The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 87

Viewers shrug off? new shows Bold prime-time lineup hasn produced a single smash Fine tuning By DAVE RHEIN ANALYSIS IwlSi CBS's "Lenny" Viewers have been whining for years demanding more innovative, interesting TV programs. The collective message has been something like this: Hey, you bone-heads at CBS, NBC, ABC and now Fox, too, give us something different. This season, the networks answered. The 1990-91 television season began with one of the most ambitious and innovative collection of new shows and near-new returning programs in years. And what did viewers do? They yawned, they shrugged and they quickly deserted innovative efforts for such old reliables as "Cheers," "60 Minutes," "The Cosby Show" and "Roseanne." More recently, viewers have caught the nostalgia bug and been flocking to such specials as anniversary shows featuring old clips from "All in the Family," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "The Ed Sullivan Show." The networks had great plans for 1990-91.

Originality was in; tried and true temporarily was sent to that never-never land called "hiatus." The bold prime-time lineup last September included: "Cop Rock" (ABC), a bold mix of gritty drama and music from Steven Bochco, who gave us "Hill Street Blues" and "L.A. Law." The dramatic moments were gripping. The musical moments were fun and often poignant. But the combination was too much for most viewers, who laughed it off the air in December. "EAR.T.H.

Force" was CBS's attempt to cash in on the concern about environmental issues. But the show about group of scientists who went around the world stopping environmental wrongdoing was a cliche-ridden disaster. It disappeared after two episodes. "Lifestories" (NBC) took real-life medical cases and played them out from the patient's point of view. The stories were emotional, candid portraits of the ups and downs of treating various medical conditions.

Hardly anybody watched, and by November it was off the air. "Twin Peaks" (ABC), that moody and downright weird soap opera about pine trees, doughnuts, murder and the sensually robust inhabitants of a small town in Washington state, returned from a spring tryout riding a tidal wave of publicity. But the drawn-out "Who Killed Laura Palmer?" plot soon became "Who Cares Who Killed Laura Palmer?" By January only a small, loyal audience was watching and ratings took a nose-dive. "Peaks" is not expected to survive. "China Beach" (ABC) was another returning series that didn't fit the ordinary TV drama mold.

Excellent writing and a terrific cast brought home the traumas of the Vietnam War. This was another show with a small loyal audience. When ratings sank, the show disappeared. "American Chronicles" (Fox) was a weekly travelog or personality profile set to an MTV beat. It was fast-moving, hip and a challenge to the senses a true original.

And a quick failure. "Ferris Bueller" (NBC) and "Lenny" (CBS) were network efforts to cash in with two very desirable audiences the young and the blue-collar There were just two problems: "Ferris" was too smug for his own good, and "Lenny" sanitized the blue collar family beyond credibility. Viewers gave both shows an emphatic thumbs down. "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" (NBC) was touted as the can't-miss hit of the season. Rap artist Fresh Prince was going to be the breakout personality of the year.

Alas, "Fresh Prince" is only a modest success. There hasn't been a single bona fide new hit this season, unless you count the ratings success of "America's Funniest People," the video rip-off of "America's Funniest Home Videos." The only breakout hit from last season that is doing well this season is "The Simpsons." The networks' fling with innovative shows was no surprise. Faced with increased competition from cable and home video games and movies plus a steady decline in viewership it was time to try something different. Do the programming disasters of this season mean innovative ideas are getting the cold shoulder at the networks? Probably. CBS saw the negative reaction from viewers early enough to quickly switch to Plan also known as Nostalgia City.

February was "Nostalgia Month" on CBS. It led into the month by replaying the hit mini-series "Lonesome Dove," then snagged big ratings with its "All in the Family," "MTM" and "Sullivan" specials. Two weeks ago it replayed the special featuring the first "I Love Lucy" show. The TV season of innovation and originality has bombed big time. Worse yet, when viewers begin to whine about the dull sameness of TV shows, the networks can say they tried innovative programs and nobody watched.

Meanwhile, "Cheers" will enter its 10th season in September, "Night Court" will begin its ninth season, and "Knots Landing" just filmed its 300th episode. Tried and true the words are music to a network executive's ears. It-, wm Lmi Hi 1 1 'in'' iL ABC's "Twin Peaks" PBS looks inside college sports Bill Moyers' probe of big-time college sports Tuesday on public TV is must viewi ng for two reasons. The show offers a fascinating, in-depth look at the controversial conditions in college athletics, and it includes segments on the athletic programs at Iowa, Iowa State, Drake universities. "Moyers: Sports for Sale" (Iowa Public Television, Tuesday at 8 p.m.) is a three-hour look at the issues, realities and controversies that surround college athletics.

The special is divided into three parts. A 90-minute documentary at 8 p.m. will be followed at 9:30 p.m. by a live discussion of the Knight Foundation Commission report on the problems in intercollegiate athletics. The report is scheduled to be released Tuesday.

At 10 p.m., a 60-minute live call-in show will give viewers a chance to join in the debate. Moyers will host the discussion and call-in show from Washington, D.C. The documentary reveals very little new information about how big-time college sports operate, but it does an excellent job of stating the issues, removing some of the misconceptions, and giving people on all sides of the issues a chance to say their piece. As far as the issues are concerned, there are plenty of them. Commercialism, academics, television and the role economics plays in all of this.

Moyers and his producers talk to athletes, coaches, students, journalists, scouts, and college faculty and administrators. Segments during the documentary include: A history of commercialism and scandal in college sports dating back to the late 1800s. Among the more recent investigations noted is last year's shake-up of the Drake University men's basketball program, where a coach was accused of writing a term paper for a player, and another player sued the school for not providing him with an education. A profile of the football program at Southern Methodist University, which is being rebuilt following a scandal that resulted in a two-year "death penalty" issued by the NCAA. A look at the University of Louisville basketball team, which has had a history of signing recruits that fail to meet academic standards.

A visit to the Nike Basketball Camp, a corporate-sponsored recruiting vehicle that draws the top 120 high school players in the country together for a week of scrimmages under the watchful eyes of college coaches and scouts. The final segment in the documentary takes a close look at Iowa State and to a lesser extent Iowa. Both schools, like many other colleges, have seen a battle raging between administrators who want to raise admission standards for student-athletes and coaches, alumni and fans who want competitive teams. "Nobody set out to design a system this poor," says former ISU president Gordon Eaton. Cyclone football coach Jim Walden is quick to counter.

Just as the university has honor programs for gifted students who may not be good athletes, maintains Walden, it should also maintain athletic programs for gifted athletes who may not be good students. "Sports for Sale" does not come to any conclusions. Instead, it offers issues, dramatic examples and impassioned opinions on big-time college sports that are sure to stir even more discussions. ISU athletic director Max Urick has one of the most interesting perspectives on the state of college athletics. "It's a game played by amateurs it's not life or death.

It's a very expensive game." iv 'V if ABC's "China Beach" 1 4 1 in 1 It rt fir. 1ft NBC's "Ferris Bueller" Fox's "American Chronicles" ABC's "Cop Rock" 0es Moines Sunday Register March 17, 1991 3-TV.