Class, don’t worry too much about this pop quiz. Television never changes that much, and most of the programs we’ll be studying this fall are just hybrids of past TV show concepts. A quick look at some of the new fall TV shows should easily supply the answers you need to complete these predictable formulas. Here’s an example to get you started:
1. “Dawson’s Creek”+ “The Adventures of Superman” = A “Smallville”
2. “Law & Order” + “America’s Most
Wanted” = ————-
3. “The Cosby Show” + “Married . . . With Children” = ———-
4. “La Femme Nikita” + “Felicity” = ———-
5. “Dallas” + “Titans” = ———-
6. “Werewolf” + “Twin Peaks” = ———-
7. “NYPD Blue” + “L.A. Law” = ———-
8. “Star Trek” + “Star Trek:
The Next Generation” = ———-
9. “Ellen” + “Normal, Ohio” = ———-
10. “It Takes a Thief” + “Moonlighting” = ———-
11. “CSI” + “Profiler” = ———-
12. “Full House” + “Bachelor Father” = ———-
13. “Batman” + “Captain Nice” = ———-
14. “Miami Vice” + “Mission: Impossible” = ———-
15. “Chicago Hope” + “Doogie Howser, M.D.” = ———-
16. “Moesha”+ “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father” = ———-
A. “Smallville” (8 p.m. Tuesdays, WB), which depicts the teen-scene adventures of Clark Kent (Tom Welling) before he becomes the Man of Steel.
B. “Alias” (8 p.m. Sundays, ABC), a drama in which Jennifer Garner plays a young woman who’s — dramatic pause — a college student by day and a secret agent by night.
C. “Wolf Lake” (9 p.m. Wednesdays, CBS), a surreal drama about a pack of wolf people living in a Pacific Northwest town, starring Lou Diamond Phillips (above right).
D. “The Bernie Mac Show” (8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Fox), a vehicle for the Chicago stand-up comedian, whose politically incorrect character is raising his sister’s three kids.
E. “Philly” (9 p.m. Tuesdays, ABC), starring “NYPD Blue’s” Kim Delaney as a feisty defense attorney in Philadelphia.
F. “The Ellen Show” (7 p.m. Fridays, CBS), which stars the comic as a gay woman who returns to live in her small hometown after her dot-com company fails.
G. “Thieves” (8 p.m. Fridays, ABC), with John Stamos and Melissa George as bickering crooks who have to steal things for the government or go to jail.
H. “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (8 p.m. Sundays, NBC), the third installment of the popular franchise, which looks at crime from the criminal’s point of view.
I. “One on One” (7:30 p.m., UPN), in which Flex Alexander is a single dad raising his precocious 14-year-old daughter (Kyla Pratt).
J. “Enterprise” (7 p.m. Wednesdays, UPN), the latest “Star Trek” incarnation, which stars Scott Bakula and is set about a century before the time frame of the original series.
K. “The Tick” (7 p.m. Thursdays, Fox), a live-action comedy about the adventures of a goofy superhero (“Seinfeld’s” Patrick Warburton, above right).
L. “Raising Dad” (8:30 Fridays, WB), which returns “Full House” star Bob Saget (above middle) to the small screen as the widowed father of two who teaches at the high school his teenage daughter attends.
M. “Crossing Jordan” (9 p.m. Mondays, NBC), which stars Jill Hennessy (“Law & Order”) as a conflicted medical examiner who gets deeply involved in solving crimes.
N. “Pasadena” (8 p.m. Fridays, Fox), a soap opera/mystery series about a rich, powerful newspaper family, starring Dana Delany.
O. “UC: Undercover” (9 p.m. Sundays, NBC), a visually stylish series that depicts the adventures of an elite undercover task force.
P. “Scrubs” (8:30 p.m., NBC), an ensemble comedy about a bunch of first-year medical interns.
ANSWERS: 1. A 2. H 3. D 4. B 5. N 6. C 7. E 8. J 9. F 10. G 11. M 12. L 13. K 14. O 15. P 16. I
Fall 2001 TV
Professor Johnson’s notes on upcoming shows
Name changes
“Maybe I’m Adopted” is now “Maybe It’s Me”; adoption groups thought the name for the series about a seemingly normal teenager and her wacky family had a negative implication.
“Deep in the Heart,” which stars country singer Reba McEntire as head of a dysfunctional family in Texas (get it?), has been changed to “Reba,” for no apparent reason.
CBS’ “American Wreck,” starring Daniel Stern as the owner of a community center, has been changed to “Danny,” even though it doesn’t appear that Stern has ever been known as anything other than Daniel.
ABC’s “The Dad,” which stars Chicago’s Jim Belushi as an opinionated head of a household with two young girls, has been changed to “According to Jim.”
Big-time changes in concept
NBC’s “Emeril” stars celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse:
The show was originally about the host of a cooking show who goes home to a wife and three children.
The new “Emeril” has Lagasse as a cooking show host who spends more time at the studio rather than at home, and has just one teenage son rather than three kids.
Side note: A character on the show talks about CBS’ “Bette” lasting for “half a season.” Will “Emeril” even last that long?
CBS’ “Wolf Lake” stars Lou Diamond Phillips:
The program was going to be a supernatural thriller about a wildlife officer (Phillips) who investigates a murder in a clan of werewolves in the Pacific Northwest.
The new “Wolf Lake” has Phillips as a police officer who returns to his werewolf clan in the Pacific Northwest to look for his long-lost love.
General notes
The WB’s “Smallville” uses Superman imagery in oh-so-subtle ways:
In one scene, teenage Clark Kent is wrapped in a red blanket . . . which looks like a cape.
In another scene, Kent is strung up on a pole like a scarecrow (you kind of have to see it to understand it), a big red “S” painted on his bare chest.
In yet another scene, Kent is standing in shadows in a cemetery in front of a statue of an angel, its wings spread out on either side of him, making it look as if he has wings to fly.
Censorship stuff
In the pilot episode of Steven Bochco’s gritty “Philly,” combative lawyer Kathleen Maguire (Kim Delaney) spits out the word ———— (a.k.a. excrement that comes from a steer.)
Bochco is known for pushing the limits on language via “NYPD Blue,” but who knows if that word will make it past ABC censors for the series premiere.
Medical issues
In NBC’s “Crossing Jordan,” Ravi Kapoor plays a forensic entomologist
Did the doc just change jobs? Kapoor played a doctor on ABC’s “Gideon’s Crossing,” and both shows are set in Boston.
Making a point
On NBC’s “Inside Schwartz,” the life of Adam Schwartz (Breckin Meyer) is constantly interrupted by fantasy sequences featuring sports celebrities.
It’s really annoying how he points at people with both index fingers every time he tries to make a point . . . whatever.
