POLITICS IS AN UPHILL CLIMB ON `THE HILL'.

Byline: -- David Kronke

Memo to all network executives: If you insist on persisting in airing reality programs, you really need more of a concept these days than ``Attractive 20-somethings hang out in a vaguely exotic locale.''

Fact is, it wouldn't hurt if the idea was just a bit substantive.

Bravo's ``Tabloid Wars,'' about New York Daily News reporters and editors chasing down stories, was a pretty interesting little show, as is ``The Hill,'' a six-part series that focuses on Florida Democratic congressman Robert Wexler's staff members as they attempt to influence his policies and, well, simply break through Washington's gridlock.

It's a bit of a detriment that ``The Hill's'' creator-director Ivy Meeropol apparently worried over it extensively in the editing room.

It begins in 2004, before the presidential election, and everyone knows how that turned out. The second episode charts the Social Security battle, which isn't even on anyone's radar anymore, while the third episode concerns Wexler's response to Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, who has already presided over a year on the bench.

Still, this rare glimpse into the inside-the-sausage-factory look at how the democratic process works -- or, as ``The Hill'' shows, doesn't work -- can be fascinating. We see the staff fret over the most arcane minutiae: the lighting during a Wexler TV interview, the positioning of photos of dignitaries and celebrities in his office, the precise parsing of the wording of countless press releases.

In an effort to sex the series up a little bit, Meeropol spends a bit too much time on a couple of female staff members' disastrous relationships with Republicans (whom we never actually see). But as much as they seem to be trivialized by this gambit, the women also emerge as the most committed to their ideologies, while the male staffers tend more toward manipulative strategies.

Perhaps unintentionally, ``The Hill'' underscores why the Democrats have foundered in recent elections. Wexler and his staff appear to assiduously strive to tamp down their assertive positions into a palatable gruel, lest they run afoul of the Republican majority or, even, tremulous members of the Democratic leadership. There's a sense as the series progresses that despite their best intentions, these people are in over their heads; even the staff members seem to come to vaguely understanding this.

The final episode brilliantly delineates the problems in achieving the precise nuances required when debating about the war with Iraq.

We may have a quagmire and civil war brewing in the Middle East, but, as this episode demonstrates, we have a similar situation in Washington, as well.

THE HILL - Three stars

What: Behind the scenes with Florida Democratic congressman Robert Wexler's young staff.

Where: Sundance Channel.

When: 9 tonight.

In a nutshell: Intriguing in its inside-the-sausage-factory depiction of how government works -- or, perhaps more precisely, doesn't work.