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TELEVISION; Less Reality, More Soap; Why the New Season Might Be a Winner

Posted on: Sunday, 11 September 2005, 18:00 CDT

Part I of a series examining the fall TV season.

Can Chris Rock save the sitcom?

Is the prime-time soap dead - or merely disguised?

Can third-place ABC build on its buzz, surpass CBS and unseat Fox to become the No. 1 network in the precious 18-49 demographic?

As one of the most unusual lineups of prime-time TV shows in years gets ready to make its bow, viewers are in for treats ranging from sci-fi thrillers and untraditional comedies to dramas that defy expectations.

The six commercial networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, UPN and WB) are set to roll out 30 new shows - 18 dramas, 10 comedies and two reality shows - over the next few weeks.

If previous seasons are any indication, most of these will be gone by May. A few will be modest hits. One or two will be the kind of creative breakouts that will make you glad you own a TV.

Such familiar faces as Geena Davis ("Commander in Chief," ABC), Don Johnson ("Just Legal," WB) and Melanie Griffith ("Twins," WB) will be looking to make comebacks on the small screen. Stars don't make shows, however - shows make stars, and it's likely most of these people soon will be phoning E! to pitch their own reality series.

The failure of Dick Wolf's "Law & Order" spinoff "Trial by Jury" might have cast a shadow on the fall schedule. There are just four new crime procedurals on the docket - Fox's "Bones" and "Killer Instinct" and CBS' "Close to Home" and "Criminal Minds."

But don't put that crime kit away just yet.

Given that CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" was the No. 1 Nielsen-ranked show by household last season, it's more likely the network suits are scared that viewers soon will be sick of grisly corpses clogging up the airwaves.

Did someone breed "Lost" with "The X-Files"? Get your geek on with NBC's "Surface," a thriller about mysterious undersea inhabitants who may be extraterrestrials; CBS' "Threshold," which hunts for aliens; and ABC's "Invasion," which, as you can tell from the title, reveals it's already too late: They're here and they want their full-season pickups.

The prime-time serial - best remembered in the shoulder-padded shapes of "Dynasty" and "Dallas" - is not dead. It's just been remodeled so as not to scare male viewers. You'll find soap suds in everything from Fox's "Prison Break" and "Reunion" to the above sci- fi thrillers and even the CBS comedy "How I Met Your Mother." UPN's "Sex, Love & Secrets" with Denise Richards and Eric Balfour will get you into a "Melrose Place" kind of mind.

Comedian Rock may just be the man to resuscitate the dying sitcom. "Everybody Hates Chris" could be UPN's first breakout scripted show. That's good news for the little netlet, which would be just a blip on the Nielsen ratings reports without "America's Next Top Model."

The networks decided to spend some real money this fall. There are only two new reality shows, both on NBC: "Three Wishes" with country/gospel singer Amy Grant doles out dreams to needy viewers, promising more tears than you'll get from the jerks over at "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.""The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" takes The Donald's fading franchise and puts the ice queen of home living at the forefront. NBC execs should be worried: Two nights of "The Apprentice" a week (Trump's will continue to air on Thursdays) probably will result in some pink slips in the programming department.

Fox narrowly beat CBS in the 18-49 demographic last season thanks to "American Idol." But with "That '70s Show,""Malcolm in the Middle" and "The Bernie Mac Show" showing more wrinkles than Ryan Seacrest, Fox needs some new scripted fare to pop out at viewers.

ABC staged a miracle comeback thanks to "Desperate Housewives,""Lost" and "Grey's Anatomy." But it's a new season, and the other networks have learned the lesson: Be nonconformist, just like ABC. With other networks poaching its game plan, ABC needs to make some new rules. A Freddie Prinze Jr. sitcom ("Freddie") may not be the answer.

We're throwing a ripped thesaurus at NBC for most bizarre series names: "E-Ring" sounds like an AOL promotion you should avoid; "Inconceivable" is the opposite of what a show about doctors helping couples become parents should be called; and "Surface" (initially "Fathom") could not be more vague if it were called "Linoleum."

The strangest show on the schedule? ABC's "Night Stalker," an update of a short-lived '70s horror cheesefest about a reporter fighting the supernatural. It lasted barely a season but made an indelible impression on the legion of geeks who would grow up to work in TV.

Outside the commercial-network universe, FX defies traditional thinking and throws down the gauntlet for basic cable. The network is so sure its plastic-surgery drama "Nip/Tuck" can compete against original network fare that it airs new episodes beginning Sept. 20. HBO's "Rome" continues, in what some might consider a suicidal time slot - up against ABC's "Desperate Housewives."

Sunday remains the most stable night of the week, with only one new show, Fox's "The War at Home" (see review, Page 49), joining the prime-time competition. Expect ABC to be unstoppable with its three- powered punch of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,""Desperate Housewives" and the surprise midseason hit "Grey's Anatomy." Everyone else will be eating scraps at the Nielsen table.

Tomorrow subpar sitcoms, "Surface" and our shocking love for Don Johnson.

Caption: CHRIS ROCK: `Everybody Hates Chris' on his UPN sitcom, but will viewers love it?

Caption: GEENA DAVIS: Is ABC's `Commander in Chief,' but can she lead her time slot?

Caption: `DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES': Will they still be sitting pretty in their second season?

Caption: AMY GRANT: Can `Three Wishes' leave us crying for more?

Source: Boston Herald

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