Basic-cable network AMC boldly bills its latest original series, the grungy Old West-set drama Hell on Wheels, as an “epic” event. Viewers will get to judge the accuracy of that ambitious description when the show premieres tonight, November 6, at 10pm ET. I, for one, see some merit in the assessment, based on the intriguing TV ads I’ve encountered.

The first season of Hell on Wheels contains ten episodes starring a very gruff-looking Anson Mount (Conviction) as Confederate military man Cullen Bohannon, rapper and actor Common (Wanted) as former slave Elam Ferguson, veteran Irish actor Colm Meaney (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) as slick businessman Thomas “Doc” Durant, and Irish import Dominique McElligott (The Philanthropist) as recently widowed independent woman Lily Bell.

The cast members portray characters from the post-Civil War era in American history, when times were hard but filled with the promise of new opportunities for those determined to seek and find them. However, soldier Cullen supplies a less grand and more basic underlying plot theme as he focuses on his desire to punish whoever bears responsibility for his wife’s death during the recent war. Heavy stuff.

Sneak a lengthy peek at the first episode of Hell on Wheels in the video below. If I had to call it right now, I would say AMC has another big hit about to join the network’s already impressive lineup. At least I certainly hope so.

Sunday nights continue to thrill on basic cable’s AMC, thanks to the second-season premiere of zombie drama The Walking Dead tonight, October 16, at 9pm ET.

The next round of the survival saga kicks off with the extended 90-minute episode “What Lies Ahead,” which takes viewers back to where we were at the end of Season One. Lawman Rick (Andrew Lincoln) leads the way as his group of undead fighters leave Atlanta, and they soon encounter one of the biggest threats thus far.

Fans of The Walking Dead might also want to stick around until midnight for the new related after-show series called Talking Dead. Hosted by Chris Hardwick, the program will feature commentary, guests, and other bonuses, all related to the most intriguing and entertaining Sunday-night offering this fall. After October 16, the weekly edition of Talking Dead will air at 11pm, immediately following the encore presentation of the latest new installment of The Walking Dead.

Preview the The Walking Dead‘s second-season premiere in the clip below. Andrea (Laurie Holden) has clearly had enough for the moment, and she’s not holding her feelings back anymore. Good.

That very special time is upon us once again, meaning the last episode of the current season of AMC original drama Breaking Bad, of course. Called “Face Off,” the Season Four finale premieres at 10pm ET tonight, October 9.

As regular viewers know, the last installment, “End Times,” petered out with an extremely frustrated Walt becoming increasingly agitated over his continued inability to get rid of diabolical drug runner Gus Fring once and for all. The finale finds the master meth cook reunited with his estranged prodigy Jesse Pinkman again as they strive to succeed where they have repeatedly failed in the past.

So, will the season conclude with Gus blowing up in a sudden explosion, serving as a human cushion for a bullet, or suffering some other equally painful and fitting demise? As satisfying as it would be to see the character get what he deserves, I sure would miss having fabulous Giancarlo Esposito around on one of television’s best and most distinctive series.

Sneak a peek at “Face Off” in the following clip. Network AMC renewed Breaking Bad for a final run of 16 episodes on August 14, so the end is near for the show in more ways than one. Darn.

I am so psyched. Former Friday Night Lights star Connie Britton and The Practice star Dylan McDermott return to the small screen at 10pm ET tonight, October 5, in their brand-new paranormal FX series American Horror Story. This could be the beginning of a great TV relationship.

The series focuses on married couple Ben, a therapist, and Vivien Harmon (McDermott and Britton), who move to Los Angeles from Boston with their teen daughter Violet (newcomer Taissa Farmiga). Their goal is to leave their complicated past behind and start over fresh, but their chosen residence has a somewhat complicated past of its own, unfortunately.

Also starring are magnificent film actress Jessica Lange (Tootsie) and Six Feet Under veteran Frances Conroy. The show comes to us courtesy of the talents of Glee and Nip/Tuck executive producers Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy, so viewers have ample reason to expect another entertaining FX series. Fingers crossed.

Preview the latest interesting entry in FX’s programming schedule below.

The moment many Steven Spielberg fans have been waiting for is almost here: the two-hour premiere of his latest television show, Terra Nova at 8pm ET on Fox tonight, September 26.

The back-in-time adventure series stars Jason O’Mara (Life on Mars) as the head of the Shannon family. He decides to take the members on a trip to the prehistoric era (Yikes!) in order to save their fellow humans from doom. All together now: Good luck with that.

Also debuting on The CW tonight at 9pm is the new Rachel Bilson (The O.C.) medical drama Hart of Dixie. She portrays young doctor Zoe Hart, who winds up plying her trade in a small Alabama town after she loses out on a much-wanted fellowship.

Sneak peeks at both freshmen series follow. Although they’re very different thematically, the shows sound mildly interesting for now.

Two new series starring popular actresses help their respective network kick off the Fall 2011 season properly tonight, September 20. First up is the Fox sitcom New Girl at 9pm ET, and the CBS crime drama Unforgettable follows at 10pm.

Zooey Deschanel (Tin Man), younger sister of Bones star Emily Deschanel, headlines the comedy as Jess Day. After Jess learns her no-good boyfriend has been stepping out on her, she moves in with three other dudes to get on with her life. Max Greenfield (Raising the Bar), Jake Johnson (FlashForward), and Lamorne Morris (The Middle) play her trio of roommates.

Over on the CBS drama, former Without a Trace star Poppy Montgomery portrays lead character Carrie Wells. The seasoned police detective happens to possess nearly perfect recall of past events, an awesome trait she uses to help solve difficult homicide cases. If only it would help her figure out who murdered her sister, though.

Sneak peeks at the two new shows in the videos below. Based on preliminary information, I think I’ll be watching both this fall.

Actress Britt Robertson makes a swift rebound from her most recent canceled series, Life Unexpected, tonight, September 15. That’s when her new CW drama The Secret Circle debuts at 9pm ET, right after the third-season premiere of established hit The Vampire Diaries.

Once again occupying the lead role, Robertson portrays Cassie Blake. The teenager moves in with her grandmother in a Washington town called Chance Harbor after her mother dies under extremely suspicious circumstances.

Although she needs to recover from that tragedy, Cassie encounters only more weirdness when she begins hanging out with local teens. Her family and the entire town have a complicated, related past it seems, and Cassie is central to all of the drama, even if she doesn’t know why or how yet.

Also starring are former fellow Heroes cast members Ashley Crow and Thomas Dekker, Species star Natasha Henstridge, and Desperate Housewives alum Gale Harold. Sneak a peek at the show in the following extended clip, which provides a good overview of what to expect.

Familiar television faces Christina Applegate (Samantha Who?), Will Arnett (Arrested Development), Hank Azaria (Huff), and Kathryn Hahn (Crossing Jordan) all open their brand-spanking-new sitcoms tonight, September 14, on NBC at the special times of 10pm and 10:30pm ET, respectively.

Applegate and Arnett star in Up All Night as husband and wife — and new parents — Reagan and Chris Brinkley. Public relations professional Reagan returns to work, while Chris is the home-based parent. The comedy focuses on how the pair cope with the trials and tribulations of parenthood and basic relationships in their lives. Saturday Night Live vet Maya Rudolph costars as Reagan’s demanding boss and BFF Ava.

Azaria and Hahn headline Free Agents as public relations (here we go again — must be a popular profession in some circles) coworkers Alex and Helen. An American adaptation of the popular U.K. comedy of the same name, the sitcom follows what happens after an unexpected hookup between two people who have experienced recent relationships that went wrong.

Sneak a peek at each new series in the videos below. The shows move to their regular 8pm and 8:30pm time slots on September 21.

Lots of nostalgic Buffy the Vampire Slayers — yours truly included — are going to get some long-anticipated satisfaction tonight, September 13, when actress Sarah Michelle Gellar debuts in the lead role of the latest CW drama called Ringer. The big event happens at 9pm ET.

A more adult-oriented series than the network typically airs, Ringer focuses on recovering addict Bridget Kelly (Gellar). When she has the misfortune of witnessing a crime, Bridget wisely decides to get the heck out of wherever she is and flee to New York.

Bridget’s life only gets more complicated in the Big Apple, however, after she meets up with her wealthy estranged twin sister Siobhan Martin (also Gellar), who promptly vanishes just as the siblings begin to warm up to each other for once. What the…?!

Supporting characters surrounding Bridget as she attempts to figure out why her life is so darn weird include Siobhan’s husband Andrew Martin (Ioan Gruffudd, Fantastic Four), the Martins’ married close friends Gemma Butler (Tara Summers, Boston Legal) and Henry Butler (Kristoffer Polaha, Life Unexpected), and Bridget’s FBI ally Agent Victor Machado (Nestor Carbonell, Lost). This show should be lotsa fun, so check out a preview below to whet your appetite if it isn’t already stoked.

Also notable on September 13: The third-season premiere of NBC family drama Parenthood entitled “I Don’t Want to Do This Without You.”

The 13-episode fourth season of gritty AMC original series Breaking Bad begins tonight, July 17, at 10pm ET with the dangerous-sounding premiere “Box Cutter.”

When we last saw clever Walt White and his sneaky right-hand man Jesse Pinkman, the situation was dire indeed. Held hostage by drug dealer Gus’ goons for his impending execution, Walt managed to call Jesse.

The two partners in meth-making had already realized Walt’s only value to Gus was his ability to cook his special meth recipe. Thus, the only way the pair could survive much longer was by murdering Gale, Gus’ preferred drug lab assistant for Walt, before Gale figured out Walt’s exclusive formula and managed to produce his unique meth without Walt.

Yet, apparently not as hardcore as he’d like everyone to believe, Jesse confessed to Walt that he wasn’t up for that kind of task. His attitude changed real fast after Walt’s desperate call, however, leading to a killer cliffhanger in the Season Three finale when Jesse arrived at Gale’s apartment, pointed a gun right at the terrified dude, and pulled the trigger.

Since viewers didn’t actually see Gale go down back then, who knows what really happened next? We’re about to find out during “Box Cutter,” though, and AMC promises Walt and Jesse’s latest escapade will provoke “deadly consequences” this season. Can’t wait to learn what those repercussions are.

Take a peek at Breaking Bad‘s fourth-season premiere in the clip below, which features Skyler upsetting overly suspicious Saul in a major way. The fun is about to begin.

FYI: The July 17 airing of “Box Cutter” will include a special treat for fans of another standout AMC original series, The Walking Dead. During the episode, keep your eyes peeled for a first look at The Walking Dead‘s second season, which kicks off this fall.