Fall TV Preview: 14 Exclusive Shots

''[Chris O'Donnell] being from the north side of Chicago and more Midwestern, and me being from New York City, in the inner-city, it was an interesting dynamic because we really bring different experiences to the table that help make the whole show a little bit more diverse on a lot of different levels; not just the racial thing, but culturally.'' —LL Cool J

''You always want the underdog to do well. And these guys are so loveable. I mean, people just want to see them every week... You love each of these characters so much. You know that you want to put the TV on and watch someone else's life for a half an hour. It's incredible. People really seem to really like us.''

''You know, these characters aren't so cool that, you know, [audiences] want to emulate them or live vicariously through them.... They don't react to or they don't relate to their successes as much as they do their failures.''

''I still really feel that we have gone through a very healthy steady two-year climb. [But] I do think things have been a little more electric in the past three or four months.''

''These are kind of age-old archetypical characters and relationships — the love triangle, the quarterback with the cheerleader girlfriend, the talented dork. It's really classic stuff so people can relate to it. But it's presented to people in such a fresh way.'' —Cory Montieth, who plays Finn

On his character, Cameron: ''The story of Cameron is pretty simple: He's a paramedic, but he's also a father. And both...are putting demands on his [time], but he's only giving attention to one of them. So you know, Cameron has some growing up to do.''

On Betty's metamorphosis: ''It feels natural, you know. I feel like she's been changing in subtle ways, in her confidence and her talents and her love life. Her growing up on the inside has been happening for a while. So it seems like a very natural progression that the changing on the inside would manifest change on the outside. I don't think in any way, it's an abandoning of the idea of who Betty is and what she stands for.''

On his new character, based on real-life doctor ''Gonzo'' Gonzalez Delinsky: ''There are musicians I love, or actors I love, but I've never been star struck by anyone. But this guy...I'm totally star struck by this guy. He saves three or four lives a day.''

''It was great to see Thomas Calabro and do scenes together and laugh again. Like, 'Who would have thought we would ever be back?''' — Laura Leighton

''I was on a soap opera where I was a doctor, the producer of Erica Kane's talk show, marketing executive of a cosmetics company, owner of a casino, and a pilot. I even died and came back as a ghost. So I have yet to see the line being crossed at Melrose Place...but it's still early.'' — Colin Egglesfield

On the show's geek appeal: ''I think sci-fi people are, if anything, going to be disappointed by the lack [of sci-fi]. It's really really human, aside from the one major event. I've always been interested in how human beings deal with each other in a crisis, from a global crisis to a personal crisis. That's really brought to the fore in this show.''

On taking on a similar show after Lost: ''It's ambitious and attempting to be something big. There's a slight pressure with that. But I think it stands alone as its own.''

On his character seeing himself solving the central mystery of the show: ''I'm just waiting to see how he cracks and if he will crack. He's got a lot on his shoulders. That's the downside of the flash forward. He thinks he's onto it but maybe he's completely wrong.''

On his character not having a flash forward (and thus, possibly, no future): ''It's not good. But I'm used to fearing for my future as an actor.''

''We're trying to make it a little more cinematic than you usually see on the CW. A little edgier. A little darker. We're trying to push the envelope as much as we possibly can for network television. We can't do nudity. But you know what? There's lots of implications. Where we go, we get this close.''