The new TV season: Who survived last-season cliffhangers, and what new show will be first to go

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To paraphrase Navin R. Johnson, “The new TV season is here. The new TV season is here.” (Extra points to anyone who gets that reference.)

I am looking forward to finally having some of last spring's cliffhangers resolved.

Did any of the “NCIS” crew survive the car bombing? Will Illya Kuryakin — I mean, Ducky Mallard — succumb to his apparent heart attack? Did Beckett finally scale the “Castle” wall? Will “Big Bang's” Howard Wolowitz run into any aliens in outer space? Will we find out who shot J.R. and Mr. Burns? So many unanswered questions.

Then there are all of the new series hoping to avoid the dubious honor of being the first canceled.

Buying into the premise that you can never get too much Sherlock Holmes, I have high hopes for “Elementary,” the latest incarnation of that ever-evolving character. In a bit of interesting casting, Lucy Liu plays Dr. Joan Watson. (I can picture Sir Arthur Conan Doyle turning over in his grave.)

Mr. Holmes may be the most enduring detective of all time, from his first appearance in print in the late 1800s to Data assuming his identity on the U.S.S. Enterprise's holodeck a few centuries from now in “Star Trek: Next Generation.”

“Animal Practice” could be another promising show. Unfortunately, it is starting out with one strike against it due to the poor timing of its sneak preview interrupting the closing ceremonies of the Olympics. Good move, NBC.

Maybe I was just in a bad mood due to the scheduling of that pilot episode, but I just didn't find it all that funny. I love animals, so I really hope this show can cock its head, perk up its ears, roll over and become a hit.

But I am not holding my puppy breath. (Is there a cuter foul smell in all the world?)