Daily News from New York, New York • 77

1 i if 1 Before Harry Anderson, Michael Constantine played an affable night-court judge on NBC's sitcom "Sirota's Court." The show debuted this day in 1976. tily s5sldl to jf I I A i 1 -S ft. "JJV I I a pi i -n fa jfcajr-jn-Wata, .1. fl. HEsb fS 1934, "LA.

Law" kicked off its inaugural episode by ii wheeling a corpse out of its law offices. Since -then, it has almost become a trend. First there was Laura Palmer, wrapped in plastic on f'Twin Peaks." Then there was the Tin Woodsman, wrapped in tin on Fences." Both, it turned out, were murdered, and investigating the "4 ii. Ait IS DAVID a loyal (though smaller) following of its own. With "Second Chances," they've created an even wittier and more naturalistic series one that's set in the present, showcases many familiar faces effectively and interweaves story lines and relationships until virtually all lines seem to intersect at the first episode's climax.

Connie Sellecca, who has spent years working at high-gloss dross like "Hotel" and low-IQ fluff like "P.S. I Luv takes all those years of experience and, as public defender Dianne Benedict, transmutes them into something instantly worthwhile; for once, she has a decent script, talented co-stars and a reason to act rather than playact She's teamed with two female co-stars: Megan Follows, who plays her little sister Kate, and Jennifer Lopez, who plays Melinda, a Mexican-American college student who hires Kate to plan her wedding. Follows, the brilliant young actress in "Anne of Green Gables," just as Winning and convincing here, and Lopez, after two years doing comedy on "In Living Color," makes the transition to romantic comedy-drama without a slip. Among the male contingent -the major standouts are Matt Salinger as ex-con Mike Chu-lak, who quickly places himself one end of a potentially steamy romantic triangle, and Ray Wise (Leland Palmer on "Twin as Jim Stinson, a corrupt judge. But it's a large cast with other notable contributors, including Ronny Cox and Frances Lee McCain as Melinda's impending in-laws, Pepe Serna as her proud father and Michelle Phillips of "Knots Landing" as (what else?) an amorous, amoral troublemaker.

I expected little from this series, but got strong characters, intriguing quandaries and several reasons to return next week. It's no "Picket Fences" but it's no "Hotel," either. STARTING WITH A CORPSE: Connie Sellecca (left) and Michelle Phillips star in "Second Chances." Hoiv sweeps it is for 17AE3C in ratings By RICHARD HUFF Daily News Staff Writer OMINANCE. crime was the method used to introduce viewers to the small towns of, respectively, Twin Peaks and Rome, Wis. Tomorrow night at 9 on CBS, "Second Chances" sets out to establish the seemingly idyllic (and, therefore, fictitious) community of Santa Rita, and does so by starting out with a dead body or at least the hand of one, lying limply in a pool of blood.

After that scene, and the opening credits, "Second Chances" flashes back to two weeks earlier, and takes the rest of the two-hour premiere working its way back to that body. But a corpse is a corpse, of course, of course, and creatorsexecutive producers Lynn Marie Latham and Bernard Lechowick are hoping it will be enough to hook viewers for the duration. Opposite NBCTs "Seinfeld" and company, that's a very tall order; starting next week, "Second Chances" gets a second chance by being moved to 10 p.m., where it competes, ironically, against "L.A. Law." Perhaps it will take another time slot to catch on, but maybe not Latham and Lechowick previously worked as producers of "Knots Landing," which was successful in the same time slot for CBS, and created "Homefront," which developed That's the key word to use when dealing with into the afternoon. Ch.

4's teaming of "Maury Povich" and "Sally Jessy Raphael" between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. made the station a strong second. Ch. 7's "Oprah" rules at 4 p.m., with Ch.

2's "Goraldo" second and Ch. 4's "Donahue" third. Ch. 7 wins the 5 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.

news races, Ch. 4 is second In those time periods, with Ch. 2 third. "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy" give Ch. 7 a commanding lead between 7 and 8 p.m.

Ch. lis block of sitcoms is second. At 7 p.m., Ch. 2's "Hard Copy" beat Ch. 5 "A Current Affair." Ch.

5 has the top rated 10 p.m. newscast. Ch. 11 is a close second, and Ch. 9 is a distant third.

throughout the day: ABC's "Good Morning America" gives Ch. 7 a strong start to the day (7-9 a.m.). NBC's "Today" puts Ch. 4 in second followed by Ch. 5's "Good Day New Ratings for Ch.

7's "Live With Regis Kathie Lee" dropped 15 though not enough to loosen its grip on the 9 a.m. time period. Ch. 2's "The Jane Whitney Show" was up 50 to finish second. Ch.

7 retained its lead at 10 a.m. with "The Les Brown Show." Ch. 2's "The Price Is Right-controls the 11 a.m.-to-noon time slot Ch. 2's news wins the noon race, beating Ch. 7's and Ch.

5's news efTorts. Soaps give Ch. 7 the lead WABCCh. 7's performance in the November sweeps. The all-important quarterly ratings period used to set fu-ture advertising rates doesn't officially end until tonight but there's no miracle capable of overturning Ch.

7's lock on the market The station, which has only lost one sweeps month in the past five years, dominates much of the day. WNBCCh. 4 is second overall, WCBSCh. 2 third, WPIX Ch. 11 fourth, WNYWCh.

5 fifth and WWORCh. 9 is sixth. Here are some key points TODAY IS World AIDS ill tirc Day, marked on TV by everything from related telemovies to a benefit concert on tum-of the-century Montana. The connection between the two is Rip Torn, who co-stars on "Larry Sanders" and stars, along with Conchata Ferrell A. Law," current "Hearts in "Heartland." Midnight (MTV) "No Alternative Special." This is a taped concert featunng performances by Smashing Pumpkins, Goo Goo Dolls and others, as well as a short film by R.E.M.

lead singer Michael Stipe, and spoken word pieces by, among others. Lou Reed. The entire project comes from the Red Hot Organization, which works with artists to raise funds and awareness regarding the AIDS virus. David Blanculll AIDS on a single family. And since this was made for NBC in 1985 the first movie-length exploration of the AIDS topic it provides a fascinating time-capsule look at how the topic was approached, and what information was considered new, a mere eight years ago.

10:30 (HBO) The Larry Sanders Show." Here's one way to spend two "quality time" hours with TV tonight. Start out with tonight's repeat of "The Larry Sanders Show," which features Eric Bogosian in a well-played, abrasive guest role 11:00 (DIS) "Heartland." And finish with this fabulous 1979 Western, about a pair of unlikely homesteaders in 4 1 i Mfc III if MTV. On the major networks, though, it's basically business as usual. 8:00 p.m. (5) "Beverly Hills, 90210." On tonight's show, Shannen Doherty's Brenda gets a role in a college play with a costume budget to match her apparel, which is nothing.

Is America really ready for "Beverly Hills 9:00 (LIF) "An Early Frost." This drama, starring Aidan Quinn, Ben Gazzara and Gena Rowlands, remains one of the best dramas to explore the impact of EARLY DRAMA: Aidan Quinn.