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Byline: DAVID KRONKE TV Critic

`LEAP OF FAITH'' is a bland dish from the video Cuisinart: Just toss middling episodes of ``Friends,'' ``Seinfeld,'' ``Sex and the City,'' that awful assortment of NBC mediacentric women (``Just Shoot Me,'' ``Suddenly Susan,'' ``Caroline in the City'' and those canceled in a more timely fashion), along with the self-conscious quippery of ``Gilmore Girls'' (but not, however, its genuine wit) into a blender. Set on puree and process until all flavor is removed.

Tonight's premiere finds uber-perky thirtysomething advertising executive Faith Wardwell (Sarah Paulson) getting prewedding jitters and dumping her successful but awfully oily fiance after succumbing with shocking swiftness to the charms of a cute guy. (Why go to all that trouble to establish that she's single when that can be covered in a simple line of dialogue?)

Faith works with frizzy-haired and -brained Patty (Lisa Edelstein) - think a tidied-up version of Kim Cattrall's man-eater on ``Sex and the City'' - cooking up unlikely ad campaigns like the third car for two-car couples or golf clubs for women disinterested in golf.

Her other pals include Andy (Ken Marino), a generic ``Seinfeld'' sort of character whose every observation smacks of trivial minutiae, and voice-of-reason Cynthia (Regina King), the female straight man the other zany characters bounce their idiocies off of. Faith's fatuously arrogant mother (Jill Clayburgh) thinks of everything in terms of how it will affect her social standing, so naturally she is apoplectic about canceling the wedding.

These actors have already assembled enough irksomely prepackaged mannerisms for a self-satisfied cast entering the seventh year of their series: They're already hermetically sealed in their affectations without ever having gone to the trouble of connecting with an audience. (Their performances seem inspired most by the bouncy posturing of Fox series stars in their promos.) The writing doesn't help them much, either: In two episodes, only one line evinced a smile.

When, next week, Faith whimpers that her future seems so undecided, her boy toy du jour responds, ``The question mark (in life) - that's what makes you come back for more.'' And that's quite likely why viewers won't need to return to ``Leap of Faith'' - there are no question marks. Its every step is telegraphed far in advance, perhaps as far back as 1997's ``Fired Up,'' another similar and similarly uninspired place-holder on NBC's Thursday lineup.

LEAP OF FAITH - Two stars

What: New York singles. High jinks. Quips. You know, the usual.

Where: NBC (Channel 4).

When: 8:30 tonight.

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Photo:

Sarah Paulson plays the title role in NBC's ``Leap of Faith.''