It must be stated, though, that Gilligan wrote its script more than a decade ago and has had little input on day-to-day shooting. Still, , which premieres tomorrow (Fox, 9.50pm), will undoubtedly be billed as "from the creator of !" and expectations will be ridiculously high.

Gilligan has teamed up with writer David Shore, the Emmy-winning creator of , and the pilot episode introduces us to Russ Agnew (Dean Winters, pictured, foreground, above; ), a jaded detective struggling to police the small town of Battle Creek with limited resources. Enter the cavalry, in the form of charming Special Agent Milton Chamberlain (Josh Duhamel, pictured, foreground, left; ), with his deep FBI pockets and fancy clothes. Rivalry ensues as the new partners try to solve crimes in very different ways.

While a mismatched partnership sounds all too familiar, this is not your typical police procedural. With a criminal cartel dealing not in blue crystal but maple syrup, Shore is steering clear of amped-up violence: "There will be big crimes and real stakes but with small-town personal angles and a sense of humour."

I didn't really get into during its first season and looks set to have a similar effect. The pace is pedestrian and the sarcastic banter feels forced but, with Winters, Duhamel and Shore on board (and a teeny bit of Gilligan), the potential is certainly great.

Moving on to a more tropical-flavoured police department, Caribbean crime drama enters its third season on BBC Entertainment this week (Thursday at 9pm; although the entire season has been on demand on Now Broadband for weeks already). Having been stuck on the fictional island of Saint Marie - think a sort of exotic Midsomer - Detective Inspector Richard Poole (Ben Miller; ) makes a rather shocking exit in this week's premiere, to be replaced by one Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall; ). While it retains the all-too-tidy weekly whodunnit format, Marshall's arrival breathes new life into the show, if you can tolerate his bumbling Hugh Grantisms. Fans of Miller, however - who was the main draw last time around - are not going to be happy bunnies.

But let us leave sun-soaked murders behind to investigate something closer to home: the science behind the headlines. BBC/Open University co-production (BBC Knowledge, Tuesdays at 9.55pm) returned to our screens last week with a focus on energy and the effect that the depletion of key resources could have on future generations. This week, the team of bright sparks examines how the ability of modern gadgets to store all kinds of information, aka big data, will change our world.

The presenters examine how data collection can help monitor the performance of jet engines before creating a lo-tech computer storage system made from hack-saw blades and magnets.

Former children's TV presenter Maggie Philbin explores the dark side of big data; how much of our private information is collected and how easily can the unscrupulous get their grubby mitts on it? Philbin is well-versed in this field: holding an honorary doctorate in technology, she co-presented , the British science show that spread jam onto a Bee Gees' CD to show the indestructibility of the new technology (and greatly improve the band's music).

Still, I swear promised us we'd all have rocket boots and teletransporters by now, so I'm gonna take with a pinch of salt.