Good news! It’s midseason, when the networks normally would begin replacing underperforming series with those that weren’t ready (or weren’t good enough) in the fall.

Well, this season, instead of replacing series they’ve interrupted, network executives are replacing shows that have been truncated by the Writers’ Guild strike. But the basic effect is the same.

A TV staple any time of year is the legal drama. Only “Eli Stone,” debuting at 10 tonight after “Lost” on ABC, is more of a character study.

The title character, played by Jonny Lee Miller, is a lawyer at a top San Francisco firm that represents corporations and where “screwing over the little guy” is common practice.

Eli is successful in his field, and also is engaged to the lawyer daughter (Natasha Henstridge) of his firm’s senior partner (Victor Garber).

Then he starts hearing things, not a good development at a straight-laced law firm. One night, he awakes to find George Michael performing in his living room (… so that’s what happened to him).

Eli visits his neurologist brother, Nathan (Matt Letsher), who tells him there’s nothing wrong with him. But the hallucinations continue, so he goes to a Chinese acupuncturist, Dr. Chen (James Saito), who helps him to understand that the visions are connected to his forgotten memories.

After a harrowing incident, Nathan orders more tests and discovers Eli has an inoperable condition. Dr. Chen has a different explanation: Eli is a prophet.

Eli reassesses his life, and decides to help others through his practice, prodded by junior associate Maggie (Julie Gonzalo), who serves as his conscience.

As co-created by Greg Berlanti (“Brothers & Sisters,” “Dirty Sexy Money”) and Marc Guggenheim (“Brothers & Sisters”), “Eli Stone” is a charming drama about a man who has reached a crossroads in his life and who wants to get back on the right path. It will be interesting to see if he makes it.