'Everwood' is perplexing; 'Body' falls apart

'Everwood' Airs: 8 tonight, WB (Channel 62); first episode ends at 9:09 p.m. Stars: Treat Williams, Gregory Smith, Vivien Cardone, Tom Amandes, John Beasley, Debra Mooney, Chris Pratt, Emily VanCamp. Nutshell: Highly implausible if smartly written hour program about surgeon who leaves career behind to move family to Colorado. After the tragic death of his wife, world-famous brain doc Andrew Brown (Williams) decides to leave New York and his career behind for a small town spectacularly nestled in the Rocky Mountains. There he tries to reconcile with his unhappy 15-year-old son (Smith) while generously setting up a free clinic for a community that, frankly, doesn't look like it needs one. The kid thinks Dad has gone "Harrison Ford 'Mosquito Coast' crazy," though enigmatic is probably a better word to describe him - and this show. Doc Brown is magnanimous and insufferable all at once, an arrogant name-dropping glory hound who is learning to be selfless, especially in family matters. I wonder if Williams will be able to redeem these contradictions and create a character viewers care about; time will tell. Likewise, it wasn't clear whether "Everwood" will succeed at juggling the tender family scenes with lighter moments involving Everwood's many quirky townsfolk. "Body & Soul" Airs: 8 tonight, Pax (Channel 50). Stars: Peter Strauss, Larissa Laskin, Duncan Regehr, James Callahan, Brenda Bazinet, Currie Graham. Nutshell: Abysmal hospital farce gives alternative medicine a bad name. Somebody thought it would be a good idea to merge the most demented elements of "Chicago Hope" with palliative techniques like acupuncture and ridiculous New Age recovery talk. Somebody should be ashamed of themselves. While the alternative healer (Laskin) smiles and coos sweet nothings to her patients, the medical establishment is represented by grim reapers like the doctor who, after a patient tells him she has no reason to live, obliges by opening a window. And then she jumps! Even if the Pax network bought this crass program at generic-drug prices, which it probably did, it paid too much. - To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:Conrad Coates (left) and Peter Strauss in the new Pax show 'Body & Soul' @ART CAPTION:Treat Williams stars in "Everwood." @ART:Photos (2, color and b/w)