Medical Drama

THE L.A. COMPLEX. 9 p.m. Tuesday, CW Philly 57. SUMMER ARRIVES a little early on the CW and with it, the Canadians. "Smash" meets "Melrose Place" in Tuesday's premiere of "The L.A. Complex," a guilty pleasure of a Canadian drama set in Los Angeles about (mostly) young people trying to make it in show business and, of course, with each other. Northern imports like ABC's "Rookie Blue" and CBS' "Flashpoint" have become one way U.S. networks keep the lights on between seasons when their cable rivals are at their most aggressive.

With the death Monday of "Ben Casey" star Vince Edwards, we're reminded how much has changed in medicine - and TV medical dramas - since Ben Casey and Richard Chamberlain's "Dr. Kildare" first turned America into their waiting rooms in the fall of 1961. While 35 years ago Americans might reasonably have expected to see the same doctor from cradle to grave, the advent of HMOs and other managed-care plans, as well as an ever-growing host of medical specialties, means we're now lucky if we see the same doctor from appointment to appointment.

Summer is being very, very good to the folks at CBS' "48 Hours. " An original episode of the Dan Rather-anchored newsmagazine last week pulled to within three-tenths of a ratings point of a repeat of NBC's medical drama, "ER. " As expected, reruns of "ER" this summer have lost more than half the audience that usually tunes in for the show during the regular September-through-May season. That's good news for "48 Hours," which actually is up from its in-season performance.

Broadcast television, fall 2000: the Cold Pizza Season. Not that there's anything wrong with that, as they said on Seinfeld a few years ago, when originality still counted for a few points on TV. You know, left over in the fridge, crust a little too chewy, cheese congealed, forever trapping the pepperoni, soggy mushrooms and not-so-green-anymore peppers, as islands in the cold-sauce sea of red tomato. Forty degrees, with some good coffee - mmm, mmm, day-old pizza may not be the apex of the pie-maker's art, but it can be one fine breakfast.

The overall stability of any structure depends on the strength of its core, and in the network TV business, the core is the returning shows, which outnumber new ones by about 2 to 1. "It's really how the returning shows perform that determines whether the network is going to move up or decline in the overall standings," said Steve Sternberg, a senior partner at ad buyer TN Media. "When you have a new show that flops, more times than not, it's replaced with a show that does better.

Former State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo was released from the hospital yesterday, clearing the way for his federal corruption trial to resume on schedule tomorrow. A spokesman for Hahnemann University Hospital, which admitted the 65-year-old Fumo on Thursday after he became dizzy and nauseated in court, said his condition had improved. Before Fumo went home, his health status was upgraded yesterday to good from fair. "We're going to court on Monday," Dennis J. Cogan, the leader of Fumo's defense team, said yesterday.

Trying to steal a few ratings points, CBS yesterday announced four new cop shows, all dramas, to go along with a medical drama and a couple of sitcoms. That's Life, the spunky family drama that featured Ellen Burstyn and Paul Sorvino, got killed, breaking the hearts of its fervent (though small) audience. So did The Education of Max Bickford, a one-year wonder that starred Richard Dreyfuss. Also gone, and less likely to be missed: Family Law and First Monday. The network hung onto two other relative ratings lightweights, The Agency and - fans will sing hallelujah - Touched by an Angel.

Viewer neglect. It's the leading cause of death among TV series. While publicity hogs 24 and Lost got 21-gun send-offs, sadly a number of shows recently met the Grim Reaper of cancellation largely unremarked. As Willy Loman's wife insisted in Death of a Salesman , attention must be paid. So, we offer a few final words for these prime-time foot soldiers. Henceforth, Heroes will be hard to find. It's always tragic when a promising show peaks early.

What a long, wild gurney ride it's been! NBC's celebrated medical drama, ER, ends its 15-season, 332-episode run tonight with a two-hour finale (preceded by a one-hour clip-trip down Memory Lane). To give you some sense of what an eternity that is in broadcast terms, some of ER's coevals from the Class of '94 include Party of Five, Friends, Touched by an Angel, and My So-Called Life. There are many reasons for ER's longevity. The series had legs . . . and arms, internal organs, sucking chest wounds, and every other injury and ailment imaginable.

Just because he's doing comedy again doesn't mean Philadelphia's own Jack Klugman has stopped being serious. Still the fighter after all these years, Klugman vows never to back away from whatever it takes to make his new NBC series, You Again?, the best it can be. "I won't compromise one line for a better rating," he says. "I won't do something I don't believe in just because somebody at the network is second- guessing what they think the public wants. I have a responsibility to the viewers who think of me as a friend.

THE L.A. COMPLEX. 9 p.m. Tuesday, CW Philly 57. SUMMER ARRIVES a little early on the CW and with it, the Canadians. "Smash" meets "Melrose Place" in Tuesday's premiere of "The L.A. Complex," a guilty pleasure of a Canadian drama set in Los Angeles about (mostly) young people trying to make it in show business and, of course, with each other. Northern imports like ABC's "Rookie Blue" and CBS' "Flashpoint" have become one way U.S. networks keep the lights on between seasons when their cable rivals are at their most aggressive.

Viewer neglect. It's the leading cause of death among TV series. While publicity hogs 24 and Lost got 21-gun send-offs, sadly a number of shows recently met the Grim Reaper of cancellation largely unremarked. As Willy Loman's wife insisted in Death of a Salesman , attention must be paid. So, we offer a few final words for these prime-time foot soldiers. Henceforth, Heroes will be hard to find. It's always tragic when a promising show peaks early.

Two of John Crowley's children have a fatal neuromuscular disorder, Pompe disease. Doctors tell John his son has months to live, his daughter perhaps a year. His is a Sophie's Choice . Should he spend what little time his children have left on earth with them? Or should the Bristol Myers-Squibb executive work around the clock pushing scientists and venture capitalists to produce a drug that might prolong their lives? Such is the premise of Extraordinary Measures , inspired by a gripping true-life story and brought to the screen by Tom Vaughan ( Starter for 10 )

What a long, wild gurney ride it's been! NBC's celebrated medical drama, ER, ends its 15-season, 332-episode run tonight with a two-hour finale (preceded by a one-hour clip-trip down Memory Lane). To give you some sense of what an eternity that is in broadcast terms, some of ER's coevals from the Class of '94 include Party of Five, Friends, Touched by an Angel, and My So-Called Life. There are many reasons for ER's longevity. The series had legs . . . and arms, internal organs, sucking chest wounds, and every other injury and ailment imaginable.

Former State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo was released from the hospital yesterday, clearing the way for his federal corruption trial to resume on schedule tomorrow. A spokesman for Hahnemann University Hospital, which admitted the 65-year-old Fumo on Thursday after he became dizzy and nauseated in court, said his condition had improved. Before Fumo went home, his health status was upgraded yesterday to good from fair. "We're going to court on Monday," Dennis J. Cogan, the leader of Fumo's defense team, said yesterday.

Leland "Rocky" Rockstraw believes simulation is the best preparation for the real thing. In his line of work, health care, the teaching tool is underused, he believes. "We have to stop practicing on people and start practicing on simulated patients," said Rockstraw, who is director of the Center for Clinical and Electronic Learning Resources at Drexel University's College of Nursing and Health Professions. In his view, nurses need a place to practice clinical skills as much as pilots need to "fly" simulator planes before they sit in the cockpit of a plane full of passengers.

"Success the second time around is a lot sweeter," says Patrick Dempsey. He would know. The 39-year-old actor is enjoying a comeback that makes Lazarus look like a stiff. Dempsey, the star of Grey's Anatomy, ABC's surprise Sunday smash (10 p.m.), enjoyed enormous success in Hollywood right out of his teens in well-received romantic comedies such as Can't Buy Me Love and Loverboy. He appeared to have been assembled in the leading-man shop over at Central Casting. With his rugged good looks, tousled hair and megawatt smile, the Maine native seemed destined to give Tom Cruise a run for his money.

Trying to steal a few ratings points, CBS yesterday announced four new cop shows, all dramas, to go along with a medical drama and a couple of sitcoms. That's Life, the spunky family drama that featured Ellen Burstyn and Paul Sorvino, got killed, breaking the hearts of its fervent (though small) audience. So did The Education of Max Bickford, a one-year wonder that starred Richard Dreyfuss. Also gone, and less likely to be missed: Family Law and First Monday. The network hung onto two other relative ratings lightweights, The Agency and - fans will sing hallelujah - Touched by an Angel.

Broadcast television, fall 2000: the Cold Pizza Season. Not that there's anything wrong with that, as they said on Seinfeld a few years ago, when originality still counted for a few points on TV. You know, left over in the fridge, crust a little too chewy, cheese congealed, forever trapping the pepperoni, soggy mushrooms and not-so-green-anymore peppers, as islands in the cold-sauce sea of red tomato. Forty degrees, with some good coffee - mmm, mmm, day-old pizza may not be the apex of the pie-maker's art, but it can be one fine breakfast.

We've seen him enter as a brash, impetuous, puppy-eyed pediatrician with a chip on his shoulder, a flair for rule-breaking, and a problem with commitment. We've seen him through the curls, the Caesar, and the distinguished-looking gray at the temples. We've watched the comings and goings of the pharmaceutical rep, the single mother, his father's ex, and the unforgettable flight attendant named Hulda. And tonight we get to watch George Clooney take his last turn as a regular cast member on NBC's ER. Dim the lights, grab the Kleenex, get a few boxes of half-priced Valentine chocolates to see you through: Dr. Doug Ross has left the building.