The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching

Raising the Bar

Those who fondly recall L.A. Law will find similarities in this new series from the same producer, Steven Bochco. It follows the lives and cases of young lawyers who have been friends since law school but who now work on opposing sides: public defenders versus the district attorney’s office. Mark-Paul Gosselaar (NYPD Blue), Gloria Reuben (ER), and Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle) lead the ensemble of this watchable if rather old-fashioned legal melodrama. Monday, Sept. 1, at 10 p.m., TNT

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Emmy winner Bill Nye “the Science Guy” hosts this new series that looks at everyday products: how they’re made, how they work, and how they affect the environment. The debut episode starts with bathroom items, investigating everything from how toothpaste affects orangutans in Borneo to whether old prescription drugs flushed down toilets are breeding “super bugs” in water systems. Tuesday, Sept. 2, at 9 p.m., Planet Green

The definition of death has changed in recent decades, from a stopped heart to a stopped brain—but now neurologists are studying whether consciousness can transcend even that, as claimed by some who have experienced vivid near-death experiences. Explorer reports on the latest research into death and dying, including the use of controlled hypothermia to save lives. Tuesday, Sept. 2, at 10 p.m., National Geographic Channel

Absolutely Fabulous creator Jennifer Saunders is both star and co-writer of this equally mordant new series, in which she plays a cynical daytime talk-show host obsessed with ratings and with having a baby with her late husband’s frozen sperm. Miranda Richardson is excellent as her producer, a manic monster so unacquainted with her own child that she has to speak to the tot in Spanish, the nanny’s language. Sunday, Sept. 7, at 9 p.m., Sundance

This intriguing blend of fantasy, comedy, romance, horror, and whodunit from Six Feet Under producer Alan Ball is based on the novels of Charlaine Harris. Set in northern Louisiana, the series is named after a synthetic substitute for blood that has drawn the world’s vampires out of the coffin, so to speak—they not only walk among mortals, but even have sex with them and demand the same rights. Anna Paquin stars as Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic barmaid drawn to a long-in-the-fang (age 173) but hunky vampire played by Stephen Moyer. Outlandish as it all sounds, the debut episode is witty, sexy, and scary, filled with colorful characters and atmosphere, auguring an entertaining time ahead. Sunday, Sept. 7, at 9 p.m., HBO