Ever since cable channels like HBO and AMC started putting more energy into original series they've been home to some of the best scripted programs on television. The nature of how money gets to cable stations (less about advertising, more about subscription fees) has allowed these channels to foster higher-brow, more cinematic shows than usually find their way onto the networks. Fall 2010 looks like it won't be changing that trend. There are a slew of new cable shows slated to premiere between September and January. Here are the first few.

Three Inches (Syfy, TBD)

No word yet on when this super hero comedy is supposed to air but it's had the greenlight since March. Three Inches is a parody of the super hero team story. It revolves around a man who somehow acquires the ability to move objects with his mind, though he can't push them more than three inches at a time. He assembles a group of other people with low-wattage powers in a bid to fight crime, presumably with liberal use of postmodernism. One of the lead writing credits goes to Hartley Peyton of Twin Peaks fame, so this one could end up being one of weirdest, most interesting shows on TV. That, or a quickly forgotten joke.

The Walking Dead (AMC, October)

AMC, a channel that used to show nothing but classic movies, hopped on board the original scripted series train a few years ago, or rather it hopped back on board. The channel tried its hand at original programming back in 1996 with the sleepy but successful Remember WENN, but after that and The Lot ended, they didn't go back for more for eight solid years. When AMC launched Mad Men in 2007 it was a smash hit, likewise with Breaking Bad the following year. AMC premiered the espionage drama Rubicon earlier this month and it's planning on airing the six-episode zombie series The Walking Dead in October. It's based off of Robert Kirkman's graphic novel of the same name. While the world may be going through a little zombie fatigue lately, the chilling makeup effects and the chance to tell a longer, more nuanced story suggest The Walking Dead will be more than a standard creature feature.

Terriers (FX, September 8th)

Tonally, FX bridges the gap between the restraint of network TV and the uncensored world of premium cable, providing just enough grit and maturity to stand out among its basic cable peers. Terriers looks like FX's replacement for The Shield, only more comedic. It stars Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James as a pair of unlicensed private detectives. From the previews it seems like it'll have its fair share of shocks and laughs, but it probably won't be for everybody. Ted Griffin of the woefully underrated movie Matchstick Men is the showrunner, so it promises to be clever and ugly in a calculated way.

Lights Out (FX, January)

Not really a Fall show given its January debut (but close enough for this preview), Lights Out is an upcoming FX drama about an aging boxer played by Holt McCallany who has to start paying the bills as the muscle for a bookie. Even if Lights Out turns out to be another melancholy crime show, it'll be one of the better ones on TV. McCallany is long overdue for a leading role and there's plenty of cinematic style to the preview footage.

We'll be back later this week to look at the newest offerings from some of cable's other big hitters.