MISTRESS OF HER DOMAIN JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS' NEW SITCOM IS A RISK FROM SEVERAL ANGLES, BUT CAN SHE HOLD HER OWN? IMAGINE IF YOU WILL ...

Byline: David Kronke Television Writer

NBC's hopefully titled new sitcom ``Watching Ellie'' came with baggage before the pilot was finished. The show stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the spectacularly spastic Elaine of TV icon ``Seinfeld,'' and follows in the wake of her former co-stars' impressive wipeouts: ``The Michael Richards Show'' and Jason Alexander's ``Bob Patterson.''

Even Patrick Warburton, who had a recurring role on ``Seinfeld,'' tasted what his character in ``The Tick'' might call the grimly minty flavor of failure when that series was canceled earlier this season. None of the ``Seinfeld'' talent trust's subsequent series have lasted even half a season, leading journalists on the desperate lookout for anything resembling a trend to evoke ``the 'Seinfeld' curse.''

In addition, initial impressions by industry observers found the pilot for ``Watching Ellie'' unwatchable. The upshot: a star and a network whistling past the graveyard as they submit a pricey new situation comedy for America's approval.

The show stars Louis-Dreyfus as the Ellie in question, a mildly unhinged lounge/jingle singer who's clearly not especially adept at managing many aspects of her life, particularly her romantic liaisons (Steve Carell plays a cantankerous ex, while Darren Boyd essays her current, equally dubious, beau).

Ellie's neighbors (Peter Stormare and Don Lake) are of the requisite loopy molds, and her sister (Lauren Bowles, Louis-Dreyfus' real-life sibling), beneath a veneer of calm, is actually fairly needy. The series was created by Brad Hall, Louis-Dreyfus' real-life husband.

Several challenges face the program's long-term success. Like ``24,'' each episode plays out in real time, which is to say, nothing is edited from Ellie's existence - it may ratchet up the suspense for a thriller, but does real-time really serve the cause of a comedy? And Hall and Louis-Dreyfuss have insisted on only producing 15 episodes a year, which means the show would have to stay on the air at least six seasons before it would enjoy profitability through syndication. (The average sitcom goes into syndication after four years on the air, difficult enough to achieve).

Herewith, we've deconstructed comments made by the principles during a recent press conference: What they said, and our translation.

Louis-Dreyfuss on not perpetuating ``the 'Seinfeld' curse'': ``I think there's pressure, period, regardless of the past successes or failures of any of my friends. Frankly, I'm putting pressure on myself. I really want to do a good job. I really want this show to be good. I want to like it.''

Translation: ``Can you imagine our home life if this show tanks?''

Louis-Dreyfus on quality: ``It's hard. It's hard to do anything well. If you're making a car, it's hard to make a good car.''

Translation: ``OK, the auto industry has a better record than the entertainment industry, but fewer people die when the entertainment industry goofs up. Even if the show stinks, we're hoping for an impeccable safety record.''

Louis-Dreyfus, on what she learned from Richards' and Alexander's failures: ``The main thing is to just have a good time. Not only do I want this show to be a success, I would really like to enjoy the process. Because otherwise, what's the point?"

Translation: ``That's why Happy Hour starts at 10 a.m. on the set, although I'm not sure the writers should be drinking that early.''

Louis-Dreyfus, on why she insists on doing only 15 episodes a year: ``I'm adamant about it because I saw that as the only way to protect my sanity and my family life. ... Frankly, 15 is a lot, I think.''

Translation (courtesy Peter Tolan, executive producer of ABC's ``The Job''): ``If she's a member of the 'Seinfeld' cast, she'll be lucky to make it that far.''

Louis-Dreyfus on singing: ``It is so much fun. I haven't really pursued singing very much in my career. It was sort of like we remembered that I could do that. I mean, not like really, really well, but enough to get by. And it's a very joyful experience. It feels so good to sing. It just makes me happy. And it's fun to get into vocal shape.''

Translation: ``If it'll get us off the topic of the 'Seinfeld' curse, I'll talk about singing all day long.''

NBC Entertainment president Jeff Zucker: ``I happen to believe Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a huge television star.''

Translation: ``At least, we're paying her as if she's a huge television star.''

Zucker: ``But there's no guarantee.''

Translation: ``I've seen the pilot.''

Zucker on the ``Seinfeld'' curse: ``I don't think there's an automatic audience for anyone, whether you were on 'Seinfeld' or any other show. Much has been made of the failure of those shows. One one hand, it's not that surprising - nine out of 10 shows fail.''

Translation: ``And if I champion them, those numbers get uglier.''

Zucker: ``I don't believe in the 'Seinfeld' curse.''

Translation: ``But I am starting to wonder about the Zucker curse.''

Executive producer Brad Hall, on why he prefers his show airing on Tuesday nights as opposed to Thursday, even though the former is weaker for NBC: ``If you're on Thursday night at 8:30, because of the history of that - that time slot has been so disastrous - there's a hell of a lot of pressure.''

Translation: ``One of my earlier shows, 'The Single Guy,' contributed to NBC's sorry Thursday-at-8:30 legacy of failure.''

Hall: ``(Julia and I) are married and Lauren is my little sister-in-law, and so we definitely have a shared view because we live together, and any show gets like that.''

Translation: ``Any show where nepotism is the order of the day, at least.''

Hall, on doing the program in ``real time'': ``It's like a haiku or a sonnet. It's a rule that is fun to stick to. ... It turns out to be liberating. ... When you follow a character and the connective tissue that's usually cut out of shows, you know, somebody going from one place to another, or someone alone in a room, you very rarely get to see that on audience shows, and you rarely get to get the camera right in there on audience shows.''

Translation: Sorry, we have no idea on this one. Maybe he's saying this show isn't for audiences?

Hall, continuing: ``It seems to me that there's going to be a lot of comedy and a lot of character stuff that we are going to get by being with her all the time.''

Translation: ``That, or we'll quickly discover why every other show in history has cut out those 'connective tissue' scenes.''

Hall: ``I have to say, from the minute we walked into the office at NBC, they've been behind the show, incredibly supportive of the show, creatively very helpful the whole way. It's been a delight.''

Translation: ``I prefaced that with 'I have to say' because otherwise, we could get canceled even quicker.''

``WATCHING ELLIE''

What: Twenty-two real-time minutes with a harried, neurotic lounge singer.

Where: NBC (Channel 4).

When: 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) AND THEN THERE WAS ONE

Julia Louis-Dreyfus goes up against the `Seinfeld' curse with her new NBC sitcom, `Watching Ellie'

(2) no caption (Julia Louis-Dreyfus)