'Bunny'and 'Lopez' have little kick

'Greg the Bunny' Airs: 8:30 p.m., Fox (Channel 4) Stars: Eugene Levy, Seth Green, Bob Gunton, Sarah Silverman, Dina Waters, and show co-creator Dan Milano as the voice of Greg Who should watch: Not the kiddies, that's for sure All is not well on the set of "Sweetknuckle Junction," the shabby cousin of "Sesame Street." Ratings are down. The humans are unhappy. The puppets are unhappy. (I'd elaborate on that, but not everything these puppets say is printable in a family newspaper.) Then one day, Greg the Bunny - an unemployed sock with button eyes - accidentally walks into an audition and wows the show's fleshy producers. "He's like Robin Williams!" says one. "Only not as furry," says another. (Ba-dum.) And so it goes on "Greg the Bunny," a comedy about a madcap parallel universe in which puppets are self-sufficient "fabricated Americans." Yet despite the strong presence of Green and Levy, the potential of this show tended to be greater than its execution. Indeed, the more I watched, the less I laughed. It doesn't help that the third episode's satiric take on political correctness seems to trivialize three centuries of African-American progress. 'George Lopez' Airs: 7:30 p.m., ABC (Channel 9) Stars: George Lopez, Belita Moreno, Constance Marie, Masiela Lusha, Luis Armand Garcia, Valente Rodriguez Who should watch: Anyone who thinks "Grounded for Life" is too white-bread This mildly amusing family comedy is notable for its Latino cast and Spanish-language simulcast on the SAP channel. Of local interest, native Kansas Citian Robert Borden is executive producer (here's hoping for better luck than when he ran "The Brian Benben Show"). Lopez plays a newly minted manager at an airplane-parts factory, charged with supervising his old work buddies. His overbearing mom (Moreno), who works there too, drives everyone up a wall, though it's hard to see why. Compared with Mimi on the "Drew Carey Show," Mama seems like a pussycat. Overall, "George Lopez" feels like it's still under construction. For instance, while "My Wife and Kids" has a clear identity as an ethnic comedy, this show doesn't. But maybe I'm missing the point: Lopez might just be trying to prove that Latinos have as much right as anyone to bomb on ABC. 'Wednesdays 9:30 (8:30 Central)' Airs: Just when the title says; it's on ABC (Channel 9) Stars: Ivan Sergei ("Jack & Jill"), Ed Begley Jr., James McCauley, Melinda McGraw and Sherri Shepherd-Tarpley, with occasional appearances by John Cleese Who should watch: People who wondered when "Beggars and Choosers" would start being funny And I'll ask the same question I asked when "Beggars and Choosers" was on Showtime: Who besides the few thousand people connected to the television business wants to watch a comedy about the television business? ("The Dick Van Dyke Show" doesn't count; that show never cracked a single insider joke.) Don't get me wrong - tonight's episode has its moments. Sergei is terrific as the fresh-faced Midwesterner who lands a plum job as a TV executive because, as his boss puts it, he's "lived with those people." But will "those people" laugh at a joke comparing network presidents to canned cheese? Or care that Lori Loughlin of "Full House" is guest starring as Lori Loughlin of "Full House"? Speaking of canned, so are the laughs. Please, ABC, bring back "The Job"! To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com Wednesdays 9:30 (8:30 Central) (8:30 p.m. on 9): David Weiss (Ivan Sergei) has been hired by IBS, a new television network with its fair share of quirky workers ("Newsradio" with cameras, perhaps?), among them, the man who hired David, Red Lansing (John Cleese); stressed-out IBS president Paul Weffler (Ed Begley Jr.); and hot-shot Joanne Walker (Sherri Shepherd-Tarpley), who started at the company as an assistant just months ago, and is now the VP of programming. Tonight, David gets involved with a TV star (guest Lori Loughlin) who eventually slaps him with a sexual harassment lawsuit. @ART CAPTION:Seth Green co-stars with Greg the Bunny. @ART CAPTION:Sergei @ART:Photos (2, color)