Facts of Life, Class of 2000
Wednesdays, 8:30 p.m. on NBC
Things haven't slowed down at the Eastland Academy, the all-girls school immortalized in the long-running NBC series. The girls are back, and the new millennium promises to deliver more fun, hijinks, and heartache. In the action-packed series premiere, trouble pays an all-too-familiar visit to Eastland. Blair is caught nipping a drink from Mrs. Garrett's brandy. Natalie is cited for public indecency. And Tootie thwarts Soviet bomb-maker Igor Kurchatov's plan to level the Eastern Seaboard. Also, Mrs. Garrett learns to drive a car.
Surreal TV
Sundays, 10:00 p.m. on UPN
Looking to cash in on the popularity of reality-based programs, CBS offers a new show that is "like television for the subconscious." The show's incongruous imagery is created by juxtaposing some of Hollywood's biggest and brightest stars while they perform daredevil stunts! Is that Brandy and Gavin Macleod helicopter skiing in the Colorado back country? Can Ray Romano and Hugh Downs really tame a wild Bengal tiger? Will Brooke Shields and Arsenio Hall surface after jumping into a barrel and tumbling over Niagara Falls? Tune in next Sunday to find out.
Pookie Howser
Fridays, 8:00 p.m. on ABC
He slices medullas! He dices gray matter! He's a world-renowned neurosurgeon, and he's only 8 years old! He's Pookie Howser, and when he ain't going to town on a brain, he's solving crossword puzzles. What's that, Pookie? Having trouble getting that last word in your crossword puzzle? Can't think of a 13-letter word for "soup"? Just check One Across, a handy crossword-puzzle helper that finds the best answers using the invaluable "clue search" tool. Hey Pookie, what's a six-letter word for whiz kid with a scalpel?
Will Hertes, Muttering Recluse!
Saturdays, 2:00 a.m. on PBS
Meet Will Hertes, an inebriated hermit with a penchant for writing prank letters to multinational conglomerates. Will ain't much to look at, but this kid can scribble! This fly-on-the-wall 16-week documentary follows Hertes as he writes to ABC and suggests a new sitcom called "The Simpletons." Watch as he writes to Ben & Jerry to inquire about their weight. Gasp as he drafts a letter to President Clinton claiming "your inauguration seemed a more frightening prospect than sumo-wrestling on ice skates." In a TV Guide interview, Will confesses, "My letter-writing addiction escalates daily, and I fear it may soon interfere with my routine drinking." Tune in and witness a man's real-life struggle with the demons in his head.
The Magic Rainbow Angels
Tuesdays, 8:00 p.m. on UPN
Anyone can be touched by an angel, but it takes a special person to be touched by a magic rainbow angel! Urizen, Kariah, and Toth are winged seraphs who descend from shimmering rainbows to help the style-challenged and the color-clashers. How do they do it? By spreading the joy of pastels! The fluorescent-winged seraphs simply consult Understanding Color, a site that describes how color plays a role in our lives by examining its critical theories, metaphoric resonance, and psychological effects. According to Toth, "Colors are forces, radiant energies that affect us positively or negatively, whether we are aware of it or not. I love you because you're pretty." Long live Magic Rainbow Angels!
Brief Briefs
Wednesdays, 9:00 p.m. on FOX
Described by TV Guide's Sam Kashtorktsten as "excitingly fresh and exciting" and E Networks' Brill Stoneweather as "really very good and very exciting," this hour-long action-dramedy is, according to acclaimed television critic Marge Tether, "great, exciting stuff!" Fox executives sing the praises of this "exciting cross between Ally McBeal and Baywatch." The show follows a team of beach-bum lawyers who apparently have a lot of difficulty with dates. The first episode ("Just the Briefs, Ma'am") finds the team switching to the Chinese calendar in a desperate attempt to get a handle on their lives and tan lines. Imagine the surprises!
Caroline in the Suburbs
Syndicated - various times and stations
Wanting a "change of pace," Caroline and Richard say "hasta lavista" to the Big Apple and head south to Palatka, Florida. And what a wonderfully relaxing change it is for the couple! Caroline supports their quieter, happier lifestyle by designing a vast collection of postcards of Florida (to great critical acclaim!), and Richard becomes an active member of the Southwest Volunteer Fire Department. Annie and Del follow Caroline and Richard to the Sunshine State (happy surprise!). The two couples enjoy eating together every Saturday night at Angel's Diner on Reid Street. Del always orders the tuna melt; everyone is very, very happy.