OK, no Jack Bauer jokes in regards to Kiefer Sutherland's new Fox series, "Touch," which debuts at 9 p.m.

Yes, at one point he accidentally slams his hand in a drawer and shouts "Dammit!" and at another point, he is running through a crowded train station, trying to get to a specific phone at exactly 3:18 p.m.

"Touch" is more of a spiritual drama, with Sutherland starring as widower Martin Boum. who is trying to take care of his severely autistic son Jake (David Mazouz), who has never spoken a word and won't allow anyone to touch him.

Martin slowly begins to realize that the sequence of numbers that Jake writes over and over is a kind of code, touching the lives of others in a lot of different ways that Martin can't see, but Jake can.

A lost cell phone that Martin finds at JFK airport connects the lives of an Irish pub singer, an overseas businessman and a potential suicide bomber in Iraq. Closer to home, Martin gets in a dust-up with a mysterious man (Titus Welliver), who not only has a connection to Martin and Jake but soon has an impact on others.

If you are a believer in Chaos Theory, in which nothing is random and everything is connected -- even if we don't see the patterns -- "Touch" is the series for you.

The pilot is top-notch. My concern is that the series is created by Tim Kring, who had a very good first season of "Heroes," only to see that show go off the rails. Given the subject matter, this series could face the same dilemma as it continues on.

But for right now, it's an enjoyable show worth checking out.

WEDNESDAY'S BEST BETS: Tonight marks Marg Helgenberger's final episode on the long-running "CSI" (CBS, 10 p.m.), after a new "Criminal Minds" at 9 p.m.

NBC's sitcoms "Whitney" and "Chelsea" are both new, and both notable for leaving the "com" out of "sitcom."

"Touch" follows a new "American Idol" at 8 p.m., while "One Tree Hill" (CW, 8 p.m.)

On cable, Hank and Divya must help a rock band that takes ill on "Royal Pains" (USA, 10 p.m.), while "Mistresses" (BBC America, 10 p.m.) is new.