The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 61

2003:07:29:14:58:57 E14 CALENDAR LOSANGELESTIMES TELEVISION RADIO working to keep society safer and a very satisfying thing to more to the phenomenon than just a fascination with forensics. also the latest example of another immutable law of television: Success spawns clones, imitators and wannabes. for instance, inspired and numerous others. meanwhile, paved the way for and the which in turn inspired the BBC imports and the in-development and many more. paved the way for any number of wisecracking yuppie comedies such as endemic of said Jonathan Littman, president of Jerry Bruckheimer Television, which produces a and something works, everyone jumps on it.

A lot of these shows try to emulate the look and quality of what He noted the difference in his series: is amuch more emotional show than The victims and the survivors are very emotional. is all about science, not so much emotion. None of our shows look alike, although they all look like they come from our company. They all have a feature film Zuiker said he see the forensic trend ending anytime soon. love it if were the only one of these shows in TV land, but not going to happen.

However, I see it like No one else is going to do a great show about an Italian crime family, and no one else is going to do a great show on forensics like the detective proclaims. Leaning closer, he speculates that the victim probably was drugged, relaxed, possibly conscious as the killer tightened the garrote around his Moments later, he starts to slice up the corpseto gather evidence. Indeed, throughout his investigation, the emphasis is on using the latest scientific methods to determine the cause of death and the perpetrator. The moment comes in USA new drama, Call it on a The series, which premieres tonight, is set in the late 1880s during the last days of the Western frontier. Tom Berenger stars as a grizzled federal marshal who hooks up with a British-born, Chinese-speaking Pinkerton detective (Peter and a mortician and one-time medical student (Amy Carlson).

The team solves crimes in an era when forensic science is so new that fingerprinting is the latest technological breakthrough. is the latest symptom of two overlapping medical conditions: ever- present cloning syndrome, in which a hit nearly always spawns more shows in a similar vein, as well as a specific case of forensic fever. The latter has been spreading lately all over cable and broadcast networks, largely sparked by the success of and using much of the stylish camera work and effectsthat made the CBS drama about forensic investigators into most popular show. From Court to the History the outbreak has given new life to shows about death. CBS soon will debut adrama from Executive Producer Jerry Bruckheimer in which forensics play a key role in resurrecting long-unsolved cases.

Bruckheimer also is the main force behind a hit drama in which investigators often use forensics to find missing persons. That series also has become a huge favorite with viewers. And, of course, the first of what may be several brand extensions of the franchise. But it stop with hit factory and a few cable TV offerings. Naval Criminal Investigative is upcoming spinoff of that has a flavor.

drama about a tough medical examiner (Jill Hennessy), often has been compared with In addition to its signature se- ries Court TV has the forensic-themed and of Evidence: From the Files of Dayle The network has an annual forensics week in August featuring new episodes of and other specials. Adocumentary focusing on the real-life unit in Las Vegas is planned for late August. The History inspired by uses reenactments and archival footage to examine the real story behind historic crimes and murders. PBS has been hyping the connection with its new which uses the latest forensictechniques to solve historical riddles. The source for all of thisgoes back farther than even if that show gets all the credit.

love to claim we were the first said Anthony Zuiker, creator and executive producer of and the idea came out of the Discovery which my wife watched. We were the ones to bring it to prime-time scripted television. The trend is still in the upswing. The more shows there are, the more they chisel at our executive producer and writer Rick Ramage mind comparisons of his show with but maintained there are key differences. is a very brilliant show, very high tech and medicine- oriented, but our show is much more retro in that said Ramage.

a much more character-driven show. And looking at when forensics Although he added that is not a derivative of certainly would be safe to say that the forensic twist did help to sell the premise to the network. USA was very open to it, and it definitely was a factor. It would be silly to claim MicheleGaneless, executive vice president and general manager of USA Network, added, show is a twist on all procedural crime dramas, and uniting it with the western genre. a point of view no one has taken Tim Brooks, co-author of Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV said the forensic TV mania is similar to a trend in the 1960s during the heyday of several TV series such as which pitted the government against evil forces was a reaction to the James Bond movies where the government were portrayed as these straight, button-down people who were fighting to keep our society Brooks said.

reassuring to see our government so hard at work when the world and terrorism seems to be at our throats. And in these cases, the government is not driven by emotion. They are just trying to make things Added Art Bell, president of Court TV, which would love to associate its real-life programs with the success of and so bills itself as the of TV audience is fascinated by forensics. Since the industrial revolution, science is seen as the cure-all for ills. When we see scientists and investigators get together and solve these cases, they are Forensic fever spreading on TV Forensic, from Page E1 Associated Press ON THE CASE: Wes Cowan in Georgia Sen.

Herman Talmadge and White House henchman John Erlichman revealed the stakes involved. the president could authorize a covert break-in and you exactly know where that power would be limited, you think it could include murder or other crimes beyond covert break-ins, do Talmadge asked. know where the line is, Erlichman replied. Other key figures such as John Dean and Jeb Magruder from team, former Republican senators Lowell Weicker Jr. and Howard Baker, and the journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are among the freely By Mark Sachs Times Staff Writer In the wee hours of June 17, 1972, a young, long-haired undercover cop at a Washington hotel clicked on his flashlight and spotted five burglars in business suits rummaging through the national headquarters of the Democratic Party.

Twenty-six months later, President Richard M. Nixon would climb into a helicopter revving up on the White House lawn and leave the residence for good, his legacy seemingly in shambles. The dramatic arc of events that was suspended between those two historical tent posts captivated a nation and, indeed, the world three decades ago, when the integrity of the American political system appeared to be hanging in the balance. In two-hour PBS special, Plus 30: Shadow of several of the principals provide a satisfying measure of perspective to that wildly tumultuous time (8 p.m. KCET).

The documentary, produced by Sherry Jones and Marijo Dowd and directed by Foster Wiley, uses clips from the televised Watergate hearings, news footage and snippets of the infamous Oval Office tapes to profile a president obsessed with his and fiercely intent on wielding and retaining his power. One chilling exchange during the hearings between then- talking heads offering updated insights. Although many pundits felt the Watergate affair offered proof that the American system of government works, and that the lessons learned may even have made it all worthwhile, several of those heard tonight felt differently. would be very hard to make an argument that the presidency now is not as strong and does not have as much capacity for secret mischief in the year 2003 as it did in said former New York Times reporter Richard Reeves. Offered Dean: I think the lesson of Watergate is, get and really about TUNED IN A break-in that unsettled America Bettmann Archive Corbis FACE THE NATION: John W.

Dean III, President White House counsel, is sworn in to testify in the Watergate affair. 67 DragnetABC5.37 The DistrictCBS5.37 70 CopsFOX5.16 --------------------------------------------71 WWE 72 ERNBC5.11 73 HackCBS4.87 74 Behavior FOX4.84 75 Dog Eat Dog 10 p.m.) NBC4.82 --------------------------------------------76 Anything for LoveFOX4.74 77 Pennsylvania ABC4.64 Joe 79 48 Hours Investigates (Fri.) CBS4.63 80 The PracticeABC4.61 --------------------------------------------81 FuturamaFOX4.57 82 JAGCBS4.54 83 Less Than Perfect 8 p.m.) ABC4.52 84 Cupid 85 Less Than Perfect 9:30 p.m.) ABC4.28 --------------------------------------------86 Dog Eat Dog 9 p.m.) NBC4.24 Less Than Perfect 9 p.m.) ABC4.24 88 Less Than Perfect 8:30 p.m.) ABC4.16 89 GirlfriendsUPN3.85 90 Bernie Mac Show (8:30 p.m.) FOX3.79 --------------------------------------------91 One on OneUPN3.77 92 Half and HalfUPN3.67 93 The ParkersUPN3.62 94 Bernie Mac Show (8 p.m.) FOX3.55 95 Keen EddieFOX3.41 --------------------------------------------96 Reba (9 p.m.)WB3.38 97 AliasABC3.32 98 7th HeavenWB3.17 99 Grounded for LifeWB2.90 100 PulseFOX2.88 SmallvilleWB2.88 102 103 Boston Public 104 What I Like About YouWB2.54 105 Reba (8 p.m.)WB2.50 --------------------------------------------106 CharmedWB2.26 107 Restaurant 108 Gilmore GirlsWB2.07 109 One on One 110 Gilmore Girls: BeginningsWB1.98 --------------------------------------------111 The Twilight ZoneUPN1.93 112 AbbyUPN1.92 Boarding HouseWB1.92 114 EnterpriseUPN1.83 Pepsi SmashWB1.83 --------------------------------------------116 Accidental 117 Boarding House 118 Pepsi Smash 119 Buffy the Vampire SlayerUPN1.22 Network averages Here is the number of viewers (in millions) that each network averaged per hour of prime time, for last week and for the season. Network Last week Season to date NBC7.7010.85 CBS7.4011.58 ABC5.829.10 FOX5.579.12 UPN2.833.41 Here are the rankings for national prime-time network television last week (July 21-27) as compiled by Nielsen Media Research. They are based on the average number of people who watched a program from start to finish. Nielsen estimates there are 272.04 million potential viewers in the U.S.

age 2 and older. Viewership is listed in millions. Program Network View- ersProgram Network Viewers 1 CSICBS13.34 2 Law OrderNBC12.76 3 Law Order: Criminal Intent NBC11.69 4 Without a TraceCBS11.35 5 Law Order (9 p.m.)NBC11.05 --------------------------------------------6 Everybody Loves Raymond CBS10.45 7 CSI: MiamiCBS10.13 8 60 MinutesCBS10.01 9 King of QueensCBS9.95 10 Law Order: SVUNBC9.32 --------------------------------------------11 Fear FactorNBC9.05 12 Big Brother 4 13 Who Wants to Marry My Dad? NBC8.64 14 Amazing Race: 4CBS8.60 15 Primetime Special Edition (Tue.) CBS8.53 --------------------------------------------16 For Love or Money 2NBC8.39 17 According to Jim (9 p.m.)ABC8.35 18 RestaurantNBC8.28 19 FriendsNBC8.21 20 The SimpsonsFOX8.11 --------------------------------------------21 Dateline NBC 22 Will GraceNBC7.92 23 Funniest Home Videos ABC7.90 24 Big Brother 4 25 Less Than PerfectABC7.69 --------------------------------------------26 60 Minutes IICBS7.68 Dateline NBC 28 Primetime ThursdayABC7.63 29 Dateline NBC 30 Still StandingCBS7.44 --------------------------------------------31 Dog Eat DogNBC7.41 32 8 Simples Rules 33 Yes, DearCBS7.23 Wedding FOX7.23 35 American Juniors --------------------------------------------36 Paradise Hotel 37 Last Comic StandingNBC7.13 38 American Juniors 39 NBC6.94 40 George LopezABC6.90 --------------------------------------------The Simpsons (9:30 p.m.) FOX6.90 42 Most WantedFOX6.84 43 CupidCBS6.80 44 Primetime Special Edition (Mon.) ABC6.79 45 The Drew Carey Show (9:30 p.m.) ABC6.74 --------------------------------------------46 BeckerCBS6.71 47 That ShowFOX6.56 48 Paradise Hotel 49 Cops (8:30 p.m.)FOX6.48 50 ScrubsNBC6.43 --------------------------------------------51 52 53 My Wife and KidsABC6.32 54 Malcolm in the MiddleFOX6.24 55 King of Queens --------------------------------------------48 Hours InvestigatesCBS6.22 57 Life With BonnieABC6.17 58 Big Brother 4 59 Stars: Then and ABC5.98 60 The Drew Carey ShowABC5.94 --------------------------------------------61 Whose Line Is It Anyway? (9:30 p.m.) ABC5.89 62 Whose Line Is It Anyway? ABC5.88 63 FameNBC5.83 64 King of the HillFOX5.68 65 BanzaiFOX5.66 --------------------------------------------66 Judging AmyCBS5.43 National Prime-Time TV Rankings The TV dog days of summer continued last week as reruns of Crime Scene and the franchise dominated viewer interest, according to national ratings released Tuesday by Nielsen Media. In addition to on CBS once again topping the ratings charts in terms of total viewers, the a also continued its momentum against repeats of coming out ahead of the medical drama by its widest margin yet in viewers, households and the key demographics of adults 18-49 and 18-54. The three series Order: Criminal and Order: Special Victims continued a streak of top 10 finishes among total viewers.

While some unscripted shows such as Love or Money Brother and are performing reasonably well though not making major waves others, such as and are struggling. in particular is performing far below expectations considering that it comes from judge Simon Cowell. Despite the doldrums, Jim Belushi has cause for celebration. His to sitcom was the top rated ABC non- news show among total viewers, landing at No. 17.

Than was the only other non- news or reality ABC series in the top 30 among total viewers. Over on cable, Lifetime scored again with a reunion from an vintage sitcom. Monday special featuring the cast of drew 3.3 million viewers, the second largest audience for any special in the history of the channel. The record was set June 2 by areunion special featuring the cast of Golden Braxton Reruns are having a hot summer Where: USA Network When: Premieres tonight at 9, airs regularly at 10 p.m. Wednesdays Production credits: Executive producers, Charlie Craig, Rick Ramage; writer, Ramage; director, Larry Carroll Tom Berenger Stone Peter Amy Carlson Owen TIPS FOR TODAY 9-11 a.m.—Larry Airtalk: Los Angeles Zoo director John Lewis (9-10 a.m.); and the Stock a.m.); History of Rail Transportation in Los a.m.), KPCC-FM (89.3).

10-11 a.m.—Morning Symphony: Peter Schickele Quartet: American Audubon Quartet), KCSN-FM (88.5). p.m.—The Treatment: Writer and director Gary Ross KCRW-FM (89.9). 8-10 p.m.—Evening Concert: Mozart (Violin Concerto No. 3, violinist Isaac Stern, George Szell conducts the Cleveland Orchestra), KMZT-FM (105.1). p.m., a.m.—Tales of the Texas Rangers local sheriff discovers a murder at the hotel (originally broadcast June 22, 1952), KNX (1070).

SPORTS 4-7 p.m.—Baseball: Dodgers at Philadelphia Phillies, KFWB (980), KWKW (1330). 7-10 p.m.—Baseball: New York Yankees at Angels, KSPN (710). Radio SERIES Premarital stress: Eight engaged couples compete in a series of mental and physical challenges designed to test the strength of their relationships on to the (8 p.m. NBC). (New) Fab four: One more finalist makes it into the group on (8:30 p.m.

Fox). (New) American author: Gore Vidal, one of the most eclectic intellectuals in literature today and writer of cautionary tales about politics, sex, art and philosophy, is profiled on (10 p.m. KCET). (New) Give peace a chance: On the 1882 frontier, an old-fashioned, middle-aged federal marshal, played by Tom Berenger, gets help on a murder case from a cocky young Pinkerton agent (Peter with a degree from Yale and a wagonload of forensic equipment on (10:30 p.m. USA).

MOVIES The big con: Paul Newman and Robert Redford play a seasoned con man and a young grifter in (7:35 a.m. Encore). Surely, you be serious: Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty star in the 1980 hit comedy (9 a.m. Starz) SPORTS Baseball: The New York Yankees visit the Angels (7 p.m. FSN).

Highlights The Early Show Jennifer Lopez. 7 a.m. KCBS KTLA Morning News Former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan. 7 a.m.

KTLA Oprah Winfrey Ahusband having a gender-identity crisis decides to become a woman. 3 p.m. KABC Late Show With David Letterman Seann William Scott; author Jonathan Ames; Fountains of Wayne. 11:35 p.m. KCBS The Tonight Show With Jay Leno Roseanne; actress Dakota Fanning; Ben Lee performs.

11:35 p.m. KNBC Talk Shows.