DATE: Wednesday, November 19, 1997          TAG: 9711190083

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Column 

SOURCE: Larry Bonko 

                                            LENGTH:  135 lines

BESTV - WORSTV

WHAT KIND of a year has it been for television? Jenny McCarthy said it on her NBC sitcom: ``Does this get any yuckier?''

TV's best, worst, least and most:

Best drama - ``Law & Order'' on NBC.

Worst drama - ``JAG'' on CBS.

Best sitcom - ``Friends'' on NBC. Until ``The Larry Sanders Show'' returns to HBO.

Worst sitcom - ``The Wayans Brothers'' on WB.

Best daytime talk show - ``Leeza'' on WAVY.

Worst daytime talk show - ``Jerry Springer'' on WGNT. Today's subject: ``Outrageous Teen Drag Queens.''

Best interviewer - Charlie Rose on PBS.

Worst interviewer - Charles Grodin on CNBC.

Best cable channel - A&E.

Worst cable channel - ``Outdoor Life.''

Best magazine - ``Extra on WTKR.'' Love Maureen O'Boyle.

WORST MAGAZINE - ``American Journal on WVEC.'' Bring back Nancy Glass.

Local anchors [best] (chemistry) - Mike Lewis and Barbara Ciara, WVEC.

Local anchor [worst] (chemistry) - Ed Hughes and Lisa Godley, WTKR. Story continues inside. Please see Bonko, E2.

Best offbeat reporting, local TV - Bob West's ``Points West,'' WTKR.

Most overhyped hour - The live ``ER'' episode, which produced the weakest show of the season.

Most talked-about new show - ``Ally McBeal.''

Second most talked about new show - ``Nothing Sacred.''

Most scandalous moment - Murphy Brown smokes marijuana to relieve nausea caused by chemotherapy, experiences munchies (peanut butter and potato chip sandwich with a dash of salsa).

Second most scandalous moment - Homosexual Ellen DeGeneres plants big kiss on her straight bud, Paige.

Best science fiction series - ``Perversions of Science.''

Worst science fiction series - ``The Visitor.''

Most likely to rent a tuxedo - Seven-times married Larry King.

Least likely to be admitted to the acting coaches' hall of fame - Chuck Norris of ``Walker, Texas Ranger.''

Most likely to show up on David Letterman's show when other guests cancel - Tony Randall.

Shows with names that headline writers love - ``Vibe,'' ``Viper'' and ``View.''

Best show nobody is watching - ``The Practice'' on ABC Saturday night at 10.

Best cable channel nobody is watching - Bravo.

Worst move by a schedule maker - NBC shifting ``3rd Rock From the Sun'' from Sunday to Wednesday.

Best move - CBS transferring ``Chicago Hope'' from Monday to Wednesday night.

Best commercial - Johnny Cash strolling through a Nissan factory singing the theme from ``Laverne and Shirley.'' All together now. ``We'll do it our way . . . our way.''

Best kept secret - Weekday mornings at 9, a slickly produced TV show seen on hundreds of stations here and abroad is taped in Virginia Beach. ``The 700 Club.''

Worst moment for news junkies - David Brinkley retires, leaves ``This Week'' on ABC.

Best moment for news junkies - Connie Chung is back, and ABC has her.

Best line of dialogue - From Taylor on ``Melrose Place'': ``I don't want a commitment. I don't want a relationship. All I want is your sperm!''

Worst moment for feminists and women in general - LL Cool J on MTV singing, ``Tina got a big ol' butt.''

Least appreciated actress - Alyson Hannigan, who plays Willow on ``Buffy, the Vampire Slayer.''

Second least appreciated actress - Jennifer Love Hewitt, who plays Sarah on ``Party of Five.''

Best advice on losing weight - From the newly buff Barbara Ciara on WVEC: ``Eat less and exercise really hard.''

Most overrated new sitcom - ``Veronica's Closet.''

Most overrated new drama - ``Brooklyn South.''

Most overrated sitcom, period - ``The Drew Carey Show.''

Most overrated drama, period - ``Early Edition.''

Shows most likely to be canceled or sent on hiatus after the November sweeps - ``C-16: FBI,'' ``Cracker,'' ``Sleepwalkers,'' ``Teen Angel'' and ``Dellaventura.''

Best hour of comedy - Fox scheduling ``The Simpsons'' and ``King of the Hill'' back to back on Sunday night.

Best bod, male - Kevin Sorbo (``Hercules'').

Best bod, female - Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine on ``Star Trek: Voyager'').

Most politically correct - Buffy of ``Buffy, the Vampire Slayer,'' referring to her antagonists as un-dead Americans instead of vampires.

Least politically correct - Publicists at the Family Channel in Virginia Beach reminded reporters about a new Mother Theresa film by sending souvenir ceramic beggar's bowls.

Most relentless re-run - ``Saved by the Bell.''

Most popular TV sport - Professional wrestling.

Least popular TV sport - World championship putting.

Best cable channels you're not getting - Nick at Nite's TV Land, TV Food Network and the Game Show Network which recently brought back ``The Gong Show.''

Least likely to get a christmas gift from the CBS brass - Della Reese of ``Touched by an Angel,'' who called a press conference to say she's working for peanuts.

Most overworked idea - ``World's Scariest Police Chases.'' Fox has done it three times with No. 4 on the way.

Work space most likely to be as crowded as a stateroom in a Marx Brothers film - WTKR'S Weather Central. The station has four full-time meteorologists. Four!

Most obvious goof at the Emmys - For best actress in a sitcom, Helen Hunt was selected over Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Least exciting comeback - Bryant Gumbel. His CBS magazine is a yawner.

Best talk-show subject - Oprah Winfrey on why things cost so much.

Worst new twist in local weather forecasting - WAVY'S wrinkly line ``Future Trak'' wiggly wind thing. Hurts my eyes.

Trend most likely to continue - Hiring people who were big TV stars in the past (Carol Burnett, Chevy Chase, Kate Jackson, Bob Denver, Carroll O'Connor) to be supporting players in 1997.

Best celebrity profile not on A&E's ``Biography'' - TNT's ``Eastwood on Eastwood,'' which runs again Nov. 28 at 11 p.m. Clips, snips and quips from Clint.

Kids' TV most likely to interest grown-ups - ``Wishbone.''

Kids' TV least likely to interest grown-ups - ``Power Rangers Turbo.''

Least valid criticism - In its ninth season, ``Seinfeld'' has slipped so bad it's no better than ``Jenny,'' some say. Don't believe it. ``Seinfeld'' is still TV's third-best sitcom.

Most valid criticism - ``Nash Bridges'' is just a shade more entertaining than a Lowell ``The Hammer'' Stanley commercial.

Most let down - Fans of ``Star Trek'' creator Gene Roddenberry who expected a series (``Earth: Final Conflict'') based on his long-lost scripts to be great. It's un-watchable. MEMO: [Network and channels were missing from electronic text. Please

see microfilm for exact copy.] ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]

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