IS THERE TROUBLE IN RATINGS PARADISE FOR ABC SHOWS?

Byline: David Kronke Television Writer

ABC seems unfazed by the estimated 16.1 million viewers that ``Temptation Island'' brought in for its premiere Wednesday night.

The network had passed on Fox's controversial new series, noted ABC Entertainment co-chairman Lloyd Braun, maintaining that reality shows are a hit-and-miss proposition.

``I don't believe anything represents a trend other than (the success of) really good television shows that capture the attention of America. Everybody falls prey to the notion that if that works, this, this and this must work. We try to make sure our shows don't feel derivative,'' Braun told television critics in Pasadena on Friday.

ABC, knowing a good thing when it's got it, has renewed the hit legal drama ``The Practice'' through the next three seasons. The Sunday night series from David E. Kelley has benefited strongly from the ratings ``halo effect'' of ``Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.''

However, ABC earlier had declared itself pleased with the ratings for its own new reality TV show, ``Mole,'' which drew an estimated 13.7 million viewers for its debut on Tuesday night, although it was a 26 percent dropoff from the show it was replacing for nine weeks, ``Millionaire.'' But like ``Temptation Island,'' ``The Mole'' delivered high ratings among the coveted 18-to-34 age group. While it trailed CBS' ``JAG'' for its time slot, ``The Mole,'' in which contestants solve challenges and ferret out the saboteur in their midst for a prize of up to $1 million, delivered the highest ratings in its time period this season in the young-adults demographic.

``Temptation Island,'' in which sexy singles test the fidelity of four couples, was even better, becoming Fox's highest-rated Wednesday premiere ever among young adults. The show, however, is mired in controversy. It has been decried by religious leaders for its premise, and it was revealed this week that a background check failed to reveal that one of the couples on the show had a child, a violation of Fox's rules. This is reminiscent of the network's embarrassment last year when it turned out that groom Rick Rockwell of ``Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire?'' - another of its shows - had been the subject of a restraining order request by a fiancee.

The question is whether ``Temptation Island'' can maintain its high ratings. The show was roundly lambasted by critics, and while younger viewers tuned in for the first show, it remains to be seen if they will stick around.

Meanwhile, ABC announced some midseason replacements Friday. ``My Wife and Kids,'' a family sitcom starring Damon Wayans, will premiere March 13; Denis Leary's edgy cop comedy ``The Job'' will debut the next day. Joan Cusack's still untitled situation comedy will begin its run March 27.

Additionally, ``The Beast,'' a drama about a TV news service, will air at 10 p.m. Mondays this spring after ``Gideon's Crossing'' concludes its first-season run, and the reality series ``Making the Band'' will return on Fridays in the spring.

Music celebrities the Backstreet Boys, KISS, Metallica, the Dixie Chicks and Sugar Ray, as well as Sisqo, will appear on ``Millionaire'' during February sweeps. The game show will also have a tax-free edition, in which winners will keep all of their announced earnings.

In making the announcements, ABC Entertainment's co-chairmen, Stu Bloomberg and Braun, declared their adoration for ``Gideon's Crossing,'' Andre Braugher's first-year medical drama, and ``Once and Again,'' Sela Ward's drama about families of divorce, shows whose strong critical acclaim has not yet translated into large viewerships. Both shows have been recently moved in an effort to get larger audience sampling - ``Gideon'' to Mondays and ``Once and Again'' to Wednesdays. ``The Practice'' and ``Gideon'' crossover episodes will air in March.

``We love 'Gideon's Crossing,' and it drives us crazy that a broader audience has not come to this gem,'' Bloomberg said. ``We will not rest until we get this to a broader audience.''

As for ``Once and Again,'' Bloomberg said, ``It's a personal drama that's holding a mirror up to society beautifully. I'm on the edge of my seat when I watch it; there are some wonderful uncomfortable moments. But there's not the big, promotable, life-and-death situations that you can sell.''

He added that while the network has not tried to force the show's producers into creating splashier story lines - ``the purity of that show is critical'' - they have nonetheless discussed ways of enhancing its ``promotability.''

Bloomberg addressed his network's recent inability to launch a successful comedy - unless ``The Geena Davis Show'' surprises everyone, none of ABC's sitcoms of the past two seasons will have survived a season.

``We're trying to expand the definition of the half-hour comedy and not rely on multicamera audience shows,'' said Bloomberg, whose network's ``Sports Night'' eschewed the traditional sitcom formula but lasted only two seasons despite critical kudos. ``There was frustration at our inability to deliver the audience 'Sports Night' deserved, and we hope to accomplish that with 'The Job.'

``Cable audiences accept that shows are funny without hearing laughter on the soundtrack, and 'Malcolm in the Middle' is a great example,'' he continued. ``We want to stick with 'The Job' - there's hard humor, but it's organic. There are good, emotional story lines, and we want to get away from viewers asking, 'Should I laugh? Should I cry?' and just say, 'It's a good half-hour show.' But we really like midseason shows with Joan and Damon. They're traditional audience shows, but Joan and Damon are both strong voices.''

Bloomberg also announced that, among other tentative series, the network will go with a Steven Bochco production titled ``Philly.'' Starring Kim Delaney of ``NYPD Blue,'' ``Philly'' focuses on criminal lawyers who deal with suspects even more dubious than those on ``The Practice.''

- Wire services contributed to this story.