CBS has found a way to make to make its Wednesday night hits, “Criminal Minds” and “CSI: NY,” seem a little lighter.

After all, there’s nothing like the threat of nuclear annihilation to make serial killers and forensics seem softer in comparison.

“Jericho” poses the interesting question of what happens to the residents of a small Kansas town when they see a mushroom cloud on the horizon as a major metropolitan city (in this case Denver) is destroyed by a nuclear bomb.

In reality, they probably would die, thanks to fallout and radiation. But this being a show with a sci-fi bent on network TV, it’s probably not going to last long enough for that to happen.

Anyway, “Jericho” centers around a prominent family in that town, the Greens: mayor Johnston (Gerald McRaney), his wife and the town’s first lady, Gail (Pamela Reed), favorite son and deputy mayor Eric (Kenneth Mitchell) and prodigal son Jake (Skeets Ulrich), who returns just as the lights go out.

“Jericho” does a credible job of looking at what happens when the world is thrown into chaos, as residents struggle to find information when communications are knocked out and they must band together for the good of all.

The series has landed on the right night, as “Lost” viewers already are used to pondering complicated puzzles. Of course, that didn’t help a similar serial, “Invasion,” last season.

Unfortunately, “Jericho” is a show that taps into the paranoid mood of George W. Bush’s America. But don’t hold that against this well-constructed drama.

“Kidnapped,” debuting tonight on NBC, faces an unenviable reputation as the show that was strong enough to jettison “Law & Order” from its longtime slot (“L&O” moves to 10 p.m. Friday). No pressure there.

In fact, it may be a signal of a sea change, as a serial such as “Kidnapped” takes over for “Law & Order,” long the bastion of the self-contained drama.

Like Fox’s similar program “Vanished,” “Kidnapped” is less about the crime and more about the people brought together by it.

The son of wealthy parents (played by Timothy Hutton and Dana Delany), 15-year-old Leopold Cain (Will Denton) gets kidnapped, his bodyguard Virgil (Mykelti Williamson) left for dead.

Seeking to recover the teen are Special Agent Latimer King (Delroy Lindo), who puts off his retirement to take part in the case, and Knapp (Jeremy Sisto), an investigator who specializes in retrieving kidnap victims. The two share a history and have a professional respect for each other.

Created by Jason Smilovic (the criminally short-lived “Karen Sisco”), “Kidnapped” is a meaty thriller which tells its tale from the points of view of many characters, “Rashomon”-style.

Unfortunately, it’s up against the established “CSI: NY” and another promising newcomer, “The Nine.” With a weak lead-in of two new sitcoms and a ho-hum reality show, “Kidnapped” could be spirited away before enough viewers find it.