Several Shows Hanging In The Balance With ‘Due South’

“Due South” creator-producer Paul Haggis is treading water with an anvil tied to one leg.

Maybe he’ll sink. Or maybe the Good Ship CBS suddenly will sail into view and toss him a life preserver.

Haggis took time recently to write a self-effacing letter to television critics. That’s because we’re the ones who can shoot flares in the air on behalf of “Due South,” which returned Thursday.

D-Day is early-to-mid-May, when CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox announce their new fall schedules.

Numerous other series are in the same straits as “Due South,” and we’ll get to them in due time.

Briefly put, “Due South” is “Northern Exposure” in reverse.

An upright Mountie named Benton Fraser (Paul Gross) journeys to Chicago and is paired with “streetwise” Ray Vecchio (David Marciano). Scheduled at 8 p.m. Thursdays, the series ranks an unimpressive but not necessarily disastrous 52nd among 136 primetime series telecast this season.

“It could go either way,” says Haggis, who describes the series as a “perverse little morality tale.”

Thursday’s “Due South” was in keeping with Haggis’ vacillation between coherence and “Twin Peaks.” It was as if he were pushing a grocery store cart with an impaired front wheel.

Numerous shows - new and otherwise - also are “on the bubble.” “Due South’s” chances seem a little less than iffy.

Here’s a look at the prospects of other endangered series:

“My So-Called Life” (ABC) - It richly deserves a second life, but the chances look slimmer in light of ABC’s loss of ratings momentum during the season’s stretch run. A long shot at best.

“Rescue 911” (CBS) - Its sixth season looks like its last. Older audience appeal won’t help in times when 18-to-49-year-olds increasingly are the Holy Grails of both networks and advertisers.

“Northern Exposure” (CBS) - It seems pretty pooped out at this point but has performed reasonably well in its new Wednesday, 10 p.m., time period. Bet on its demise, though.

“Coach” (ABC) - Failed dismally on Mondays but might be revived in a new Wednesday, 9:30 p.m., slot following “Roseanne,” “Ellen” and “Grace Under Fire.”

“Unsolved Mysteries” (NBC) - The “reality show” craze is all but dead and so is this long-running series.

“Full House” (ABC) - ABC says it’s pulling the plug because the stars want too much money. But CBS reportedly is interested in picking up the tab.

“seaQuest DSV” (NBC) - Steven Spielberg’s working for ABC now, so there’s no need to appease him. This one’s dead.

“Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” (ABC) - The overall ratings are mediocre, but “L&C” consistently is a Top20 show among 18-to-49-year-olds. Bank on its return.

“Homicide: Life on the Street” (NBC) - A glacial improvement in the ratings has improved its chances from next-to-none to 50-50.

“Earth 2” (NBC) - NBC’s other Spielberg series has lost the minimal momentum it had. Looking like a goner.

“Me and the Boys” (ABC) - It’s ABC’s highest-rated new series but hasn’t performed to expectations in a cushy time period between “Full House” and “Home Improvement.” A likely returnee anyway.

“The Cosby Mysteries” (NBC) - Jell-O will be back; he won’t.

“All-American Girl” (ABC) - It’s been retooled twice but to little avail. TV’s first sitcom with an Asian-American lead has scant chance to see season 2

“Party of Five” (Fox) - Nice reviews probably won’t be enough, especially with the instant success of “Sliders” in “Party’s” old Wednesday, 9 p.m., slot.

“Under Suspicion” (CBS) - Generally well-received by critics, but viewers haven’t caught on. Star Karen Sillas probably has feature films in mind anyway. CBS is likely to let her move on.

“The John Larroquette Show” (NBC) - The odds have gotten much longer in recent weeks. Initial successes of “Hope & Gloria,” “NewsRadio” and “Pride & Joy” have put Larroquette on death row.

“Touched By An Angel” (CBS) - Did reasonably well with a recent two-episode shot on Saturday nights. Could be the season’s surprise returnee. Pray for divine intervention.

“Love and War” (CBS) - No way, nohow.

“Women of the House” (CBS) - Ditto.

“Eye to Eye with Connie Chung” - CBS will jettison at least one newsmagazine show, and this is likely to be it. Dan Rather’s “48 Hours” also is endangered.

“Dateline NBC” (NBC) - The Tuesday night edition seems solid, but look for NBC to lose the other two.

“Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper” (ABC) - The least-watched of the “TGIF Friday” quartet is likely to be evicted.

“The Critic” (Fox) - It’s doing OK following “The Simpsons” on Sunday nights. Besides that, it’s a great show.

“Thunder Alley” (ABC) - Its ratings have been decent, but ABC will need more than thoroughly ordinary comedies to compete with NBC’s smart batch of newcomers. Looks like a no-go.

“The Five Mrs. Buchanans” (CBS) - A funny, underrated show that has been stuck on Saturday nights. Prospects are grim, but CBS execs might see the same possibilities they saw in “The Nanny.”

“Sweet Justice” (NBC) - Odds are there will be no “Justice” next season.

“Matlock” (ABC) - He’ll somehow find a way to return, probably as periodic two-hour movies.