With so much great television premiering and finding success in September, the networks had to bump some of their premieres to this month, which means more great new programming all month long. And as it's October, that means the return of 'The Walking Dead' on AMC, while FX tries to capture the same spirit with the debut of 'American Horror Story.'

When it comes to broadcast television, this is the month the networks have been working toward all year. We've been getting slammed with ads for the fall fare on the big five networks all summer, and now it's time for them to put up or shut up. So what's in store?

You've got big name returns like Sarah Michelle Gellar ('Ringer'), Tim Allen ('Last Man Standing') and the dynamic duo of Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell on 'The X-Factor.' Then there's the much-anticipated premiere of the newly rebooted 'Two and a Half Men,' with Charlie Sheen out and Ashton Kutcher in. Check out the rest of the new shows, not to mention all of your returning favorites, below.

We may be a month or so away from the big fall premieres in September, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty to keep us busy on our TV screens until then. Sure we say goodbye to 'The Bachelorette,' but who doesn't love its sleazier cousin, 'Bachelor Pad'? And, of course, 'Jersey Shore' returns to show us how the kids fared in Italy. Surely they were embraced with open arms, right?

A lot of summer scripted series bid us farewell as well, including 'Falling Skies, 'Franklin & Bash,' 'Single Ladies,' 'White Collar,' 'Covert Affairs,' 'In Plain Sight,' 'Memphis Beat,' 'The Nine Lives of Chloe King,' 'HawthoRNe,' 'Flashpoint,' 'Leverage,' and 'Royal Pains.' It's not all goodbyes, though.

After everyone gets done celebrating America's Independence Day on July 4, what are they going to do for the rest of the month? It's awfully hot out there!

That's why we recommend staying inside where the air conditioning is cool, and TV is even cooler. You'll want to hang onto this handy guide of all the premieres, specials and finales so you'll know where to find your favorite shows like 'Torchwood,' premiering on Starz, and 'Damages,' shifting over to DirecTV's Audience channel.

Here's tonight's lineup of new shows and events (all times Eastern). Check your local TV listings for additional information.

Starts at 7:00
ESPN: '2010 NFL Draft' -- Rounds 2 and 3

8:00 to 9:00
ABC: 'Wife Swap'
The CW: 'Smallville'
NBC: 'Who Do You Think You Are?' -- Two Hours
Cartoon Network: 'Ben 10: Ultimate Alien' and 'Generator Rex'
Disney: 'The Suite Life on Deck'
Nick: 'Big Time Rush' and 'Victorious'

9:00 to 10:00
ABC: 'Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution' -- Season (series?) finale
Animal Planet: 'I Shouldn't Be Alive'
Cartoon Network: 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars'
CMT: 'Gator 911' and 'Danger Coast'
Discovery: 'Swamp Loggers'
HBO: 'The Ricky Gervais Show' and 'The Life & Times of Tim'
National Geographic: 'Dog Whisperer'
TeenNick: 'Degrassi: The Next Generation'
TLC: 'Say Yes to the Dress' -- Season premiere. Two 30-minute episodes
SyFy: 'Stargate Universe'

10:00 to 11:00
ABC: '20/20' -- Stories on false accusations
CBS: 'Miami Medical'
BBC America: 'Friday Night With Jonathan Ross' -- Idris Elba; Kiefer Sutherland; Gemma Arterton; performance by Alphabeat
CMT: 'Smoke Jumpers'
HBO: 'Real Time With Bill Maher' -- Journalist Matthew Continetti; security expert Susan Eisenhower; Rep. Alan Grayson; counter-terrorism expert Richard Clarke; activist Dr. Jack Kevorkian
Discovery: 'American Loggers' -- Season finale
E! 'The Soup'
Food Network: 'Private Chefs of Beverly Hills'
SyFy: 'Merlin'
Starz: 'Party Down' and 'Gravity' -- Season and series premieres, respectively
TLC: 'Four Weddings'

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

(S02E01) Great. Now I'm gonna be picturing Ted as "Aquated" for the next few days. (Surprise! He looks good in aquatights!)

Phil and Lem's hilarious superhero fantasy was only a tiny throwaway gag in a premiere full of wonderfully weird moments and plotlines. There was Ted's fake obsession with Utah, Veronica's real obsession with Utah, and Taye Diggs' obsession with dressing up like a bear and terrorizing innocent park dwellers. What's say we start off by discussing that last one?

At this point, I'm convinced that Diggs' contract with ABC says that he gets to appear on all of the network's shows. (I can't wait to see him on General Hospital.) I'm not complaining, though. The guy really knows how to deliver the funny (and the crazy). At first I thought his character was going to end up being Ted's bland and handsome rival for Linda's affections. Thankfully, the writers had something far more insane in mind. Hearing Diggs confess his secret to Linda – on their first date! – reminded me of why I love this show so much: It's just so damn bizarre! But Better Off Ted rarely feels like it's actually trying to be weird. Like Diggs, the show makes crazy look easy.

The networks have had a quiet summer, quietly introducing scripted bomb after scripted bomb, so they're certainly ready to jump into the new fall season. And It looks to be an interesting one. ABC is scheduling a two-hour block of new comedies on Wednesdays as the sitcom tries to make a comeback.

Even more risky is NBC handing 10:00 to Jay Leno every night of the week. Everyone's waiting to see how that one plays out. FOX is banking on huge positive buzz for Glee to make it a hit, while ABC is hoping FlashForward can pick up where Lost is leaving off when it wraps its run this season.

To help you with it all, TV Squad has put together a handy calendar of all the premieres so you can schedule responsibly in this busy time of TV watching. Some nights have as many as twelve premieres scheduled, so you might need to invest in a few more DVRs to catch all your favorites; Monday's still look grim. Bookmark this page and you'll have it handy to help see you through.

Warm up the DVR, because the beginning of the new fall television season is going to be here sooner than you think. In a trend that has continued for several years now, thanks in part to FOX's schedule of football games and broadcast of baseball's World Series, the fall television season actually begins in late August rather than right after the Emmy Awards (which are being held on August 27th). This year is no exception.

As mentioned back in June, FOX will roll out some its more popular shows this month, starting with the second season of Prison Break starting on August 21st. In fact, out of the 15 shows that will air before the 'official' start of the season on September 18th, 12 of them are on FOX. This includes the season premieres of Bones (August 30th), House (September 5th) and the animated shows The Simpsons, Family Guy and American Dad (September 10th).

Premiere pandemonium arrives in mid-September. Fifty-three series, new and old, will premiere between September 18th until October 5th. The latest series to premiere in the actual fall season will be ABC's Day Break, which will take its bow on November 15th. A complete list of shows and their airdates can be found below (most dates obtained through StarPulse).