Fall TV Preview: ABC's New Comedy Carpoolers Starring Jerry O'Connell

Following the Cro-magnons hoping to yuk it up "Cavemen" on Tuesday nights, will be four ordinary guys (in other words, not Neanderthals), who will be getting together to commute to work. "Carpoolers" debuts after "Cavemen" on ABC on Tuesday, October 2, at 8:30 p.m. Here is a preview of ABC's new comedy, "Carpoolers."

"Carpoolers" is brought to us by "Kids in the Hall" star Bruce McCulloch, who will not be appearing on screen. ("I've lost my looks to the bottle," he tells Entertainment Weekly magazine). Rather, the stars of "Carpoolers" will be Jerry O'Connell, Fred Gross, Jerry Minor, and Tim Peper.

Although Jerry O'Connell isn't known as a comedic actor (he may be best known for his starring role on television's "Sliders"), he has done comedy well in the past. He was funny in the film, Tomcats, and hilarious during his brief time on screen in the teen movie, Can't Hardly Wait, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Seth Green.

O'Connell (also known for his more recent role on "Crossing Jordan") will play a playboy dentist, who O'Connell says is not totally different from him, or the rest of us males. Bruce McCulloch specifically wanted Jerry O'Connell for the role, despite the fact that O'Connell has little experience in comedy.

"Carpoolers" promises to be quirky, but not bizarre. It is essentially a show about male bonding, perhaps capturing the essence of comic cult classics like Office Space. At least we can hope.

"Carpoolers'" biggest problem may be that it follows what I believe will be a fatally flawed show in "Cavemen." In other words, if "Cavemen" doesn't do well (and I can't imagine that it will), then don't expect "Carpoolers" to emerge as the hit it otherwise could be.

"Cavemen" and "Carpoolers" are up against CBS's NCIS (now that's a lot of letters), NBC's "The Biggest Loser" (which should prove to be the biggest loser on Tuesday nights), FOX's "Bones" in its new time slot, and the CW's "Beauty and the Geek." As with "Cavemen," "Carpoolers" may earn some viewers simply because as far as comedy goes, it will be the only game in town. And on Tuesday night nonetheless, a night when network television used to be rich in situational comedies.

This viewer is holding out a lot of hope for "Carpoolers," if for no other reason than this: maybe some of us can learn a lesson from it, and save us from overusing oil. Enjoy "Carpoolers" on October 2!