Get On Board With ‘Second Noah’
ABC’s “Second Noah,” premiering at 8, has all the markings of one of those nice, family dramas that folks say is the kind of wholesome programming that we need - and nobody watches.
Daniel Hugh Kelly and Betsy Brantley star as a unique couple, Noah and Jesse Beckett. He’s a former basketball coach-turned best-selling author in the throes of writer’s block. She’s chief veterinarian at a wildlife theme park (parts of the series are filmed at Florida’s Busch Gardens).
They are the adoptive parents of eight children ages 2 to 17.
Needless to say, their house is a zoo. Fortunately the Becketts have the help of housekeeper Shirley Crockmeyer (Dierdre O’Connell), one of the show’s bright spots.
Watching the pilot, I was reminded of “The Byrds of Paradise” and “My So-Called Life.” Both were terrific family dramas the couldn’t make a go of it on ABC.
As a matter of fact, “Life Goes On” lasted four seasons but never rang up big ratings. FOX’s excellent “Party of Five” continues to struggle in the Nielsens. Likewise “Picket Fences,” although it’s as much about a town as it is about the Brock family.
So watch “Second Noah.” It’s wholesome, thoughtful and filled with cute kids and animals.
I would love to be proven wrong, but this genre is going nowhere in terms of ratings. And the networks can’t afford a ratings loser in the 8 o’clock hour. It can sink a whole night.
Highlights
“Lance Burton: Master Magician,” NBC at 8: Look out, David Copperfield! Burton pulls off a dozen amazing illusions. He looks good doing the big tricks - he makes a herd of elephants disappear - but excels at mind-boggling sleight of hand. For added appreciation, roll your VCR so you can go back and try to figure out how the heck he does it.
“Melrose Place,” FOX at 8: Twice the overacted intrigue is on tap as FOX airs a two-hour-long episode of the sultry soap. Billy (Andrew Shue) throws Brooke (Kristin Davis) out of his apartment, and Matt (Doug Savant) is furious when Alan (Lonnie Schuyler) lies to a reporter about his personal life. Ads for the episode (unavailable for review) tease that someone in the cast “is headed for the morgue.”
“Murphy Brown,” CBS at 9: Murphy (Candice Bergen) dreams that she’s confronted by former lovers. Scott Bakula, Jay Thomas, Robin Thomas and Julius Carry reprise their roles as the network newshound’s past love interests.
“Wow! The Most Awesome Acts on Earth,” ABC at 9: Richard Karn of “Home Improvement” hosts this parade of eccentrics. Included are a chain-saw juggler, a contortionist and a husband and wife who make William Tell look like a fraidy-cat.
xxxx CABLE CALLS “Not Fade Away: Remembering Buddy Holly,” TNN at 5 and 9 concluding Monday night at 5 and 9: TNN pays tribute to Holly’s contribution to both rock and country music and observes the making of the commemorative album from which the telecast takes its name. Waylon Jennings, the Mavericks, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Mark Knopfler and members of Holly’s band, the Crickets, perform and share thoughts and memories. “Citizen X” (1995), HBO at 8: See why Donald Sutherland won a Golden Globe for his performance in this chilling, fact-based thriller about the search for a serial killer in the Soviet Union.