`LATELINE' IS FRANKLY VERY UN-FRANKEN-LIKE.Byline: Keith Marder Daily News Staff Writer Maybe expectations are not a fair thing, but Al Franken  This article or section contains information about one or more candidates in an upcoming or ongoing election.Content may change as the election approaches. we expect a lot more from you. Not that his new show ``Lateline,'' which debuts at 9:30 tonight on NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. , is poor. No, not by any means. For a midseason replacement In North American Television a midseason replacement is a television show that premieres in the second half of a television season usually between January and April. Midseason replacements usually take place after a show that was in the fall schedule was canceled or put on hiatus. show, it's actually quite polished. But from Franken, who wrote ``Rush Limbaugh Rush Hudson Limbaugh III (born January 12, 1951) is an American conservative radio talk show host and political commentator. Born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, he is a self-described conservative, who discusses politics and current events on his program, Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations,'' a show like ``Lateline'' should be a political satire. Instead, it is a strange hybrid of ``The Larry Sanders Show'' and ``The Mary Tyler Moore This article is about the actress. For her 1970s television series, also known as "Mary Tyler Moore", see The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Mary Tyler Moore Show,'' parodying the making of a prime-time newsmagazine. The show is harder-edged than ``Mary'' of the '70s and uses real newsmakers as themselves, as ``Larry'' does today. The list of guest stars for the initial run of six episodes of the ``Nightline'' knockoff knock·off n. Informal An unauthorized copy or imitation, as of designer clothing: "the place to go for quality knockoffs" Women's Wear Daily. Noun 1. is impressive. Obviously Franken's cachet cachet /ca·chet/ (ka-sha´) a disk-shaped wafer or capsule enclosing a dose of medicine. ca·chet n. An edible wafer capsule used for enclosing an unpleasant-tasting drug. - and possibly the fact that the '80s was ``his'' decade - in Hollywood and Washington, D.C., has paid off. Some upcoming guests are ex-Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, Watergate character G. Gordon Liddy George Gordon Battle Liddy (born November 30, 1930) was the chief operative for White House Plumbers unit that existed during several years of Richard Nixon's Presidency. Along with E. , lesbian activist Candace Gingrich, consumer advocate Ralph Nader, former presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, baseball notable Bob Uecker, comedian Buddy Hackett, ex-Secretary of Labor Robert Reich and U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt. These people all get the joke and play along for some interesting, albeit far from original television. Franken's character, Al Freundlich, has a never-seen wife who nags him through a speakerphone. But some of the scenes are too long and static and offer too few laughs. The ensemble is the typical set of mixed nuts we have grown accustomed to on television. There is egomaniacal/womanizing anchor Pearce McKenzie (Robert Foxworth), his sycophant/lint-brush-wielding assistant Mona (Catherine Lloyd Burns), no-nonsense, gravely-voiced boss Vic Karo KARO Kane Amateur Radio Operators (Kane, PA) (Miguel Ferrer), earnest producer Gale Ingersoll (Megyn Price), sardonic talent booker Briana (Sanaa Lathan) and eager intern Raji (Ajay Naidu). ``Saturday Night Live'' alum Franken, also the executive producer of ``Lateline,'' is at the center of this mess, and that may be the show's biggest problem. The '90s may turn out to be the Al-Franken-is-the-new-Dabney-Coleman decade. Remember Coleman? He starred in some funny shows such as ``Buffalo Bill,'' but played an unlikable lead character who viewers had a hard time watching from week to week. Franken's Freundlich may have that same stigma. THE FACTS The show: ``Lateline.'' What: The new comedy series goes behind the scenes of a late-night network news show - not a real one, but in the manner of Garry Shandling's ``talk show,'' some things about it may seem familiar. Al Franken, long associated with ``Saturday Night Live'' as a writer and performer, is an executive producer of the series and stars as a correspondent on the fictional show. The stars: Al Franken, Miguel Ferrer, Robert Foxworth, Megyn Price. Where: NBC (Channel 4). When: 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Our rating: Three Stars. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: The polished, midseason ``Lateline'' features a quirky cast. |
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