There are more than 30 new TV shows involved in the increasingly risky business of unveiling themselves to a channel-hopping public this season.
Amazingly, nearly 90 percent of these will crash and burn: some quickly, some after being bumped across a network’s schedule, some deservedly and others without fair chance. What other business could withstand such a failure rate?
But what other business would dare to proffer such silly products as George Foreman playing a former boxer?
On Pages 4 and 5 you’ll find the scoop on the new shows.
If you’re looking for a trend, families are happening, especially those headed by single parents, of every conceivable stripe. Maybe that’s TV’s attempt to quiet those you’re-too-violent voices. But is an insipid comedy, filled with snarls and insults and downright meanness, better for the spirit than a well-written, well-acted cop drama? (Stop shouting. I’ve seen “NYPD Blue.” It’s very good.)
Rick Kogan looks at what’s new on TV ’93
Sunday
The new shows
“Townsend Television” (7 p.m. on Fox-Ch. 32, beginning Sept. 12). Famous for using his credit cards to finance “Hollywood Shuffle,” his funny debut film, actor-director Robert Townsend tackles the tricky variety show format with his ego in overdrive. Townsend is neither charismatic nor funny enough to carry the show on his shoulders and-acting in sketches, singing with singers-he crumples under the weight of his own pride.
“Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” (7 p.m. on ABC-Ch. 7, beginning Sept. 12). Talk about scraping the bottom of the TV bin. This show seeks to combine romance, action-adventure and comedy as it reheats some of the world’s most familiar characters. Dean Cain gives the Man of Steel that hunky-boyish look that might be more suitable on “Melrose Place,” and Teri Hatcher gives Lois a flamboyant air. They live in Metropolis, work for the Daily Planet … haven’t we seen this before, ad infinitum? (That’s Krypton for zzzzzzzzz.)
“seaQuest DSV” (7 p.m. on NBC-Ch. 5, beginning Sept. 12). The Earth is wasted and mankind has retreated into the sea, most specifically into the 1,000-foot submarine of the title, under the command of Capt. Nathan Bridger, otherwise known as Roy Scheider. The show, most notable at this stage for the name under the executive producer’s title-Steven Spielberg-will be special-effects heavy and obviously aspires to be for a new TV generation what “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” was to a previous one.
“Living Single” (7:30 p.m. on Fox). Shrill and insult-driven, this show stars rapper Queen Latifah, Kim Coles, Erika Alexander and Kim Fields as four upwardly mobile black women trying to climb ladders-social, professional and sexual-in Manhattan. Its humor runs along the lines of this sad exchange: “Look what’s out on the street.” “It’s a stretch limo.” “Good, it’ll go with your stretch marks.”
“Daddy Dearest” (8:30 p.m. on Fox, beginning Sept. 5). Pairing Richard Lewis, that arm-waving neurotic, with Don Rickles, the insult-spouting goof, might have made for some satisfying sparks, had anyone thought to provide a plot with wit. Here the mix is an unpleasant dud, with Lewis playing a newly divorced man who lets his father (Rickles) move in with him after the father’s marriage breaks up. The premise is shaky and the relationship filled with false rage and mean-spiritedness.
Rick’s two cents
I’ll be sadly disappointed if “The Ben Stiller Show” and “Flying Blind” don’t wind up filling the still-unoccupied 9-to-10 p.m. slot of Fox. These two Sunday night offerings-dead ratings ducks-were far more clever and entertaining than “Living Single” and “Daddy Dearest.” And won’t it be interesting to see if Spielberg will have more success on the tube than his big-screen buddy George Lucas had with “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.”
Monday
The new shows
“Dave’s World” (7:30 p.m. on CBS-Ch. 2, beginning Sept. 20). Make that one new show. Who in their right mind would concoct a TV series about the home life of a newspaper columnist? Maybe on “Tales From the Crypt,” but on CBS? What we have here, though, is a series based on the life and times of syndicated humor columnist Dave Barry. From the snippets I’ve seen, I’d recommend reading the column, though I’m no rabid fan. This show has a lazy look, with Harry Anderson seeming not at all different from the characters he played on “Night Court.” He does get some attractive aid from DeLane Matthews, as the wife. Yes, they have kids.
Rick’s two cents
Set amid CBS’ killer Monday comedy lineup (“Murphy Brown,” “Northern Exposure,” etc.) “Dave’s World” could be a hit. But the 7 p.m. slot will be
more competitive now that ABC has slipped one of its newsmagazines, “Day One,” into the mix. And aren’t we all very, very excited about watching “Monday Night Football”? When do the Bears play?
Tuesday
The new shows
“Saved by the Bell: The College Years” (7 p.m. on NBC-Ch. 5, beginning Sept. 14). The kiddies from the Saturday morning show of the same name move from high school hotshots to college freshmen. All that Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zack), Mario Lopez (A.C.) and Dustin Diamond (Screech) seem to do is discuss girls or talk, inanely, to girls.
“Phenom” (7:30 p.m. on ABC-Ch. 7, beginning Sept. 14). That’s phenom as in 14-year-old Angela (Angela Goethals), a tennis whiz who is trying to decide whether to listen to the head honcho of the academy, who wants to take her away from home, or Mom, who wants to keep her there. It’s a thin premise but enlivened by the polished work of Judith Light as the mom and the charming hamminess of William Devane as Della Rosa.
“Getting By” (7:30 p.m. on NBC, beginning Sept. 21). The formula of the month award, as Cindy Williams and Thelma Hopkins play two single moms-one widowed, the other divorced-sharing a Chicago suburbs home and trying to keep their kids in line and their lives in order.
“Bakersfield P.D.” (7:30 p.m. on Fox-Ch. 32, beginning Sept. 14). This show promises unbridled wackiness, as we watch Detective Paul Gigante (Giancarlo Esposito), a half-black, half-Italian cop, try to adjust to the city and a department full of goofs. I’m hopeful. The show’s creator is Larry Levin, one of the two men who gave birth to “The Larry Sanders Show.”
“John Larroquette” (8 p.m. on NBC, beginning Sept. 7). This actor was never my cup of tea in “Night Court” and he wisely has abandoned his sex-crazed persona on that show to play John Hemingway, the night manager of a down-at-the-heels big-city bus station. Though quite funny, this is no yuk-fest. Larroquette’s character is a recovering alcoholic, and the premiere is intriguingly dark around the edges.
“The Second Half” (8:30 p.m. on NBC, beginning Sept. 7). Yet another standup comic dives into his own series. John Mendoza stars as a Chicago sports columnist, newly divorced and trying to cope with two new lives: weekday bachelor and weekend dad to two little girls.
“NYPD Blue” (9 p.m. on ABC, beginning Sept. 21). The most controversial show of the new season is being condemned by people who haven’t seen it but have heard it contains bad language!
There is a word or two that might shock a nun. But nothing about this show rings false. Creator Steven Bochco is gently pushing network rules, not breaking them, with this gritty, very solid, extremely well-written and, yes, violent and raw cop show with David Caruso and Dennis Franz.
Rick’s two cents
I’m sorry to see Fox’s “Roc,” which moves here from Sundays, revert to a taped rather than live format. It could lose some of last year’s spark. And what is one to make of NBC’s pitting the fine “John Larroquette” against “Roseanne” on ABC? I still expect ABC to clobber its competition, once the “NYPD Blue” hubbub dies down.
Wednesday
The new shows
“The Trouble With Larry” (7 p.m. on CBS-Ch. 2). The trouble with this show is that it’s even on. Bronson Pinchot, loathsome in “Perfect Strangers,” is even more so here as an adventurer, missing and presumed dead for 10 years, who resurfaces and moves in with his former wife (Shanna Reed), her new husband (Perry King) and the daughter he never knew (Alex McKenna).
“Thea” (7 p.m. on ABC-Ch. 7, with previews Sept. 8, 10 and 15; beginning Sept. 22). Yet another standup comedian, Thea Vidale, gets a series shot, as a single mom trying to raise two sons while trapped in that socio-economic bracket known as the Working Poor. The kids, played by Adam Jeffries and Jasson Weaver, are among the most pleasant of the new season, but this sort of up-by-the-bootstraps scenario smacks of exploitation for comedy’s sake.
“The Nanny” (7:30 p.m. on CBS; October premiere to be announced). The main character is played by comic Fran Drescher, a terrific talent who is terribly wasted as the caretaker of the three children of a Broadway producer. The kids are typical TV characters, but really troublesome is Charles Shaughnessy as the producer, hamming it up unmercifully, and Daniel Davis as a foppish British butler.
“Joe’s Life” (7:30 p.m. on ABC, beginning Sept. 22). Peter Onorati, from “Civil Wars” and Stephen Bochco’s “Cop Rock,” is an auto mechanic who chooses to play househusband, a la “Mr. Mom,” while his wife, Mary Page Keller, brings home the bacon.
“Grace Under Fire” (8:30 p.m. on ABC, beginning Sept. 22). Standup comic Brett Butler plays a refinery worker who is newly divorced and-how did you guess?-has three kids to raise. The kids are young-7, 5 and 14 months-and the premiere was surprisingly charming. Butler’s character is subtly shaded, potentially complex. This might be a sleeper hit, from the “Cosby”/”Roseanne” team of Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner.
“Now With Katie Couric and Tom Brokaw” (8 p.m. on NBC-Ch. 5). The latest in the ever-swelling newsmag pool teams “Nightly News” anchor Brokaw and “Today” co-anchor Couric. On the air for a few weeks, it has been solid but undistinguished.
“South of Sunset” (8 p.m. on CBS; October premiere to be announced). Your guess is as good as mine about former Eagle Glenn Frey-what an actor!-playing a private eye who used to be head security dude at a movie studio. He’s partnered with hip sidekick, played by-what a name!-Aries Spears.
“Moon Over Miami” (9 p.m. on ABC, beginning Sept. 15). The South Beach area of Miami is hot, and this series tries to be. It has Bill Campbell as a private eye who goes into business in South Beach with a rich runaway played by Ally Walker. Ouch, we’ve just been hit on the head by the “Moonlighting” hammer.
Rick’s two cents
More new shows than any other evening, and it should be among the most interesting ratings battles of the week. Even Fox’s lineup-“Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Melrose Place”-might make some big noise. Otherwise, “Now” is sure to survive-this is the era of the newsmag-but I wouldn’t bet on any of the others. From first impressions, though, “Grace Under Fire” and “Joe’s Life” deserve to gather an audience.
Thursday
The new shows
“Missing Persons” (7 p.m. on ABC-Ch. 7, with previews Monday and Sept. 9; beginning Sept. 23). If you’ve been wondering, “Hey, whatever happened to Daniel J. Travanti?” this show answers the question. He is back in series TV, a little longer in the tooth than when he was the “Hill Street” boss, but still firmly in control of his staff, as the head of the Chicago Police Department’s Missing Persons Bureau. Before you start snoring, this isn’t bad, for all the simplicity of the concept. The two-hour pilot provides some solid stories and capable writing. Chicago looks good, and when people start carping about the violence of ABC’s “NYPD Blue,” they will point to this show as an example of how even cop programs can be dramatic without being violent.
“The Sinbad Show” (7:30 p.m. on Fox-Ch. 32, beginning Sept. 16). The hulking, though not unamusing, star of the title plays a struggling video game designer whose raucous bachelor lifestyle is hampered when he takes in two foster kids. Are you getting as sick of cute, precocious kids as I am?
“Frasier” (8:30 p.m. on NBC-Ch. 5, beginning Sept. 16). Kelsey Grammer returns in a new show as the same guy, Dr. Frasier Crane. He moves to his native Seattle to host a call-in radio show, packing a bachelor’s energetic libido and ready to match wits with his brother, also a shrink. But what were the creators thinking when they decided to cast the great Chicago actor John Mahoney as Frasier’s father, a bitter ex-cop? The character is superfluous and he puts a monkey wrench into potentially funny stuff.
“Angel Falls” (9 p.m. on CBS-Ch. 2). This soap-drama is set in Montana, where a single mother (Chelsea Field) returns home to Angel Falls after a long absence to take over her deceased father’s business, the Red Eye Pool Hall. She brings a teenage son and soon gets wrapped up with an old beau (Brian Kerwin), who’s married with children. The teenage son gets mixed up with the old beau’s daughter. All this while the show’s big stars, James Brolin and Peggy Lipton, as a married couple, try to cope with the death of their infant son.
Rick’s two cents
Is “L.A. Law” still on? You bet, in its familiar 9 p.m. NBC slot, withering on the vine and getting its ratings pants beaten by “PrimeTime Live.” This should be the once-great drama’s last hurrah. But look what’s back in full flower: “Matlock” and “In the Heat of the Night,” two shows once almost killed because they attracted an audience too gray-haired to suit advertisers. How fortunate for “Frasier” to sit behind “Seinfeld.” And speaking of “Seinfeld,” into what taboo territories will that brilliant comedy go? “The Simpsons” remains the best thing on this night, or any night, but the other Fox offerings are weak sisters.
Friday
The new shows
“Against the Grain” (7 p.m. on NBC-Ch. 5, beginning Sept. 30). This show, which I haven’t seen yet, is being touted as one of the new season’s most pleasant surprises. We’ll see; I like the idea of a former high school football star giving his insurance business to his wife to devote all his time to coaching a high school team in his football-crazed Texas hometown. There are no big-name stars in the cast-often a good sign.
“The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.” (7 p.m. on Fox-Ch. 32). This is sure to be compared to the bygone “Wild, Wild West.” But it is a good deal more hip and intelligent. It stars Bruce Campbell in the title role of a Harvard graduate and lawyer who becomes a bounty hunter. The supporting cast falls neatly into place: the delightfully funny Kelly Rutherford as a saloon singer; John Astin as a nutty scientist whose futuristic ideas appeal to Brisco; Julius Carry as a bounty hunter; and Bill Drago as a snarling bad guy. The show has a playfully erudite sensibility that bears watching for more than a while.
“It Had to Be You” (7 p.m. on CBS-Ch. 2, beginning Sept. 24). Faye Dunaway and Robert Urich-in what must be his 785th series-star in this romantic comedy about a Boston socialite and publisher (Dunaway) and a widower and single parent (Urich) who is a blue-collar type. You get the idea: Do champagne and beer make a match? Urich and Dunaway can act and seem capable of romantic sparks.
“Family Album” (7:30 p.m. on CBS, beginning Sept. 24). This is a gentle, multigenerational domestic comedy, with Peter Scolari (“Bosom Buddies”) playing a doctor opposite the terrific Pamela Reed as an architect. They’ve got kids, of course, three of them. And after they move back to Philadelphia, the relatives start to drive everybody crazy.
“Boy Meets World” (7:30 p.m. on ABC-Ch. 7, beginning Sept. 24). Ben Savage, brother of Fred and wildly scary in “Wild Palms,” tones it down considerably as a kid trying to learn about life from, among others, William Daniels as a teacher.
“Mystery Movie” (8 p.m. on NBC, beginning Oct. 22). New episodes of “Perry Mason” are scheduled for this time slot, along with the eagerly anticipated reunion of Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers in four “Hart to Hart” films, as well as Kenny Rogers as some fellow named “McShane,” and Larry Hagman in a vehicle called “Staying Afloat.”
“The X Files” (8 p.m. on Fox, beginning Sept. 10). The title refers to the FBI’s toughest unsolved cases. How tough? They all involve paranormal phenomena. To solve them, TV calls on David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.
Rick’s two cents
Anyone can win this night’s ratings battle, though “20/20” is a sure thing at 9 p.m. The rest represents as silly a collection of shows as you’ll find. This is where “Hi, Bob,” Mr. Newhart’s latest, uh-oh-it-almost-got-canceled series winds up, in what could be the last stand for one of TV’s most durably popular performers. And I have the uneasy feeling that those “Hart to Hart” movies will be smashes, showing, if nothing else, the public’s taste for the familiar, the moneyed and the beautiful.
Saturday
The new shows
“George” (7 p.m. on ABC-Ch. 7, premiere to be announced). That’s George as in former world heavyweight champ, burger eater and likable commercial pitchman. In what the network calls “a tailor-made role,” Foreman plays George Foster, a retired ex-boxer who becomes a junior high guidance counselor. Although it would be impossible to fully bury Foreman’s charms, the series tries.
“Mommies” (7 p.m. on NBC-Ch. 5, beginning Sept. 18). This show tries unsuccessfully to turn the drudgery of domestic life into comedy. Loud and rarely amusing, “Mommies” takes us to the side-by-side suburban tract homes of Marilyn Kentz and Caryl Kristensen. These actresses share an inability to deliver lines. But since those lines are as lame as this-mom to teenage son, “I’m a child of the ’60s. I was at Woodstock. Naked. There is no way for you to rebel that I haven’t already tried”-the fault is not all theirs.
“Cafe Americain” (7:30 p.m. on NBC, beginning Sept. 18). Valerie Bertinelli, queen of the made-for-TV movie, moves into this series as Holly Alridge, recently divorced and making a big move from Minneapolis to Paris. She wants to “smoke cigarettes, drink absinthe and date artists,” but winds up having her pocket picked, losing a job and taking a run-down flat before finding her way as a waitress at the fictional title boite.
“The Paula Poundstone Show” (8 p.m. on ABC, premiere to be announced). She is one of the top standup comics and was even mentioned as a possible late-night show host-if they allowed women to do such things. Here Poundstone oversees what is being billed as “an irreverent and spontaneous variety hour.” Spontaneous, indeed. It will be broadcast live.
“Harts of the West” (8 p.m. on CBS-Ch. 2, beginning Sept. 25). When you can get both Beau and dad Lloyd Bridges in the same series, you’ve got a shot at success, and this one looks terrific. Beau’s a Chicago husband and father who, after a heart attack, moves west and, with “City Slickers” dreams, buys the Flying Tumbleweed Ranch, where Lloyd’s the cantakerous foreman. The nearby Nevada town of Sholo is filled with a charming bunch of quirky characters, including the former law student who explains his move by saying, “I want to get in touch with my inner hombre.”
Rick’s two cents
It’s a horse-filled night for CBS, with the charming “Harts” sandwiched between the popular family show “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” and the return of “Walker, Texas Ranger.” Can CBS to win the night? Absolutely. Expect to see Foreman take his millions and split, to get no closer to a sitcom again than a talk-show guest couch, while Poundstone’s show will be interesting to watch, since it’s one of the season’s riskiest experiments.
