BEST SHOWS IN THE BARREL.Byline: - David Kronke Here's our selective guide for the best the broadcast networks have to offer for the 2004-05 season. With a caveat: None of these shows has the feel of an instant hit. DRAMA As has been the case in recent years, this is the strongest category; many shows with promise but none that promise huge audiences. This list represents descending quality of a competitive bunch: ``House'' (Fox, 9 p.m. Tuesdays, premiering in November after ``The Next Great Champ'' finishes its run) offers Paul Attanasio's effort to make good on the promise of his celebrated but unsuccessful medical series ``Gideon's Crossing Gideon's Crossing was a US medical drama starring Emmy Award-winng actor Andre Braugher. The series was loosely-based on the experience of real-life physician Jerome Groopman. It premiered on October 10, 2000 and last aired on April 9, 2001. .'' Here the dedicated medic medic: see alfalfa. is a glib, unrepentant jerk (Hugh Laurie James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE (born June 11, 1959) is an English actor, comedian and writer, and musician. He is known professionally as Hugh Laurie. Early life and education Laurie was born in Oxford. ) but someone obsessed ob·sess v. ob·sessed, ob·sess·ing, ob·sess·es v.tr. To preoccupy the mind of excessively. v.intr. with beating back vexing diseases from his oppressive position of power. ``Jack & Bobby'' (WB, 9 p.m. Sundays, premiering Sept. 12) isn't ``West Wing Lite'' but ``West Wing Right,'' offering a scintillating scin·til·late v. scin·til·lat·ed, scin·til·lat·ing, scin·til·lates v.intr. 1. To throw off sparks; flash. 2. To sparkle or shine. See Synonyms at flash. 3. portrait of future inspirational leaders in their formative years. It gives viewers a hopeful political future to aspire to aspire to verb aim for, desire, pursue, hope for, long for, crave, seek out, wish for, dream about, yearn for, hunger for, hanker after, be eager for, set your heart on, set your sights on, be ambitious for - as well as an intriguing current- day teen melodrama. ``Desperate Housewives Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series, created by Marc Cherry, who also serves as show runner, and produced by ABC Studios - The Walt Disney Company's main television studio - and Cherry Productions. ,'' (ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. , 9 p.m. Sundays, premiering Oct. 3) On the other hand, this is anything but inspirational. It offers a cynical, ``American Beauty''-style yet wittily sudsy suds·y adj. suds·i·er, suds·i·est Full of or resembling suds. Adj. 1. sudsy - resembling lather or covered with lather lathery portrait of how bored suburban women (and men) will do anything to inject a little oomph into their staid lives. ``Kevin Hill'' (UPN UPN User Principal Name (Microsoft Windows 2000) UPN United Paramount Network UPN Unión del Pueblo Navarro (Navarrese People Union) UPN Umgekehrte Polnische Notation , 9 p.m. Wednesdays, premiering Sept. 29) is also a keeper - and how often do you hear that about a UPN show? Star Taye Diggs is the primary reason - playing a smooth Manhattan attorney and ladies' man who is forced to reassess his life and career when he's assigned custody of a deceased cousin's infant. He makes both his character's voluble vol·u·ble adj. 1. Marked by a ready flow of speech; fluent. 2. a. Turning easily on an axis; rotating. b. Botany Twining or twisting: a voluble vine. player status and more sensitive characteristics equally viable. ``Clubhouse'' (CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. , 9 p.m. Tuesdays, premiering Sept. 28) is an old- fashioned, heartfelt tale about a batboy bat·boy n. A boy who is employed by a baseball team to look after its equipment, especially the bats. for a legendary baseball team coming of age. It's corny corn·y adj. corn·i·er, corn·i·est Trite, dated, melodramatic, or mawkishly sentimental. [From corn1. , sure, but it's more a WB show than most new series on the WB. Final thoughts: All of these shows have drawbacks. ``House'' is more thoughtful than the usual Fox drama (perhaps 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. , which serves as a co-producer, will pick it up after Fox botches its premiere). ``Jack & Bobby,'' likewise, boasts a social-minded urgency that the WB's viewers have yet demonstrated to embrace, particularly with its Sunday programming (again, perhaps NBC could do something with this show, rather than with its own middling productions, ``LAX'' and ``Hawaii''). ``Desperate Housewives'' could be doomed simply because it's a cagey ca·gey also ca·gy adj. ca·gi·er, ca·gi·est 1. Wary; careful: a cagey avoidance of a definite answer. 2. Crafty; shrewd: a cagey lawyer. show on ABC, which has spelled death for previous series (its innate sexiness, however, could work in its favor). ``Kevin Hill'' is a good show for UPN, a network not renowned for quality, and ``Clubhouse'' focuses on the world of baseball, which has never inspired a hit series. COMEDY There's such a paucity of new comedies, and most of them are so dishearteningly unfunny that only one emerges as worthy of attention: ``Father of the Pride,'' (NBC, 8 p.m. Tuesdays, premiering this Tuesday) a computer-animated concoction/confection from DreamWorks, masterminds of the ``Shrek'' films. It's a wildly witty, visually intoxicating in·tox·i·cate v. in·tox·i·cat·ed, in·tox·i·cat·ing, in·tox·i·cates v.tr. 1. To stupefy or excite by the action of a chemical substance such as alcohol. 2. series about the lives of the animals behind the scenes of Siegfried and Roy's Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. act. Final thoughts: Though the animals represent amusingly disparate points of view, some viewers may be put off by Roy's recent tragedy, and others may be offended by the show's decidedly adult sensibility. But look at it this way: If ``The Simpsons'' can do an episode in which Homer plays air guitar with a cross - inside a church - in his underwear, and no one blinks an eye, then certainly this relatively more tame show deserves some consideration. REALITY It's become something of a tradition for networks - particularly, Fox - to refrain from sending out episodes of their reality programming, usually to protect the shows from critical brickbats. Indeed, of the half-dozen or so new reality shows that have been announced for the new season, only one has been made available for preview: ABC's ``Wife Swap This article is about the television programme. For the subcultural sexual lifestyle, see Swinging. Wife Swap is a reality television programme, produced by UK independent TV production company RDF Media. .'' So we admit we're completely winging it on this one. ``Wife Swap'' (ABC, 10 p.m. Wednesdays, premiering Sept. 29), which Fox has already reimagined as ``Trading Spouses,'' offers moralistic mor·al·is·tic adj. 1. Characterized by or displaying a concern with morality. 2. Marked by a narrow-minded morality. mor , happily-ever-after endings to its crass experiments - which would seem antithetical an·ti·thet·i·cal also an·ti·thet·ic adj. 1. Of, relating to, or marked by antithesis. 2. Being in diametrical opposition. See Synonyms at opposite. to what reality-show fans are seeking but might just signal a new trend (if so, Pax actually has a couple such shows in the works, one on 12-step rehab and one on shallow people attempting good works). Final thoughts: Smart money, however, suggests that reality-TV fans are more into human indignity in·dig·ni·ty n. pl. in·dig·ni·ties 1. Humiliating, degrading, or abusive treatment. 2. A source of offense, as to a person's pride or sense of dignity; an affront. 3. and degradation and exotic exploration. This makes ``The Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best'' (Fox, 8 p.m. Tuesdays, premiering Nov. 9) seem a likely success, as it cribs elements from both ``The Apprentice'' and ``The Amazing Race.'' But its host, Virgin mogul Richard Branson, is hardly as infamous as Donald Trump, so it could turn into a quest for duress. It's curious that two networks have spawned boxing series, given the relative interest in the sport among the mainstream. Fox's ``The Next Great Champ'' (Fox, 9 p.m. Tuesdays, premieres Sept. 7) and NBC's ``The Contender'' (NBC, premieres in November) will obviously triumph or be TKO'd on the basis of the participants' personal stories, but even that may not be enough. Most likely the next great champ in the reality sweepstakes will be a show that the networks haven't even announced yet. The fall prime-time lineup Here are the start dates and time slots for this fall's lineup from the networks. Returning programs have premiere dates only; new programs have descriptions. Be aware that the networks are skittish skit·tish adj. 1. Moving quickly and lightly; lively. 2. Restlessly active or nervous; restive. 3. Undependably variable; mercurial or fickle. 4. Shy; bashful. and things may change. SUNDAY 7 p.m. ABC: ``America's Funniest Home Videos'' premieres 9/26. CBS: ``60 Minutes'' premieres 9/26. NBC: ``Dateline'' premieres 9/12. Fox: ``King of the Hill'' premieres 11/7. WB: ``Steve Harvey's Big Time'' premieres 9/12 (new time). 7:30 p.m. Fox: ``Malcolm in the Middle'' premieres 11/7. 8 p.m. ABC: ``Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'' premieres 9/26. CBS: ``Cold Case'' premieres 10/3. NBC: ``American Dreams'' premieres 9/26. Fox: ``The Simpsons'' premieres 11/14. WB: ``Charmed'' premieres 9/12. 8:30 p.m. Fox: ``Arrested Development'' premieres 11/7. 9 p.m. ABC: ``Desperate Housewives'' premieres 10/3. Drama. A suburban housewife (Brenda Strong) stuns her neighbors when she commits suicide, then uses her new omniscient om·nis·cient adj. Having total knowledge; knowing everything: an omniscient deity; the omniscient narrator. n. 1. One having total knowledge. 2. Omniscient God. view to learn what they really talk about and do behind closed doors. Mourners include Felicity Huffman and Teri Hatcher. CBS: Sunday Movie premieres 9/26. NBC: ``Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' premieres 9/26. Fox: ``The Partner'' premieres 11/7. Reality. A group of Ivy League graduates faces off against a team of street-smart lawyers from less prestigious schools for a firm's partner position. WB: ``Jack & Bobby'' premieres 9/12. Drama. Two brothers grow up under the watchful eye of their eccentric single mother; one is destined des·tine tr.v. des·tined, des·tin·ing, des·tines 1. To determine beforehand; preordain: a foolish scheme destined to fail; a film destined to become a classic. 2. to be president of the United States The head of the Executive Branch, one of the three branches of the federal government. The U.S. Constitution sets relatively strict requirements about who may serve as president and for how long. . 10 p.m. ABC: ``Boston Legal'' premieres 10/3. Drama. Humor-tinged spinoff of ``The Practice'' stars James Spader and William Shatner as attorneys at a high-priced Boston law firm. NBC: ``Crossing Jordan'' premieres 9/26. MONDAY 6 p.m. ABC: ``Monday Night Football'' preseason under way, regular season premieres 9/13. 8 p.m. CBS: ``Still Standing'' premieres 9/20 (new time). NBC: ``Fear Factor'' premieres 8/30. Fox: ``North Shore'' premieres 9/6. UPN: ``One on One'' premieres 9/20 (new time). WB: ``7th Heaven'' premieres 9/13. 8:30 p.m. CBS: ``Listen Up'' premieres 9/20. Comedy. Jason Alexander stars as a husband, dad and sports talk-show host who writes a syndicated newspaper column. UPN: ``Half and Half'' premieres 9/20. 9 p.m. CBS: ``Everybody Loves Raymond'' premieres 9/20. NBC: ``Las Vegas'' premieres 9/13. Fox: ``Renovate My Family'' premieres 9/6; previews 8 to 10 p.m. 9/1. Reality. Jay McGraw, son of Dr. Phil, hosts a makeover that renovates home AND family members all at once. UPN: ``Girlfriends'' premieres 9/20. WB: ``Everwood'' premieres 9/13. 9:30 p.m. CBS: ``Two and a Half Men'' premieres 9/20. UPN: ``Second Time Around'' premieres 9/20. Comedy. Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Parker play a divorced couple who find greater success in their remarriage Re`mar´riage n. 1. A second or repeated marriage. Noun 1. remarriage - the act of marrying again . 10 p.m. ABC: ``The Benefactor'' premieres 9/13. Reality. Contestants vie to win $1 million from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. CBS: ``CSI CSI Crime Scene Investigator CSI CompuServe, Inc. CSI Commodity Systems, Inc. CSI Commodity Systems Inc. (Boca Raton, FL) CSI Crime Scene Investigation (CBS TV show) CSI Christian Schools International : Miami'' premieres 9/20. NBC: ``LAX'' premieres 9/13. Drama with Heather Locklear and Blair Underwood working behind the scenes you-know-where. TUESDAY 8 p.m. ABC: ``My Wife and Kids'' premieres 9/21 (new time). CBS: ``NCIS'' premieres 9/28. NBC: ``Last Comic Standing'' premieres Tuesday; preview at 9:30 p.m. Monday. Fox: ``The Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best'' premieres 11/9. Reality. Sir Richard Branson seeks a future star entrepreneur in a contest that crosses ``The Amazing Race'' with ``The Apprentice.'' UPN: ``All of Us'' premieres 9/21. WB: ``Gilmore Girls'' premieres 9/21. 8:30 p.m. ABC: ``George Lopez'' premieres 9/21 (new time). UPN: ``Eve'' premieres 9/21. 9 p.m. ABC: ``According to Jim'' premieres 9/21. CBS: ``Clubhouse'' premieres 9/28, previews at 8 p.m. 9/26. Drama. A teenage batboy's view inside Major League Baseball "MLB" and "Major Leagues" redirect here. For other uses, see MLB (disambiguation) and Major Leagues (disambiguation). Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. , starring Christopher Lloyd, Mare Winningham, Dean Cain and Jeremy Sumpter. NBC: ``Father of the Pride'' premieres Tuesday. Animated comedy. Backstage with three generations of Siegfried and Roy's performing white lions. Star voices: John Goodman, Cheryl Hines and Carl Reiner. Fox: ``The Next Great Champ'' premieres 9/7. Reality. Competition with a dozen up-and-coming boxers hosted by Oscar De La Hoya Oscar de la Hoya (IPA pronunciation: [ˈɑs.kɛɹ dɛ.lɑ.ˈhɔɪ.jɑ][1]) (born February 4, 1973) — nicknamed the Golden Boy . UPN: ``Veronica Mars'' premieres 9/28; previews 9 p.m. 9/22. Drama. A 17-year-old high school student (Kristen Bell) leads a double life as an apprentice private investigator in her seaside community. WB: ``One Tree Hill'' premieres 9/21. 9:30 p.m. ABC: ``Rodney'' premieres 9/21. Comedy. Stand-up stand·up or stand-up adj. 1. Standing erect; upright: a standup collar. 2. Taken, done, or used while standing: a standup supper; a standup bar. comedian Rodney Carrington plays a family man who quits his job to pursue a career as a stand-up comic. NBC: ``Scrubs'' premieres 8/31. 10 p.m. ABC: ``NYPD NYPD New York City Police Department (since 1845; New York City, NY, USA) NYPD New York Play Development Blue'' premieres 9/21. CBS: ``Judging Amy'' premieres 9/28. NBC: ``Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' premieres 9/21. WEDNESDAY 8 p.m. ABC: ``Lost'' premieres 9/22. Drama. Survivors of a plane crash in the jungle face harsh conditions, hunger and something ferocious lurking in the trees. CBS: ``60 Minutes II'' premieres 9/29. NBC: ``Hawaii'' premieres Wednesday. Drama. Ivan Sergei, Michael Biehn and Sharif Atkins star as Honolulu police officers. Fox: ``That '70s Show'' premieres 9/8. UPN: ``America's Next Top Model'' premieres 9/22 (new time). WB: ``Smallville'' premieres 9/22. 8:30 p.m. Fox: ``Quintuplets'' premieres 9/8. 9 p.m. ABC: ``The Bachelor'' premieres 9/22. CBS: ``King of Queens'' premieres 9/29. NBC: ``The West Wing'' premieres 10/20. Fox: ``The Bernie Mac Show'' premieres 9/8. UPN: ``Kevin Hill'' premieres 9/29. Drama. Taye Diggs plays an entertainment lawyer whose life turns upside down when he becomes guardian of a 6-month-old baby girl. WB: ``The Mountain'' premieres 9/22. Drama. A young man (Oliver Hudson) returns to his family's mountain home after his grandfather dies and bequeaths a ski resort to him. 9:30 p.m. CBS: ``Center of the Universe'' premieres 9/29. Comedy. John Goodman and Jean Smart play a married couple dealing with the husband's eccentric parents (Ed Asner and Olympia Dukakis). Fox: ``Method & Red'' premieres 9/8. 10 p.m. ABC: ``Wife Swap'' premieres 9/29. Reality. Two wives and mothers trade families for 10 days. CBS: ``CSI: New York'' premieres 9/22. Drama. Jerry Bruckheimer's franchise lands in the Big Apple with Gary Sinise and Melina Kanakaredes as the forensics See computer forensics. experts. NBC: ``Law & Order'' premieres 9/22. THURSDAY 8 p.m. ABC: ``Extreme Makeover'' premieres 9/23 (new time). CBS: ``Survivor: Vanatu'' premieres 9/16. NBC: ``Joey'' premieres 9/9. Comedy. ``Friend'' Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) moves to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career and reunites with his sister, Gina (Drea de Matteo Andrea Donna de Matteo (born January 19, 1972[1]) is an Emmy-winning American actress, perhaps best known for her roles as Adriana La Cerva on the HBO TV series The Sopranos and as Joey Tribbiani's sister Gina on the NBC sitcom Joey. ), and nephew, Michael (Paulo Costanzo). Fox: ``The O.C.'' premieres 11/4. UPN: ``WWE WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (formerly World Wrestling Federation) WWE Witwe (German: Widow) WWE William Webb Ellis (inventor of rugby) WWE World Wide Education WWE Well Woman Exam Smackdown!'' premieres 9/23. WB: ``Blue Collar TV'' has already premiered. 8:30 p.m. NBC: ``Will & Grace'' premieres 9/16 (new time). WB: ``Drew Carey's Green Screen Show'' premieres 9/16. Comedy. Carey, familiar co-stars Colin Mochrie and Kathy Kinney and others take improv A multidimensional Windows spreadsheet from Lotus that allows for easy switching to different views of the data. Data are referenced by name as in a database, rather than the typical spreadsheet row and column coordinates. Improv was originally developed for the NeXt computer. one step further. After they film off-the-cuff scenes in front of a green screen, animators and film editors put in outrageous backgrounds. 9 p.m. ABC: ``Life as We Know It'' premieres 10/7. Drama. Three teenage boys study and think about sex, eat and think about sex, play basketball and think about sex ... CBS: ``CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' premieres 9/23. NBC: ``The Apprentice'' premieres at 8:30 p.m. 9/9; this time period thereafter. Fox: ``Tru Calling'' premieres 11/4. WB: ``Studio 7'' has already premiered. 10 p.m. ABC: ``Primetime Live'' premieres 9/16. CBS: ``Without a Trace'' premieres 9/23. NBC: ``ER'' premieres 9/23. FRIDAY 8 p.m. ABC: ``8 Simple Rules'' premieres 9/24 (new day). CBS: ``Joan of Arcadia'' premieres 9/24. NBC: ``Dateline'' premieres 9/3. Fox: ``The Complex: Malibu'' premieres Thursday; preview 8 to 10 p.m. Monday. Reality. Eight couples move into four units in a cliff-side complex and redo To reverse an undo operation. See undo. their spaces room by room in competition for cash. UPN: ``Star Trek: Enterprise'' premieres 10/8 (new time). WB: ``What I Like About You'' premieres 9/17 (new time). 8:30 p.m. ABC: ``Complete Savages'' premieres 9/24. Comedy. Keith Carradine stars as a single father raising five teenage boys. WB: ``Commando Nanny'' premieres 9/17. Comedy. Based on producer Mark Burnett's experience as an ex-special forces commando hired as a sitter for a well-to-do Beverly Hills family. 9 p.m. ABC: ``Hope & Faith'' premieres 9/24. CBS: ``JAG'' premieres 9/24. NBC: ``Third Watch'' premieres 9/17 (new time). FOX: ``The Next Great Champ'' encore premieres 9/10; new episodes in this time period in October. UPN: ``America's Top Model'' encore premieres 10/8. WB: ``Reba'' premieres 9/17 (new time).9:30 p.m. ABC: ``Less Than Perfect'' premieres 9/24. WB: ``Grounded for Life'' premieres 9/17. 10 p.m. ABC: ``20/20'' premieres 9/24. CBS: ``Dr. Vegas'' premieres 9/24. Drama. Rob Lowe is the in-house doctor at a high-end casino in Las Vegas. NBC: ``Medical Investigation'' premieres 9/10; preview 10 p.m. 9/9. Drama. Kelli Williams and Neal McDonough star as doctors from the National Institutes of Health who investigate and treat contagious outbreaks. SATURDAY 8 p.m. ABC: ``The Wonderful World of Disney'' premieres 10/16 (new time). CBS: ``The Amazing Race'' premieres 9/25 (new time). NBC: ``The Apprentice'' encore premieres 9/25. FOX: ``Cops'' premieres 9/11. 9 p.m. CBS: ``Crime Time Saturday'' premieres 9/25. Drama. Repackaging of reruns: ``CSI,'' ``Without a Trace,'' ``CSI: Miami,'' ``Cold Case,'' ``NCIS NCIS Naval Criminal Investigative Service NCIS National Coroners Information System (Australia) NCIS Nebraska Career Information System NCIS National Crime Intelligence Service NCIS National Coalition of Independent Scholars .'' NBC: Reruns of various drama series episodes, premieres 9/25. FOX: ``America's Most Wanted For the professional wrestling tag team, see . For the United States FBI list of fugitives, see . America's Most Wanted is a long-running TV show produced by 20th Century Fox. : America Fights Back'' premieres 9/11. 10 p.m. CBS: ``48 Hours Mysteries'' premieres 9/25 in a new time slot. NBC: Rotation of ``Law & Order,'' ``L&O: Criminal Intent'' and ``L&O: SVU'' repeats premieres 9/25. CAPTION(S): 4 photos, box Photo: (1) ``JACK & BOBBY,'' Sundays, WB (2) ``WIFE SWAP,'' Wednesdays, ABC (3) ``LAS VEGAS,'' Mondays, NBC (4) ``EVERWOOD,'' Mondays, WB Box: The fall prime-time lineup (see text) |
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