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Let's get one thing out of the way. There are no robots in the USA Network's new series "Mr. Robot," which debuts Wednesday at 11 p.m.

And despite the somewhat happy title, this is a most unhappy show.

Not so long ago, cable's USA Network was all about "blue skies" programming. Happy, optimistic dramas that left you feeling good.

Not anymore.

"Mr. Robot" will, perhaps, leave you feeling intrigued. It won't leave you feeling happy.

Rami Malek ("Generation Kill") stars as computer whiz/cyber security expert Elliott, who's more than a bit troubled. And at least a bit of a drug addict, it would seem.

A self-described "vigilante hacker," he sets out to right wrongs, like when he turns a child pornographer in to the police. Or when he goes after his therapist's (Gloria Reuben) new boyfriend, who is not who he seems.

Elliott, on the other hand, is as creepy as he seems, even when he's doing good.

He's presented with a dilemma when one of the clients the company he works for is paid to protect from cyber attacks gets hacked. And it turns out the client is not exactly a charity, while the hacker (Christian Slater) turns out to maybe be a good guy going after bad guys.

Maybe.

It's all extremely dark, and the 70-minute pilot feels waaaaay too long. It's also setting up a series in a way that it unclear. If I had to guess, I'd say Elliott will go after bad guys-of-the-week while the storyline of him joining forces against that evil client continues … but critics only saw one episode, so I can't say."Mr. Robot" is intriguing. I'm just not sure it's intriguing enough to come back to week after week.

Elsewhere on TV …

MLS (5:30 p.m., KMYU): Real Salt Lake at New York Red Bulls

"Big Brother" (7 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2): A new season begins.

"First Peoples" (8 p.m., PBS/Ch. 7): The story of early Homo sapiens and how they became the dominant human species begins with the colonization of the Americas.

"MasterChef" (7 p.m., Fox/Ch. 13): The mystery box challege involves making TV dinners.

"Bullseye" (8 p.m., Fox/Ch. 13): Kellan Lutz and Godfrey host.

"Celebrity Wife Swap" (9 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4): Vince Neil and Gunnar Nelson trade places.

"Melissa & Joey" (9 p.m., ABC Family): Joe starts chugging energy drinks to make it to work when he's scheduled in very early.

"Baby Daddy" (9:30 p.m., ABC Family): Tucker hires Riley to represent him in a lawsuit against a construction company.

"Suits" (10 p.m., USA): In the Season 5 premiere, Harvey's work is impacted by changes around the office;

"Duck Dynasty" (10:30 p.m., A&E): In the Season 8 premiere, Willie and the guys take John Luke on a golf outing.