Big 'Mac' has a chance

'The Bernie Mac Show' Airs: 7:30 p.m., Fox (Channel 4) with two episodes; will air regularly at 8 p.m. Stars: Bernie Mac, Kellita Smith, Camille Winbush, Jeremy Suarez, Dee Dee Davis Most closely resembles: A cleaned-up version of Bernie's routine in "Original Kings of Comedy" Aaron's advice: Tape it. The last of the four "Original Kings of Comedy" (Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley) to get his own TV show, Bernie Mac falls into the parent trap when he agrees to take in the three children of his troubled sister. This show will remind viewers of Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle" because it's filmed without a studio audience or laugh track and features more editing and decidedly more off-kilter characters than an average sitcom. Bernie plays himself, a high-powered entertainer with a luxury villa; his wife is a V.P. at the phone company who sweetly informs the children that if they need anything - anything at all - "you make sure you ask your Uncle Bernie, cause I'll be at work, OK, babies?" Like many African-American parental figures on TV, Bernie favors the tough love approach. Joke is, it doesn't work on any of the kids, least of all the fearful, sickly boy (Suarez) who wets himself every time Bernie raises his voice. That may not sound like a humorous character, but wait till you see young Suarez in action. The pilot seemed uneven on first viewing, but watching the second episode gave me a better sense of "Bernie Mac's" unusual pacing. Instead of assaulting viewers with jokes every seven seconds, scenarios unfold gradually in unexpected and often uproarious ways. "The Bernie Mac Show," a down-to-earth original like its namesake, may be ideal for audiences turned off by "Drew Carey" and "The West Wing." If so, Mac may soon join the pantheon of foulmouthed comics with a squeaky-clean hit TV show. Aaron Barnhart's fall TV preview is online at www.kansascity.com. @ART CAPTION:Bernie Mac and Jeremy Suarez in 'Bernie Mac' @ART:Photo @ART CREDIT:Fox