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It begins with a total eclipse of the sun casting a shadow across the globe. A genetics professor, Mohinder (Sendhil Ramamurthy), gets news that his father is dead. Knowing that his father’s death is probably linked to his research about people with super powers living among us, Mohinder decides it’s time to find out what his father was doing.

Meanwhile several people are discovering they can do unusual things. A cheerleader, Claire (Hayden Panettiere) in Texas is indestructible. Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) practices stopping time. And the story goes on. Most of the people, who discover they have super human powers, aren’t really happy about it. Except for Hiro, who embraces his power and thinks it’s incredibly cool to be a super hero.

What creator and executive producer Tim Kring (“Crossing Jordan”) has done is create a world where the ordinary suddenly discover they are extraordinary. It’s fascinating, well paced and you become attached to these people immediately. Which is a sign of great writing and casting.

The cast also includes, Adrian Pasdar, Milo Ventimiglia, Santiago Cabrera, Tawny Cypress, Noah Gray-Cabey, Greg Grunberg, Leonard Roberts and Ali Larter.

My other favorite show of the season is “Ugly Betty,” which premieres Thursday night on ABC. America Ferrera plays Betty Suarez, a sweet, intelligent young woman, who is extremely fashion challenged. Of course, this doesn’t bode well for her new job at a premiere fashion magazine.

At first it seems like everyone is against Betty, but she eventually wins her way into the hearts of an important few. And Ferrera’s superb performance is sure to win over audiences. Have I mentioned how much I love this show? (Smile) It’s funny, poignant and the perfect blend of great performances and wonderful writing. Look for cameos by executive producer Salma Hayek in the telenovella sequences. She’s a hoot.

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