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By Woodrow J. Hinton
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Dark Angel's Jessica Alba
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Another year of mundane TV programs offers a few glimmers of interest
Olympics, baseball and a big election have played a bit of havoc with the start of the new TV season. However, by taking a page out of the NFL's playbook, as it were, the late start actually means a longer season. That could be hailed as either a good or bad thing.
The past few seasons have produced little in the way of memorable television, and this year maintains the status quo. If you want to look at the glass as half full, you can be comforted by the fact that most of the worst new shows aren't entirely dreadful, merely uninspired.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the fall season.
While NBC's "Must See TV" Thursday has long been recognized as a ratings behemoth, historically it's Sunday that has been the whale. To that end, NBC has launched Ed.
Thankfully the term "dramedy" didn't last long in the American lexicon, although the kind of program it describes is increasing in number. Ed is a New York lawyer who finds himself out of work and headed back to his hometown. The most encouraging thing about the show is Rob Burnett, Ed's executive producer who used to be the head writer on The Late Show with David Letterman when it was funny. Let's hope he can translate his sensibility to his writers and to this program. He has a winner if he can.
Over at the WB we have two new half-hour comedies. Hype is a sketch comedy show produced by three writers from Fox's Mad TV. These shows always struggle, and Hype faces the same uphill battle. Perhaps the key is to stick to topical impressions and satire and avoid characters. Unless you're really, really good, character sketch comedy is painful.
Nikki brings Nikki Cox back into our living rooms. She must test well with focus groups, because she's had more chances than Daryl Strawberry. Then again Drew Carey had to come to the plate a few times before he crushed one into the seats.
On Mondays NBC offers Deadline. Oliver Platt is a journalist/professor who, along with his students, solves crimes. Nice premise, except everyone hates journalists!
CBS is yukking it up (or trying to) with Yes, Dear. It stars ex-Boston Common star Anthony Clark. Likeable cast, but sadly most of the jokes are telegraphed. At least Clark gets to keep his Southern accent without a huge spotlight being cast on it. In fact, there isn't a single joke about the fact that he's from south of the Mason-Dixon line! Quite encouraging really.
If you like Ally McBeal, get ready for class at Boston Public. David E. Kelly takes his skewed look at life into a public school. If they just avoid that hideous needle-going-across-the-record sound effect when something unexpected happens, they'll be light years ahead of Ally.
One of the most highly anticipated shows is The Michael Richards Show, Tuesdays at 8 on NBC. The first pilot was scrapped, and a new cast was assembled. It includes Tim Meadows (ex-SNL) and William Devane (a real "Survivor"). The producers (former Seinfeld writers) simply hope it's another Frasier in that a character from a popular show is successfully spun off into an equally great program.
Later, on ABC, comes The Geena Davis Show, starring Geena Davis. After having her last few feature films burn to the ground, Davis seeks the steady pay and high profile of network TV. Get the fire extinguisher.
Another promising program sets up shop at 9 on Tuesdays over on Fox. James Cameron, director of Titanic and the Terminator franchise, comes to the small screen with Dark Angel. Ironically, it runs opposite the WB's (regular?) Angel. Jessica Alba is Batman ... sort of. The U.S. in 2019 is a "depressed former superpower." Alba plays Max, a young woman who escaped some sort of laboratory when she was very young, and now lives in a rundown Seattle neighborhood. She has mysterious powers, which she sometimes uses to win bar bets. (Cool.) A crusading cyber-journalist enlists her help to fight the establishment. Alba is very engaging, but the show is kind of dull, at least so far. Perhaps once it gets rolling the pace will pick up.
On Wednesday at 8 and 8:30, CBS airs two comedies. Bette stars Bette Midler "as herself" (oh, for crissake). Save for one mildly amusing jab at a faction of her fan base, it's just awful.
That's followed by Welcome to New York, produced by David Letterman's production company. It's the tale of an Indiana weatherman who moves to the Big Apple. That's not unlike Letterman, an Indiana weatherman who moved to L.A. It doesn't look good. Fish-out-of-water comedies are a tired premise.
Fox runs with the bulls and bears in its hour-long drama The $treet. Young people on Wall Street, you know. If it leans towards the film Boiler Room it could be cool.
ABC, meanwhile, has Gideon's Crossing at 10. Starring Andre Braugher (ex-Homicide), it's a medical drama that's like St. Elsewhere on Nyquil.
Say good-bye to "Must See TV." Gutted by Seinfeld's departure two years ago, and Frasier's new assignment to save Tuesday, NBC's once mighty flagship is sinking fast. After Friends at 8 is Cursed, starring Steven Weber (ex-Wings) and Chris Elliott. Both are popular actors in their own right; here they're stuck in an unpromising situation. These two could turn it around, but it will be hard work.
The WB's Gilmore Girls seems worth a look. A 32-year-old woman and her 16-year-old daughter are the focus, conveniently showcasing both ends of the network's demographic.
Friday brings a show that you'd want to hate. The Fugitive with former Wings' star Tim Daly. Oddly, it doesn't suck. Quite the opposite. Yes, we've seen the whole story (twice!), yet the writing is solid, as are the performances. They could have just subtly ripped off the original and tried passing it off as something else, but this way you can jump in and out, and still be up to speed. Bad idea on paper, but somehow it works.
Something that doesn't work is C.S.I. which follows The Fugitive. Set in Las Vegas (though you'd hardly know it) it's like a slow-motion Quincy. The corpses on this crime drama may not be dead. Perhaps they just fell asleep from the tedium.
On the WB we find Grosse Pointe at 8:30. It follows the production of a fictional nighttime soap. Originally it was much more biting in its parody, but Aaron Spelling, subject of some of the shots, got a little irritated, and the WB flinched. There are still some yuks here (a great poke at this summer's Young Americans), but you just wonder how it would be if the gloves came off. Fans who like this genre should enjoy seeing it skewered.
Saturday, traditionally a ratings chasm, sees two new shows on CBS. That's Life, with Heather Paige Kent as a 30ish woman headed back to college, and The District with ex-Coach Craig T. Nelson, which rolls out at 10. Look for these shows to move to better ratings neighborhoods should they show any signs of life.
With so much mundane programming, you'd think cable would be poised to strike. But no. There are a few interesting programs, but the well isn't very deep.
Battlebots on Comedy Central is hosted by Bill Nye (The Science Guy) and features homemade robots fighting it out for $5,000 in prize money. Sort of an electronic cockfight.
The Food Network hopes it has the next breakout star in British chef Jamie Oliver. His show, The Naked Chef, offers simple recipes to a busy Western populace.
MTV's most inviting show is Spyder Games, trying to be a parody of daytime soaps. This has been tried before, but was successful only once with Soap, back in the late '70s.
Black Scorpion stars ex-Batman Adam West as a bad guy. He is the villain Breathtaker in this Sci-Fi original series.
Showtime gives Pop singer and part-time actor Chris Isaak his own show. It's a bit of a Spi¨nal Tap situation in which Isaak (and his real life bandmates) spoof the music industry.
VH-1 mixes The Twilight Zone with that Rock 'n Roll music that the young people like so much in Strange Frequency. Among the guest stars in this anthology series are That '70s Show's Danny (Hyde) Masterson and Judd Nelson.
Be sure to check Groove Tube each week for up-to-date information and listings. Happy viewing! ©
