IS 'ED' A GREAT SHOW, OR WHAT?

Byline: David Kronke TV Critic

``Ed'' is a likable enough comedy-drama that just dotes on its likability. Example: Ed (Tom Cavanagh), in an effort to win over the woman he had a crush on back in high school, interrupts her at her workplace clad in a suit of armor, brandishing a bouquet of flowers. When she, reasonably enough, shoos him away, he protests, declaring, ``Look what I've done here today - I'm adorable!''

Well, if you say so. Most women, under such adorable circumstances, would be on the phone seeking a restraining order.

Created by ``Late Show With David Letterman'' producer Rob Burnett, ``Ed'' wastes no time setting up its premise: Ed gets fired from his big- city law firm, finds his wife with another man, returns to his hometown, gets a kiss from that hottie from high school, Carol (Julie Bowen), then in a pique of passion, buys the local bowling alley. All this is conveyed in less than three minutes. It's as if Burnett and company didn't really buy it, either, but figured we'd be so busy being charmed we wouldn't have any time to question it.

Hence, Ed moves in with a pal whose wife recently had a baby; when she leaves for work, he pops in videos of some diabetes-inducing cutesiness for the baby. Ed meets the wacky characters at his bowling alley; the one who sleeps there and peddles meat on the side needs a pink slip or a good throttling or someone to explain to him that no matter how hard he tries, he can't get inducted into the Wacky Supporting Character Hall of Fame on the basis of one episode.

So far, ``Ed'' is far too aggressive in its efforts to be quirky and endearing, a ``Northern Exposure'' set in the humdrum Midwest. And Cavanagh's self-satisfied smirks don't help; he's sort of telegraphing to the audience what they're expression should be at any moment.

But darned if there aren't a few winning little moments that hint at what this show could be - Ed dispenses legal advice when customers bowl three games; a courtroom scene in which Ed squares off against a lawyer pretending to be Spencer Tracy in ``Inherit the Wind''; Ed's pal's crotchety boss serving up ``sarcastic sandwiches'' when he slacks off at work.

The phrase ``bowling alley lawyer'' has a ring to it, no matter how much Ed may object to it. And Cavanagh and Bowen do seem to have an agreeable chemistry; even if her character is dating a hunk played by Greg Harrison, you can bet he'll be self-absorbed enough that she'll be induced to give gawky old Ed a test drive.

``Ed's'' an odd bird that seems to fall between two barstools. On one hand, it's a sweet-natured show about returning to one's roots, a proven premise on TV these days that could appeal to ``Touched by an Angel'' viewers; on the other hand, ``Simpsons'' and ``Malcolm in the Middle'' fans might fancy its eccentric sensibility. Unfortunately for ``Ed,'' viewers of those shows already have something to watch while our hapless bowling-alley owner flirts recklessly with his dream girl. But it may not matter: Ed seems to be an awfully big fan of himself.

``ED''

What: Comedy-drama about a man returning to his eccentric Midwestern hometown.

The stars: Tom Cavanagh, Julie Bowen.

Where: NBC (Channel 4).

When: 8 p.m. Sunday.

Our rating: Three stars

'Nikki' sets comic sights on lowest common denominator 

``Nikki'' stars Nikki Cox as a leggy (and everything else-y) Vegas chorine at a dismal hotel revue and Nick von Esmarch as her bulky husband, an aspiring TV wrestler grappling under the moniker The Crybaby. Were I in this show's target demographic (which could be read: ``lowest common denominator''), I'd feel pity at this show's desperation to get me to watch, but pretty insulted by its unabashed condescension toward me.

``Nikki'' comes courtesy the overworked Bruce Helford, who's also working on the much better ``The Drew Carey Show,'' the nominally better ``Norm'' and an upcoming WB animated series, ``The Oblongs.'' The first sentence of the ``Nikki'' press kit notes Helford has won a Peabody Award, thereby hopefully linking this show - which in an upcoming episode has a child spouting a scatological acronym - with uplifting entertainment. As if.

Cox and von Esmarch can punch the proper comedic buttons to uncork their familiar one-liners, but are fairly adrift when it comes to scenes that are more serious or simply expository; actually, those are usually even sillier than the jokey ones. Cox isn't the only actress who'd look foolish delivering a line that begins, ``I'm not letting you risk your wrestling career that you've dreamt about ...''

Supporting players fare better. Christine Estabrook plays Nikki's disapproving mother-in-law, who, despite what seem like reasonable apprehensions, is cast as a harridan. She manages nice gymnastic twists, from sweet to vulturelike in the span of a scene, and usually milks her insults better than most. And Toby Huss is nicely oily as The Crybaby's cynical trainer.

An ostensible selling point for this series is the elaborate musical numbers that open each show (Helford's clearly working off his success with same on ``Drew Carey.'') Conceptually, they're dopey - subjects range from Godzilla to the French Revolution - but they also aspire to some measure of competence in their staging, so they want to be good in the context of their awfulness. At any rate, they're not terribly funny. Hey, looks like they serve as a metaphor for the entire show.

``NIKKI''

What: Sitcom about a struggling young Vegas couple.

The stars: Nikki Cox, Nick von Esmarch.

Where: WB (Channel 5).

When: 9:30 p.m. Sundays.

Our rating: Two stars

'Practice' makes perfect for season 5

Last season, ``The Practice'' engaged in some histrionic flights of fancy - not as many or as bizarre as David E. Kelley's other series, ``Ally McBeal,'' but just enough to give viewers mild cause for concern. Was Kelley simply overworked, or is maintaining such a high level of quality just too taxing for any series?

No need to worry. If anything, the first three episodes of the legal drama's fifth season show it to be in better shape than last season. Contrast last season's premiere's plot, a lurid, cheap number involving sexual fetishes, with the sundry vexing yet compelling ethical dilemmas confronting the attorneys here.

Bobby (Dylan McDermott) and Eugene (Steve Harris) defend an accused murderer (Bruce Davison) who wants to testify on his own behalf, even though it means allowing an apparent videotaped admission of guilt into evidence, while Helen (Lara Flynn Boyle) struggles with ethical lapses on behalf of the prosecution in the same case. At the same time, Ellenor (Camryn Manheim) and Lindsay (Kelli Williams) undertake an iffy case, suing the Environmental Protection Agency on behalf of parents whose children were damaged by a potentially dangerous chemical in lawn furniture.

While Kelli gets in some political jabs at the EPA's lack of teeth in terms of protecting ordinary Americans from chemical-crazed corporations, Ellenor goes ballistic on the judge in the case. In episode three, Jimmy (Michael Badalucco) again attempts to perform a good deed for a crack-addicted client, with unexpected results.

Each case forces the attorneys to wade into territory where morality is murky; these gray areas are consistently compelling - even the ostensible bad guys have compelling arguments for their deeds in these cases. With the new fall season proving something of a disappointment - to be diplomatic about it - we're reminded how rare real quality shows are, and why one like ``The Practice'' should be valued all the more.

``THE PRACTICE''

What: Season premiere of the legal drama.

The stars: Dylan McDermott, Lara Flynn Boyle.

Where: ABC (Channel 7).

When: 10 p.m. Sundays.

Our rating: Three and one half stars

Comedy 'Hype'-r, but lacks ingenuity

Don't believe people who tell you, ``Don't believe the hype!'' then run through a crowd of madly gesticulating fans, preening and strutting and high-fiving anyone in their way.

``Hype,'' the WB's new sketch program, purports to parody anything that pop culture embraces too rabidly - a fish-in-a-barrel target if a TV show has ever had one. The victims of tonight's show's skewers may be deserving ones, but boy, oh boy, you just wish some genuine wit accompanied the attitude.

There are a couple of amusing sketches in this kinetic soup: A family dines upon ``American Beauty Happy Meals,'' with depressing action figures and lurid puzzles, and a gay rapper named Feminem razzes gyno- and homophobe Eminem in a video, aping the latter's song: ``Will the real Eminem please shut up.''

Alas, too many sketches are simply recognition gags - oh, look, some women dressed up as the cast from ``Sex and the City''! A guy pretending (badly) to be Bryant Gumbel! Someone wearing glasses like Janeane Garofalo! - without any complementary humor. Tonight's episode's nadir is a bit in which President Clinton sees Monica Lewinsky's image on a park bench and starts slobbering all over it. OK, you think, not funny, but that just killed 15 seconds, on to something else. But no. Secret Service agents pull him away, he escapes from them and begins anew. And again. And yet again. And, for heaven's sake, yet again.

Equally unfunny is a bit with a flatulent Britney Spears. Taken together, those bits suggest that the hiring age for WB writers has been lowered to 13.

``HYPE''

What: Sketch comedy spoofing pop culture.

The stars: Michael Roof, Jennifer Elise Cox, Gavin Crawford, Daniele Gaither, Nadya Ginsburg, Steve Kramer, Christen Nelson, Shayma Tash, Chris Williams, Frank Caliendo.

Where: The WB (Channel 5).

When: 9 p.m. Sundays.

Our rating: One and one half stars

Reality TV not real? No!

MSNBC hits upon a remarkable conclusion tonight in its special report, ``Reality TV Survivor's Guide'': Reality TV isn't real!

Not to toot our own horn, but the Daily News pointed that out almost five months ago, just as the trend was cresting. Still, this report has a couple of interesting moments. It shows, for example, how the reunion of ``Big Brother'' houseguests Brittany and Karen was completely choreographed, as well as how CBS controlled the two after they left the ``Big Brother'' house: A CBS flunkie with a grim smile interrupts Brittany and drags her, for no good reason, from an MSNBC interview. (What was he thinking? Did he really think she'd be able to articulate a coherent thought?)

Host Forrest Sawyer also shows that shows like ``Big Brother'' and upcoming junk like ``Chains of Love'' or ``The Mole'' are derived in part from university psychology experiments from the '60s - which, for humane purposes, clinical psychologists are forbidden to conduct today. ``Universities don't allow you to manipulate human subjects like this,'' one professor grouses. ``You do trivial stuff in universities and the good stuff gets on TV.''

There's also some history - Allen Funt's ``Candid Camera'' and PBS's ``An American Family'' were the antecedents of today's meaner, rougher programs - as well as the age-old observation that simply pointing a camera at a subject automatically makes it act less ``real.''

In all, ``Reality TV's Surivor Guide'' pulls its punches and seems a bit muddy in whether it has a point to make or is simply cashing in on a hot trend. Kind of like the shows themselves.

``REALITY TV SURVIVOR'S GUIDE''

What: Documentary on the new TV genre.

Where: MSNBC.

When: 6 tonight.

Our rating: Two and one half stars

CAPTION(S):

5 photos

Photo:

(1) ``Ed,'' a new series from David Letterman's former executive producer, premieres Sunday on NBC.

(2) Nikki Cox co-stars with Nick von Esmarch in the WB sitcom ``Nikki.''

(3) McDERMOTT

(4) WB's new sketch comedy, ``Hype,'' which has its premiere tonight, features an eclectic cast attempting to poke fun at the most recognizable names in pop culture - such as Eminem and Britney Spears - but coming up short in some of the gags.

(5) Julie Chen, host of CBS' ``Big Brother,'' tallies the results thus far on the July 13 broadcast.