Some good things to view

The fall television season hasn't left much of a mark on the history of the medium, but the oddest premise of all makes for one of the few shows worth spending time with.

"Now and Again," the CBS drama (not to be confused with ABC's "Once and Again"), is about a middle-aged fat man who dies and becomes a young, super-strong man, thanks to a secret government project that combines computer technology with a human mind.

That's the odd part. The worthwhile part is that this bizarre premise has been given a fascinating twist: The revived man still longs for his wife and daughter, but he is not allowed to reveal himself to them. As he goes about solving crimes and defeating terrorists, he struggles to stay in touch with his family in indirect ways that make his handler very nervous.

All of this is brilliantly played by an excellent cast, including Margaret Colin as the confused, lost, mourning wife who senses something different about the mysterious man who has come into her life....

Judging these

It's difficult to tell "Family Law" and "Judging Amy" apart because both CBS shows are about female lawyers whose husbands have left and because both could use better stories.

In the former, Kathleen Quinlan towers above most actresses on TV as an abandoned wife trying to rebuild her home life and her career as an attorney. In the latter, a weak echo of NBC's "Providence," Tyne Daly dominates as the meddling mother of a single mom who is beginning a new job as a judge.

While the premises are hardly startling in their originality, "Family Law" and "Judging Amy" have casts who deserve more effort by the writers, who so far seem content to recycle plots used up when "L.A. Law" was in vogue....

First Christmas

If you're looking for a videotape to introduce Christmas and the life of Christ to really little kids, try "Jesus Grows Up," a 17-minute animated feature that tells the story of the Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity and Finding in the Temple.

The cartoon style is quite different; in effect, the children's book on which the video is based comes alive through small movements -- an eye blink here, a head nod there -- as the life of the Christ Child is told.

There's even a song about His growing up that links Him to creation, including sheep, dogs and birds.

With its short running time and simple style, "Jesus Grows Up" should be a treat for pre-schoolers and a good aid for parents who want to begin educating their tots about Christ. (The video, from Oblate Media, costs $29.99. Call 800-233-4629.)...

Bible on TV

Two specials about the Bible are coming up later this month on TV:

1. "The Bible Under Fire," Nov. 21 on the Odyssey Network, recalls the translation of the Bible that resulted in the Revised Standard Version in 1952. Controversy surrounded this reworking, which incorporated the Dead Sea Scrolls and modern Scripture scholarship.

Narrated by Mary Alice Williams, this one-hour documentary focuses on the importance of the Bible in general in people's lives and the meaning of this one translation in particular.

2. "Apocalypse!" Nov. 22 on PBS, examines apocalyptic ideology throughout time, with special emphasis on the last book of the Bible, an appropriate topic as we near the end of the second millennium.

Millennialism has thrived during many times of crisis or key moments in time. Even though all of the predictions of doom have been wrong, it remains a fascinating topic -- and a tempting trap for those seeking a final, deciding moment in the movement of history.