Tube Notes
By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service
MUST-SEE (TV): "Kristin" premiere, 7:30 p.m., NBC. For months, NBC has kept this comedy on the shelf. It ordered 13 episodes then dawdled. That indecision is difficult to understand. "Kristin" is a funny-enough show with a wonderful star. That's Kristin Chenoweth, a 4-foot-11 Oklahoman with a huge talent and a Tony award from Broadway's "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." This show has her as a New York newcomer. She's working for Tommy Ballentine (Jon Tenney), a hard-driving real estate mogul who keeps seducing his staff. Tommy's good-hearted assistant (Larry Romano) decides to keep his boss out of trouble. He asks a clergyman (played by brilliant playwright Christopher Durang) to suggest the newest aide. That's Kristin. The sweet virgin is tossed into an office filled with seductresses and playboys. Yes, some of this is overwrought. Still, Chenoweth makes her character believable. We're soon rooting for her—and, flaws and all, for her show.
TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE II: "Witchblade," 9 p.m., TNT. The terrific cable movie has Yancy Butler as a loner cop who finds an ancient weapon. Now she continues to battle bad guys, despite the resistance of her new boss. The result is a great action hour; it's strong and sleek with a solid character at the core.
"Frasier," 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and 8:30 p.m., NBC. To make sure we see "Kristin" tonight NBC encases it in "Frasier" reruns. The one at 7 p.m. is so-so with Frasier befriending the guy who cheated on Roz. The 8 p.m. one is terrific, as we see two alternate futures for Frasier and a beautiful blonde. The 8:30 one is OK with Frasier hiring a butler.
"Vietnam: On the Frontlines," 10 p.m., History Channel. In the second of four hours this show looks at the Tet offensive and at the bloody but successful effort to recapture lost ground.
"Safety Challenge" 7 p.m., Court TV. ABC News anchor Jack Ford is host in a Court TV-ABC News production that offers suggestions on how to react when one is attacked or robbed. Crime victims tell their stories, with dramatizations.
"Frontline," 10 p.m., PBS. Lowell Bergman, the tough reporter portrayed by Al Pacino in "The Insider," looks into California's energy crisis and the bigger issue of deregulating utilities.
