With the arrival of the new fall season comes a deluge of guides to help you navigate the myriad of new and returning series; to add to the fray, here is AfterEllen.com's take on the good, the bad, and the ugly for lesbian and bisexual women in the first half of the new season.

First, the bad news: there is actually only one new network TV show with lesbians on it this season, and it's a reality show.

The good news? Well, there isn't much for lesbian and bisexual women this season. But all is not lost: Ellen's back, The Wire is returning shortly, and there are a handful of interesting new and returning shows on the docket.

So without further ado...

NEW SHOWS WITH LESBIAN/BISEXUAL WOMEN

Survivor (CBS)
After nine seasons, there is finally an openly lesbian contestant on the reality series Survivor--two, in fact. How long they'll last is anyone's guess, but it will be fun to find out.

RETURNING SHOWS WITH LESBIAN/BISEXUAL WOMEN

ER (NBC)
Lesbian Dr. Weaver returns to the medical drama's twelfth season, but without a personal life, since her partner died in a fire last season. Don't expect to see much of Weaver's life this season beyond a few snippets of her custody battle, which promises to be just as boring and stereotypical as it was at the end of last season.

The Wire (HBO)
The underrated Sonja Sohn returns as a lesbian detective in the underrated HBO series The Wire. While her personal life is a minor part of the series, Detective Greggs is a prominent character in this gritty, detailed look at both sides of the law in Baltimore.

Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Marin Hinkle (Once and Again) returns as Judith, the maybe-bisexual ex-wife of Alan (Jon Cryer) in this sitcom about two bachelor brothers and their messy lives, but don't expect much: she has a boyfriend when the season starts up again. This show knows where its audience lies, and it ain't among lesbians.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show (CBS)
After three months of reruns, Ellen's celebrated talk show returns this week with fresh shows. No guests on the horizon of particular interest to lesbian fans, but just having Ellen back is enough for now.

RETURNING SHOWS WITH NEW GUEST LESBIAN/BISEXUAL CHARACTERS

Still Standing (CBS)
Justine Batemen (Family Ties) guest-stars as one-half of the Millers' new lesbian neighbors in this otherwise uninteresting sitcom. Given the dearth of lesbians on primetime network TV this season, though, Bateman's role actually rates a watch, and Judy Miller's (Jamie Gertz) PC attempts to show Bateman's character that she's lesbian-friendly makes for some entertaining moments.

Girlfriends (UPN)
As reported in my recent column, The Apprentice's Omarosa--one of TV's most despised women--is playing a lesbian in the sitcom's fifth season debut on September 20th. Aside from this misstep, Girlfriends gets props for its consistently lesbian-friendly approach: at least a few lesbian themes and characters crop up on the show every season, including William's (Reggie Hayes) lesbian sister Linda (Dawnn Lewis).

PROMISING NEW SHOWS OF INTEREST TO LESBIAN/BI WOMEN

Jack & Bobby (WB)
Christine Lahti plays the extremely opinionated mother (and college professor) of The Boy Who Would be President and Jessica Pare of Lost and Delirious plays the Future First Lady in this drama about the childhood of a future president. The show would have been more interesting if the roles were reversed and Pare was playing the future president, but that's a little too progressive even for the WB (although we do find out that the future Vice President is a woman).

Lost (ABC)
An unusual premise, an interesting ensemble cast, and good writing make this drama about several airplane passengers stranded on a deserted island after a crash a must-watch. There are several strong female characters, particularly the one played by Evangeline Lilly, and more racial diversity than you'll find on most TV shows. Plus, Alias creator J.J. Abrams is producing, so maybe Sidney Bristow will air-drop onto the island during one of her missions.

CSI: New York (CBS)
Another installment of the CSI franchise, this one is set in the Big Apple and stars Gary Sinise and Melina Kanakaredes. Of more interest to lesbian and bisexual viewers, however, is co-star Vanessa Ferlito, who played a bisexual woman in the indie film On Line and has also had roles in 24 and The Sopranos.

RETURNING SHOWS OF INTEREST TO LESBIAN/BISEXUAL WOMEN

Arrested Development (FOX)
This very funny half-hour comedy deserves far better ratings that it gets--at least according to me and almost every critic in the country. It takes a moment or two to get used to the non-traditional format (i.e. reality-show style camerawork and no laugh track), but once you do, you'll never look at at a traditional sitcom the same way again. Plus, Portia de Rossi (Ally McBeal), of Portia-and-Francesca fame, stars as Jason Bateman's hilariously self-absorbed sister.

CSI (CBS)
Lesbians around the country breathed a sigh of relief when Jorja Fox was re-hired after her temporary firing last month from the hit crime series. Besides the presence of Ms. Fox, CSI is just good TV.

Law and Order: SVU
Mariska Hargitay plays the sexually ambiguous Detective Olivia Benson in this disturbing but continuously excellent installment of the Law and Order franchise. No lesbian revelations likely in the near future, but Benson's character is refreshing.

Joan of Arcadia
Sadly, last season's finale revealed that Joan's friend Grace (Becky Wahlstrom) isn't a lesbian, but even a heterosexual Grace is more gay than most lesbians on TV. Her character--along with storylines that are a good mix of thought-provoking, humorous, and dramatic--make Arcadia one of the more interesting dramas on television. Besides, Grace can still turn out to be bi, right?

The West Wing (NBC)
With the addition of Mary McCormack--who played a bisexual Republican on the short-lived HBO series K Street and a lesbian in the indie gay-boy love story The Broken Hearts Club--as a permanent cast member, plus the continuing presence of Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg, Stockard Channing as the First Lady, and openly gay actress Lily Tomlin as the quirky secretary, West Wing just keeps getting better. This year, Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda join the cast.

Gilmore Girls (WB)
No lesbians on this show, alas, but after four seasons of hilarious and poignant female-centered storylines, it's easy to forgive the writers this oversight. Plus, how can you not fall in love with Lorelai (and her clothes)?

The Apprentice 2 (NBC)
There is nothing gay about this reality-show competition to be Donald Trump's apprentice, but it does provide a rare opportunity to see a bunch of smart women on a reality show (even if they don't always use that intelligence well). Hopefully this season's female contestants will avoid over-using their sexuality when they should be using their brains. But even if the contestants let us down, there's always redemption in the form of The Caroline--a better businessman or woman than all of the contestants put together.

That's it for now--look for another rundown in early January for shows in the second half of the year. Meanwhile, as always, we'll bring you more info on lesbian characters, themes, and storylines as they unfold over the season.