Daily News from New York, New York • 77

Monday, March 20, 1989 61 02 CMS eyes a family hour Tonight's new comedies aim at kids of all ages 'Moonlighting' Rises Sundays Just like ABC promised, "Moonlighting" is coming back to the pnme-time schedule, but in an unusual spot: 8-9 p.m.; starting April 2. The detective show, which has been plagued by infighting, meander ing plots and a lack of original episodes, will have seven all-new episodes that will run through May. ABC has been running specials in the time slot. ABC also announced that "Hooperman" is leaving the schedule temporarily, to give the new "Robert Gulllautne Show" a trial run in the Wednesday p.m. slot.

Guillaume stars as a divorced marriage counselor trying TWO FAMILY COMEDIES, designed to rope in young viewers but at the same time not disenfranchise mom and pop, premiere tonight on CBS. "Heartland," starring Brian Keith, can be seen at 8, followed at 8:30 by "Live-In," featuring Chris Young as the latest would-be teenage heartthrob. To make room, "Newhart," which is normally seen at 8 p.m., has shifted to 10 p.m., while "Kate Allie" moves from 8:30 to 10:30. In "Heartland," Keith is a grumbling, crusty, outspoken grandfather, B.L. McCutcheon, who has lost his land and is living with his daughter Casey (Kathleen Layman) and her family on their Nebraska farm.

A constant verbal battle is waged between him and his son-in-law, Tom, whom he calls "the incredible shrinking brain." But Tom, as played by Richard Gilliland, can deliver a zinger, too, when he wants. For to balance his family life and work, which gets more complicated (as in black-white romance) when he-becomes involved with his secretary, played by Wendy Phillip (who last played Anne Gardner in NBC's "A A ill' i fit. ii sLl Year in the Elizabeth Jensen Sick List Grows at Ch. 2 What's going on at Ch. 2 News? First it was Jim Jensen, who was hospitalized two weeks ago for depression.

Then, last Monday, sportscaster Warner Wolf went into the hospital for tests, after complaining of KAY GARDELLA stomach pains. Wolf is scheduled to return today. Now, reporter-weekend anchor Reggie Harris has also been put on the sick list. Harris, 36, entered a Manhattan hospital late last week for observation. "He had an infection but everything is okay.

He should be back to work by the middle of the week," said a station spokes one example, when a leak springs right over the kitchen table and his wife asks him to plug it up, he says, "I can't throw Grandpa that high." Produced by the Witt Thomas outfit, the same people who do "The Golden Girls," it's filled with one-liners and tall tales told by Grandpa, who is also fond of making outlandish state man George Maksian i Settlement Heads Off Strike Viewers and moviegoers can breathe a little easier today. The two largest actors unions reached a tentative contract settlement with television and film producers, officials announced Friday. Official contract talks were not scheduled to open fortwo more months, and Fri day's announcement caught many observers by sur ments, like the "fact" that 82 of the people in California use cocaine. There are three children: Gus (Devin Ratray), a likeable, chubby lad who is all wrapped up in his favorite pig; Johnny (Jason Kristofer), who is excited about getting a subscription to Los Angeles prise. The current pact between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists magazine and fantasizes about living in Tinseltown, and an adopted Vietnamese daughter, Kim (Daisy Keith), who plays the violin.

does not expire until the end of June, but talks started early in order to avoid another walkout like last spring's five-month Writers Guild strike, which crippled this Created and written by Don Reo, "Heartland" in jects some humor into problems faced by farmers year's TV season. According to a report in the trade SITTING PRETTY: Lisa Patnck Chns Young of 'Live-In rather they just be "mates," as they say in Australia. Peter (David Moscow), the younger son, has little to do in tonight's premiere, except to practice his clarinet and try to find out what big brother is up to. As for the father of the brood, Ed, played with a crisp directness by Hugh Mcguire, he runs a sporting goods store and otherwise keeps busy snapping orders at Danny and keeping his boys in line. Mom, all set to go work "I've got my briefcase, my Wall Street Journal, my breast pump" has to be physically pulled away from Melissa, a darling child whom would be difficult for anyone to leave.

newspaper Daily Variety on Friday, the unions agreed to in the Midwest. Tonight show involves weathering a tornado. Of course, the real storm to be weathered is the competition it faces on NBC by the name of "ALF." accept new rules governing overtime work and reruns for one-hour television shows in exchange for increased salaries and health and pension benefits. The unions' two boards are scheduled to examine the package tonight. If approved for ratification, the unions' member 'Live-In" has an even tougher task finding an au dience tonight, and not just because it's up against NBC's "The Hogan Family." The subject matter for ship will vote on it in coming weeks.

AP this opening episode just doesn't make it Kimber- ly Fan- as Sarah, the mother of the family, has had Bree a 'People' Person 'OWEVER, since most of the comedy in HI Bree Walker, the popular former Ch. 2 anchorwoman who's now teamed with Jim Lampley doing local news her third baby, Melissa, and now must go back to work. It's a wrenching experience for her, especially when she must turn over Melissa to a new au pair from Australia, a sexy doll, Lisa Wells, played volves Danny and Gator trying to catch a glimpse of Lisa in the nude, it gets pretty by Lisa Patrick. silly. The thin story line notwithstanding, Lisa Patrick does fine in the role as the mother's helper.

Robert Sternin and Prudence Fraser are executive producers of the series, in association with Columbia Pictures. Chris Young plays the oldest son, Danny, a teen for KCBS-TV in Los Angeles, will be seen here again as the host for the fourth edition of "People Magazine on TV," airing over CBS April 19 at 10 p.m. Jane Wallace hosted the last two "People" specials, and Sandy Hill the opener Walker, who made her mark here as co-anchor of "Ch. 2 News at Noon," left last October after a ager who, prodded by his friend Gator (Lightfield Lewis), is determined to score with Lisa. But she'd year at the station, citing demands of her husband's work as a TV producer.

She gave birth to her first baby Aug. 12. In explaining why Walker was chosen to host the "People Magazine" special, executive producer Reese Schonf eld said, "Bree has all the qualities we had been looking for she's confident, articulate and warm. u.m. Dot's Topic for Geraldo Rivera's "Geraldo" show tomorrow (Ch.

4, 9 a.m.) is "Fighting Terror," and the audience is made up in great part by friends and relatives of the vic tims of Pan Am Right exploded over Scot land last December. The show was taped March 8, be fore last week's disclosure that Pan Am had been warned more than once about a bomb in a cassette MARK TWAIN once observed, "There is no native criminal class in the United States but the Congress." His was a jaundiced view, and one not totally shared by tonight's informative and totally entertaining PBS special, "Congress," produced and directed by Ken Burns (Ch. 13, 9 p.m.; Ch. 21 airs the show to- morrow at 10; Ch. 31, Friday at 1 p.m.).

The only fault one can find with this excellent 90-minute special is that it's so packed full -with colorful stories, anecdotes and history that it's sometimes hard to keep up with; while you're busy digesting one segment, you're already being fed another delicious tidbit. Burns, 35, whose credits include such documentaries as "Brooklyn Bridge," "Huey Long" and "Statue of Liberty," loves history and it shows. Narrated and co-authored by David McCullough, "Congress" offers a wonderful collection of old pictures and newsreels. It also re-creates the past by having actors and writers such as Derek Jacobi, Julie Harris, Kurt Vonnegut and Alistairv Cooke speak the words of our forefathers. The rich report is peppered with memorable quotes and anecdotes as it depicts the various crisis and conflicts that have plagued our Congress during its 200 years.

Maybe you didn't know it, but Davy Crockett served in Congress, as did Joseph Pulitzer, Horace Greeley and William Randolph Hearst Did you know that Henry Clay, one of the great orators, was so old and ill he had to be helped up the steps, and yet he could speak for three hours nonstop? "Congress," said Thomas Jefferson, "is the greatest commanding theater of this nation." As its history unfolds you'll see some outstanding acting and hear dialogue no script writer could make up. Thomas Brackett Reed, a titan from Maine, commented about his congressional colleagues: "They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge." Burns allows history to speak for itself. He doesn't impose today's perspective on yesterday. His story of Congress' evolution is one of discovery, of learning from the past Kay Gardella player. "Current Affair" (Ch.

5, 7:30) focuses on the Joseph Pikul case. Pikul was convicted last week of murdering his second wife. A former Wall Street whiz, Pikul was dressed as a woman when police arrested him. The show will offer an interview with Pikul, taped last year while the case against him was still pending Ch. 13 11th Hour" tonight (11 p.m.) will look at "Channel One," the controversial commercial-carrying 12-minute news broadcast now being fed daily to some high schools on an experimental basis.

Jen weingrad IMW.