New on the tube

BETTE Airs: 7 p.m., CBS (Channel 5) Stars: Bette Midler, Kevin Dunn, Lindsay Lohan, Kimiko Gelman and Joanna Gleason. In brief: Haven't you been watching the promos? It's the Bette show! But is it any good? CBS has persuaded another long-established showbiz name to make a "sophisticated" comedy. Bette Midler joins Bill Cosby, Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman and Bob Newhart as stars who try to rekindle the flame in prime time only to fall far, far short. In "Bette," Midler plays Bette, someone a lot like the real-life Bette, but much more self-conscious and self-mocking than anyone would be in real life. She has a lot of spunk, mugging for the camera and poking fun at her career (no fewer than four Midler films get mentioned in the first episode). Next to her, however, the supporting cast is tired and colorless. And how many Bette Midler jokes can America take? Is it a survivor? Wednesdays at 7 have not been kind to CBS. On the other hand, Midler's only real competition are "Millionaire" and whatever's playing on Lifetime. Welcome to New York Airs: 7:30 p.m., CBS (Channel 5) Stars: Jim Gaffigan, Christine Baranski, Rocky Carroll, Mary Birdsong, Eric Bogosian and B.D. Wong. In brief: Indiana weatherman gets work at New York TV station, encounters storm front. But is it any good? The standout of this fall's wimpy sitcom lot has been woefully mispromoted as the Baranski and Gaffigan show. The star is, or ought to be, Gaffigan, who is the almost perfect foil for the neurotic New Yorkers he's constantly running into. When he and a newscast anchor (Carroll) lock horns over a pair of eyeglasses, the contretemps plays out with just the right note of absurdity. Is it a survivor? Depends on how well "Bette" does and whether Gaffigan can avoid getting crushed by all his co-stars. @ART CAPTION:Bette Midler @ART:Photo (color) >>>