ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 1, 1996 TAG: 9603010016
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NEW YORK
SOURCE: FRAZIER MOORE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Out in the real world, March famously comes in like a lion. But among the menagerie of new TV series premiering during the month, some may more closely resemble turkeys.
The lineup:
``High Incident'' (Monday at 9 p.m., ABC; first episode being repeated Tuesday at 10). Fictional El Camino, Calif., is the picture-book suburban setting for this crime drama - and despite the manicured lawns and minimalls, there's plenty of crime to police.
Co-creators include Steve Spielberg and the brilliant writer-performance artist Eric Bogosian. But the stakes are high for this DreamWorks production. As the lead-in for ``Murder One,'' ``High'' could be the show that protects and serves the endangered lawyer drama.
``Good Company'' (Monday at 9:30 p.m., CBS) focuses on the professional and personal lives of a creative team at a midtown Manhattan advertising agency.
In the premiere episode, the agency faces the challenge of coming up with commercials for toilet paper.
Will this sitcom ad up to laughs?
``Buddies'' (previews Tuesday at 9:30 p.m., then moves to regular Wednesday slot on March 13 at 9:30 p.m., ABC).
Another media-centric sitcom: Two best friends and aspiring filmmakers launch a fledgling videotape company that mostly documents weddings and birthday parties. Oh, by the way: One of the ``Buddies'' is white (Christopher Gartin) and one is black (Dave Chappelle).
Described as ``Ralph Cramden and Ed Norton meet MTV,'' it's from the creators of ``Home Improvement.''
``Muppets Tonight!'' (Friday, March 8, 8:30 p.m., ABC) is ``The Muppet Show'' redux.
Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo the Great, Fozzie Bear and Rizzo the Rat are back in prime time as regulars. Guest star on the premiere outing: Michelle Pfeiffer.
``Malibu Shores'' (Saturday, March 9, 8 p.m., NBC) comes from the bubbling beauty-and-hormones cauldron of Aaron Spelling.
On this one-hour drama, the classes clash - even out of class. That is, students from a middle-class San Fernando Valley high school are transferred to the fabulous campus of Malibu's Pacific Coast High School. (A central star-crossed romance: Malibu Babe Chloe and Valley Boy Zack.)
Besides young folks including Aaron's son Randy and Charisma (!) Carpenter, ``Malibu'' stars Michelle Phillips.
``The Dana Carvey Show'' (Tuesday, March 12, 9:30 p.m., ABC) brings the former ``Saturday Night Live'' player back to weekly sketch comedy.
Although not live, the New York-produced half-hour will be taped before a live audience just three days before air-time to ensure topicality.
Carvey describes his show as ``a little bit `Saturday Night Live,' `Monty Python,' `Kids in the Hall,' `60 Minutes' - and `Kirk.' '' (What about ``Malibu Shores''?)
``The Faculty'' (Wednesday, March 13, 8:30 p.m., ABC) lands Meredith Baxter in a contemporary junior high school, where she plays its harried but caring vice principal.
This new sitcom purports to answer one of the great unasked questions of the age: What really goes on in the faculty lounge? (We bet it's not as funny as ``Malibu Shores.'')
``Swift Justice'' (Wednesday, March 13, 9 p.m., UPN) is one-half of UPN's lineup for its new third night.
From ``Law & Order'' creator Dick Wolf, ``Swift'' focuses on a New York City policeman turned detective (name: Mac Swift) who works outside the system to take on white supremacists, inner-city drug dealers and other urban varmints.
It stars James McCaffrey as Swift and Gary Dourdan as Detective Randall Paterson, Swift's former partner who helps him from within the department.
``Aliens in the Family'' (Friday, March 15, 9 p.m., ABC) is a Jim Henson Productions companion-piece to the new ``Muppets Tonight!''
Think of it: A single dad was abducted by a spacecraft, then found romance with a beautiful alien single mom. Now they have returned to earth-suburbia to marry and raise their most unusual family.
Let's hear it for family values!
``The Sentinel'' (Wednesday, March 20, 8 p.m., UPN) is a sci-fi drama about a former soldier who discovers he has developed hyperactive senses that give him increased abilities of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.
Eschewing a career as a TV or food critic, he decides to use these powers to fight crime.
``Boston Common'' (Thursday, March 21, 8:30 p.m., NBC) stars standup comic Anthony Clark as a Virginia handyman who escorts his younger sister to college in Boston - then, to her chagrin, decides to stay on after landing a job in the student union.
``Nash Bridges'' (Friday, March 29, 10 p.m., CBS) brings ``Miami Vice'' star Don Johnson back to series television as a San Francisco Police Department inspector who is a top-notch cop but a two-time loser as a husband.
That's the March roster. But which shows will roar, and which - all too quickly - will go out like lambs?
LENGTH: Long : 107 linesby CNB