Going after DaVinci Code intrigue and Homeland action – the marketing promos also namedrop Indiana Jones and The FBI -- USA’s new series, Dig, has a great title, a solid cast, and, maybe best of all, a compelling main setting in Jerusalem’s Old City.

There are intersecting storylines also set in Norway and New Mexico, but the real action is on and under the millennia-old streets of Jerusalem, with as many background shots of the golden Dome of the Rock as possible.

FBI agent Peter Connelly (Jason Isaacs) is stationed there, working for Lynn Monahan, played by Anne Heche. Monahan, his occasional sex buddy, offered him the posting after Connelly’s daughter died and his marriage collapsed. One night he spots a redheaded American archaeologist (Alison Sudol) who closely resembles Connelly’s dead daughter. She leads him to an underground dig site where, irritatingly, she has carved her initials into the wall. (Do archaeologists do that?)

It’s a metaphorical rabbit hole for our hero, who will soon be investigating a murder that he, in theory at least, could be implicated in, and that elicits clues leading into ancient secrets and Ark of the Covenant invocations.

In New Mexico, meanwhile, there’s a walled compound where, it appears, a religious sect is training a young boy to carry out an unspecified but very important mission. David Costabile (who played Gale the chemist in Breaking Bad) and Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) are part of that. In Norway, a red heifer has been born and must be protected from dangerous enemies so that it can help fulfill a prophecy.

There are plots and subplots cooking right and left, and ancient stones and symbols, that keep the action moving and the viewer guessing. They will come together, eventually, over the course of more than the three (out of 10) one-hour episodes I watched. But we learn from the opening moments that the end of the world could be coming.

The storytelling is not at the level of co-creator Gideon Raff’s Homeland (the other co-creator is Tim Kring, of Heroes.) But Dig is certainly fun and colorful and worth watching. For more, check out the show's site.

The Hallmark Channel is set to air a plethora of holiday specials from November to December, including a special presentation, 12 New Movies of Christmas from Dec. 25-26.

NorthPole strives to turn families' spirits around after much holiday skepticism and stress. The telefilm, premiering Nov. 15 at 8 p.m., starsTiffani Thiessen, Josh Hopkins, Bailee Madison, Max Charles, Candice Glover, Robert Wagner and Jill St. John.

One Christmas Eve, is the first presentation to air since the network announced it would become the new home for all Hallmark Hall of Fame debuts. Anne Heche, Kevin Daniels, Carlos Gomez and Brian Tee star in the single mother's quest to make her children's Christmas special. The movie is set to premiere on Nov. 30 at 8 p.m.

A world premiere for the network, Christmas Under Wraps, airs Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. Starring Candace Cameron-Bure, Brian Doyle-Murray and Robert Pine, the special follows Lisa in her once-planned life turned upside down. Lisa (Candace Cameron-Bure) must choose between everything she's ever wanted or the new life she has made for herself.

The treasure trove of telefilms under the network's annual "Countdown to Christmas" play drives Hallmark Channel ratings throughout November and December. 

Additional movies premieres include:

The Nine Lives of Christmas
A Hallmark Channel Original Movie World Premiere
Nov. 8 at p.m.
Starring: Brandon Routh, Gregory Harrison, Kimberley Sustad
Based On Sheila Roberts’ Bestselling Novel The Nine Lives of Christmas

Angels Sing
A Hallmark Channel Holiday Premiere
Nov. 2 at 8 p.m.
Starring: Harry Connick Jr. , Connie Britton, Chandler Canterbury, Fionnula Flanagan, Lyle Lovett , Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson , Dana Wheeler-Nicholson

Home & Family Holiday Special
A Hallmark Channel Original Series Primetime Special
Nov. 24 at 8p.m.
Hosts: Mark Steines and Cristina Ferrare
Special Guests: Candace Cameron-Bure, Lacey Chabert, Marilu Henner

A Royal Christmas
A Hallmark Channel Original Movie World Premiere
Nov. 22 at 8 p.m.
Starring: Lacey Chabert, Jane Seymour, Stephen Hagan, Katherine Flynn

The Christmas Shepherd
A Hallmark Channel Original Movie World Premiere
Nov. 23 at 8 p.m.
Starring: Teri Polo, Martin Cummins, Jordyn Olson, Ace

A Cookie Cutter Christmas
A Hallmark Channel Original Movie World Premiere
Nov. 9 at 8 p.m.
Starring: Erin Krakow, Alan Thicke, David Haydn-Jones, Miranda Frigon

Angels and Ornaments
A Hallmark Channel Original Movie World Premiere
Nov. 16 8 p.m.
Starring: Jessalyn Gilsig, Sergio Di Zio, Graham Abbey

One Starry Christmas
A Hallmark Channel Original Movie World Premiere
Nov. 1 8p.m.
Starring: Sarah Carter, Damon Runyan, George Canyon, Paul Popowhich

Jingle All the Way
A Hallmark Channel Original Animated Special
Nov. 27 at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Jingle and Bell's Christmas Star
A Hallmark Channel Original Animated Special
Nov. 27 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
Keith Urban sings “Jingle Bells” 

The special presentation of 12 New Movies of Christmas Include:

6 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.:          The Christmas Parade
7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m.:          One Starry Christmas
9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.:        Best Christmas Party Ever
10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.:      Christmas at Cartwright’s
12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.:        Debbie Macomber’s Mr. Miracle
1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m.:         The Nine Lives of Christmas
3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.:         The Christmas Shepherd
4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.:         A Cookie Cutter Christmas
6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.:         Northpole
7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.:         Angels and Ornaments
9 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.:       A Royal Christmas
10:30 p.m. – 12 a.m.:    Christmas Under Wraps
12 a.m. – 2 a.m.:            A Cookie Cutter Christmas
2 a.m. – 4 a.m.:              One Starry Christmas
4 a.m. – 6 a.m.:              Christmas at Cartwright’s

It's not exactly on the level of cable's siphoning of big-ticket sports, but premieres of Hallmark Hall of Fame specials are moving from broadcast to cable. The series of family-friendly films will leave ABC and debut on Hallmark Channel in 2014-15.

The series has been a broadcast TV staple for more than 60 years, starting with Amahl and the Night Visitors in 1951, and for kids proved something of a gilt-edged guarantee of being able to stay up late on a schoolnight.

The Hallmark Hall of Fame movies have aired on ABC for the past three years, but will now debut on Hallmark Channel along with multiple encores. The first movie in the new arrangement will be One Christmas Eve, starring Anne Heche. Hallmark Channel will air as many as four original Hallmark Hall Of Fame movies as year, and the network will have access to past movies from the HHOF library, Michelle Vicary, executive vice president of programming for Hallmark told Multichannel News.

“Over the past three years the Hallmark Hall of Fame has had higher total viewership via ABC and Hallmark Channel than in any three-year period in the past decade,” said Brad Moore, president of Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions in a statement. “We’ve enjoyed the success and our working relationships with both ABC and Hallmark Channel."

Bill Abbott, President and CEO, Crown Media Family Networks, added that, “Hallmark Hall of Fame is the longest running and most beloved drama franchise in television history. Adding these premieres to the network’s lineup brings great value to our viewers and further reinforces Crown Media’s position as the leader in high-quality original family entertainment.”