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It's hard to believe, but the new fall TV season is nearly upon us. The big premiere week for the networks begins Sept. 20, but The CW is getting an early start by premiering its two new shows next week.

The CW gained some momentum with one of last season's most talked about new shows, "The Vampire Diaries." The network is hoping to continue that momentum with "Hellcats" and "Nikita." But in my opinion, only one of them will get any real buzz.

"Hellcats" is a drama in the vein of "90210," only the premiere doesn't show any of that same attitude. The setting, Lancer University, is a major college football powerhouse in Memphis. But Marti Perkins (Aly Michalka) is only interested in graduating law school and getting away from Memphis and her mother (Gail O'Grady). However, when she loses her scholarship, Marti is forced to enter the world of sports and join the famous Lancer cheerleading team, The Hellcats. But in order to keep her new cheerleading scholarship, she'll have to get along with the other Hellcats, including the peppy captain, Savannah Monroe (Ashley Tisdale).

The first episode of a series needs to establish the characters, but it also has to make us want to come back for more and the pilot of "Hellcats" doesn't do that for me. There are some promising storylines like a possible romance between Marti and fellow Hellcat, Lewis (Robbie Jones), and the mystery of the person behind the Hellcats. But the main story in the premiere of a mean girl causing trouble for Marti has been done before.

The night before Marti auditions for the team, she watches the movie, "Bring It On," to learn some moves. I have a feeling the writers watched that movie a few too many times as well because everything about the show is way too familiar.

You'd think I would have the same problem with "Nikita" since it's been done before as a French film ("Nikita"), then as an American film ("Point of No Return"), and then as a TV series ("La Femme Nikita"). But there are just enough differences in this new version that it's worth revisiting. And where "Hellcats" failed to interest me enough to want to watch another episode, I might find myself totally hooked on "Nikita."

The setup is the same as the other versions. A troubled teenager is rescued from death row by a secret government agency and trained to be a spy and assassin. The difference in this one is that the teenager grows up to escape the agency, known as Division. And after three years in hiding, Nikita (Maggie Q) is ready to seek revenge and expose the agency's secrets.

Q is perfect in the lead role and she is surrounded by an amazing supporting cast led by Shane West ("ER"), Aaron Stanford ("Traveler") and Lyndsy Fonseca ("Desperate Housewives"). Plus, the show marks the return to series television of two of my faves, Melinda Clarke ("The O.C.") and Xander Berkeley ("24").

Part "Alias" and part "24," the premiere goes back and forth between Nikita's story and the story of Alex (Fonseca), Division's newest recruit, allowing the show to flip between action and real drama. Then it all comes together in two great twists that you probably won't see coming. And just like that, you'll be hooked too.

"Hellcats" premieres at 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8, and "Nikita" premieres at 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9, on The CW.

Angela Henderson-Bentley writes about television in her "Stay Tuned" blog at www.herald-dispatch.com.

Jack Rowand/The CW

Aly Michalka as Marti, Robbie Jones as Lewis and Ashley Tisdale as Savannah are featured in this photo from the new show "Hellcats."

Ben Mark Holzberg/The CW

Maggie Q stars as Nikita in the new show "Nikita."