DATE: Sunday, September 7, 1997             TAG: 9709050149

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E11  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: By LARRY BONKO, Television columnist

                                            LENGTH:   39 lines

TONIGHT'S TV PREMIERES

``The Tom Show''

Network, time: Warner Brothers, 9 p.m. Sundays.

Cast: Tom Arnold, Shawnee Smith, Michael Rosenbaum, Lisa Wilhoit, Mika Boorem, Tasha Smith and Ed McMahon.

Premise: Former high-powered TV producer gives up $80-million in a divorce settlement. With two kids to care for, he takes a job at a station in the Midwest where he once worked for McMahon as a cue-card boy. McMahon is still on camera there, looking to bring his show (``Breakfast with Charlie'') into the 21st century.

Mini-review: Arnold as the producer who has fallen on hard times is much easier to take here than in two previous sitcoms. He's darn near charming in a role borrowed from real life when he was married to and worked with Roseanne. McMahon, in his 70s, is again on familiar ground as second banana, and he's good at it. A harmless, mindless sitcom. (2 stars out of five).

``Alright Already''

Network, time: Warner Brothers, 9:30 p.m. Sundays.

Cast: Carol Leifer, Amy Yasbeck, Stacy Galina, Mitzi McCall, Maury Sterling, Jerry Adler.

Premise: Leifer and Yasbeck play man-hungry singles living among retirees in Florida. Expect jokes about men with hair on their backs and senior citizens with sluggish systems.

Mini-review: Since Leifer once helped produce ``Seinfeld,'' and dated the star of that show, there are touches of nothingness made funny in this sitcom such as the thrill of buying toilet paper at Bulk World. Think of Leifer as Elaine on ``Seinfeld,'' only smarter and more likable. A good pilot was followed by a so-so second episode. (2 1/2 stars out of five). ILLUSTRATION: Color photos

Warner Brothers

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