Cops and priests debut in fall

More cops, more controversy and even some more shows about religion: That sums up the new television season, which is set to be unveiled in the next few weeks.

In fact, it pretty well sums up ABC, the network that is first at bat in my annual survey of new programs. The cops and controversy are supplied by Stephen Bochco, who annually tries to bring more nudity, foul language and violence to the home screen. Controversy also surrounds one of the new shows about religion.

Here's the run-down of ABC's programs:

* "Timecop" stars T.W. King as a time-traveling policeman who must wander the corridors of the fourth dimension to root out bad guys who try to change the course of history by tinkering with the past. Will viewers have time for this show?

* "Over the Top" brings an ex-husband and actor (Tim Curry) back to his ex-wife (Annie Potts) 20 years after their parting. What begins as a visit turns into a sitcom as he overstays his welcome and meddles in her life and that of her children.

* "Hiller and Diller," another situation comedy, focuses on a comedy writing duo who are opposites. Hiller is married and has children; Diller is a dilly. Divorced, he has taken over the rearing of his trouble-making children. Diller needs Hiller to chill 'em.

* "Dharma and Greg" is another variation on "The Odd Couple," this time marrying a girl raised by hippie parents to a boy born to blue bloods. She's a yoga instructor; he's a lawyer. How they mix and how their respective parents don't is the fodder for this comedy.

* "Nothing Sacred," a drama about a priest, has caused a stir even before its premiere by being attacked by the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights as offensive to Catholics and misguided about the clergy. ABC's press release about the hour-long series sure doesn't help matters. It describes the main character as being unsure about God's existence and having his "passions reignited by an old college flame." ("Nothing Sacred" joins "Soul Man" on the ABC schedule; it's the sitcom about a Protestant minister that debuted last winter. So far nothing has been announced about a rabbi. My review of "Nothing Sacred" will appear in an upcoming issue.)

* "Cracker" has been a successful British series about a rumpled detective; now it gets an American make-over with Robert Pastorelli (the painter from "Murphy Brown") as a police psychologist in L.A. who has trouble at home as well as on the streets.

* "Genie" might as well have "I Dream Of" in front of it, although the gender has been changed. This time out, the genie is a he who comes into the life of a divorced mom to wreak havoc. Will he blink or wrinkle his nose to effect his tricks? Stay tuned to find out.

* "Teen Angel" sort of combines "Nothing Sacred" with "Genie" by having a religious tinge and magical tone. After a 15-year-old boy dies from eating a tainted hamburger, he finds himself in heaven with an assignment: as guardian angel to his best friend. One of the invisible angel's first jobs is to give a wedgie to the high school bully. Toto, we're not in "Touched by an Angel" anymore.

* "C16: FBI" is this year's worst title for a new TV series, but that doesn't mean the show is no good. Let's wait and see about this program focusing on the FBI's major case squad. Led by an older man, the squad is packed with new recruits, a familiar combo on cop shows.

* "Total Security," Stephen Bochco's invention, is the name of a private security firm in Los Angeles that provides personal protection to movie stars, politicians and other movers-and-shakers who don't trust the cops to keep them safe. I don't trust Bochco to keep me safe.

In addition to those ten new primetime series, ABC has packed its Saturday morning schedule with Disney programming since Disney owns the network. Disney will also program family movies on Sunday evenings, including "Aladdin," "A Little Princess" and "Toy Story."

Finally, for those who think Disney and ABC should be boycotted, here is some more ammunition in the form of the titles of new mini-series: "Medusa's Child," "Creature," "The Advocate's Devil," "Bad As I Wanna Be," "Bad to the Bone" and "Devil to Pay."

(Next: What's on CBS this fall.)

(08-07-97)

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