Hurricane Katrina just about sank Invasion, as ABC initially pulled on-air promotion for the series in order to be sensitive about the situation the real hurricane survivors were facing. It was a good decision, but it's also the right decision to let Invasion premiere as planned. While the story may take us into the fantastic, it does it in a very subtle way that will only give us more of an understanding of some of the trauma hurricane survivors might face.

Invasion is a terrific new series from American Gothic's Shaun Cassidy, and right from the start the strong cast and storytelling draw us into this tale. The blended family at the core of the series feels real. It's a puzzle of a family that doesn't quite fit together, and yet they have to tolerate and accept each other.

Russell's a smart guy, but is there something strange going on with his ex-wife and her sheriff husband, or is it just his imagination? Did Rose really see something strange in the sky? He tolerates his wife's sponge of a brother, but what is the thing in the trunk of Dave's car? By the end of this first episode, we're with him in his concern for the people in his life.

Cassidy does a wonderful job of laying the ground for Invasion, but in the most subtle way. While the clues to what's going on might not be enough for everyone, it will most likely work terrifically for viewers of Lost, the series it follows on Wednesday nights. Invasion isn't actually about the alien stuff. It's about the people, and that's been the secret Lost has utilized all along.

As for the actors, Cibrian and Matchett are just right as Russell and Mariel. They bristle nicely in each other's presence, as a real divorced couple with children just might do. And William Fichtner is terrific as the sheriff who may just have nefarious plans for the people in Russell's life. Fichtner oozes foreboding without even trying. He's reminiscent of Gary Cole as Sheriff Lucas Buck (and perhaps the devil) in American Gothic, one of the all-time great television bad guys.