HAT’S ON
... and is it worth watching?
A HIGHLY PROMISING YEAR OF NEW TELEVISION IS UPON US,
namely because first-rate, underrated actors (Carla Gugino, Joe Pantoliano, Luis
Guzman, Kathryn Morris) get the chance to shine in their respective projects. Of
course, most new programs die a horrible death during their freshman season,
ending up distant memories in yesterday’s fish rag. Here are a few promising shows
to look out for, and a couple of projects that will probably vanish into thin air..
On ABC
 10-8 – Danny Nucci (Titanic, the short-lived Snoops) is a deputy
trainee at the LAPD and gets shown the ropes by a vet cop (Ernie
Hudson). This comedy-drama series is executive produced by
Aaron Spelling. Prognosis: Nucci and Hudson are B-list character
actors, and the show’s plot is essentially nothing original.This pro-gram
has a one-way ticket to nowheresville. (Sunday, 8 pm)
 THREAT MATRIX –An elite U.S. task force combats
international and domestic threats against the country. John
Denton, a former regular on Philly, is the leader of the unit, with
Kelly Rutherford (Melrose Place) playing his special agent/ex-wife.
Prognosis: Rutherford is always easy on the eyes, but can
this genre thrive in today’s political and social landscape? Today’s
headlines seem much more interesting than any government
thriller cooked up on television. (Thursday, 8 pm)
 HOPE & FAITH – Faith Ford (Murphy Brown) returns
to TV as Hope, a midwestern homemaker in charge of a lov-ing
family, which includes hubby Charley (Married…with
Children’s Ted McGinley) and their three kids. Kelly Ripa (sans
Regis, of
course) is Faith,
Hope’s sister, a
celebrity who moves into the household when her soap opera character gets killed off.
Can Faith carve out a life outside of Hollywood, and will Hope get too frustrated with
her diva sibling? Prognosis:Two engaging actresses (Ripa’s a fixture in the soap world with
All My Children) should make this show fly, and McGinley, even though he has a reputa-tion
as a show killer (check out the hilarious site jumptheshark.com) , is adept at come-dy.
(Friday, 9 pm)
 KAREN SISCO –
Carla Gugino plays the title
character, who, in case you
forgot, was played by
Jennifer Lopez in Out of
Sight. Karen works Miami’s
Gold Coast as a U.S. mar-shal
who busts heads while
looking oh-so beautiful. Robert Forster from Jackie Brown is her wise dad,
a retired marshal giving her job and life advice. Prognosis: Anyone who
thinks Gugino is only good for Spy Kids films, think again: She’s done ter-rific
dramatic work in Snake Eyes and, most notably, The Center of the World.
Karen Sisco should be quality television, thanks to this no-nonsense actress
and first-rate material (anything from Elmore Leonard is welcome).
(Wednesday, 10 pm)
On WB
 LIKE FAMILY – Holly Robinson Peete (from TV’s For Your Love)
is Tanya, the head of a loving African-American family living in the sub-urban
confines of New Jersey. Drama ensues when Tanya lets her best
friend Maddie (Diane Farr), along with her 16-year-old son, live with the
family. This multi-ethnic dynamic forms the basis of this sitcom.
Prognosis: Do we need more innocuous sitcoms? (Friday, 8:30 pm)
 ALL ABOUT THE ANDERSONS – He’s spent a suc-cessful
movie career as a second banana, and now Anthony Anderson
gets his own show, playing a struggling actor/single dad trying his best
to raise his 8-
year-old son.
The catch is that
Anthony has to move back home with his parents to save some cash. Good Times
actor John Amos plays his dad and Roz Ryan stars as his mother. Loosely based
on Anderson’s own life. Prognosis: Unlike his contemporaries, Anderson is natu-rally
funny, a strong plus for this sitcom’s survival. (Friday, 9:30 pm)
 PLAY FOR
A BILLION – Drew Carrey
and Jamie Kennedy host this pro-gram,
which starts off with 1,000
contestants randomly chosen
from specially-marked Pepsi bot-tle
caps.The huge number is then
reduced to 10 players who com-pete
for a grand prize which
could net the winner a staggering
$1 billion. Prognosis: If the win-ner
can score a potential $1 bil-lion
payday, don’t you think the
Play for a Billion producers
should have forked out more cash
for better hosts? (Premieres
Sunday, September 14 at 8:00 pm)
 TARZAN – A contemporary
look at the Edgar Rice Burroughs
character, with newcomer Travis
Fimmel (looking more like an
Abercrombie and Fitch model
than a jungle boy) playing the
title character. Jane this time out is NYPD detective Jane Porter (Sarah Wayne
Callies), who is torn between her love for Tarzan and her fellow
detective/boyfriend. Prognosis: The WB should have done George of the Jungle
instead. At least the laughs would have been intentional.
FOX
 A MINUTE WITH STAN HOOPER – Saturday Night
Live vet Norm Macdonald tries another sitcom on for size after the
failure of Norm and a disastrous film career (did anyone really see
Screwed?). Here he’s a broadcast journalist who has often praised the
small town of Waterford Falls,Wisconsin during his segments about life
in America. Tired of Manhattan life, he and his wife (Penelope Ann
Miller) pack up and move to Waterford, only to find out their idyllic
view of the town was not terribly accurate. Prognosis: Strike two for
Norm. (Wednesday, 8:30 pm)
 LUIS – Actor Luis
Guzman is a perpetual
scene stealer, as wit-nessed
in such movies as Tr affic,
Boogie Nights, Carlito’s Way, and
Punch-Drunk Love.Now he gets
his own show, playing the owner
of a Spanish Harlem donut shop.
A bunch of relative no-names
round out the cast. Prognosis:
Guzman is not exactly known
for his comedic chops, so Luis is
a risky venture for all involved.
(Friday, 8:30)
 TRU CALLING –
Sexpot Eliza Dushku is Tru
Davies, a college grad who
works the midnight
shift at the New York
City morgue. One
evening she thinks she
hears the voice of a murder victim asking for her aid, and before you know it
Tr u wakes up 12 hours before the murder actually happens.Tru has the chance
to right a few wrongs and with this supernatural occurrence, gets a shot at sav-ing
her own self-destructive family. Prognosis: Dushku is a promising star, since
she has the physical allure of Jessica Alba but also has acting range (check out
her role as a drug addict in City by the Sea). Phillip Noyce, who came out in
2002 with two excellent films (The Quiet American, Rabbit-Proof Fence) directs
the pilot. A show with potential. (Thursday, 8 pm)
 SKIN –Two teenagers, a 17-year-old Latino (D.J. Cotrona) and a 16-year-old
Westside LA girl (Olivia Wilde) are desperately in love. Unfortunately,
their respective families don’t approve of the union. Can people from two
different ethnicities come together, or will their tale end up a Romeo &
Juliet tragedy? From mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Bad Boys II)
Prognosis: An intriguing premise, but can they stretch the singular theme
over one season? (Monday, 9 pm)
On NBC
 MISS MATCH – Alicia Silverstone, who really hasn’t had a hit since
Clueless, plays a matchmaker once again in this sitcom. By day she’s a do-gooder
lawyer working for her pops (the acerbic Ryan O’Neal), but in the wee small
hours of the evening, she aids all the Los Angeles lonelyhearts desperate for love.
Prognosis: The one-note Silverstone essentially plays the same character
from Clueless, and she
wears it well. She
may never be Meryl
Streep, but Silverstone
has cornered the mar-ket
on cute and perky.
Miss Match,produced
by Sex & the City’s
Darren Starr, should bring Silverstone back from obscurity. (Friday, 8 pm)
 LYON’S DEN – Rob
Lowe is Jack Turner, a hard-working
lawyer who is forced
to take a powerful position at
the firm Lyon, LaCrosse &
Levine after the managing part-ner
supposedly commits suicide.
The firm is filled with conspira-tors,
and Turner’s unwavering
moral code makes him the perfect replacement. Prognosis: Lowe does solid work in the
pilot, and the conflicted Turner is that rare TV character who’s actually worth following.
If NBC backs this Lowe project, it could have legs (even if legal dramas are essentially a
dime a dozen in boob-tube land) (Sunday, 10 pm)
 LAS VEGAS – James Caan is an ex-CIA agent who runs a surveillance compa-ny
in Vegas.And where there’s Vegas, there’s beautiful women, meaning Nikki Cox and
Vanessa Marcil are also a part of the show. Prognosis: Caan in Vegas just fits. Broads,
gambling, the occasional mob hit, etc.
Viewers should take a gamble on Las
Vegas, where the stakes are always high.
(Monday, 9 pm)
On CBS
 TWO AND A HALF MEN – Charlie Sheen is jingle writer Charlie Harper.
Charlie’s a womanizer and the owner of a Malibu beach house whose life changes when
his younger brother (Jon Cryer) and 10-year-old nephew (Angus T. Jones) move in with
him.The two guys and kid eventually form an interesting family dynamic, thus compro-mising
Charlie’s once unfettered bachelor life. Prognosis: Sheen once again plays someone
close to his vest, a charming ladies’ man faced with impending responsibility (in real life,
he recently got hitched to Denise Richards). The actor won an Emmy for Spin City and
he definitely is adept at comedy, so we’re hoping for the best. (Monday, 9:30 pm)
 THE BROTHERHOOD OF POLAND, NH – David E.
Kelley produces this drama about three brothers (one of them played by Randy
Quaid) who live in the town of Poland, New Hampshire.The show features such
cast members as Mare Winningham and Elizabeth McGovern. Prognosis:
Anything from David E. Kelley (well,
except Girls Club and Snoops) deserves
a look, but Quaid hasn’t had a stellar
track record regarding sitcoms (Davis
Rules and The Grubbs both bombed).
(Wednesday, 10 pm)
 THE HANDLER –
Joe Pantoliano, who unfortunately was whacked on The Sopranos, is an FBI agent who solves
crimes in Los Angeles. Promising young actor Hill Harper (City of Angels) joins Joey Pants as a
rookie undercover agent, and sexy Lola Glaudini (also a Sopranos vet) plays a transfer to Pants’ crew.
Prognosis: Pantoliano is a grade-A actor, and given the right material, he’ll knock it out of the
park. Glaudini is also easy on the eyes,
which makes handling the handler none
too difficult. (Friday, 10 pm)
 COLD CASE – Kathryn Morris
(she was Tom Cruise’s wife in Minority
Report) is Lilly Rush, a female detective in
a tough Philadelphia homicide squad. Her
job is to recases that haven’t been solved in years. Executive produced by Jerry
Bruckheimer. Prognosis:After her eye-catching work in The Contender and Minority
Report, it’s great to see Morris get her own vehicle.Whether she can carry it is anoth-er
story, but it should get her the attention she deserves. (Sunday, 8 pm)
On UPN
 EVE –The rapper/actress plays a woman searching for love, guided by the advice of
her two friends (former Doritos girl Ali Landry and Natalie Desselle). Prognosis;
Barbershop and XXX put Eve on the map acting-wise, and the celeb’s music fans should
hop onboard for at least the first few episodes. (Monday, 8:30 pm)
 ALL OF US –Will Smith
and Jada Pinkett Smith execu-tive
produce this show about a
TV entertainment reporter
(Duane Martin) who is finaliz-ing
his divorce (from LisaRaye),
trying to raise his five-year-old
kid Bobby Jr. (Khamani
Griffin), and in love with a
kindergarten teacher (Elise Neal). A sitcom about raising a family in a new world
where divorce is usually part of the equation. Prognosis: It’s a UPN show that does-n’t
start with the word “Buffy,” so you decide. (Tuesday, 8:30 pm)
By Greg Srisavasdi
|
