With the fall TV season underway, the networks are rolling out a number of new shows. This is one in an ongoing series of Media Life previews of these programs.

Name of show
“My Own Worst Enemy”

Timeslot
NBC, Mondays 10 p.m.

Plot synopsis
The respected movie actor Christian Slater plays a secret agent with a split personality in “My Own Worst Enemy.”

There is, on one side, Edward, a sleek spy who knows 13 languages and can hold his breath for five minutes (in case he should take a dunk). The other personality is Henry, a suburban family man with a wife, two kids, a dog and a minivan.

Edward doesn't know about Henry, and Henry is not aware there is an Edward, though they both live in the same body. The U.S. government controls Edward/Henry, switching personalities as needed, sending Edward out on missions and then easily tucking him away on his return in the personality of Henry, deep in the suburbs.

Alfre Woodard plays Mavis Heller, Edward’s boss at Janus Headquarters, our top secret agency. Mike O’Malley is Tom Grady, Henry’s friend and co-worker, who as it should happen also has a secret-agent alter ego.

Clear so far? Now here's the plot-twister.

The government being the government, things don't always work right at the control switches, and sometimes Edward emerges in Henry's place, while grilling hot dogs, for example, and Henry might emerge when Edward is on a big mission, perhaps while setting off some C4 or jumping from a plane. Not good.

Outlook
“Enemy” is a spy mystery, but that's the least of the mysteries surrounding this show. A bigger one is why the show ever got greenlighted in the first place. Another is why Slater ever agreed to do it.

Early reviews, even the kind ones, regard the show's premise as rife with convolutions. It could just as well be a slapstick comedy with all that's going on. As a drama, the storyline seems impossibly complicated.

There's also something terrible missing: an identifiable, sympathetic main character. Dual personalities, whether Clark/Superman or Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, make for engaging drama because we see can identify with and relate to the one or both sides of the character and to the struggle that goes on between the two.

With "Enemy," there's little to identify with, since neither side, Henry nor Edward, is aware of the other, and neither controls his destiny. The government does.

"Enemy" also faces a tough go of it because it's airing against CBS’s strong “CSI: Miami.” The show is averaging a 4.2 among 18-49s through two episodes this season, up from a 3.9 for all of last season.

"Enemy" has less to worry about from ABC’s “Boston Legal,” which has averaged just a 2.1 among 18-49s this season. But come Monday, "Enemy" must also face Fox’s coverage of the Major League Baseball playoffs.

Also hurting “Enemy’s” chances is lead-in “Heroes.” While an ideal lead-in in terms of thematic compatibility, that show is in a rapid decline, which means it won't give "Enemy" nearly the boost NBC was planning on.

“Heroes” hit a series-low 4.0 among 18-49s this week, sliding from its 4.5 average this season, which is down 15 percent last season's 5.3.

The buzz
Media buyers haven’t seen much of “My Own Worst Enemy" beyond the promos airing over recent days, but what they have seen is confusing.

“I don’t quite get it,” says John Padgett, media director at Hauser Group in Atlanta. "It’s not completely obvious what it is."

And while “Enemy” looks well-produced and has a strong cast, that won’t help much if viewers are too confused to stay interested.

Too, they're concerned by the decline of “Heroes.” Says Padgett: “I think when they put the schedule together they thought ‘Heroes’ would be a stronger lead-in for it. But obviously there’s nothing you can bank on.”

What critics are saying
“The first episode of ‘My Own Worst Enemy’ is so silly, I’ll bet it’s going to improve greatly. It has to: I refuse to believe that men as talented as executive producers John Eisendrath (‘Alias’), Jason Smilovic (the cruelly underrated ‘Kidnapped’), and David Semel (director of the pilots for ‘Heroes’ and ‘Life’) could be in charge of this new spy series and allow it to remain as ridiculous as it starts out.” – Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly

“Huh? The concept seemed confusing until creator Jason Smilovic explained it at the TV industry's summer press gathering — at which point it became completely incomprehensible." – USA Today

“It’s too early to tell if the ‘Enemy’ premise will hold up week after week. The premise might have been better suited to a one-shot movie, but Smilovic makes a convincing case for aspects of the dual characters that can be explored for weeks and years to come.” – Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette