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A LIFETIME of New Shows

© F. Colin Kingston

This week's column looks at three new television series debuting on the LIFETIME cable network, a cast reunion and possible revival of the 1978 ABC-TV series BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, and the passing of Sylvia Field (Mrs. Wilson from the classic tv series DENNIS THE MENACE). In addition, there is THIS WEEK IN TV HISTORY and, of course, my TV viewing recommendations for the week.

The LIFETIME cable TV network has undergone quite a transformation since it first debuted a few years ago. Recently it began concentrating on trying to appeal to the female audience. They even adopted this approach into their slogan, "Lifetime: Television for Women." This week they debut three new series, all of which are designed to appeal to women. One is a promising drama. The other two are situation comedies.

Perhaps the most ambitious of the three new programs is ANY DAY NOW starring Lorraine Toussaint and Annie Potts. Toussaint plays Rene, a well-respected lawyer. Potts plays Mary Elizabeth, a wife and mother. The two characters were childhood friends who are reunited in their hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, after the death of Rene's father, a prominent Birmingham lawyer.

The drama centers on the lifelong relationship between Rene and Mary Elizabeth. The twist to the series is that Rene is African-American and Potts is white. Much of the first episode chronicles their friendship as children during the civil rights movement in Birmingham in the 1960s. Future episodes will focus on what happened back in the '60s that lead to the breakup of their once close friendship.

MAGGIE stars Ann Cusack as a woman reaching 40 and reevaluating her life. She has a 19-year-old marriage but finds herself strangely attracted to a veterinarian. She seeks therapy to deal with her confusion. In her imagination she has frequent encounters with MELROSE PLACE co-star Jack Wagner who plays himself in her dream sequences.

OH BABY may stir some controversy and, possibly, media attention. The series stars Cynthia Stevenson as Tracy, a thirty-something career woman. Disappointed that her longtime boyfriend won't commit to marriage, she decides to start a family of her own by being artificially inseminated.

All three programs debut on Tuesday, August 18. ANY DAY NOW airs between 9 and 10 p.m. PST. MAGGIE follows at 10 p.m. PST. OH BABY airs at 10:30 p.m. PST.

CAST REUNION AND POSSIBLE REVIVAL:

Revivals of old television series are nothing new these days. The latest one rumored to be coming back is a personal favorite of mine - BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. It aired on the ABC-TV network between 1978 and 1980.