Will autumn smell sweet?

Sniff, sniff. Can you smell that unique scent?

It could be burning leaves or pigskin or apple cider or some other special aroma that comes only in autumn, but it's not. It's the unmistakable odor of the new TV shows for fall.

Proceeding alphabetically, let's take a look at the eight ways (six comedies and two dramas) that ABC is planning to lure you away from reading books, playing games with your children or praying more often:

* "Life's Work" is both home and family to the main character on this sitcom. While raising kids, she has gone to law school and is starting a job as an assistant state's attorney in Baltimore. Her husband, a high school basketball coach, doesn't like being ignored. That doesn't mean you have to watch.

* "Spin City" revolves around Michael J. Fox as the deputy mayor of New York City who has to play fox to the hounds of his wacky staff while keeping the boss's secrets from his (Fox's) girl friend, who's in the press. I'll bet MJF runs around a lot, looking harried, which is one of his fortes.

* "Townies" are female friends from grade school days in New England who are now in their 20s and hang around together talking about work, romance and sports (emphasis on "Friends"; get it?).

* "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" says it all. Sent to live with her two aunts, Sabrina discovers they are witches -- and so is she. While she learns to turn people into frogs, she has to keep her secret from the ordinary people around her. Why do witches, vampires and ghosts always have to be so secretive? Life would be more interesting if they let it out.

* "Clueless" has a main character named Cher and a plot taken from a smash movie, so you know pop culture is at the heart of this tale of a Beverly Hills teen whose main concerns are fashion, makeovers and matchmaking.

* "Common Law" describes both the main characters' profession and their living style. He's an Hispanic lawyer who has joined a Manhattan law firm; she had a wealthier upbringing. So they move in together, secretly, to avoid repercussions from his father and their firm. No mention of God's reaction is given in the ABC press release.

* "Dangerous Minds," one of the dramas and another ABC show based on a movie, puts Annie Potts of "Designing Women" into an inner-city school with racial divisions -- and stirs. There, she butts heads with students and administrators alike. If you can accept Annie Potts as an ex-Marine, your willing suspension of disbelief is in tip-top working order.

* "Relativity," the other drama, focuses on a couple who meet and have an affair, even though she's engaged to someone else. He has a gay sister, an irresponsible father and a tortured brother. If that doesn't make you apply for a library card, I don't know what would.

(Next week: CBS offers its autumn wares.)

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