Like Big Day, Day Break is somewhat following in 24’s footsteps, since the entire season (which will be short; it has 13 episodes in this time slot before Lost takes it back) tracks one torturous day in the life of Detective Brett Hopper, who has been framed for murder. But there’s a twist: That day doesn’t drag out over the course of the season, like it does in 24 and Big Day; it starts again every episode. You’re confused. Sorry. Cribbing the rest of its concept from Groundhog Day (which, by the way, is still awesome, no matter how many times it pops up on basic cable), Hopper’s bad day starts over every morning, so he has to go through it all again. Taye Diggs stars as Hopper, and this might be the role that allows him to make the leap to star status. We say “might” because while ABC has had a great run with serialized dramas over the past few years (Grey’s Anatomy, the first season of Desperate Housewives, the aforementioned Lost), it also has coughed up a few stinkers (Invasion, the second season of Desperate Housewives). Diggs has been a winning presence in just about everything he’s appeared in, so the time feels right. Of course, the time felt right when he tried to go the series route with Kevin Hill, so who knows?

Verdict: Book it. It’ll give you a nice placeholder until Lost comes back next year.