Great escapes

End of summer got you down? Giving up on “Law and Order” once and for all now that Jerry Orbach has moved on? Wondering why “Medical Investigation” isn’t listed as a comedy?

I can’t help you on that last one (Assistant: “Doctor, you’re running out of time!”Doctor: “Don’t tell me I’m running out of time!!”) but here’s some suggestions to help you enjoy the new television season:

• Based on this season’s first episode, “Scrubs” is going to be better than ever. That’s saying something considering it was already the most innovative, consistently funny comedy on television. “Sad sack” Zach Braff — say that five times fast — also has a hit in movie theaters with “Garden State,” which he wrote and directed. If you haven’t already seen it, catch it some evening — just not Tuesdays at 9:30 eastern when “Scrubs” is on — and then buy the soundtrack, which alone is worth the price of admission.

• As the leaves begin to fall, so do the bodies when MYSTERY! opens October with special treat for fans of Britain’s Queen of Crime, P.D. James. “Death in Holy Orders” is MYSTERY!’s newest James adaptation, starring Martin Shaw as the famous Commander Adam Dalgliesh. This story is particularly timely with its focus on the church and the secrets that lie within. Sundays (Oct. 3 and 10).

• Now that “Arrested Development” has won an Emmy for best Comedy Series, maybe Fox won’t cancel it. It’s an acquired taste so let’s hope you have time to acquire it. (Sundays at 8:30 p.m. eastern).

– Carolyn Rummel