What Show Will Replace ‘Seinfeld’? ‘Frasier’ May Take The Thursday Night Slot But Can It Fill The Departing Sitcom’S Shoes?

Let’s make this clear right from the start: There will never be another “Seinfeld.”

But when the now-legendary series bows out, something else will rise up to replace it. Something that we will all watch, that we’ll talk about around the proverbial water cooler, avoiding work, mangling the jokes, but nevertheless fueling the hype.

Don’t expect it to be something obvious - or immediate. It may not even be a show that’s on the air now. Remember back when “Cheers” was king and there were rumors that it would end. “Seinfeld,” which started in the summer of 1989 as a one-time pilot called “The Seinfeld Chronicles,” was a nothing contender - not just a show about nothing.

“Seinfeld” lasted a mere four weeks when it came back almost a year later in 1990, when virtually no one watched. It came back again - a true TV miracle - in 1991 and was skidding around the schedule gaining a small cult following but generating little attention until NBC moved it to Thursday nights in early 1993.

Think about that. One of the most influential and popular sitcoms in the history of television just languished, barely avoiding the ax, sneaking under the radar until 1993. It aired after “Cheers” that year, rapidly gaining viewers. Once “Cheers” retired at the end of that season, the “Seinfeld” legacy began.

Now what?

Well, if you use the “Seinfeld” model, it would be NBC’s “Veronica’s Closet.” It’s on Thursday, follows the heavy hitter and would be willing to shoulder the load.

There’s a problem, however. It’s not funny. It certainly has the potential to be humorous, with a well-constructed cast, but the premise is thin and the writing is painful.

What about the slot before “Seinfeld” - meaning the suddenly buzzed-about “Just Shoot Me”? Although David Spade and Wendie Malick provide punch and sting to the jokes, this is a show that is benefiting from a lack of good sitcoms in comparison. Translation: It’s weak and overrated. Second problem: George Segal. It’s not going to happen with him.

Just because a show may take the “Seinfeld” slot doesn’t mean it will replace that show in our hearts. In fact, don’t automatically assume that it will be an NBC show. The network has fallen on hard times when it comes to creative sitcoms. Right now it has “Frasier” as its franchise and “3rd Rock From the Sun” as its rising star. It has been treating its best young sitcoms - “NewsRadio” and “Working” - like redheaded stepchildren. And after those shows - nothing. The humor bench isn’t very deep at NBC.

The odds-on favorite to be the next show we’ll toast, of course, is definitely “Frasier.” But we’ve been exposed to it. We know it’s funny. We’ve watched for years. In that sense, it provides little excitement. What we need is something fresh, something boldly original or at least something ignored, as “Seinfeld” was.

If that’s the case, Fox’s “Ally McBeal” is a likely contender. The show is this season’s standout performer and by far the most talked about. But one-hour shows rarely make the grade, because they are serial in format and people feel like they’ve missed the back-story and will thus miss the in-jokes. Still, if there’s ever a show to break this trend, it’s this one.

Deep inside NBC, the word is that “3rd Rock From the Sun” will be anointed the “Seinfeld” slot. As we’ve learned, however, that doesn’t guarantee a place in the public consciousness. To do so means that it’s probably hip (no), a little different (yes) and touches a nerve in all of us because we can relate to it (no again).

“3rd Rock” is about aliens. Funny aliens, sure. But it’s a slapstick show that relies heavily on sexual innuendo and goes for the lowbrow as much as the zany. While it has a superb cast and solid writing, its almost a separate genre and that fractures the audience.

Any show that gets “Seinfeld’s” Thursday night slot has this going for it: habit. A whole night of “must-see TV” may be more powerful than one spectacularly funny show from another network on a different night.

That said, keep your eyes on “Spin City,” the sophomore show on ABC. Michael J. Fox leads a tremendously talented cast and this sitcom has flat-out great writing. It’s edgy, has a premise that’s ripe for endless story ideas and has become funnier and more consistent than in its rookie season, which is always a good sign.

The next strongest candidate is NBC’s own “NewsRadio.” Here’s a show that’s been kicked around and almost ignored by the network (sound familiar?), has been rumored to be canceled and is almost never mentioned as a show that will be the Next Big Thing.

For that precise reason, keep an eye on it. This show is fall-down funny, effortlessly more entertaining than “Just Shoot Me” and has the kind of eclectic cast, brilliant writing and quirky feel that can click, given a chance.