The Sacramento Bee from Sacramento, California • 178

The Sacramento Bee Sunday September 8 1996 Encore 9 ir "'1'' -j i i what: Part of ABC's new TGIF bloc it is an outgrowth of a so-so Showtime movie that aired last spring Ricksier scale: Not reviewed tightly drawn drama about two men one a cop (Ken Olin) one an ex-con (Jason Gedric) walking close to the line on different sides of the law what: One of the best-written and best-acted new shows this season although -its moody feel and dark took rjnay not bode well for EZ ratings success It would be a shame if it fails This series is smart deep and layered with twists Suddenly Susan (NBC) When: 9:30 pm on Channel 3 Premieres on What: Brooke Shields in her first TV series plays a writer at a trendy San Francisco magazine what: The other sure hit of the season along with Shields is a surprisingly funny comedian Judd Nelson as her boss almost as surprisingly is funny too Oh and it has the golden time slot between and Something So Right (NBC) When: 8:30 pm on-Chnnel 3- AAAAMaa Premieres Sept 1 1 17 What: A modern with a modern blended family Imagine Hope Steadman (Mel Harris) from on her second marriage in a house with three sitcom kids what: HopeHarris is still whiny and the kids exspouses and work partners are all cliche But husband Jere Burns is stellar partly because he gets all the good lines A few more good lines could make this series work Pearl (CBS) When: 7:30 pm on Channel 13 Premieres at 8:30 pm Sept 16 Airs Mondays in addition to its regular Wednesday slot through Oct 14 What: Rhea Perlman a down-to-earth re-entry student faces off against snooty college professor Malcolm McDowell what: Turns out Perlman was not just along for the ride on She and McDowell may be the chemistry champs of the year Townies (ABC) When: 8:30 pm on Channel 10 Premieres Sept 18 What: Molly Ring-wald stars in the closest thing to a rip-off this season Set in a New England seaside town the series mistakes low-brow and boorish for blue collar what: Our pick for the first show canceled this fall Public Morals (CBS) When: 8:30 pm on Channel 13 Premiere to be announced What: A comedy about the New York City Police vice squad that has all the joy and whimsy of a jail cell what: Two of classiest producers Steven Bochco and Jay Tarshes made one of the most classless shows Besides it's not funny Hick Freno: Licensed Teacher (WB) When: 8:30 pm on Channel 31 Premiered Aug 28 What: Another reluctant teacher wins over another unruly class with his immaturity what: The nicest thing we can say is not as bad as Men Behaving Badly (NBC) When: 9:30 pm on Channel 3 Premieres Sept 18 What: Two complete jerks blunder through life meaning no harm but still are complete jerks One of them Ron Eldard somehow manages not to chase away his girlfriend (Justine Bateman) an otherwise normal woman The other Rob Schneider chases off everyone what: A guilty pleasure (Time out for a serious break: This show harrumph is an outrage Its sexist frat-boy humor degrades both men and women I cannot condone it Harrumph harrumph) Time in: If looking for laughs this thing is very very funny The Jamie Foxx Show (WB) When: 9:30 pm on Channel 31 Premiered Aug 28 What: Aspiring actor (Foxx) helps aunt run a hotel while dissing an uptight accountant hitting on a tight-skirted desk clerk and doing impersonations what: Mindless if harmless silliness Not a lot to recommend and it commits the crime of wasting Garrett Morris THURSDAY Clueless (ABC) When: 9 pm on Channel 10 Premieres on Sept 20 What: Bad rip-off of the feature film about a wealthy well-meaning Beverly Hills teen who is a few limos removed from reality what: The title best applies to the people who produced this show Millennium (Fox) When: 9 pm on Channel 40 Premieres Oct 25 What: Mysterious drama about a former FBI agent who can see through the eyes of killers maybe because of special powers battles evil that may or may not be organized and reaching a peak at the turn of the century Meanwhile someone or something -is stalking his family All this ambiguity is of course from Chris Carter the creator of what: Carter is a master of this semi sci-fi genre smart unpredictable and emotional also very graphic and very dark loyalists will love it A larger audience may have some trouble connecting Dark Skies (NBO When: 8 pm on Channel 3 Premieres Sept 21 What: A sneaky Day" Because special effects for 15-mile-wide spaceships are expensive these aliens are already here and slowly taking over the world by taking over our brains what: Good mix of feel with dark overtones But tons of holes in the plot like why are these powerful aliens moving so slowly? Alienscon-spiracysci-fi fans will like this fans of drama will think lead couple are saps Besides no one believes aliens would take over our brains Wait that at the door? Aaaaaigghhh This show is great FRIDAY! Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS) When: 7:30 pm on Channel 13 Premieres on Friday What: Sounds like a standard sitcom: Blue-collar guy lives with his family across the street from his meddling parents But there is a gentle quirky twist to everything like his parents who think a fruit-of-the-month club is a cult what: Everybody should love Raymond Star Ray earnest slightly bewildered style mixes with a well-written script and strong supporting cast It was the season's funniest pilot Mr Mrs Smith (CBS) When: 8 pm on Channel 13 Premieres Sept 20 What: Scott Bak-ula is a spy or something like that for a mysterious group that does industrial espionage or something like that and he bat-tlesworksflirts with Maria Bello who also is an industrial spy or something like that what: This is supposed to have some sort of chemistry The closest it gets is Blue Moon Detective Agency-type incompetence Except they are supposed to be good or something like that Homeboys in Outer Space (UPN) When: 8:30 pm on Channel 58 Premiered Aug 27 What: meets the bott and in a comedy about two space mercenaries who are described generously as the two biggest idiots in the galaxy what: This may be so bad good And it's soooo bad The Burning Zone (UPN) When: 9 pm on Channel 58 Premiered Aug 26 What: Super scientists who are also super cool battle viruses plagues and bad scripts what: Has legitimate scary moments legitimate gross moments charismatic heroes obnoxious heroes sexual tension and some very goofy premises like a virus that is self-aware and malevolent If this does anything make you wash your hands Spin City (ABC) When: 9:30 pm on Channel 10 Premieres Tuesday What: Michael Fox an actor born for TV comedies plays an ethically depleted deputy mayor of New York who happens to date a city hall reporter what: One of the two surest hits of the season (The other is NBC's If only rfal politicians Moloney (CBS) When: 8 pm on Channel 13 Premieres Sept 19 What: A psychiatrist (Peter Strauss) with the Los Angeles Police Department battles killers prosecutors and cops who think a weenie what: CBS sent the original pilot back for serious analysis Unless the police shrink starts consulting six good-looking friends from New York the time slot will be murder RiCketer scaler Not rfeviewedii I nn vd I Sabrina the Teenage Witch (ABC) When: 8:30 pm on Channel 10 Premieres Sept 27 What: Based on the Archie Comics character a 16-year-old city witch moves in with her aunt in a small but soon to be wacky '4 OWrkb brio ytJoiaoa I 1 3 xt OlV I EZ Streets (CBS) When: 9 pm on Channel 13 Premiere to be announced What: A stylish I'ji rfrr no fi'q were this amusing axw io XYrfV lnr.