“Hidden Palms”? Think “Knots Landing” crossed with “Beverly Hills 90210”. That is, if you’re not too young to remember either show — which the audience “Hidden Palms” is targeting may very well be.

On this new CW melodrama, good-looking, agitated teens inhabit the posh homes on the Palm Springs cul-de-sac that borders on a lush golf course.

There, secrets abound. Hormones rage. And at the centre of it all is Johnny Miller.

He was a happy, high-achieving student until his father’s suicide the year before. Now he’s out of rehab, where he kicked (for now) the chemical dependence his grief set off. But testing his resolve is his mother’s abrupt marriage to a man he doesn’t care for, and the newlyweds’ decision to relocate here to Palm Springs so the family can make a fresh start.

Also hanging over things: the death of a teen named Eddie under mysterious circumstances. Eddie’s family had lived in Johnny’s house; it was Johnny’s room where Eddie died.

Eddie’s death seems to haunt not just Johnny but everyone he meets, chief among them lovely Greta, who is mysterious, moody but potentially a friend. And adding to the intrigue is his next-door neighbour, Cliff, a fellow high schooler whose hopped-up charm seems at war with a sinister streak.

Will Johnny make peace with rich, stuffy Palm Springs? Will he find answers to the questions that hang over the community (and his own psyche)? Can he ever get used to the heat?

Taylor Handley (“The O.C.”) stars as Johnny. Amber Heard plays Greta; Michael Cassidy is Cliff. The ensemble also includes Sharon Lawrence and Gail O’Grady.

“Hidden Palms” premieres at 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

Other shows this week to look out for:

[bul] Three decades after the release of “Star Wars,” who can remember a time before? It was just a little sci-fi flick that opened, unheralded, in theatres 30 years ago. But “Star Wars” not only fed on rich mythologies, but (since its release May 25, 1977) has created a mythology of its own. Now a new documentary, “Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed” takes a look at this film phenomenon, charting the impact of ancient mythology from Greek legends to King Arthur, as well as more recent influences, from the political rise of Napoleon to the manoeuvring by Hitler. The documentary demonstrates that “Star Wars” isn’t just about space adventure. It’s a complex saga about power, politics, sin, spirituality and redemption. Consider those light sabres a flashy bonus. The two-hour exploration airs at 10 p.m. Monday on the History Channel.

[bul] “Big Medicine” shines a light on losers. This 13-part unscripted series joins obesity sufferers as they seek help from a father-and-son physician team that specialises in gastric bypass surgery. At their Houston weight-loss institute, Dr. Garth Davis and his father, Dr. Robert Davis, perform gastric surgeries on patients weighing from 400 to 1,000 pounds. Along with the weight-loss stories, the series chronicles the turbulent relationship between the father and son team. Even while operating on a patient, they sometimes argue about the proper steps to take. By one measure, 60 million US adults are obese and 9 million severely obese. “Big Medicine” documents two doctors trying to reduce that list, one patient at a time. The series premieres at 10 p.m. on Monday on TLC.

[bul] A visitor to an art-filled home may be captivated by paintings or photos, while overlooking the beauty of furniture, ceramics or fabrics on hand. “Craft in America” gives these kinds of artwork their due as both useful and inspiring, while it places them in the history of American culture. A decade in the making, “Craft in America” is a multifaceted journey into the origin and endurance of craft traditions. It recognises such media as glass, wood, metalwork, jewellery and baskets.

The three-hour programme is divided into “Memory” (craft’s history in America), “Landscape” (the relationship between the artists and their physical environment) and “Community” (artists’ spiritual connection to their communities through craft-making). A co-production of Craft in America (a nonprofit educational group) and the Independent Television Service, the program airs at 9 p.m. on Wednesday on PBS (check local listings).