New on the tube

'Birds of Prey' Airs: 8 tonight, WB (Channel 62); tonight's episode runs until 9:09 p.m. Stars: Dina Meyer, Ashley Scott, Rachel Skarsten, Shemar Moore, Mia Sara Nutshell: Silly but stylish fantasy about three female superheroes in the town that DC Comics built. This is less a comic-book fantasy than it is a blatant attempt to crown the successor to "Charmed." Like that show, "Birds of Prey" features three women with paranormal powers. "Charmed's" angels chase demons, while this threesome battles the erstwhile foes of Batman. One of them, the Joker, put brainy Batgirl (Meyer) into a wheelchair a few years back. Now she calls herself Oracle and monitors New Gotham using high-tech surveillance from an undisclosed location. Oracle lives with Helena Kyle (Scott), the orphaned love child of Batman and Catwoman. No ordinary Bat-Cat, Helena refuses to wear a mask because it would interfere with her social life. "But of course," she huffs, "that would involve having a life." Easily the most appealing face here belongs to Skarsten. A Claire Danes-quality ingenue, she plays the teen-aged Dinah, whose psychic GPS leads her to Oracle's secret loft. The story line of the first episode is convoluted (which may explain why it runs nine minutes long) and occasionally corny. But it's richly filmed, and these three intriguing birds are given room to fly. To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART:Photo (color, uncaptioned)