'SON OF THE BEACH' - STERN TV FOR THE SHAMELESS.

Byline: David Kronke TV Critic

``Son of the Beach,'' a parody of ``Baywatch,'' is fairly redundant: ``Baywatch'' itself really couldn't have been any funnier. But for fans of amply endowed eye candy and anatomy-centered gags of the PG-13 variety, it's Nirvana.

Tim Stack, who proved his predilection for endless genitalia puns on his talk-show parody ``Nightstand With Dick Dietrick,'' created this comedy about a ``Malibu-adjacent'' beach, and stars as ``Notch'' Johnson, the scrawny leader of the lifeguard team, who happens to be the only guy oblivious to the rampant pulchritude surrounding him. Notch likes to say things like, ``My unit may not be the biggest, but it's certainly the best'' - this, apparently, is such a good joke it gets repeated a time or two in the premiere episode.

Stack's character is an inveterate do-gooder and, like all good lifeguards, lists crime-busting as part of his job description. Unfortunately, he's introduced via a weak piece of physical comedy, stumbling across the beach, running into people and things and ultimately taking a pratfall on top of an obese woman. Not an auspicious beginning, for ``Notch'' or the series.

Executive produced by Howard Stern, ``Notch'' is surrounded, of course, by buxom babes (Jaime Bergman, Leila Arcieri and Kim Oja), not to mention a Teutonic hunk (Roland Kickinger), all with double-entendre or, in some cases, triple-entendre names. The humor is hit-and-miss and mostly centered on the fact that humans have sex organs and enjoy using them, but are frequently prevented from doing so by the individuals with whom they would like to put them to use.

There are legitimately clever touches - the flourishes reminiscent of an old Quinn Martin Production, the idea that a beach would have an exchange program both with Austria and the inner-city and a conniving mayor named after a feminine-hygiene product, who considers discrediting a lifeguard her sole ticket to further political success.

Unfortunately, particularly clever moments are usually followed by a thuddingly obvious joke aimed at the target audience of 14-year-old boys.

But it's harmless enough and occasionally aspires to the kind of smart- dumb comedy ``There's Something About Mary'' perfected. In the first episode, ``Notch'' cracks open an Asian prostitution ring and hosts a day at the beach for a bunch of sick kids, making for fertile ground for all manner of politically incorrect jokes.

One of the attractive young actresses is trussed up wearing nothing but her bra and panties (that scene will end up on her audition reel!). ``Notch'' races on a jet-ski against a pointedly obvious backdrop. So it won't win any Emmys or even a Peabody Award; it's not a sign of impending apocalypse, either. What it does, however, is have a keen understanding of its audience.

The facts

--The show: ``Son of the Beach.''

--What: ``Baywatch'' parody from executive producer Howard Stern.

--The stars: Tim Stack, Kim Oja, Leila Arcieri, Lisa Banes, Jaime Bergman, Roland Kickinger.

--Where: FX.

--When: 10:30 p.m. Tuesdays.

--Our rating: Two and one half stars.