ABC's My So-Called Life is the stunning aberration. Clawing for viewers, perhaps it proves the financial, if not artistic, merit to the no-risk strategy.
Upstart Fox grinds out much of the same old stuff, while stuffed-shirt CBS is the only network willing to start up something different: Touched by an Angel, Due South and Under Suspicion are unique network hours.
Last fall, for a little while, there was a network show worth watching at almost every moment of the prime-time schedule. This fall, the TV fan must go carefully through the night, keeping the VCR humming and hoarding tapes - The Simpsons, The Nanny, Mad About You, Under Suspicion - against the frequent times when the snob's complaint is true, and there really isn't anything good on network TV.
Even among the shows that will be recommended here, there is a raft of difference. NBC's The Martin Short Show or ABC's Me and the Boys wouldn't merit a glance if CBS or Fox offered anything decent Tuesdays at 8:30. CBS's Chicago Hope on Thursdays or Picket Fences on Fridays might be worth a tune- in, if NBC weren't providing better drama at the same time.
Sunday - the most-watched TV night - as usual provides the most glaring programming hole, as the networks generally battle to out-cheese each other, with chopped-up action features or made-for-TV movies that are sleazy, teary or both.
Tonight's tawdry selection: Ailing Andy Griffith gets a new heart from his grandson who's killed in an accident. Hard-bitten detective Kelsey Grammer must connect with an autistic boy who has key information about several murders. Arnold Schwarzenegger goes all the way to Mars to bash some heads.
The choice might actually be a bit above average.
