Been there, seen that; Fall lineups are heavy with knockoffs and safe concepts

Fred Allen, the old-time radio legend, once said, "Imitation is the sincerest form of television." That was during TV's "golden age" of the 1950s, but his adage has held true ever since - never more so than today. This month the networks are putting the finishing touches on 42 shows that will have their premieres in the upcoming TV season. Yet most of these supposedly "new" series are little more than knockoffs and spin-offs of things we've seen before. Did you like that forensic scientist show "CSI" on CBS? You must have, because now NBC has one, too. Can't get enough of "Survivor"? Apparently not: It's back and is joined by "The Amazing Race" and several other birds of that feather. Do you pencil out Wednesday nights for "Law & Order" and Friday nights for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"? Hope you don't have plans for Sunday - here comes "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." It's a paradox. The most popular shows on TV - "The West Wing," "ER," "Everybody Loves Raymond" - are true originals, impossible to imitate. But in general, untested concepts are risky business for networks. It costs $10 million or more to put a new show on the schedule. A few bombs is often the difference between a network making a profit or a loss that season. So it's not surprising that network executives often go with the tried and true over the new and unfamiliar. That's not to say you can't squeeze an engaging new show out of an old concept. I've highlighted four promising series that debut this fall (seebox on cover), including "Smallville," which is based on the life of Superman, perhaps the most shopworn character of the 20th century. Mostly, though, the networks wind up making dull imitations of shows that someone did before. This fall promises to be no exception. Almost every year there is a fad show that everyone copies. This year it's the extreme game show, or the "reality" show as it's commonly (and mistakenly) called. What's being copied, of course, is CBS' smash hit "Survivor." Joining it this season are "The Amazing Race" (CBS), in which 11 teams run around the world competing against one another; the WB network's "Lost in the U.S.A." (from the producers of the granddaddy of extreme game shows, MTV's "Road Rules"); and "The Runner" on ABC in January. Produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, "The Runner" features one contestant running around the country completing tasks while avoiding detection. Even hastily assembled "Survivor" knockoffs from last year did well enough to earn a return visit. Fox will tempt the voyeuristic with another trip to "Temptation Island," and ABC will bring back "The Mole." Jumping on the reality bandwagon is the most obvious way the networks are avoiding risk. But the fall schedule is full of other examples. There are, for instance, sequels - or "prequels" - designed to attract fans of the original show. Thus "The Ponderosa," Pax TV's new prequel to "Bonanza," which has been getting surprisingly high ratings in reruns on Pax. And "Enterprise," the latest incarnation of the aging "Star Trek" franchise, launches this fall on UPN with Scott Bakula at the helm. Every year celebrities are given their own sitcoms, and most of them bomb. So network executives are starting to wise up and offer deals to celebs who already have scored once on TV. Thus Ellen DeGeneres returns as star of "The Ellen Show." Jason Alexander banks on his "Seinfeld" fame to carry his new sitcom, "Bob Patterson." And Bob Saget's house may no longer be full, but he's back as a single head of household in the WB's "Raising Dad." This fall there's another twist on the celebrity theme: shows fueled on Oscar power. "The Education of Max Bickford" stars Academy Award-winners Richard Dreyfuss and Marcia Gay Harden as feuding college professors, while ABC's "The Court" (premiere in January) features two-time Best Actress winner Sally Field as a liberal Supreme Court justice. An increasingly popular tactic is for networks to ask successful producers back for an encore - or two. So producer Dick Wolf is churning out three hours of his "Law & Order" franchise this fall for NBC. Steven Bochco, the producer of "NYPD Blue," has enlisted that show's chief hottie, Kim Delaney, to star in his next series, "Philly," which takes over "Blue's" Tuesday night time slot this fall on ABC. ("Blue" is moving to Wednesdays.) If they gave out Emmys for most creative attempt at recycling, the prize this fall would go to Fox. Years ago the network introduced a Saturday morning cartoon called "The Tick," about a doofish superhero in a cobalt-blue suit. The cartoon faded away, but now the network is trying again, this time with a live-action version of "The Tick" starring Patrick Warburton ("Seinfeld's" Puddy). Well, it worked for "The Flintstones" kind of. Or maybe the prize would go to public broadcaster PBS, which in June announced the "most extensive revamping" of its prime-time schedule in 25 years. Actually, all PBS did was reshuffle the shows it's had on for decades. The only two new shows are a Friday-night reality series and "Antiques Roadshow UK," the British program that inspired PBS' "Antiques Roadshow." How quaint! It's as if ABC started airing the British version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." Hey, there's an idea! You can reach Aaron Barnhart through the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com.