Though Noah says the network was pleased with the pilot, NBC went with "Boomtown" as its only addition to the 10 o'clock schedule. As for "War Stories," the pilot has been expanded into a two-hour television movie, which should air later this season.

Noah remains hopeful. "If it does well, it will tell people there's an appetite for this kind of show and it might be something that works as a series."

"Miracles" (ABC)

Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, the Vatican actively investigates miracles. The majority of these turn out to be hoaxes, but when a young Vatican investigator, played by Skeet Ulrich, finds himself in the middle of something quite real, it leads him into a world of underground investigations balancing faith and the paranormal.

Conceived by Richard Hatem ("The Mothman Prophecies") and co-written and produced by David Greenwalt, who undertook the same duties on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel," the show aspires to take a dark though sometimes humorous look into a world where too often the unexplainable happens.

"One of the ideas the show advances is the notion that if what you believe on Sunday morning in church actually started happening on Tuesday afternoon, it would scare the living bejesus out of you," Greenwalt says.

With a cast including Ulrich and Hector Elizondo, the network has ordered 12 episodes of the show and plans to introduce it midseason. Greenwalt credits "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon for making it possible for shows like "Miracles" to even be considered by the networks. Still, Greenwalt aspires to more subtly tread the worlds of reality and science fiction -- saying there will be no monsters wearing rubber masks on ABC.

The show's darker nature and unconventional backdrop did elicit some concerns at the highest levels of Disney, though Greenwalt says the show's Vatican connections weren't the network's prime concern. "I think they were a little more worried about us sticking a syringe in someone's eye within the first 30 seconds."

"Kingpin" (NBC)

Part "Macbeth," with a dash of "The Godfather" and "Miami Vice," "Kingpin" narrowly missed the fall schedule, giving way to the police-themed "Boomtown" on Sunday nights. However, when the series, which looks at a Mexican drug lord and his cartel, makes its debut later this season, creator David Mills is expecting some controversy.

"Make no mistake, they're just dipping their toes in," Mills says of the six episodes the network has ordered. "I know for a fact that the advertising department is frightened of this show."

Last year, Mills heard that NBC programming director Andy Lack was interested in trying a drama with the crime family feel of "The Sopranos" set in the backdrop of the movie "Traffic." A former writer for such powerhouses as "ER" and "NYPD Blue," Mills envisioned a modern-day retelling of "Macbeth."

Using a largely ensemble cast, "Kingpin" tells the story of an ambitious Mexican drug lord who murders his uncle to take control of the family cartel, and is spurred on by his highly ambitious American-born wife. Show plots include grappling with U.S. drug enforcement, fighting over turf with other cartels and arranging multibillion-dollar drug deals with Asian warlords in exchange for Thai heroin.

"The mandate was to do an HBO show for the network, and I think that's what we've done," Mills said.

Whether it will attract a network audience, Mills says, he doesn't know. The fact that networks have steadily seen audience share dip thanks to edgier fare on cable doesn't necessarily mean more cutting-edge network shows will follow.

So far, it's been the opposite. "I see more people wanting to make the next 'CSI' or 'Law and Order' -- the next big franchise," Mills says. "It's the franchises that are making everybody rich, but they're also the most traditional story lines."

So while cable continues to break new ground in terms of creative direction, it's possible the networks will take an opposite approach, retreating to the tried-and-true formula of traditional dramas to shore up what they perceive as their base.

"Ideally, network television would like to do everything," Greenwalt says. "But to the degree that it tries to do absolutely everything, it might ultimately suffer. Obviously, the networks want to hold on to their audience -- and they also want to build a new audience too -- but what they ultimately are longing for is a brand. There's a need for strong brand recognition in a world where there is so much choice."

Which means for cop, lawyer and doctor dramas, conformity might continue to be just what the doctor ordered.

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