NBC unveils five new series next week, hoping to climb out of the ratings basement they found themselves in post-Must See TV. We’ll be reviewing each of these series this week, providing our opinion on whether or not they’re worth your time.

Kelli Giddish leads a mediocre team on Chase / NBC

Chase

Starring: Kelli Giddish, Cole Hauser, Jesse Metcalfe, Rose Collins, Amaury Nolasco

Chase is executive produced by adrenaline-loving Jerry Bruckheimer and Jennifer Johnson, between the two of them they’ve produced some major crowd pleasers and buzz generators: the CSI franchise, The Amazing Race, Pirates of the Caribbean, Cold Case, Reunion, Lost. Unfortunately, Chase doesn’t seem destined for either category.

Set in south Texas, the show follows the adventures of a team of U.S. Marshals as they track down violent criminals on the run. Led by Kelli Giddish’s Annie Frost, this “elite team” consists of stereotypes of tough men and women who try to be unique and quirky but really just prove that Chase should have aired 5 or 10 years ago. Or should air on CBS.

I get that NBC is looking for a “safe” hit to attract viewers to other, more innovative fare (i.e. The Event), but surely there were better options. In Plain Sight does quirky, tough female Marshal better on sister network USA and Justified does innovative better on FX. This feels like an outdated, bland, trying-too-hard remake of series that are still on the air. Maybe it gets better. Maybe the characters turn out to be really interesting once we get to know them or the action ratchets up in subsequent episodes. I can’t really work up enough interest to stick around and find out.

Chase premieres on NBC at 10/9c on Monday, September 20.

Bottom line: Wait for In Plain Sight to return on USA instead.