Adorably quirky and emotionally surprising, Eli Stone is a legal drama the same way Pushing Daisies (how I miss it) is a mere whodunit. Yes, Eli is a lawyer who can wow 'em in the courtroom. But his entertaining story is one of puzzling, fanciful and often musical hallucinations that propel this ambitious corporate attorney into a new career path: as a crusading do-gooder who just might be a modern prophet.

It makes sense that his late father's ashes are in a Chock Full o' Nuts coffee can. Eli may have inherited his fine madness, which is diagnosed as an inoperable brain aneurysm. His bizarre symptoms — lavish production numbers in his head, a buzzing biplane only he can see — are making him a better, if stranger, person.

Jonny Lee Miller is perfectly charming as Eli, juggling smarts and silliness with a wide-eyed wonder as he bumbles helplessly through his visions of George Michael in his living room and boardroom, eventually learning to believe in people, including himself. There's a little Don Quixote, a little Eastern mysticism (including a trip to the Himalayas), in his feel-good journey.

Eli Stone is blessed with a strong and diverse supporting cast, including Alias' Victor Garber — who gets to sing in the second episode — as his tough but curious boss (and potential father-in-law), Loretta Devine as his overprotective assistant and James Saito as a philosophical acupuncturist who's not quite what he seems.

Watching Eli take on seemingly hopeless cases with the help of a ditzy young associate (Julie Gonzalo in a thankless role) offers lump-in-the-throat moments aplenty. There's a glow about Eli as he confronts the new magic in his life. Where he goes, I want to follow.

Eli Stone airs Thursdays, 10 pm/ET, ABC

Sidebar: In Treatment

The doctor is in, every day, but only a glutton for punishment would consider In Treatment appointment TV. The gimmick's in the scheduling of this tediously claustrophobic though sometimes searing half-hour drama, set almost entirely in a psychotherapist’s office. Episodes air Monday to Friday, and depending on the day, you'll know which of his patients is coming.

Some treat the sessions like a seduction, others like a competition with Dr. Paul Weston (the excellent Gabriel Byrne), challenging or sulking over his insights. The acting is impeccable, but I often nodded off before Paul declares time's up. The exception is on Fridays, when the unhappy doc unloads on his own therapist (Dianne Wiest), or in any scene involving Paul's clashes with his bitter, neglected wife (the awesome Michelle Forbes). In these moments, the show can be shattering.

In Treatment airs Monday through Friday, 9:30 pm/ET, HBO