THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, March 9, 1996 TAG: 9603070051
SECTION: TELEVISION WEEK PAGE: 01 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY BONKO TELEVISION COLUMNIST
LENGTH: Long : 107 lines
IT'S BEEN 23 YEARS since ``Bridget Loves Bernie,'' seven years since ``Family Ties,'' and now the time is right, says Meredith Baxter, to return to the grind of a weekly television series.
Her twins aren't babies any longer. They're 10.
Baxter on Wednesday night at 8:30 stars in and helps produce a sitcom, ``The Faculty,'' on ABC. The title is a dead giveaway. It's about life in the faculty lounge of Hamilton Middle School where the Baxter character is a vice principal. See teachers snap off one-liners while grading papers.
Baxter said she had plenty of chances to get back into network TV, in comedies and dramas. She turned down dramas because the long hours on the set would keep her away from her family.
``There was a script for a police show and something at a glossy fashion magazine,'' said Baxter when she met TV reporters in Los Angeles not long ago. ``But I always felt that a half-hour situation comedy was the place for me. I love doing comedy.''
``The Faculty'' is one of 17 new shows that will premiere between now and April in network television's vast desert of re-runs between the February and May ratings sweeps. Only one show launched last year at this time, NBC's ``NewsRadio,'' became a hit, but three others are still on the air.
Also debuting in the next week is ``Malibu Shores'' from producer Aaron Spelling, who already has three shows on the air and will add a fifth in April. ``Malibu Shores'' is an updated version of ``Beverly Hills 99210'' with a clash of Southern California cultures - the rich kids from Malibu mixing with the ``Vals'' of the San Fernando Valley.
It starts Saturday at 8 p.m. on NBC with a two-hour film. No surprises here. It's standard Spelling, which means beautiful young bods and their doting parents, including Michelle Phillips. This is a star vehicle for Keri Russell.
Also upcoming, Dana Carvey carries his bag of impressions to ABC starting Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. in a sketch-comedy series named (what else?) ``The Dana Carvey Show.'' On Sunday night at 8:30, CBS brings back Bonnie Hunt in ``Bonnie,'' a sitcom that's on the quirky side. It's the third try for Hunt.
The United Paramount Network (WGNT in Hampton Roads) expands to a third night of programming with two dramas. ``Swift Justice'' premieres Wednesday night at 9. A week later, ``The Sentinel'' debuts at 8, followed by the second episode of ``Swift Justice.'' At 9 p.m. Tuesday, UPN introduces ``Borderline,'' a program about the paranormal.
There are some dandy specials upcoming on cable.
If you're hooked on ``ER'' on NBC (and who isn't?), you might be interested in seeing how a real emergency room functions. Be advised that this special on The Learning Channel, ``Trauma: Life and Death in the ER,'' is far more graphic than any ``ER'' episode on NBC. See what happens when a kid with a bullet hole between his eyes is wheeled into the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The premiere is Wednesday at 10 p.m.
Like programs with lots and lots of film clips? If so, catch ``The Universal Story'' Saturday at 8 p.m. on Starz! and at 9 p.m. on Encore. Richard Dreyfuss, waiting to see if he's won a second Oscar, hosts the documentary about the studio started 87 years ago by Carl Laemmle with a rented camera and built on a foundation of silent films about such frank subjects as white slavery. Most fun is seeing scenes cut from Universal's horror flicks, including ``Frankenstein,'' when censorship had a tight grip on Hollywood. First Universal film: ``Hiawatha'' in 1909. Starting Sunday, Encore and Starz! begin running classic films from Universal (``Jaws,'' ``The Birds,'' ``The Deer Hunter'') to make it a month's salute to Laemmle's studio.
In several Universal films, you'll see some pretty famous animal actors including Francis the talking mule, which brings me to another cable special worth watching: ``Hollywood's Amazing Animal Actors'' on TBS Tuesday night at 8:05 p.m., repeating Thursday at 10:05 p.m. and next Saturday at 12:05 p.m. Another festival of clips with scenes from a dozen TV series and more than 30 films. See Rin Tin Tin, the dog that saved Hollywood, and Lassie, who darn near did the same thing a few years later. If you think Babe is big now, the pig's popularity is nothing compared to Arnold on ``Green Acres.'' He pulled in more fan mail than Eva Gabor, said trainer Frank Inn.
Gillian Anderson, she of the luminous presence on ``The X-Files,'' narrates a special about spies that never sleep or go over to the other side. They are spy satellites. ``Spies Above'' premieres on The Discovery Channel Monday at 10 p.m. Discovery on Monday starts a three-day ``Spy Watch'' which also includes documentaries on the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane (Wednesday at 10 p.m.) and methods used by the Pentagon to track down enemy secrets and the people who carry them (Tuesday at 10 p.m.).
More sampling: Home Box Office on Tuesday at 7 p.m. presents ``Family Video Diaries: Before You Go: A Daughter's Story,'' which is about Nicole Betancourt's home movie of the last year of her father's life. He was an AIDS victim . . . Michael Douglas, always the people's choice, will have that made official Sunday at 9 p.m. on CBS when he is honored during ``The People's Choice Awards.'' CBS says 200 million Americans made these choices. Do you believe that? Brett Butler hosts . . . During public broadcasting's March pledge month, Fred Rogers, or Mr. Rogers, if you insist, will be talking to the kids about what to do when they feel angry. Yes, Mr. Rogers gets mad every once in a while. ``Mister Rogers Neighborhood'' airs on WHRO Monday through Friday at 6 a.m. . . . Jack Wagner of ``Melrose Place'' is a hoot playing a pilot with wives all over the place in ``Frequent Flyer.'' ABC airs it Sunday at 9 p.m., and the network swears it's based on a true story. ILLUSTRATION: Meredith Baxter, left, stars in "The Faculty" Wednesday on ABC.
Below, Keri Russell and Tony Lucca star in "Malibu Shores" Saturday
on NBC.
RICHARD KELLY
Adrian Montgomery meets Mr. Rogers during a week (6 a.m. weekdays,
WHRO) that addresses ``What Do You Do With the Mad That You Feel?''
by CNB