Channel 41 gets a new anchorman

KSHB, Channel 41, has picked up a news anchorman as part of the restructuring at the NBC affiliate under recently hired news director Debbie Bush. Mark Clegg, an anchorman at the top-rated station in Indianapolis, will join Channel 41 in October or November. Clegg and Elizabeth Alex will be on newscasts at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. Current afternoon anchorwoman Sally Moore will move to mornings. Clegg's current employer, WTHR-TV, is "a very good station with a winning tradition," said Bush. "They used to be the worst station (in the market), and then they did everything right and became No. 1." That's the kind of turnaround Bush is trying to bring about at KSHB. Under news director Laura Clark, who resigned July 9, the station saw some improvements in its ratings, especially at 10 p.m. Still, Channel 41's newscasts remain a distant fourth in most time periods, and Clark's departure prompted speculation that Kansas City's four TV newsrooms would soon be contracted to three. The hiring of Clegg should scuttle that talk. "We're going to take a run at this," Bush said Friday. "We're going to show people some things." Bush had an ideal vantage point from which to observe Clegg: She was news director of the ABC affiliate in Indianapolis before coming to Kansas City. Clegg began his career at KXAS-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth in 1987, then worked at crosstown WFAA-TV as well as at stations in Wichita Falls and Beaumont, Texas. - You can reach Aaron Barnhart through the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com

And the Emmys should still go to HBO

Regarding the prime-time Emmy Awards, which begin at 7 p.m. Sunday on NBC (Channel 41), just one question: If America's most talked-about, most written-about TV show isn't going to be there, what's there to talk about or write about? As you may have heard, "The Sopranos," which last weekend emerged from hibernation and let out a roar, is ineligible for Emmy consideration this year because it didn't air a single episode during the 2001-02 season. HBO shrewdly inserted another high-quality drama in its place - "Six Feet Under," which actually picked up 23 nominations, one more than "The Sopranos" did a year ago. Still, holding the Emmys without "The Sopranos" feels a little like holding a World Series without the Yankees: Maybe they won't win, but it's weird not to have them there at all. Then again, not writing an obligatory pre-Emmys prediction column would be like not holding the World Series, right? Well, let's not get carried away with our analogies. On, then, to the chase. Here are the likely winners and the ones I'd like to win: Best Drama: "The West Wing" won this category its first two seasons and enjoyed a critical buzz every bit as favorable as the show it bested, "The Sopranos." That buzz has vanished. Martin Sheen, who plays the president of the United States on "The West Wing," now seems strangely superfluous in a way that he didn't before Sept. 11, 2001. With the real West Wing occupant now sounding confident and assertive, "The West Wing" has been exposed for the moralizing Hollywood liberal wish fulfillment that it was all along. With "The West Wing" fading and "The Sopranos" sitting on the sidelines, the momentum has shifted, almost by default, to my preferred show in this category, "Six Feet Under." It's considered the favorite to win Best Drama. Best Comedy: "Friends" has never won this award, and this would be a good year to start. But HBO stands in the way - not the tired defending champ "Sex and the City" but Larry David's insiderish comedy, "Curb Your Enthusiasm." (No need to even to bring up "Everybody Loves Raymond," which would win every year if I were handing out Emmys.) Tom O'Neil, the awards prognosticator for GoldDerby.com, says "Curb Your Enthusiasm" could become the third HBO series to win a Best Comedy prize ("Tracey Takes On" was the other) because David plays a character that many judges can relate to: a white, 50-something show-biz millionaire. "The Emmy voters are real elitist snobs," O'Neil said. "That's how 'Sex and the City' won last year. That's how 'Frasier' won five years in a row." Best Actor, Drama: I loved Kiefer Sutherland's grim-faced action hero, Jack Bauer, from Fox's "24." But there's little doubt that this category belongs to Peter Krause, who plays Nate on "Six Feet Under." O'Neil knows what episodes were submitted to the Emmy judges, and he says that Krause was helped not only by his own strong entry but also by that of his co-star and fellow Best Actor nominee Michael C. Hall. The episode Hall submitted happens to include another sterling performance by Krause, which all but ensures that he will defend HBO's honor in this category until James Gandolfini (aka Tony Soprano) returns next year. Best Actress, Drama: Sorry to let down all you Allison Janney fans, but "West Wing's" press secretary picked a bad time to upgrade from the Best Supporting Actress category. O'Neil says those 50-something male voters are smitten by Jennifer Garner, the feisty star of ABC's "Alias." I'd give the award to Rachel Griffiths of "Six Feet Under" for her dazzling and emotionally draining arias. Best Actor, Comedy: Bernie Mac should win this award for adapting his adults-only stand-up act into a network show that family members can watch together. Alas, insiders say that he is running a close second behind Matt LeBlanc, who is not even the best actor on "Friends." Best Actress, Comedy: "Everybody Loves Raymond's" Patricia Heaton has reached out and grabbed this prize two years running by making shrewd choices in the episodes she submitted for judging. Unfortunately, she didn't give birth in any episodes this year. Jennifer Aniston did, which gives "The Good Girl" the edge. Best TV Movie: Alfred Finney's portrayal of an interregnum Winston Churchill in HBO's "The Gathering Storm" was one of the highlights of the television season. Finney's absorbing performance felt like an intimate documentary of the Last Lion himself. Emmy voters have rallied behind quality teleflicks before, and this should be no exception. Best Miniseries: HBO's "Band of Brothers," deservedly, is the prohibitive favorite. The network is flying 35 of the Easy Company veterans involved in its production - including Paul "Cliff" Rogers of Overland Park - out to Los Angeles for what promises to be a celebratory post-Emmy party at Spago. - To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:CBS' "Everybody Loves Raymond" is up for Best Comedy for the Emmy Awards, which will be Sunday. The five lead actors in the show have also been nominated for Emmys. Nominees include (from left) Brad Garrett for Best Supporting Actor, Ray Romano for Best Actor, Doris Roberts for Best Supporting Actress and Patricia Heaton for Best Actress. Also nominated is Peter Boyle for Best Supporting Actor, who is not pictured. @ART CREDIT:CBS @ART CAPTION:Nominees from left: Jennifer Garner, Peter Krause and Bernie Mac @ART:Photos (2, color and b/w)

All-time Emmy marks broken

Even before Sunday's prime-time Emmy Awards, "Frasier" and actress Cloris Leachman displaced two longstanding records for achievement. By winning three Creative Arts Emmys last weekend, "Frasier" established the mark for all-time awards by a single show with 30. Leachman won her eighth acting Emmy at the Creative Arts ceremony for her guest turn as the cranky grandma on "Malcolm in the Middle." That tops Mary Tyler Moore's and Ed Asner's seven Emmys apiece, most of which were won during their years together on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." It was "MTM" that held the record for most Emmys, with 29, until being passed by Kelsey Grammer and company Saturday. It took "Frasier" nine seasons to accomplish what "MTM" did in just seven seasons (1970-77). And back then networks weren't inclined to wave multimillion dollar deals under the noses of their stars to persuade them to stay on past their show's prime. Otherwise Mary and the gang might have been on TV much longer. Still, it's unlikely that "Frasier" will hold onto its mark of distinction as long as Leachman does hers. As Tom O'Neil of the GoldDerby Web site points out, the Academy Awards broadcast has won 29 Emmys so far. "Unless 'Frasier' is never canceled," says O'Neil, "one show-biz award will eventually become the biggest winner of another showbiz award." Leachman's eight Emmys suggest that the actress knows a good role when she sees one. Other than two wins while on the "MTM" cast, all her trophies have come from guest appearances or specials, including one Daytime Emmy.

New on the tube

TODAY'S REVIEWS "Firefly" "John Doe" "What I Like About You" "Greetings From Tucson" 'Firefly' Airs: 7 tonight, Fox (Channel 4) Stars: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Jewel Staite, Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, Ron Glass Nutshell: Instantly lik-able ensemble adds appeal to this sci-fi Western. From "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon comes another self-effacing fantasy, this one revolving around a band of 26th-century mercenaries who fly around the fringes of galactic civilization, scraping by while evading the totalitarian alliance that wants them dead or alive. The show's spaghetti-western soundtrack sets a nicely ironic retro tone to the series; indeed, there's an old-fashioned train heist in the first episode. But the desperadoes aboard the spaceship Serenity are an oddly upright bunch; there's even an ascetic, conscientious-objector man of the cloth. Each person in the ensemble is distinct and intriguing. This show is loaded with possibilities. Fox hasn't had a genuine Friday-night hit since "The X-Files" six years ago; "Firefly" could be that show. (See related story on Page 4.) 'John Doe' Airs: 8 p.m., Fox (Channel 4) Stars: Dominic Purcell, Jayne Brook, William Forsythe, Sprague Grayden, John Marshall Jones Nutshell: Intense but promising drama about a polymath who appears programmed to solve crimes. One reason to root for "Firefly" is the hope that at least some viewers will stay through the break and watch this equally compelling series. When our hero (Purcell) wakes up on an island off the coast of Seattle, he is bereft of any knowledge of his past - yet has the accumulated knowledge of mankind at his fingertips. He can speak any language, recall any factoid. His deductive powers run circles around cable TV's supersleuth, Adrian Monk. But less trivial questions elude him: Why is he here? What's with that thing on his neck? And why does he see the whole world in black and white excepting certain people who, like the free spirits of "Pleasantville," stand out in color relief? Purcell's a strong drink of coffee, but I like him and can only hope other viewers agree. 'What I Like About You' Airs: 7 p.m., WB (Channel 62) Stars: Amanda Bynes, Jennie Garth, Simon Rex, Wesley Jonathan Nutshell: Goofy little sitcom is enhanced by the enthusiasm of its co-stars. You know Amanda from Nickelodeon and Jennie from "90210" - heck, you practically grew up with them! Now they're teamed as sisters. When Dad's employer transfers him to Japan, Holly (Bynes) must either follow or else convince Valerie (Garth) that she'd make a great roommate in her cool Upper West Side pad. Unfortunately, Holly's every attempt to please Big Sis ends in disaster. It's all fairly paint-by-numbers with a fair amount of physical comedy, yet I couldn't help laughing out loud at times - watching Bynes give a terrier the Heimlich manuever, for example. If nothing else, check out this episode to see Tony Hawk take a stupendous pratfall (it's actually a stunt double, but still a hoot). 'Greetings From Tucson' Airs: 8:30 p.m., WB (Channel 62) Stars: Julio Oscar Mechoso, Rebecca Creskoff, Jacob Vargas, Pablo Santos, Aimee Garcia, Sara Paxton, Bobby Chavez, Lupe Ontiveros Nutshell: Unexceptional sitcom about extended Mexican-American family benefits from strong characters. Less of a punchline parade than a lighthearted look at the foibles of family life, "Greetings From Tucson" is laced with ethnic jokes about El Caminos, pinatas and family shopping trips. The episode opens not long after the Tiants move into their new home. Finally, declares Dad (Mechoso), "we can afford to live in a neighborhood where birds are flying over us instead of helicopters." The center of the show is 15-year-old David (Santos), but the whole cast is unusually strong, especially his tart-tongued Anglo mother (Creskoff). Spanish-speaking viewers will be disappointed to learn that Channel 62 won't carry the alternate Spanish-language audio of "Greetings From Tucson" that the WB network is offering affiliates. KSMO has a shiny new broadcast tower and a digital signal - so why couldn't it pony up the relatively piddling cost of a SAP channel? - To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:Jennie Garth stars in "What I Like About You." @ART CAPTION:Pablo Santos and Sara Paxton star in "Greetings From Tucson." @ART CREDIT:WB @ART CAPTION:Dominic Purcell, star of 'John Doe' @ART CREDIT:Fox @ART:Photos (3, color and b/w)

Rowlands flies to Channel 9 for more prominent role

Johnny Rowlands, Kansas City's best-known eye in the sky, is changing choppers. After nine years of reporting traffic for WDAF, Channel 4, Rowlands winged his way Thursday to KMBC, Channel 9. He will become the lead pilot of its NewsChopper 9 helicopter and the station's morning traffic reporter beginning Sept. 30. "This was a match made in heaven," Rowlands said Thursday. "It was serendipity." Indeed, timing was the key to KMBC's surprise talent raid on WDAF, its main rival in morning news. Rowlands, who pioneered the use of aircraft in reporting area traffic conditions in 1983, was nearing the end of his contract with Channel 4 and had not begun negotiations on a new one when the station's general manager, Stan Knott, left in July to take a position at another Fox-owned station in Florida. Hearing that Rowlands was available, Channel 9 general manager C. Wayne Godsey contacted Rowlands' boss, Ellen Kelley, the general manager at Metro Networks, which provides traffic updates to area radio and TV stations. With Kelley acting as intermediary, Godsey wooed Rowlands aggressively. Rowlands was told he would have a more prominent role in Channel 9's morning newscast than he had at Channel 4. Though the SkyFox chopper appears in the opening credits for WDAF's morning newscast, KMBC intends to feature Rowlands himself in the opening. "Johnny's going to be a part of the team, and we're going to treat him that way on and off the air," Godsey said Thursday. Adding Rowlands to his roster made Godsey seem a little like Joe Torre, the New York Yankees skipper, adding another superstar to his lineup. KMBC's newscasts are already rated No. 1 in all time periods. The station also got a shot in the arm in afternoons as the syndicated "Dr. Phil" show opened strongly this week, lifting ratings for Channel 9's news at 5 and 6 p.m. Rowlands will remain an employee of Metro Networks, a subsidiary of Westwood One, which purchased Rowlands' helicopter business in 1997. He'll continue to file traffic updates for radio stations KMBZ-AM (980) and KUDL-FM (98.1). Taunia Hottman, Channel 9's current traffic reporter, will be reassigned by Metro Networks. Though Rowlands and Cheryl Kerns McDonald, WDAF's new general manager, offered differing accounts of their negotiations, they agreed on this: Channel 4 never made a formal offer to Metro Networks for extending Rowlands' contract. "He elected not to renew his contract with Fox 4," McDonald said Thursday. "I'm sorry I didn't have a chance to work out a renewal with him." To hear it from Rowlands, WDAF never had a chance. In addition to featuring Rowlands more prominently, Godsey, who is himself an instrument-rated pilot, offered Rowlands greater responsibility in managing NewsChopper 9, which is also used to cover breaking news. "Everybody likes to feel like they belong," Rowlands said. "This is going to be a much different environment for me to be in." This is Rowlands' second tour of duty with KMBC. In 1988, after five years of covering traffic for KMBZ, he founded Airborne Traffic Net with Channel 9 and three radio stations as his charter subscribers. Rowlands used fixed-wing aircraft until 1993, when he switched to Channel 4 and a helicopter. Kelley said she was pleased to have extended her agreement with Channel 9, which, unlike Channel 4, is a Metro Networks affiliate. The new contract, including Rowlands' services, runs through March 2006. - To reach Aaron Barnhart, call (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:"This was a match made in heaven," Johnny Rowlands said Thursday of his move to KMBC, Channel 9. "It was serendipity." @ART:Photo @ART CREDIT:AARON BARNHART/The Kansas City Star

'Do Over' is absurd but amusing

'Do Over' Airs: 7:30 p.m., WB (Channel 62) Stars: Penn Badgley, Angela Goethals, Josh Wise, Natasha Melnick, Michael Milhoan, Gigi Rice Nutshell: Amusing if absurd sitcom about 34-year-old who is transported back to early '80s to relive his teenhood. In the battle of the back-to-the-future shows, I give the edge to WB's "Do Over" over ABC's "That Was Then" (premiere is Sept. 27) on the dubious grounds that "Do Over" is shorter. It also takes itself less seriously than "That Was Then," and that's to its credit as well. You may wonder how two networks came up with nearly identical shows about second adolescence. It was easy. After all, what network executive wouldn't jump at the chance to live in an endless loop, cycling from teen to 20-something and back again? It would eliminate so much guesswork when deciding which concepts pander most effectively to those younger audiences advertisers crave. To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:Penn Badgley stars in "Do Over." @ART:Photo (color) @ART CREDIT:WB

Revived 'Twilight Zone' rivals the original

'Twilight Zone' Airs: 8 tonight, UPN (Channel 29) Stars: Forest Whitaker Nutshell: Remake of Rod Serling anthology feels true to its creator. The original "Twilight Zone" came out in 1959, which if you believe Ken Burns was one of the last great years of jazz. It was the year Miles Davis released "Kind of Blue," and Rod Serling's television masterpiece was, in its own way, a jazz classic that riffed on American life like no one had before. Serling could take a perfectly mundane scene - a woman shopping in a department store, a man reading a book, a routine power outage - and alter it, ever so slowly but relentlessly, so that by the end he had fashioned an entirely different reality, a variation with as much integrity and credibility as the original. There would even be times - as with the neighborhood where a blackout quickly degenerated into a McCarthy-era witch hunt - when it seemed, for just a moment, that the Twilight Zone and that realm we call "the real world" were not so far apart. By that measure, these first two tales from this latest "Twilight Zone" revival are stories the master himself would have approved. In one, Jason Alexander plays an emergency room patient who claims to be the Grim Reaper. 'Fastlane' Airs: 8 tonight, Fox (Channel 4) Stars: Bill Bellamy, Peter Facinelli, Tiffani Thiessen Nutshell: Cops go deep undercover in this mindlessly entertaining action hour. Fast cars, expensive accessories, a seemingly endless bank account - and it's legit! That's the premise of this free-wheeling detective show, which opens with a story as flimsy as Tiffani Thiessen's halter top. "Fastlane" has everything TV haters love to hate about TV: supersized guns a-blazing, worship of material things, trash talk, sex scenes as a substitute for dialogue and so on. It's all wrapped up in an exciting package that's admittedly fun to watch, a hallmark of screenwriter John McNamara (whose credits include the short-lived guilty pleasures "Profit" and "Vengeance Unlimited"). Just make sure you check your morality at the door. 'Cedric the Entertainer Presents' Airs: 7:30 tonight, Fox (Channel 4) Stars: Cedric the Entertainer, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Shaun Majumder, Amy Brassette, JB Smoove Nutshell: Enjoyable sketch-comedy show featuring the comic doing a variety of characters. Star of the "Original Kings of Comedy" tour and movie, as well as three hilarious Bud Light commercials, Cedric the Entertainer pulls out all the stops in this fast-moving half-hour. In one scene he's Barry White, marriage counselor; in another he's the take-no-prisoners Cafeteria Lady, a sort of Miss Cleo in a hairnet who shames her customers while doling out whipped potatoes. And he's a cool fool on the dance floor. Variety shows are notorious for low Nielsen ratings, but since every sketch here is built around the lovable Cedric - and the show is shrewdly paired with his "Original Kings of Comedy" co-star Bernie Mac's at 7 - this one just might make it. To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:"Cedric the Entertainer Presents" @ART:Photo (color)

The old one-two

Lizz Winstead and Brian Unger, the dynamic duo who poured the comedic foundation of "The Daily Show" six years ago, have gone back into the shop and created "O2Be," a spot-on satire of "Live With Regis and Kelly," Lifetime's "Intimate Portrait," Dr. Phil and anything else that drives these two nuts about women's TV. For those with fond memories of "The Daily Show," version 1.0 - Unger playing Local Reporter Guy at his most unctuous, Beth Littleford killing the Barbara Walters interview with kindness, Winstead bickering with Craig Kilborn - "O2Be" is more than a reason to celebrate. It's an excuse to figure out where the heck Oxygen is on your cable system. The show has its premiere at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, so catch it before the Emmys start. Unger and Winstead open each episode with a fatuous "host chat." He tries to drop as many names as possible, she updates us on her efforts to become pregnant (sound familiar?). Then "Daily Show" movie critic Frank DeCaro gives us an over-the-top version of Oprah's favorite shrink, using tough love to help two family members reach a new level of mutual resentment. Finding material to lampoon isn't hard, Winstead said in a phone interview. All she has to do is turn on the TV anytime between 9 and 4. "Daytime TV has officially become insulting to women," she said. "They've run out of ideas." The same can't be said for her or Unger. They left "The Daily Show" before Jon Stewart showed up (though Winstead still appears in the credits as the show's co-creator) and have collaborated, mostly without luck, a few times in the years since. In 2000 they created a parody of prime-time newsmagazines. I thought it was hilarious - but Fox passed. The problem, Unger said, is that topical satire "is a difficult concept to describe to network executives. It's a scripted half-hour program, but it has reality elements in it. Lizz and I play characters; we're not ourselves. Thank God that Oxygen and Comedy Central got it." "O2Be" has a six-episode commitment from Oxygen, which is lumping it with a hidden-camera show, "Girls Behaving Badly," at 6 and a pair of "Ab Fab" repeats at 7. Also premiering on Oxygen this week: "Oprah After the Show," a daily 30-minute extension of Oprah Winfrey's syndicated talk show, at 6:30 weeknights. The quicker clicker "Beg, Borrow and Deal," the latest program run into the ground by ESPN's promotional maniacs, finally has its premieres at 7 tonight on ESPN. Though it wasn't worth all the hype, this all-sports version of "Road Rules" (minus the Winnebago) is nicely crafted and something a lot of reality game shows aren't - fun. Two teams of telegenic young people set off on a cross-country scavenger hunt without money or even a show-supplied car. Using their wits and social connections, they check off such items as posing with an Olympic medalist's medal, playing prison basketball or giving a bath to a college mascot. One rule that should appeal to the sports-radio crowd: Players can borrow a producer's cell phone to call the other team and trash-talk them. "Courageous Steps," 9 p.m. Wednesday, ABC (Channel 9). Every year or so ABC gives us another fascinating glimpse into the life of Christopher Reeve. The actor, paralyzed from the neck down in a 1995 horse-riding accident, has previously been interviewed by Barbara Walters and starred in a remake of "Rear Window." Now comes this video document of Reeve's recent progress in his barely incremental yet undeniably amazing recovery. We see Reeve command his fingers to wiggle and his legs to move, and though the response is slight, the miracle is that he has one at all. We see how it came about through years of excruciating four-hour daily exercise regimens. We see Reeve donating his body to science, letting researchers probe and scan him, trying to learn how he does the things that other quadriplegics can't. Reeve takes his first post-paralysis swim for the doctors' benefit, and the results must be seen to be believed. "The Caroline Rhea Show," 2 p.m. weekdays, KSHB (Channel 41). Rosie O'Donnell's hand-picked successor was unfairly raked over the coals by reviewers after her Sept. 3 premiere. Perhaps somewhere in America a few dozen TV show publicists are let down that Rhea isn't flogging their tchotchkes every five minutes like O'Donnell did. But I was ready for a break. Rhea is still learning the mechanics of being a show host, but she more than compensates for that with a quick mind, sunny disposition and seemingly endless audience-participation gimmicks. I wished I had the chance to compare Rhea to "The Wayne Brady Show," starring the versatile singer-comedian in his own daytime variety program. Alas, "Wayne Brady" launched this month in only about half the country. It won't be added in Kansas City unless its ratings elsewhere are promising (and, I'm told, the syndicator drops the price). "Reba," 8 p.m. Friday, KSMO (Channel 62). The fall TV season doesn't officially launch until Monday, but the network behind last year's funniest new sitcom decided to get a head start. The only thing that seemed less likely than a gut-busting comedy about divorce, adultery and teen pregnancy was the idea of country music legend Reba McEntire as the star. But she's a hoot, as is Friday's show, which opens with a scene that will get new viewers right up to speed. To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CREDIT:ABC @ART CAPTION:Christopher Reeve is the focus of the ABC special "Courageous Steps" Wednesday night. @ART CREDIT:WB @ART CAPTION:Steve Howey, JoAnna Garcia, Reba McEntire and Christopher Rich star in "Reba," which premieres Friday night on Channel 62. @ART:Photos (2)

'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)