It must be nice to be J.J. Abrams. He managed to come away relatively unscathed from the legions of Fanboys who were readying their, er, phasers prior to seeing the stupendous “Star Trek.” He got to work with the spectacular and Oscar-snubbed Steven Spielberg on the fantastic “Super 8.” He currently has three of his creations airing each week, which means that if “Alcatraz,” “Person of Interest,” and “Fringe” are renewed, he will have five (5!) shows running come next fall. Move over MacFarlane and Lorre (each currently have three shows), there’s a new cowboy in town and he is known to play nice with others and show variety in his work.

Fox seems to still be on the bubble about “Fringe” but that “We’re not in the business of losing money” comment by Fox president Kevin Reilly earlier last month seems to hint that the show might be on the way out. “Person of Interest,” a seriously riveting show, should be sitting pretty at CBS, with little chance that it’ll be going anywhere. “Alcatraz,” which pulled a 3/5 for its first two episodes, admittedly started off a bit tamer than other Abrams’ pilots but has revealed itself to be a gritty, detective mystery show. In fact, Fox has changed around the schedule to extend the show’s maiden season by a couple of weeks. The finale will now be March 26.

So what will Abrams be adding to his impressive resume next fall? A show that seems to lack energy and a show about a historic New England summer resort. “Revolution,” which has been picked up by NBC, is about a group of diverse individuals (an apparent must for Abrams’ shows) traversing a post-apocalyptic world in which all forms of energy have ceased to exist. You know, obviously except that which allows humans to function. As with many Bad Robot projects, details, generally like the shows themselves, are vague and mysterious. It would appear that this band of people will be traversing abandoned American cities run by local militias (wielding spears instead of guns?) or freedom fighters. It is an interesting concept and it would certainly be cool to see a battle rage in a blacked-out Times Square between two groups with primeval-style weapons (one must assume guns are also affected in the no energy thing). Eric Kripke of “Supernatural” will be handling the writing duties so added to the talents of Abrams and executive producer Bryan Burk, this could be something special. However, keep in mind that this is going to be at NBC, the network that helped hand Abrams his first television failure, “Undercovers,” last year. It’s all in how the show is marketed by the network and the chance it is given. Notorious for yanking shows early in their seasons, will the Peacock give “Revolution” a chance to let the mystery of the energy-less world play out? Let’s hope so.

The other project, titled “Shelter,” will revolve around a historic New England summer resort where “the new and returning staff attend to the practical, emotional and often comical needs of the guests while navigating friendships, rivalries and romances of their own.” While many might lament the general lack of time-traveling, smoke monsters, or sci-fi nerdiness in that synopsis, remember that Abrams’ first series, the decent and well-received college drama “Felicity,” lacked all that supernatural stuff and instead focused on a strong female lead and other strong human emotions. It might be nice to see Abrams return to form with a character-driven show instead of something so plot-driven. It may not exactly be my cup of tea (I definitely appreciate Abrams’ more nerdy faire), but The CW picked up “Shelter” so I am likely not its intended audience.

With J.J. Abrams’ wide array of projects, both in television and film, I’m curious to see what path he continues to take. While he is more known for the science fiction stuff, looking through his repertoire there are many character-driven projects as well. Which side of Abrams do you prefer? What are some of your favorite Bad Robot features?

Josh Walbert is an entertainment guru with a passion for film and television. He lives south of Orlando, FL, with his dog Nikki and relatively extensive DVD collection. His column appears every Saturday.

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