When I really think about it, there's much more sadness than laughter in Fox's new sitcom "The Goodwin Games," debuting Monday night at 8:30.

The premise of the show pits three disparate and damaged siblings against each other after the death of their father, as the dead dad leads them via video through a series of crazy games to decide which child gets his $23 million inheritance. What gives the show its dark flavor is that we see in flashbacks that this is actually the way he raised the children after the death of their mother -- always in competition and always at odds with each other.

"The Goodwin Games," which comes from the executive producers of "How I Met Your Mother" plus Raleigh native Peyton Reed, has a fine cast. First, there's Scott Foley, a longtime favorite ("Felicity," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal"), and T.J. Miller, who is weird and wonderful in everything I've seen him in (I'm one of the 12 people who loved "Carpoolers" on ABC and Miller was a big reason why). We've also got Becki Newton ("Ugly Betty") and Beau Bridges, who has been showing up more and more lately on television ("Brothers & Sisters," "Franklin and Bash"), as the eccentric, wealth-hoarding dad.

Foley plays an uptight, overachieving doctor with a bit of a drinking problem, while Newton plays an underachieving, aspiring actress. Miller is a sweet but untrustworthy doofus (of course), just released from the latest of several stints in prison. And they don't seem to like each other at all. They're not only different in almost every way, they're openly suspicious and hostile toward each other (thanks, dad!).

The whole point of the competition for the cash doesn't seem to be for the father's perverse, posthumous enjoyment (although I'm still unclear after watching the pilot as to why he chose to raise them in this way -- pitting small children against each other for basic rewards for which the losers would be deprived). The sentimental vibe at the end of the pilot suggests the father's ulterior motive is to force the estranged siblings back together so that they will reconnect and become closer. Perhaps as his way of apologizing for so thoroughly screwing them up in the first place.

And I'm not sure how to gauge Fox's commitment to this sitcom, since they've waited to debut it after the season finales of all their other sitcoms have aired, and they're sticking it in the middle of a bunch of repeats Monday.

It's always tricky trying to judge a series by a single pilot episode (the episode is available free online until Monday, so you can go ahead and judge for yourself), but it didn't work for me. I love dark humor and I love bittersweet anything. But so far, I'm just getting "The Goodwin Games."

For a broadcast network show, Fox's new serial killer drama "The Following" has a surprising amount of blood and gore. In fact, the graphic violence depicted in the show (almost entirely against women, I might add) has already earned it some negative attention from critics, who are suddenly more sensitive about violence on television (I'm curious to see if those objections hold over to the next season of "Sons of Anarchy").

But after watching the pilot episode, in which former FBI agent Ryan Hardy, played by Kevin Bacon, is called out of retirement to help recapture an escaped serial killer he put behind bars years earlier, I have to admit that the gory scenes aren't the ones I remember most.

I won't go into specifics and risk spoiling some of the more heart-quickening moments in the opener (as many other reviewers have). I'll just say there were certain scenes in "The Following" that had me peeking at the TV through the ten fingers covering my face. And those scenes, full of dark, quiet suspense, are the ones I think about when I recommend this show to others.

"The Following" is the latest from North Carolina native Kevin Williamson, whose long list of credits includes the spoofy horror film "Scream" and hit TV shows "The Vampire Diaries" and "Dawson's Creek."

Bacon is really good as a grizzled FBI agent, which should surprise exactly no one. And James Purefoy (from HBO's "Rome") is creepy as heck as the former American Lit professor-turned-killer. (Natalie Zea from "Justified" and Annie Parisse from "Law & Order" also star.) Purefoy's character, Joe Carroll, is an Edgar Allan Poe aficionado, and his obsession with the dark poet and storyteller is a thread that weaves throughout the series. Or at least throughout the first four episodes I've seen.

Carroll isn't the only bad guy in "The Following." As the title suggests, he has a league of crazies running loose in the world who are devoted to him and dedicated to carrying out his work. These ruthless, brainwashed killers, who seem to pop up anew in each episode, keep everyone -- TV cops and viewers alike -- on their toes. Carroll's followers always seem perfectly normal. Until they don't. So we're never really sure about some of those alleged good guys we're watching, which makes for fun viewing. A sly look here, an awkward pause there… Who can be trusted?

This isn't high art. There are plenty of plot holes to pick apart and bits of sketchy logic here and there. But I found it downright scary and suspenseful.

***
"The Following" debuts Monday night at 9 on Fox.

If you've been paying attention to commercials running lately on WRAL, you already know that the Capitol Broadcasting Company, which owns the local CBS affiliate WRAL and the local Fox affiliate WRAZ, is negotiating with DIRECTV to keep Capitol stations available to DIRECTV customers.

The company's contract with DIRECTV is set to expire on Dec. 31.

The commercial running right now features a woman explaining WRAL's position in the negotiation process, a tactic often used by both sides in these types of negotiating battles to win the hearts and minds of viewers. The actress says she "found out" about the negotiations and then explains Capitol Broadcasting's requested fee increase, saying she thinks it's fair since WRAL is "the most watched channel" on DIRECTV's lineup.

Neither DIRECTV nor WRAL would comment on the details of the negotiation, but a WRAL website says that the figure they seek is "the cost of a cup of coffee per month per subscriber."

Ratings for "The Mindy Project" on Fox aren't great, so I guess I better give this away while there's still a market for it. Although, if the show gets canceled, it's then a collector's item. Right?

As you can see, it's a lovely ceramic coffee mug with a silicone lid. I think the lid qualifies it as a "travel" mug. Maybe if you carry it around and drink from it every day, the marketing alone will save the show.

So if you're interested in this rare, potentially valuable collectible cup, send me an email by Monday (11/19) at midnight (include your mailing address) and you'll be in the drawing.

The giving of valuable timepieces goes hand-in-hand with momentous milestones.

So that explains the cheap plastic wall clock we're giving away to celebrate the 200th episode of "Family Guy," Seth MacFarlane's hit animated series on Fox. (Actually, it's really cool.)

Also, there's the whole "time" element associated with this Sunday's special one-hour episode, which airs at 9 p.m. In that episode, Brian breaks Stewie's time machine, causing reality to run in reverse. They have to hurry to fix it before they go so far back that Stewie becomes "unborn."

If you'd like to have this clock for your very own (batteries not included), send me an email by midnight Sunday and I'll randomly select a winner. Go ahead and include your mailing address when you email. Good luck!

And we all thought those two really stable, balanced singing personalities were going to get along so well... [Illusions shattered.] This video, posted on TMZ, captured a mostly one-sided screaming match (Minaj at Carey) at an "American Idol" audition yesterday in Charlotte. I can't understand a quarter of what Nicki is saying here (EW has some transcription), but she's clearly upset. I'm guessing Keith Urban, sitting between the two divas, is wondering what the heck he's gotten himself into.

The Mindy Project
Tuesday at 9:30 on Fox

There's a lot to like about this much-anticipated sitcom from "The Office" writer and actress Mindy Kaling.

The writing is fresh and funny, and Kaling is a gifted comedic actress. So my teensy bit of letdown is likely because my expectations were too high to start with. It's a solid sitcom.

Kaling plays an OB/GYN whose professional success is tempered by her lack of success in finding a soul mate. Mindy (also her character's name) was raised on romantic comedies and the "meet cute, fall in love, eat brunch and live happily ever after" notion of romance is deeply ingrained to the point of damage.

Ben and Kate
Tuesdays at 8:30 on Fox

Based on the pilot, this is my favorite new comedy of the season. No, seriously. I love this show. If future episodes are half as charming as the pilot, it could end up being my favorite sitcom on TV (sorry, "Happy Endings").

Dakota Johnson (daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith) plays Kate, a single mom with an adorable little moppet of a kid, played by Maggie Elizabeth Jones from "We Bought a Zoo." Nat Faxon (co-screenwriter of "The Descendants") is Ben, the unpredictable, screw-up older brother who constantly breezes in and out of their lives.

The Mob Doctor
Mondays at 9 p.m.
Fox

I get what Fox is trying to do here: take a run-of-the-mill doc drama and inject some excitement by making the doctor beholden to mobsters and forced to do their bidding on the side. Unfortunately, the pilot wasn't always as exciting as that may sound.

A very likable Jordana Spiro ("My Boys") plays the Chicago surgeon working off her brother's gambling debt to the Moretti mob family. No one knows she's doing this, not even the shiftless brother.

The pilot opens strong with Dr. Devlin in the back room of a veterinary clinic removing a long screwdriver from a mob soldier's head -- without the benefit of x-rays or diagnostic tools -- while he bites down on a rubber chew toy. Intense.

A Fox press release issued this morning confirmed the new judges for the upcoming season of "American Idol."

Keith Urban, Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey will join Randy Jackson at the judges' table.

Executive producer Simon Fuller, from the release: “With the exciting addition of Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj, alongside Randy Jackson, AMERICAN IDOL’s star power has never been so great."

"American Idol" returns in January 2013.