once we’d wrapped and started doing publicity. She’s really nothing like her character. (Laughs) Thank God! But, yeah, Julia and I got to know each other and felt very comfortable with one another. But for me, anytime that I have to do any sort of sex scene or anything physical like that, even if it’s a fight scene, I like to be very vocal with the actor that I’m working with and go, “Okay, what are your personal boundaries? What are you comfortable with? What’s the intention behind this scene?” I rented a couple of episodes of “The L Word” and actually, y’know, looked at a few of the scenes and how they were done, and I showed them to Rick and Eric and asked, “Is this kind of on the level of what you’re looking for?” And Julia and I watched it, and I asked, “Would you feel comfortable doing this? Would you feel comfortable doing that?” So we did kind of have a dialogue beforehand, which I think is, for me, the best way to do it. It’s what I did with Julian McMahon on “Nip/Tuck,” and it’s what I did with Andy Whitfield on “Spartacus,” and I think it allows for much more freedom when you’re shooting, because you know what the boundaries are and you know how far you can push things without having to worry that you’re in some way hurting or offending your co-star.

BE: So what’s it like becoming a hyper-sexualized object of desire?

EC: Is that what I am? (Laughs) “A hyper-sexualized object of desire”?

BE: I think so. Certainly, you must be at some point during the film.

EC: (Laughs) You know what? It’s actually really funny, because you just become so comfortable with sexuality, especially with “Bitch Slap.” I mean, really, at very twist and turn of the movie, you are realizing how funny sexuality can be and how funny it is. So I think that we just became very accustomed to having massive amounts of cleavage in every outfit… (Laughs) …and there were a lot of boob jokes on set. Pretty much any time that we could make a joke at the expense of our breasts, we were doing that. So it actually became really fun. And, you know, what’s really surprising – and a lot of people noticed – is that we had quite a good mix of male and female crew members, but…you would think on a movie like this one, with all of the sexual plots going on, that there maybe would’ve been a certain degree of inappropriateness or sexual harassment going on. But there really wasn’t, and I think part of us was just because we had such a free, open dialogue, and you could make a sex joke and know that it was all in good fun and games. It created…I mean, it was almost like we were sitting in a sports bar all day when we were shooting. (Laughs) It was just constant jokes about all sorts of things, and, obviously, by a lot of the dialogue that Gage and Camaro have, there was really no term for male or female sexual organs or sexual acts that didn’t have some crazy term made up for the film.

BE: Yeah, I lost track of the number of the number of euphemisms pretty quickly into the film.

EC: (Laughs) In fact, we would have days where we would go, “Okay, exactly what is a Rusty Anchor? What does it mean to sluice someone’s badger?” (Laughs) Just all of these different things, and half of them we were, like, “We don’t even know what that means. We’ll just assume that it means this and go with that.”

BE: There’s definitely some serious, uh, manhandling in the film…like, to the point where I can’t imagine any guy watching this movie without cringing a couple of times. Was it hard to film some of the scenes?

EC: Oh, you mean when Camaro puts her hand down the front of Gage’s thong and basically punctures his testicles…?

BE: (Audibly cringing) Uh, yeah. Like that.

EC: You know, I didn’t really have too many of those. I mean, my scene with Deputy Fuchs was more of a seduction scene than anything else, a mind manipulation, so I didn’t really have as many of those. I know that, for America, Michael Hurst was wearing a cup underneath his thong underwear that he was wearing, so when she would reach her hand into his crotch, she’s actually gripping his cup and not, obviously, his manhood. But there were a few times when she would stick her hand down his pants and would go inside the cup, so they joked that they got to know each other quite well during that scene. (Laughs) I’m trying to think if there were any other times. I know that when Hotwire – who’s played by William Gregory Lee, who we all just adore – gets the electrical, uh, car jumpers on his crotch, that’s not exactly a favorite for the guys, either.

BE: So what was it like seeing the completed film for the first time?

EC: You know, the first time that we saw the completed film was a rough cut, because we had to go in and do ADR, and Eric and Rick and Brian Peck, our associate producer, they made an executive decision to go ahead and show us the entire film because they knew we were so excited to see the movie. We shot it in April, and I don’t think we even saw the rough cut until…I mean, it was, like, the end of the year. Because there was just so much post-production to be done, with over 780 special effects shots. So they showed us a rough cut because they knew that, as we were doing ADR, we’d be, like, “Oh, I wanna watch the scene, I wanna watch the scene!” So they said, “Oh, fine, we’ll just show you the movie.” (Laughs) And that was actually very difficult to watch, because so many of the special effects hadn’t been put in yet, so they would go, “Okay, this is actually going to look really cool, because this is actually going to be flying through the air,” but in the rough, it just looked terrible. And we’d go, “How are they ever going to make that work?” So actually seeing the finished product on screen over at Fox was just so exciting, because we had a cast and crew screening, we invited a bunch of friends, and everybody that was there…it was a very warm audience, because they were there to have a good time and have fun. It really is the kind of movie that I think will do well on DVD, because it’s just got this sort of built-in cult classic thing, and it’s also one of those movies that you want to see it on DVD, you want to rent it or buy it, because there’s always going ot be something that oyu missed or a word that you didn’t get. And, of course, since there’s a big twist at the end of the movie, you have to go back and watch it a second time to go, “Wait a minute, I didn’t get that. Oh! Oh, that’s what they were talking about!” That whole thing. It’s like going back to watch “The Sixth Sense” again. (Realizes the comparison she’s made, then starts laughing) Yeah, because that’s really what our movie is like: “The Sixth Sense.”

BE: Yeah, that was my first point of comparison, too. (Laughs)

EC: (Laughs) But, yeah, it was really fun. But I also think that it’s going to be one of those movies kind of like “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The first 500 times I saw “Rocky Horror” was on DVD, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that I don’t want to go and enjoy it in a theater with people. I mean, I really would not be surprised if, at some point in the future, there are people going to midnight screenings of “Bitch Slap” dressed up at Hel, Camaro, and Trixie. It would not surprise me at all. Especially because, like you said earlier, they are these sort of hyper-sexualized superhero kind of women that are just such caricatures of these iconic sort of bad-asses…the sexy boss lady, the supermodel… (Trails off)

BE: Last one. There’s obviously a fine line between making an homage to a B-movie and actually making a B-movie. Was there ever any point during filming where you found yourself wondering, “Is this really going to work?”

EC: Um…no, it’s kind of, like, there was such a wonderful dynamic on the set of just having complete faith and trust in our producers and our director, which rarely happens, actually, because sometimes you’ll be in the middle of a project and go, “Uh, yeah, these people have no idea what they’re talking about or what they’re doing.” But with “Bitch Slap,” it was kind of one of those things where I think we all just knew that we were in good and capable hands. We weren’t concerned about how it was going to look because we knew that they would figure it out, and at the end of the day, sure, we had to cry on cue and fake a punch, but I have no idea how green screen works, so I figured, “Whatever they’re doing, they know what they’re talking about.” And, also, Rick and Eric came from the “Xena” / “Hercules” school of training, and there’s this term called Kiwi Ingenuity, because the people of New Zealand have an interesting way of…you know, they’re on the other side of the globe, so they don’t always necessarily have certain resources. They just have to figure out another way to do it. So that’s what they brought into this.

For example, there’s a scene which actually got cut out of the movie – I think it’s maybe going to be on the DVD – about how Hel and Trixie meet for the first time, and Trixie’s being attacked, and Hel takes off her stiletto heel and throws it at the guy who’s attacking her. And the heel is spinning through the air, it hits him in the head, and it flies back to her like a boomerang, where she catches it and throws it back onto her foot. (Laughs) It’s actually a really great scene. I wish it hadn’t been cut! But I was, like, “Well, how are they going to make it look like this high heel is spinning through the air?” They took an electric screwdriver…no, wait, it was an electric drill, actually. And they painted it green, then they drilled it into the heel of the stiletto, and they had our prop guy holding the green drill up against the green screen with this heel stuck on it, and he pressed the power button. All of a sudden, the heel just started spinning around, and I just went, “Well, would you look at that?” They matched it with the green screen, and it looks like the stiletto is spinning through the air. So it’s little things like that that just made me say, “Hey, these guys obviously know what they’re doing, so far be it for me to question what’s going on.” (Laughs) When I go back and get my film studies degree and learn all about how to work special effects and green screen, I might have an opinion about it, but otherwise I’ll just let them handle it.

BE: Excellent. Well, it’s been a pleasure talking to you, Erin. I’ll keep my eyes open for you on “Spartacus” as the season unfolds.

EC: Yeah, absolutely! By the way, Rick Jacobsen directed Episodes 1, 2, and 6 of “Spartacus”! Oh, and one more thing, Will: if you want to add “Bitch Slap” on Twitter, it’s @bitchslapmovie, I’m @ErinLCummings, and you can follow the girls at @JuliaVoth and @esotericam (America). And…I have a Facebook fan page, and I don’t know if the other girls do, but I think they probably do. (Writer’s note: Actually, both Julia and America have personal pages.)

BE: I’ll be sure to include links to them all.

EC: I really appreciate it, Will, and if you have any additional questions, just drop me a line. I’ll be happy to fill in the blanks! (Laughs)

BE: Will do. Thanks, Erin!

EC: Thank you!