SEASON OPENERS RATE MIDDLING MARKS
This week, ABC rolls out its new series, CBS debuts its all-new
Wednesday-night lineup, and Fox releases more new shows. NBC and CBS roll out
most of their new fall offerings next week. Here are report cards on new shows
premiering this week; we'll revisit these new series in a few weeks:
''Partners,'' debuting after its Fox companion show, ''Melrose Place,'' at
9 p.m. Monday on Channel 2, is about the eternal triangle -- guy, guy's best
friend, guy's girlfriend. This sitcom is set in S.F., where childhood friends
Bob (Jon Cryer, last seen on CBS' ''Teddy Z'') and Owen (Tate Donovan) now run
a business together. But in this buddy/romantic comedy, the glib Bob isn't
happy when Owen announces he's marrying Alicia (Maria Patillo). And Alicia
wants to know why Bob gets veto power over her wedding date.
Overall, ''Partners'' is too frenetic and too predictable. Each fall we
roll out our Back-toSchool grading system for the new series, and the so-so
''Partners'' rates a flat C.
''The Monroes,'' ABC's new prime-time soap focusing on a Kennedy-esque clan
from Maryland, previews at 10 p.m. Tuesday on Channel 7, moving to its regular
time spot at 9 p.m. Thursday.
William Devane, last seen as extroverted tennis coach Lou DeLarosa in ABC's
''Phenom,'' was also in ''Knots Landing,'' so he knows this genre. He's the
best thing about this formulaic potboiler, with Tylenol pitchwoman Susan
Sullivan -- she makes a ''landmark'' finger gesture on Tuesday's opener
-playing the icy wife of Devane's amoral patriarch character John Monroe. One
of the Monroes' son is a Congressman who gets caught with his pants down at
the Capitol, another is a principled astronaut, and the daughter is carrying
on an affair, possibly with the President.
The dialogue can make you wince. Devane makes a Joe Kennedy-esque
public-service speech, telling his astro-son: ''We've got the money, we've got
the power ... we get to play in this game.'' James (David Andrews): ''I'd like
to think it's more than a game ...'' You get the idea. Overall, ''The
Monroes'' is C-Minus, but thanks to the watchable Devane, it gets a B-Minus.
''Bless This House,'' premiering at 7 p.m. Wednesday on Channel 5, is one
of CBS' biggest hopes for its completely retooled Wednesday night. Some women
will write off ''House'' because it co-stars former misogynist comic Andrew
Clay (his act and middle name of ''Dice'' are gone) in this nouveau
''Honeymooners'' sitcom. Starring as Clay's no-nonsense wife is Cathy Moriarty
(''Raging Bull.'') In this insult comedy, neither side gets the upper hand.
If you like New York-style insult humor (and lots of wide diphthongs),
you'll probably like this as much as I did, despite uneven writing and vulgar
anatomical references. Clay has always been a decent actor (''Ford
Fairlane''), and here he and Moriarty have good comedic chemistry. She's tired
of renting, and Clay (a postal worker) says defensively, ''In China, this
place'd be the Ponderosa.'' Moriarty: ''Here, it's the apartment on 'Good
Times.''' ''Bless This House'' shows promise. B-Minus.
''Central Park West,'' a second new prime-time soap debuting at 8 p.m.
Wednesday on Channel 5, is an exemplar of CBS' desperation to get younger
demographics. To create this young-adult series, CBS lured producer Darren
Star away from Fox's ''Melrose Place'' and ''90210.'' Madchen Amick from
''Twin Peaks'' plays the punky villainess; and her bad-girl character could
get as much attention as Heather Locklear's ''Melrose'' vixen.
This glossy series centers around Mariel Hemingway, who's just come to New
York from Seattle to save floundering Communique Magazine. Her after-dark
columnist Carrie (Amick), whose father owns the mag and wants his bratty
daughter fired, immediately becomes Stephanie's (Mariel's) nemesis. The
columnist goes after Steph's writer husband (Tom Verica). The first catfight
Wednesday comes in the first 10 minutes, the initial utterance of the phrase,
''That little bitch!'' soon after. Rating: C.
ABC's new ''Drew Carey Show,'' premiering at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday on Channel
7, is probably the best new sitcom of the fall season. It features the
crew-cutted, necktie-adjusting offbeat Carey (a former ''Tonight Show''
regular) as a personnel director in Cleveland. This new series, the latest in
ABC's recent tradition of giving comics their own shows (Tim Allen, Roseanne,
Ellen DeGeneris) looks like a hit.
This sitcom's basically an extension of Carey's offbeat stand-up act: Carey
darts about tossing off goofy one-liners like, ''Did you know that if the
Domino's guy doesn't come back in an hour they call police?'' Thanks to
Carey's winning personality and his irresistibly mean-spirited gags, this
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