We wager on the networks' new shows this season

      CLOSEST THING TO A SURE THING   LOOKS LIKE A GOOD GAMBLE

NBC   criminal intent                 scrubs

      Courtney B. Vance is a New      Donald Faison (Clueless)
      York DA in this third           and a hapless band of
      installment of the successful   ER residents revive an
      Law and Order series, seen      overdone medical genre
      from the criminal's point of    with 1,000 cc's of
      view.                           frantic antics.

ABC   bob patterson                   alias

      We love Chandra Wilson as the   Fox's Dark Angel proved
      wacky assistant to a            that audiences like sexy
      motivational speaker            women in action shows.
      (Seinfeld's Jason Alexander),   Alias has both, plus
      who's as lost as his clients.   veteran thespian Carl
                                      Lumbly.

CBS   max bickford                    american wreck

      Star power shines as Richard    This family comedy with
      Dreyfuss plays a professor      Daniel Stern as an owner
      learning midlife lessons        of an inner-city
      with the aid of Regina Taylor   recreational facility
      (I'll Fly Away).                run by feisty Roz Ryan
                                      (Amen) is endearing.

FOX   the bernie mac show             undeclared

      The stand-up "king of comedy"   It will make you
      brings his stage shtick on      remember your first year
      unconventional parenting to     of college--especially
      the small screen. Hey, it       the funny parts.
      worked for UPN's royal comic    Christina Payano stars
      D.L.                            as the sole sister on
                                      campus.

WB    smallville                      off centre

      The WB scores with              American Pie creators
      supernatural characters and     serve up an Odd Couple--
      cute casts. Here, newcomer      like comedy about Oxford
      Samuel L. Jones plays           grads in Gotham, with
      confidant to teenage Clark      Jason George as their
      Kent.                           rap-star neighbor.

UPN   one on one                      one on one

      Kyla Pratt and comedian Flex    Fresh-faced, sharp-witted
      Alexander are a sure-bet        Pratt and handsome
      father--daughter version of     funnyman Alexander could
      the network's highly            make a winning
      successful series The           combination. But then
      Parkers.                        again ...

      WOULDN'T BET THE FARM ON IT

NBC   emeril

      Chef Emeril Lagasse tries to
      stir up laughs in his real-
      life comedy. Let's hope
      funnygirl Sherri Shepherd
      adds some flavor.

ABC   thieves

      Rapper-turned-actor Tone Loc
      stars as a hip federal agent
      who enlists a pair of
      lovelorn thieves to steal for
      the government. But why?

CBS   the agency

      Rocky Carroll (Roc) heads a
      covert team of good-looking,
      quick-witted feds in a been-
      there-seen-that series.

FOX   24

      A race to stop a plot to
      assassinate a Black
      presidential candidate
      (Dennis Haysbert) in 24 hours
      takes 24 weeks to climax.

WB    men, women & dogs

      Think Sex & the City on
      testosterone with Bill
      Bellamy leading this romantic
      comedy about guys, girls and
      their hounds. Audiences may
      not bite.

UPN   one on one

      Little Pratt is overly sassy,
      and her single dad gets way
      too jiggy with the girlies in
      front of his daughter. Could
      be a turnoff, literally.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Essence Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group