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)

A hardy har-har for flawed but fun 'Gleason'

Though it delightfully recounts the legendary career of Jackie Gleason, the movie "Gleason" ought to include an advisory when it airs at 8 p.m. Sunday on CBS (Channel 5): "Warning! The following program contains scenes of self-serving network promotion." "Gleason" stars Brad Garrett, of the current CBS hit comedy "Everybody Loves Raymond," playing the volatile comedian whose relationship with CBS is the movie's central theme. The film dwells mainly on a short period when Gleason - and CBS - were at their zenith. His self-named variety show was the second most-watched show on television in 1955; its most popular sketch, "The Honeymooners," would be developed into a half-hour comedy - and, lest we forget, a timeless CBS classic. The letters C-B-S are heard over and over throughout "Gleason," almost always favorably. And other than the two scenes that bookend the movie, in which Garrett is aged to appear like Gleason giving an interview near the end of his life, "Gleason" never moves past 1955. Thus we are spared having to watch his slow fade that included variety shows, "Honeymooners" revivals and the disastrous game show that lasted one episode - all on CBS, by the way. For that matter, there's no mention of his later dubious fame playing a cracker sheriff in three "Smokey and the Bandit" films. Instead, the movie ends with a reverential dreamscape of scenes from "The Honeymooners" that resembles one of those gauzy tributes you see on TV shortly after a famous actor dies. The hokey ending was a letdown considering how much I enjoyed the rest of "Gleason," as script and set and actor magically combined to re-create a show-biz era we can scarcely imagine today. Beginning in 1950 on the DuMont network, a little-known stand-up comic and pool hustler from Brooklyn made himself into the Great One, a larger-than-life fixture of prime time for most of the next 20 years. Gleason was one of the few TV performers to retain complete creative control over his show; in the movie we see him hand-picking the "Glea-Girls" in his chorus line. The script, by Rick Podell and Michael Preminger, traces Gleason's rise with nimble back-and-forth storytelling. The scenery, the music and supporting actors are all on key. And Garrett is magnificent re-imagining Gleason's off-screen persona. In one scene set in the 1940s, Gleason drags a fellow comedian into Toots Shor's for dinner, even though both men are dead broke. The other comic doesn't realize that Gleason is planning to befriend the restaurant's famous proprietor and sweet-talk his way out of paying his tab. "I can't afford this," he whimpers. "You think small, my friend," Gleason responds, as only the Great One could. Quicker clicker "The Bachelor," 8 p.m. Wednesday, ABC (Channel 9): The second edition of ABC's mating game has something two-thirds of the new prime-time shows don't have: a star who lights up the screen. Springfield's own Aaron Buerge has a winning smile, an intimidating resume and a personality as warm as previous bachelor Alex Michel's was cool. The voice-over was only slightly premature in referring to him as "one of America's most eligible bachelors." It didn't hurt his viewer appeal that Buerge loaded his palette with as diverse a range of finalists as one could select from, as he put it, "25 supermodels." The 15 women who made the cut last week included Hayley, an engaging marriage therapist who is looking for someone who "makes my toes tingle," and Anindata, the child of an arranged marriage. But it was Angela, a nurse from Kansas City, who got the first red rose. "Law & Order," 9 p.m. Wednesday, NBC (Channel 41): New DA Arthur Branch may be a "post-9/11 conservative," as the publicity sheet for last week's season premiere described him. But the actor who portrays Branch - the current senior senator from Tennessee, Fred Thompson - is behaving more like a post-Jesse Ventura pol who has no problem moonlighting on TV while still on the public payroll. Nice work if you can get it. The DA's part on "Law & Order" can be mailed in, as Steven Hill proved toward the end of his decade on the show. Still, Thompson's rather lifeless debut last week - it was as if someone dared him to make as little eye contact as possible with his co-stars - leads me to believe he will grow into this modest role only when the distraction of serving in the U.S. Senate is removed in January. "Porn 'n' Chicken," 8 p.m. Sunday, Comedy Central. The funny channel's "first original film" leaves it nowhere to go but up. This mirthless, dirty-minded mess is based on a real-life Yale "secret society" whose members gather to eat fried chicken and watch adult flicks. Bodily functions, sex talk, faculty ethics - nothing is sacred in this movie, except of course for "Debbie Does Dallas" and other revered works of that oeuvre. When I was in college, you didn't need a secret club to watch porn. Once, they showed it in a 1,000-seat auditorium. To ease their consciences, the sponsors made it an X-rated benefit for charity. A friend of mine stood outside the event with a sign that greeted the moviegoers. It read: FIRST TIME? YOU'LL LEARN. SECOND OR MORE? YOU'VE FAILED. My thoughts exactly. To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:Brad Garrett stars in "Gleason" at 8 p.m. Sunday on CBS (Channel 5). @ART:Photo (color)

Deja view; TV programs shown all over again on other channels

Didn't I see that show just the other day - on another channel? Your clicker is not deceiving you. Network shows are starting to reappear on cable channels mere days, sometimes mere hours, after they air on broadcast TV. It's that rarest of industry trends: an economizing measure that actually benefits viewers. If you can't catch "The View" in the morning or Conan O'Brien at night, you now can watch either show on cable in the late afternoon. Can't decide between "Robbery Homicide Division" and "Law & Order: SVU," which air opposite each other on Friday nights? Forget the VCR; both programs are shown again a few days later on USA. It's called "repurposing," and it's a fresh rethinking of traditional syndication, in which cable networks air only episodes from previous seasons. Networks have embraced repurposing for two reasons: It brings in extra revenue that could make a marginal show profitable, and it exposes that show to a desirable cable audience, which may get hooked and want to see episodes the first time they air, back on the networks. A fine example of this is Fox's "real-time" thriller "24." Last season cable's FX paid Fox $150,000 a week for the privilege of repurposing episodes five days later. With that extra cash, plus the sales of overseas rights, "24" made money despite so-so ratings, earning the show a second season on Fox. Here is a guide to the network programs currently being repurposed on cable, as well as a handful of noteworthy shows syndicated to cable: "All My Children," "General Hospital," "One Life to Live" and "Port Charles": After they air during the day on ABC (Channel 9), these soap operas repeat at night on SoapNet. "American Dreams": Airs 7 p.m. Sundays on NBC (Channel 41), repeating 7 p.m. Saturdays on VH1. "As Told By Ginger," "Blue's Clues," "Dora the Explorer," "Hey Arnold!" and "Pelswick": Episodes of these kids' shows air Saturday and Sunday mornings on CBS (Channel 5) and weekdays on Nick. "British Antiques Roadshow": Airs 7 p.m. Thursdays on KCPT (Channel 19), syndicated 2 p.m. weekdays on Bravo. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer": Airs 7 p.m. Tuesdays on UPN (Channel 29) and syndicated weekdays at - can this be? - 6 and 7 a.m. on FX. Parents, be warned: Your children aren't safe from vampires, or mature-themed TV shows about them, at any hour of the day. "The Caroline Rhea Show": Is it a daytime talk show or late-night talk show? See it at 2 p.m. weekdays on NBC (Channel 41) or 11 p.m. weeknights on ABC Family. "Charmed": Airs 7 p.m. Sundays on WB (Channel 62), syndicated 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays on TNT. "Crossing Over With John Edward": Last season the episodes aired first on cable's Sci Fi, then were syndicated. This season it's the opposite. First-run episodes air at 3 p.m. weekdays on CBS (Channel 5), then are repurposed at 10 p.m. weeknights on Sci Fi. "CSI": Airs at 8 p.m. Thursdays on CBS (Channel 5), now syndicated at 10:05 p.m. Mondays on TNN. "Forensic Files": This Court TV staple (8 p.m. weeknights) will reverse commute to NBC (Channel 41) for a limited time, airing 7 p.m. Saturdays beginning Oct. 12. "Fox News Sunday": Kansas City is one of the few places where Tony Snow's Sunday morning talker regularly outdraws "Meet the Press" and the one with George Stephanopoulos. However, if you're in church when it airs at 8 a.m. Sundays on WDAF (Channel 4), the repeat airs at 5 p.m. Sundays on Fox News Channel. (Also see "Meet the Press" below.) "Kansas City Week in Review": KCPT's public affairs program (airing 7:30 p.m. Fridays and 11 a.m. Sundays) is repeated 6 a.m. Sundays on the Pax affiliate, KPXE (Channel 50). "Kim Possible," "Lizzie McGuire," "The Proud Family" and "Teamo Supremo": These kids' shows air Saturday mornings on ABC (Channel 9) and weekdays on Disney Channel. "Late Night With Conan O'Brien": Airs 11:37 p.m. weeknights on NBC (Channel 41), repeating noon and 6 p.m. weekdays on Comedy Central. (Meanwhile, E! has stopped repurposing NBC's "Last Call With Carson Daly.") "Law & Order" spinoffs: One of the first shows to be repurposed was "Special Victims Unit" two years ago. Each episode airs at 9 p.m. Fridays on NBC (Channel 41), then is seen nine days later on USA (10 p.m. Sundays). A similar deal was struck when "Criminal Intent" was introduced last season. Episodes air 8 p.m. Sundays on NBC (Channel 41), re-airing 10 p.m. Fridays on USA. "Life Moments": Inspirational stories are told at 10 a.m. weekdays on NBC (Channel 41) and usually re-air the following week on Hallmark Channel, where the program airs 5 p.m. weekdays. "Louis Rukeyser's Wall Street": No longer welcome at PBS, Rukeyser skipped over to CNBC - and is still more interesting to watch than the 40-somethings who took his place. If you get Topeka's KTWU, you can see a re-airing of his program 10:30 p.m. Saturdays after it appears at 7:30 p.m. Fridays on CNBC. "Meet the Press": Airs 9 a.m. Sundays on NBC (Channel 41), repeating at 9 p.m. that night on CNBC. "Monk": USA's summer hit has been reverse-commuting to ABC, which has been so pleased with the results that it is delaying a new network show, "Dinotopia," until Thanksgiving so "Monk" can continue airing at 7 p.m. Thursdays. "NYPD Blue": Not only has ABC's long-running detective show moved back to 9 p.m. Tuesdays (Channel 9), but repeats are now on TNT (noon and 1 p.m. daily) as well as on Court TV at 10 weeknights. "Power Rangers Wild Force": Kids' show airs 10:30 a.m. Saturdays on Channel 9 and 7 a.m. weekdays on ABC Family. "Road Rules": The quintessential MTV show now airs in syndication at 12:30 a.m. (late weeknights) on KSMO (Channel 62). "Robbery Homicide Division": Following the trend of "Law & Order" shows, the new CBS detective series (9 p.m. Fridays, Channel 5) re-airs each episode a week later on cable (10 p.m. Saturdays, USA). "Third Watch": NBC rescue drama airs 8 p.m. Mondays on Channel 41 and 10 p.m. weeknights on A&E. "Touched by an Angel": The surprise here is that this show is still on CBS. It airs at 7 p.m. Saturdays on Channel 5. Repeats have moved from the Pax network to 7 p.m. weeknights on the Hallmark Channel. "The View": The Barbara Walters kaffeeklatsch airs at 11 a.m. weekdays on ABC (Channel 9). Or watch the repeat with the brew of your choice at 5 p.m. weekdays on A&E. To reach Aaron Barnhart, call (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:If you missed:"Robbery Homicide Division" at 9 p.m. Fridays on Channel 5(CBS) @ART CAPTION:You can see it: 10 p.m. Saturdays (a week later) on USA @ART CAPTION:If you missed: "The View" with Barbara Walters at 11 a.m. weekdays on Channel 9 (ABC) @ART CAPTION:You can see it: 5 p.m. weekdays on A&E @ART CAPTION:If you missed: "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" at 11:37 weeknights on Channel 41 (NBC) @ART CAPTION:You can see it: noon and 6 p.m. weekdays on Comedy Central @ART CAPTION:Gary Dourdan (left) and George Eads are featured in "CSI." @ART:Photos (7, color and /bw) @ART CREDIT:RANDY WYRICK/The Kansas City Star; ABC; NBC; CBS