10 Shows to Watch

Windfall: Chris Haston

Windfall

STARRING Luke Perry (above right), Sarah Wynter, Jason Gedrick, Lana Parrilla (above left)

WHAT IT'S ABOUT A group of 20 people — friends, strangers, couples, extramarital couples — who win a lottery jackpot of $386 million. Needless to say, things go south from there.

WHAT TO EXPECT A soapy, sweet saga following the separate and intertwining backstories of the massive cast of characters. Perry, starring as an average good guy whose wife longs for another lotto winner (''I know I'm usually the guy who gets a lot of women and wrecks cars, but for me, this is harder''), sums it up this way: ''A lot of people think money will change who you are. Money doesn't make a difference. It's like alcohol — it just lets the real you free.''

WHY IT'S WORTH WATCHING For one thing, who hasn't wondered what it would be like to win the lottery? ''The question in the forefront of my mind writing this show is, If your wildest dreams came true, would the same people be in your life?'' says creator Laurie McCarthy (Felicity, CSI: Miami). ''There's nothing better than watching people emotionally free-fall in a way that's relatable.''