DATE: Wednesday, September 24, 1997         TAG: 9709261105

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E2   EDITION: FINAL 

                                            LENGTH:   58 lines

TONIGHT'S TV PREMIERES

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``The Tony Danza Show''

Network, time: NBC, 8 p.m. Wednesdays.

Cast: Tony Danza, Maria Canals, Ashley Malinger, Majandra Delfino

and Shaun Weis.

Concept: Playing a New York City sportswriter, Danza revives

``Father Knows Best'' as he raises two daughters. The eldest is

rebellious. The youngest is a hypochondriac. Maria Canals, the best

thing about this sitcom, plays Danza's assistant. He's

computer-phobic.

Mini-review: You like Danza or you don't. If you do, you'll tune

in and stick with this sitcom that's about nothing, really. No

acting here. He's the same Tony you saw in ``Who's the Boss?,''

which is enough to carry a sitcom. The guy's fun to watch in what's

a fairly ordinary sitcom populated by fairly ordinary sitcom people

(smartass kids, doorman who butts into everything, former wife who

tosses zingers). ** 1/2 (of a possible five).

``Built to Last''

Network, time: NBC, 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays.

Cast: Paul Winfield, Royale Watkins, Natalie Desselle, J. Lamont

Pope, Denise Dowse, Geoffrey Owens and Jeremy Suarez.

Concept: Winfield's character runs a construction company in

which his children help out. When a second heart attack strikes

Winfield, the son played by Watkins takes over. Lots of stinging

interaction between siblings.

Mini-review: Here's a surprise: A sitcom in which

African-American men aren't portrayed as jive-talking, butt-grabbing

rappers. There's a nice feel to this sitcom with a little Bill

Cosby warmth such as Winfield's grousing about his diet of

soyburgers and wheat grass. Trouble is, the laughs are scarce except

when little Jeremy Suarez (the other kid in ``Jerry Maguire'')

finishes off a scene with a one-liner. (*** of a possible five).

``Dharma & Greg''

Network, time: ABC, 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays.

Cast: Jenna Elfman, Thomas Gibson, Mimi Kennedy, Alan Rachins,

Susan Sullivan, Shea D'Lyn and Mitchell Ryan.

Concept: Free spirit who trains dogs, teaches yoga and hangs out

in Navajo sweat lodges (Elfman) meets and marries a button-down

lawyer (Gibson) in one day's time. Bride's and groom's parents are

also on the opposite ends of the culture spectrum.

Mini-review: ABC thinks it will have a big hit here because it

expects viewers to melt in Elfman's presence. Who wouldn't love a

woman who goes to baseball games just to scream and hear the organ?

Elfman is engaging while Gibson is less so. Now that Dharma and Greg

have married so quickly, where's the sexual tension that fuels so

many sitcoms? Dharma's far-out pop (Rachins of ``L.A. Law'') steals

every scene in which he appears. (*** of a possible five).

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