With three sci-fi shows presumably about alien invaders -- all attracted to water for some reason -- ABC's "Invasion" (10 p.m. Wednesday, WTAE) has the best pilot of the bunch. That's not to say I'm sold on this show yet, but it's more artful and has more depth as it sets up a potential conspiracy as (presumably) aliens use a hurricane that strikes Homestead, Fla., to mask their arrival.

The show centers on park ranger Russell (Eddie Cibrian, "Third Watch") and his messy blended family. He's buddies with his brother-in-law, Dave (Tyler Labine), a conspiracy-minded slacker, and married to TV reporter Larkin (Lisa Sheridan). He's also father to adorable Rose (Ariel Gade) and sullen Jesse (Evan Peters) by ex-wife Mariel (Kari Machett), a doctor who is remarried to the spooky town sheriff, Tom (William Fichtner).

"Invasion" offers a few scares, but it's more a sense of dread and something subtly awry that gives this drama its creepy vibe.

Mariel disappears during the worst of the storm and is found the next day, naked, in the midst of an Everglades swamp. She's dazed, at first, but after she recovers she's oddly serene, a definite shift in personality. Later, a priest shows up on TV with the same out-of-it visage.

What's particularly cool in "Invasion" is the way it sets up moments that could be interpreted as full of malevolent portent -- "Mommy, you smell different," Rose tells Mariel ominously -- or, taken at face value, could be nothing.

As for concerns about exploitation in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the show's Hurricane Eve wreaks the normal tropical storm havoc, not New Orleans-like destruction. However, in light of Katrina, one line of dialogue does have added bite: "If FEMA isn't out here by tomorrow, call me," Larkin says to an interview subject displaced by the storm.

'Surface'

Another show, another species.

Whether the slimy creatures in NBC's "Surface" (8 p.m. tomorrow, WPXI) are extraterrestrial isn't conclusively established in the pilot episode. This much is clear: Though producers of many of the dark series premiering this month have claimed they intend to create "a family show," this one comes closest to hitting that mark. Creepy without being too scary and with relatable teen characters, "Surface" is the closest thing to family-friendly. But that doesn't make it a show worth your time.

These underwater creatures begin showing up around the globe at the same time. Oceanographer Laura Daugherty (Lake Bell) encounters them while on a submarine dive and then finds her investigative efforts stymied by a government scientist (Rade Sherbedegia). In Louisiana, a fisherman (Jay R. Ferguson) loses his brother in a diving accident (blame the creatures) and in North Carolina, a young boy (Carter Jenkins) sneaks an egg (from this new species, it seems) into the family aquarium.

As with any TV show, it's tough to tell where it will go after the pilot, and that's especially the case with serialized sci-fi. Maybe "Surface" will improve. At first glance, however, it comes off as silly sci-fi, a not-so-intriguing series that wades into all-too-similar waters as two other fall shows. The difference in this one is that the water is noticeably more shallow.

'E-Ring'

U.S. Army Major Jim "J.T." Tisnewski (Benjamin Bratt) is gung-ho about his new assignment to the Pentagon's "outer and most important ring," "E-Ring" (9 p.m. Wednesday, WPXI). The NBC series comes off as overcooked and preposterous to the point of being laughable.

In the premiere, Tisnewski is a little too cool to be taken seriously, making faces, joshing with co-workers, running through corridors and exhibiting not just confidence but unbridled arrogance.

"We got a nunya in the works," Tisnewski says to another officer.

"What's a nunya?" the officer asks.

"None ya damn business," Tisnewski responds, wearing a cocky grin.

All the macho posturing gives way to a life-and-death story about extracting an American asset from China. Pulsating music, quick cuts and clipped dialogue attempt to give "E-Ring" a sense of urgency, but it's a little much, even for a show from executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer, whose most recent TV productions ("CSI," "Without a Trace") ratchet up the drama without becoming cheesy and ridiculous.

A second episode demonstrates that Tisnewski will continue to condescend to Marine Jocelyn Pierce (Aunjanue Ellis) while ordering his old unit in Afghanistan into harm's way. The hour also introduces one of his old flames, a defense department lawyer (Kelly Rutherford), who returns for a new sparring match and helpfully points out that J.T. doesn't look Polish. The episode ends with a ridiculous rescue that brings to mind "Airport 1975."

Dennis Hopper seems to be having a blast as Col. Bob McNulty, Tisnewski's hippie-hating superior, but he alone can't make "E-Ring" a four-star hit.

Returning favorites

At this point I've given up trying to get new viewers hooked on Fox's "Arrested Development" (8 p.m. tomorrow, WPGH), television's smartest comedy that returns for its third season this week.

The show remains as self-referential and serialized as ever, and more importantly, just as funny, with double entendres flying like mad.

Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) is thrilled to see the Bluth Co.'s stock rating improve from "sell" to "don't buy," and a celebration ensues at the office, complete with "Mission Accomplished" banner, a nice political jab.

Cousins George Michael (Michael Cera) and Maeby (Alia Shawkat) continue to struggle with their mutual attraction (an oblivious Michael suggests the pair spend a night together at the family cabin, saying, "This is a good chance to rub off on her"), and villainous mother Lucille (Jessica Walter) mistakes Scientologist Tom Cruise for a doctor after his "Today" show appearance ("They said he was some kind of scientist," she says).

FX's "Nip/Tuck" (10 p.m. Tuesday) kicks off with a 90-minute season premiere that picks up the pieces of the second-season cliffhanger: The Carver had Christian (Julian McMahon) in his grasp and looked as if he (or she) was about to get down to serial-slashing business.

Dark as ever -- tonally, it's a first cousin to HBO's "Six Feet Under" -- "Nip/Tuck" remains a show where all characters are always unhappy, and where relationships are unhealthy and, for the most part, ugly. The Christian story, in particular, goes to a predictable place by the end of Tuesday's episode that reveals the show to be trash TV masquerading beneath a high-gloss sheen of respectability.

On the other hand, the story of Sean (Dylan Baker) and a grossly obese patient is far more sympathetic, if overly long (padded to fill out the extra-long episode's running time, perhaps?). Next week's episode picks up ramifications of the relationship between young Matt (John Hensley) and transsexual Eva (Famke Janssen). It turns ugly and violent, natch.

"Nip/Tuck" remains a series that conjures both awe at the occasional artistry (the last scene of the second-season finale) and disgust (the unrealistic and yet predictable-in-the-"Nip/Tuck"-universe ending of Tuesday's premiere).