Daily News from New York, New York • 676

CO I mi i iibiiii inn ii miin i. a iiiiihimi Famed radio commentator Paul Harvey said "Good day!" to his brief television career today in 1953, when ABC canceled his live, weekly 15-minute newscast. EdDhoos ff Cue eiiofis sBDdDtrj sunn dim If solo stardom's his goal, he should see McLean Stevenson McLean Stevenson Show" and several other embarrassing flops while traveling from here to obscurity. Shelley Long? She commanded lots of Hollywood studio attention, too, until studio DAVID LU BIANCULLI I iVf 1 1 their careers, how much further did they get? That's not to say that everyone who walks away from a good TV gig automatically fails. Eddie Murphy, for example, made a seamless transition from "Saturday Night Live" STARS WHO JUMPED Went to bigger er, other things Page 47 to movie stardom, and Woody Harrelson is doing a good job of it And if I had to bet for or against Caruso's making it big in movies, I'd bet on him to succeed.

But part of my concern is the continuing misconception in Hollywood that TV is a lower rung than movies on the artistic scale. We measure movie blockbusters by their ability to gross $100 million in domestic box-office receipts a figure that works out to an audience of no more than 20 million. A popular series like "Roseanne" pulls in more viewers than that in a week. Every week. That familiarity may be why Caruso wants out so soon, before becoming typecast as the sensitive macho hero of TVs John Kelly.

But the 1 I A m-, i ddtittfciaift mnnifciit iiii i a i i wwaiiiMm heads saw her, and audiences didn't, in dreck like 'Troop Beverly Hills." Her "Cheers" co-star Ted Danson followed suit last year, ending the run of "Cheers" by declaring his creative urge to do other things. In previous years, Patrick Duffy left "Dallas," then woke up and came back after a season-long disappearance that was explained as a bad dream. Victoria Principal also left "Dallas," and found a new career pushing cosmetics on infomercials. And when Harry Hamlin, Susan Dey and Jimmy Smits walked from Bochco's last big success, "LA Law," to further SO DAVID CARUSO is threatening to leave ABC's "NYFD Blue" this season, reportedly because the network and the show's producers would not accede to his demands for a salary increase to $100,000 an episode. But while Caruso is eager to walk away from "NYPD Blue" to pursue a big-screen career (he's starring in the forthcoming "Kiss of Death" and is generating lots of interest from Hollywood studios), he may be underestimating the reach, importance and rarity of a quality prime-time TV series role.

On Sunday, News columnist Mike Fleming reported "it's certain" Caruso won't be around past the fall, and that ABC and series co-creators Steven Bochco and David Milch already are considering replacements. An "NYPD Blue" rerun airs tonight at 10, and shooting for the series' second season is scheduled to begin today, with Caruso taking part But for how long? (A spokesman for Caruso, Stan Rosenfield, confirmed the actor would be at work today. But Rosenfield declined comment when asked if Caruso would remain with the series through the 1994 95 season.) I respect and admire Caruso's talent, and begrudge him neither his success nor his dreams. However, if it's true he's so eager to bolt "NYPD Blue" to pursue a film career, I regret his actions, and suspect he soon may do the same. If it's not too late for Caruso to change his mind, I have four words of advice that should be carefully considered: McLean Stevenson, Shelley Long.

When Stevenson quit "M'A'S'ir In 1975 to pursue a high-profile solo career, I awarded him, in what was my first annual wrapup of TV highs and lows, the "McLean Stevenson Memorial 'I'm Gonna Quit This Show and Become a Big Star1 Award." Since then, Stevenson has starred In "Hello, Larry," "The IS HE OKAY WITH THIS? "NYPD Blue" star David Caruso possibilities for character Caruso, in his rush to reach the development remain so rich for big screen, may be leaving Caruso's Kelly, and the writing behind his biggest challenges last season was so strong, that as an actor. lionciios say 'WYFP' won't 6s P.tDJL By RICHARD HUFF Dwiy New Staff Writer ff AYBE he is, maybe he isnt Mi Yesterday. ABC said departure will have an impact. "Granted it's an ensemble, but in any ensemble someone is going to have a better position than others," she said. "This is not a death blow.

This show has a lot going for it" Frank said the key for. producers was to get a character who has as much charisma as Caruso. Jimmy Smits of A. Law-fame has been rumored as a possible replacement "He's proven himself." Franks said of Smits. "Could Jimmy Smits do Dominus wondered.

"I'd wait a while for that decision." rest of the ensemble revolves," Dominus said yesterday. "The show hasn't been around long enough for the secondary characters to have enough equity with the audience." Dominus said it's much too soon for Caruso to leave. If the show had been on longer, the impact would not be so great, he said. Dominus cited "L.A. Law" and "MASH" as series that went through several cast defections in lat-" er years and survived.

Betsy Frank, executive vice president and director of strategic resources at Saatchi Saatchi, also believes a Caruso But what if he leaves the show? Would it enJ up outlined in white chalk on some network executive's scheduling board? Doubtful. "There's no question that his absence would hurt the show," said Jerry Dominus, senior vice president and director of national broadcast at J. Walter Thompson advertising agency. While Dominus believes it's likely that Caruso is publicly negotiating with the producers, he admits that an early demise for Detective Kelly could be bad for the program. "He is one of the central characters, around whom the that "NYPD Blue" star David Caruso and series producer Steven Bochco had "settled their differences" and that Caruso would be at work on the series today.

Exactly how long the redhead will be with the series remains a mystery, that well, only "NYPD Blue's" Detective John Kelly could solve. An ABC spokeswoman wouldn't discuss the situation further. ON THE 20th anni- i versary of Richard Nixon's resignation as President, cable tonight offers two differ 9:00 (CBS) "I Can Make You Lovo Me." Notice that CBS, much more attuned to violence on TV these days, has dropped the subtitle of this 1993 docu-drama, which was "The Stalking of Laura Black." Brooke Shields plays a young woman who is courted, then harassed and terrorized, by a co-worker (played by Richard Thomas). Docudrama or not, the almost casual shotgun violence near the end of this telemovie is hard to defend, and harder to enjoy. 9:00 (DIS) The Nixon Interviews With David Frost." Part 2.

David Frost parries and thrusts with Nixon on foreign-policy issues in this episode, and rejects one Nixon argument with a mixture of in credulity and hilarity that is laugh-out-kxid funny. (Listen for it; you'll know it when you hear it.) As an added bonus, outtakes from the original 1977 interviews are tacked on at the end, and are eminently interesting and worthwhile. (DISC) "Watergate." Part 4. While reporting on the so-called Saturday Night Massacre at the height of the Watergate investigation, then-NBC newsman John Chancellor, in a clip shown during tonight's outstanding "Watergate" installment, says, "In my career as a correspondent, I never thought I'd be announcing such things." Tune in tonight and see the reasons for his impromptu incrodulity. ent documentaries keyed to Watergate.

Unfortunately, they overlap but you can enjoy both, providing your TV room is equipped with a secret taping system. 8:00 p.m. (NBC) "TV Nation." I don't want to give too much detail about which reports are scheduled on tonight's "TV Nation," because part of the fun is in the surprise, and in the variety. But here are two high-profile hints: Bill Clinton and O.J. Simpson.

They aren't guests, though; they're topics. MAN OF THE HOURS: Richard Nixon.