COMMENTARY
New TV shows unlikely to keep us glued to sets

By Robert Blanco
USA Today

We interrupt this season to bring you practically nothing.

Over the past few years, the networks have used the midseason break as a launching pad for ambitious shows that needed more nurturing than could be provided in the busier fall, shows such as Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle" and "Titus" or ABC's "The Job."

But not this year. Better days may lie ahead, but now the networks seem to be running for cover. Who can blame them? The economic downturn dried up ad dollars and left networks skittish about sinking large sums in development. The reality genre collapsed sooner than expected. And the Winter Olympics promise to ride a patriotic wave to record ratings, causing other networks to get out of the way.

Still, a few new shows will arrive over the next few months. Here's a preliminary assessment of what's ahead.

ABC

• "The Court": In July, Sally Field and a now-fired set of producers told critics about a Supreme Court show that would focus on the clerks instead of Field. Now she has a new producer, Carol Flint of "ER," and a new concept that puts her center stage. What she doesn't have is a supporting cast or a pilot.
• "The Web": Having gone behind the scenes with cops on "The Job," creator Peter Tolan now takes on TV with "The Web," a spoof starring Ivan Sergei of "Jack & Jill." There are some very funny moments, but the pilot is too "inside" and too thin.

CBS

Better than any other network (with the possible exception of WB), CBS seems to know its audience, which is why it's sitting on top of the household ratings. Of all the networks, it probably needs the least midseason help — and yet it has already produced a modest success in "First Monday" and has another likely hit ahead in "Survivor 4." Sometimes, the rich just get richer.

Fox

• "That '80s Show": Dress a cast in crazy '80s fashions, make a few "Dynasty" jokes and what do you get? Barely enough material to sustain an "SNL" skit, let alone a weekly series about a group of friends in 1984. This sitcom, which premiered Wednesday, is from the folks behind "That '70s Show," as if you hadn't guessed.
• "Andy Richter Controls the Universe": Conan O'Brien's former sidekick, Andy Richter, plays a put-upon office drone with an overactive fantasy life in this sitcom, which may be the midseason's most promising. Richter is a strong, sympathetic lead, and the fantasy gimmick is more integral to this show than it has been in others. The trouble is, it's still a gimmick we've seen too often this season.
• "Greg the Bunny": Born on a public-access cable channel, "Greg" imagines a world where the puppet stars of a popular children's show are real and possess all the ego and sexual quirks of human actors. It's a great idea, but something seems to have been lost in the move from cable independence to network big business.
• "The American Embassy": This drama about a young official at the U.S. Embassy in London started out as "Emma Brody" — and was clearly being groomed as a possible replacement for "Ally McBeal." Then "Ally" tanked in the ratings, world events made "Ally-"ish self-absorption on an international scale seem petty, and the show was reworked to become less Emma and more embassy."

NBC

• "Watching Ellie": Let's get this straight up front: There is no "'Seinfeld' curse." There are only ill-conceived shows for "Seinfeld" actors — in this case, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who plays a nightclub singer with a tangled personal life. The twist is that we follow her problems in real time; the problem is that the pilot is all twist and no laughs, despite an appealing performance from its star. (Premieres Feb. 26.)
• "Leap of Faith": The latest show to leap into the post-"Friends" Thursday slot (as of Feb. 28), this sitcom from one of the "Sex and the City" writers stars Sarah Paulson ("Jack & Jill") as a single advertising executive. As Paulson was a last-minute replacement for the original star, no tape was available — but the network did show critics some line drawings of what Paulson might look like on the set. They were quite fetching, if that helps.

UPN

Note: UPN and WB programs are broadcast on a shared basis in Hawai'i by KFVE. Therefore, not all announced programs will be shown or run on the same schedule as they do elsewhere.

UPN is now under the control of CBS, which didn't show much enthusiasm for the midseason series developed under the old regime. As a result, UPN didn't preview its series, and it wasn't even able to promise the shows would ever air. So don't get attached to them.

• "As If": Based on the English series, this sitcom follows the comic adventures of a group of twentysomething friends in Los Angeles. Not to be confused with ...
• "The Random Years": Which follows the comic adventures of a group of twentysomething friends in New York.
• "Under One Roof": With our luck, this reality show from the makers of "Big Brother" will be the only one that actually shows up. It's like "Survivor," but instead of using individual contestants, the show pits families against other families.

WB

• "The Young Person's Guide to Becoming a Rock Star": Goldie Hawn's son, Oliver Hudson, plays a rocker in this adaptation of a British series. I'm not saying it was on the shelf, but the pilot makes a point of how "the economy's booming and jobs are plentiful."
• "No Boundaries": A reality-show commercial for the car company that uses the title as its slogan. No, thank you.