Singing 'Buffy' is a sweeps month slayer
My first reaction to news that "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was planning to air a musical episode was, "Wasn't that fad killed off, like, three years ago when 'Suddenly Susan' did a musical episode?" Then I thought: Maybe "Buffy" waited this long because they wanted to make it a really, really good musical episode. Yep, that was it. Even with the crummy audio quality of the preview tape sent to me by UPN, it was obvious almost immediately that this will be an instant classic as soon as it airs (7 p.m. Tuesday, Channel 29). Remember when Sunnydale fell under a spell that rendered its citizens mute? Well, now something's put a song in their hearts and a spring in their step. It's the musical curse, fresh evidence that Broadway songs are from the devil - and maybe tap-dancing, too. With its frequent non sequiturs and ambitious lyrics, the show strikes a pitch-perfect balance between whimsy and earnestness. A show's story line is usually suspended in these musical episodes, but there's a significant development in the closing frame of this "Buffy." Be warned, however: The version I got went 50 minutes. A standard episode is 44 minutes. Set your VCRs accordingly. When we were growing up, if a character left a TV show, he or she was vaporized, zip, just like that. Maybe one episode was spent saying goodbye, but no more. This week two shows tackle the awkward problem of how to string along a character who is no longer with the show, as any fool who watches the opening credits can plainly see. On "NYPD Blue," which is in a new time period (8 p.m. Tuesday, ABC, Channel 9), Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) is still looking for his vanished partner Sorenson. Funny, but Rick Schroder, the guy who played Sorenson, also has vanished. (Not entirely true: He stars in "The Lost Battalion" on A&E Dec. 2.) In the two-hour season premiere, Sipowicz must juggle a quadruple homicide and his personal search for Sorenson. The strain shows when he lights into a noncompliant suspect. It's a classic Andy takedown, and much of the episode is classic Andy. The cast of characters around Sipowicz has almost completely changed from a year ago. Tonight, look for former teen heartthrob Mark-Paul Gosselaar to join the cast. Still the more things change, the more this remains Andy's show. (For more on "NYPD Blue" see Take Note on the Showtime page.) Then there's "The X-Files," where Mulder (David Duchovny), who was doing a slow fade the previous season, is nowhere to be seen in the season premiere airing at 8 p.m. Sunday on Fox (Channel 4). But they're still talking about him. Though not exactly a Mulder replacement, Lucy Lawless - TV's Xena - lights up the screen as a deliciously evil temptress who may know something about Scully's (Gillian Anderson) new baby. "Beat the Geeks," a new game show from Comedy Central (9:30 p.m. Wednesday), pits contestants against nerdy-looking guys who seem to know a lot of trivia. They represent the three major geek groups - TV, movies and music - with guest appearances by specialists in "Star Trek," comic books, etc. The TV geek definitely knows more TV trivia than I do. Make of that what you will. To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:Sarah Michelle Gellar @ART:Photo (color)
