More Premieres, More Season Returns, More Yawns

If the broadcast networks are hoping to get us excited that they're back with new shows and fresh episodes of old ones, tonight's lineup isn't exactly an enticing pile of bait.

One new show, NBC's Knight Rider, is just awful. So awful, it's stuck at the same sludgy bottom of the barrel as the telemovie remake that inspired it. In terms of sexism, stupidity and blatant "product integration," Knight Rider is the dead horse to beat. Broadcast TV hasn't produced a series so easy to hate since ABC's Cavemen.

Gary Unmarried, on CBS, is better, but in form is disappointingly derivative. Jay Mohr has my blessing since his days as the star of Fox's Action, but squandered that affection a lot last season with his recurring role on Ghost Whisperer. And here, while Mohl is genial and funny enough, tonight's premiere episode is stolen by Paula Marshall as his acerbic ex-wife.

In the return category, the best news is The New Adventures of Old Christine on CBS. And that's about it. The worst news may be the unwarranted return of NBC's Lipstick Jungle, which dilutes the resume of Mary Tyler Moore by signing her on as recurring guest star.

As bad career moves by former TV legends go, it may be the worst booking since Sid Caesar signed on as special guest star on NBC's Pink Lady & Jeff. Trust me. It's an oldie but a baddie...