Awake

When broadcast networks' executives sleep, they probably dream of series like NBC's "Awake," a cop show with a premise unusual enough to generate buzz but not so out there that people who like cop shows wouldn't recognize it while channel-surfing.

Of course, if those suits work at NBC, they might also dream of a better time slot than 9 p.m. Thursdays, which has evolved since the days of "ER" from the hottest real estate in TV to a place where "Prime Suspect" and "The Firm" couldn't get arrested.

But even if the neighborhood's not what it once was, "Awake" is the kind of property worth going a little out of your way for: a high-concept drama that packs an emotional punch while, yes, solving crimes.

The very blue-eyed Jason Isaacs ("Brotherhood," "Harry Potter") stars as Los Angeles police detective Michael Britten, the survivor of a car crash that's killed either his wife, Hannah (Laura Allen of "Terriers") or their son Rex (Dylan Minnette of "Saving Grace").

Or possibly both.