Zap2it Fall TV Preview 2007: Best Shows

Reaper
The CW
Premieres: Tuesday, Sept. 25
Airs: Tuesdays at 9 p.m.

Although the high concept premise for "Reaper" is a winner -- 21-year-old slacker is forced to become the Devil's soulcatcher -- it took only four words to hook us: Ray Wise Is Satan. The once-and-future-and-forever Leland Palmer has been honing his creepy gifts over the years, but how nice that the 60-year-old actor has finally found the part who was born to play. Flashing his pearly whites and chomping into blocks of brimstone-flavored dialogue, Wise is the perfect actor to clear the taste of "7th Heaven" from The CW's palate. As much as Wise's Lucifer may loom over the morbidly funny "Reaper," which takes more than few tonal clues from "Ghostbusters," he's still just a foil for the very capable Bret Harrison, as the Everyman lead. Always great on FOX's "The Loop" (even if nobody was watching and the network could rarely be bothered to air episodes), Harrison is the rare young actor willing to give himself over totally to physical comedy and pilot director Kevin Smith takes obvious pleasure in tossing his star around. The original "Reaper" pilot featured "Thirteen" star Nikki Reed as the potential love interest. Reed has since been replaced by the, um, more statuesque Missy Peregrym, who was good enough on "Heroes" that we'll welcome her to Hell.

-Daniel Fienberg