The fall season has been full of comebacks, from Sarah Michelle Gellar on the CW’s "Ringer" to Tim Allen on ABC’s "Last Man Standing." While some shows that were heavily promoted, like ABC’s revamp of "Charlie’s Angels" and NBC’s "The Playboy Club" have seen an early end, other shows have survived with full season pick-ups and a handful have captured the audience. This fall 2011 season has been full of many surprise hits and some that were expected to be successful.

1. "American Horror Story"

Wednesdays at 10pm on FX 

What is better than a family living in a haunted house, being tormented and toyed with by the ghosts that inhabit it? If you ask the audience, the answer is nothing. FX’s horror-filled drama, starring Dylan McDermott and Connie Britton, centers on a troubled family, who move from Boston to Los Angeles to start over. Instead, they end up moving into a house dubbed the ‘murder house’ by the locals, which has its own haunted past full of violence, murders and of course horror. The series from the creators of "Glee" and "Nip/Tuck," Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, has already captivated America. The series has already been picked up for a second season after only five episodes.

2. "Once Upon A Time"

Sundays at 8pm on ABC 

ABC’s new show is proving that everyone still loves a fairy tale, only this time there are no happy endings. Well at least not for awhile. Of course, a series this monumental can be expected from the writers of "Lost." The show centered in Storybrooke a small town in Maine, where time has been frozen by none other than the Evil Queen. Every person in the small town is a character from a fairy tale but the curse the Evil Queen has cast on the town has made them all forget their real identities. When Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) comes into town, she learns she is the only one who can break the curse. The show has been a great hit for ABC so far; it has already been picked up for a full season after only two episodes. The show is one of the few shows on TV that is family friendly, helping it ensure its success in all demographics.

3. "Revenge"

Wednesdays at 10pm on ABC 

Revenge is a thing best served on an expensive dish in The Hamptons. The ABC drama is loosely based on Alexandre Dumas’ novel "The Count of Monte Cristo" and has already been picked up for a full season. Emily VanCamp stars as ‘Emily Thorne’, who moves back to The Hamptons to seek revenge on the people who caused her father’s death and destroyed her family. It’s the classic story of revenge taken to one of the wealthiest and exclusive cities in the country, what is not to love? The audience certainly loves it. The show has proven its success by coming ahead in the ratings of veteran TV series  "CSI" and "Law & Order: SVU," who both share its timeslot.

 4. "New Girl"

Tuesdays at 8pm on Fox 

How successful can a show about a girl moving in with three male guys, who are complete strangers, be? For Fox’s "New Girl" this is all a recipe for success. With Zooey Deschanel in the lead role invading a bachelor pad, this promises to be some show and everyone can see why it has become a sure hit for Fox. The sitcom starring Deschanel as ‘Jess’, is about a girl who is trying to get over a break-up and moves in with three guys she has never met. The show highlights and plays up the dynamics of a girl living in an apartment full of men and how they deal with her. Fox’s sitcom has been the surprise hit of the season and its pilot episode brought in debut ratings that the network has not had in a decade for a sitcom.

5. "Person of Interest"

Thursdays at 9pm on CBS 

J.J. Abrams and Jonathan Nolan are at it again. The two come together on CBS’ crime-drama a "Person of Interest." The show stars Jim Caviezel, who plays ‘John Reese’ a former Green Beret and CIA officer, who has been presumed dead for many years. He is brought back from the dead by Mr. Finch (Michael Emerson), a billionaire software genius, who has built a program for the U.S. government that predicts terrorist threats. He soon discovers that this program has information that can predict violent crimes and hires Reese to help stop them. The CBS drama has done so well that the network moved the timeslot of longtime vet and hit series "CSI" to make room for the new show. With moves like that and a full season pick-up, the series promises to be a new kind of crime-drama for current and future generations.

Reach writer Denise Gonzalez here