Fall TV season devoid of compelling new shows; awaiting midseason replacements

I am completely underwhelmed by this fall’s new TV show lineup.
I can’t believe NBC canceled the intriguing and entertaining “Revolution” to make way for junk like “The Mysteries of Laura.” (“Laura” has a dismal Metacritic score of 37 out of 100.)
The broadcast network prime-time schedule is larded up with “NCIS” spinoffs, women-in-powerful-positions dramas (“State of Affairs” and “Madam Secretary”), and comic-book shows (“Gotham,” “The Flash” and “Constantine”). But not one new show I’m dying to see.
This comes after a summer TV season that brought such quality new series as “The Strain,” “The Last Ship,” “Extant” and “The Lottery.”
Usually there are a few shows I can’t wait to check out each fall. But not this year.
My DVR queue likely will remain unchanged. My favorite returning shows include genre series “The Walking Dead,” “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD” and “Supernatural.”
This fall the networks are playing to the lowest common denominator to reach the largest possible mainstream audience. That’s getting much harder to do with the proliferation of content choices on cable channels and over-the-top Internet video services.
The most exciting new shows are midseason replacements. They include ABC’s “Agent Carter,” a post-World War II comic book drama from the folks at Marvel; the CW’s “iZombie,” based on a comic book about a medical resident turned zombie-slash-amateur detective; and ABC’s “The Whispers,” a creepy alien invasion drama.

Photos: Poster from “The Strain” (top); promotional ads for “iZombie” and “The Whispers.