Familial situations -- wives and children -- are intriguing hooks for new shows that debut tonight.
Television thrives on new stars and catchy concepts. Thanks to UPN and ABC, the small screen gains both tonight.
ABC's Wife Swap -- yes, it's a bad, misleading title -- offers an engrossing premise: Two women switch households for two weeks, and both families re-evaluate their lives. The reality series is so expertly done that it should intrigue people who won't go near Survivor, The Apprentice or The Bachelor.
UPN's Kevin Hill gives Taye Diggs a juicy role as a self-absorbed, skirt-chasing lawyer who must grow up when he inherits a cousin's baby daughter.
The premise sounds vaguely like the Diane Keaton movie Baby Boom, which flopped as a TV series. But Kevin Hill creator Jorge Reyes found inspiration in a relative's life, and there's a lot more to the show than the adorable baby.
After the child complicates his work life, Kevin walks out of a prestigious New York law firm. He finds employment in a smaller office where female colleagues will challenge his chauvinistic views.
Kevin learns about parenting from George (Patrick Breen), a gay nanny with a sharp wit. Kevin puts his hard-earned lessons about responsibility to use in the courtroom.
He's a man's man and a ladies' man on the path to being a better man. If that plot description makes you leery of the show, hold on.
Diggs gives such a dynamic performance that he transforms Kevin Hill into delightful entertainment. He reacts with identifiable bachelor confusion to caring for a baby, and he carries himself with a stylish swagger that suggests TV stardom will be his. Above all, he retains some of Kevin's macho edge and keeps the show from turning to mush.
The premiere offers no surprises, and the opening case will be predictable to anyone versed in L.A. Law and Ally McBeal. Yet Kevin Hill supplies tart dialogue and surrounds the title character with likable foils.
Jon Seda of Homicide: Life on the Street plays Kevin's friend and former colleague. Michael Michele of ER portrays Kevin's thoughtful new boss. Kate Levering supplies thorny glamour as a new colleague who doesn't fondly remember a fling with Kevin, to his amazement. Christina Hendricks shines in her role as a deceptively mousy lawyer.
But Breen is the standout as the humane nanny who pushes Kevin to a new understanding of parenthood. When first surveying Kevin and his two buddies with the baby, the nanny quips, "Three cavemen and a baby -- how cute, how '80s."
The same could be said of Kevin Hill, but it has a leading man who makes the show fresh and involving.
'Wife Swap'
There is no money prize in Wife Swap. There are riveting arguments and hard lessons and many tears. If that makes you wary of this reality series, it's understandable. Who needs more crying these days?
Yet Wife Swap is one of the better new series this fall. It veers closer to a documentary than standard reality, a point that could make the show more palatable to some viewers.
Two women change households. In the first week, the women follow the rules of the new dwellings. In the second week, they run the households their way. Afterward, families reunite to discuss what they learned.
The show's future will depend on the casting because participants change every week. But tonight's episode features a remarkable switch. Giving the show a rousing start are Manhattan millionairess Jodi Spolansky and New Jersey school-bus driver Lynn Bradley.
Jodi sniffs at cleaning the house, resists cutting wood for Lynn's business and argues with Lynn's selfish husband, Brad.
Lynn, who has little interest in material things, briefly indulges in Jodi's swank life of restaurant meals, $500 haircuts and four nannies for three children. When Lynn tries to push Jodi's selfish husband, Steven, to spend more time with his children, he objects.
"She comes from hillbilly land," Steven whines. "This may get a little nasty."
At first glance, Wife Swap seems to be about class in America, and it's no valentine to the affluent. Self-absorbed husbands could be major losers, as well.
But Wife Swap could do wonders for ABC. It is the second of three strong new series this fall that might bolster the Disney-owned network.
Lost, the drama about plane passengers stranded on a remote island, debuted to strong ratings last week. Desperate Housewives, the best new series this fall, arrives Sunday. You don't need to be hesitant to turn to ABC anymore.
Television thrives on new stars and catchy concepts. Thanks to UPN and ABC, the small screen gains both tonight.
ABC's Wife Swap -- yes, it's a bad, misleading title -- offers an engrossing premise: Two women switch households for two weeks, and both families re-evaluate their lives. The reality series is so expertly done that it should intrigue people who won't go near Survivor, The Apprentice or The Bachelor.
UPN's Kevin Hill gives Taye Diggs a juicy role as a self-absorbed, skirt-chasing lawyer who must grow up when he inherits a cousin's baby daughter.
The premise sounds vaguely like the Diane Keaton movie Baby Boom, which flopped as a TV series. But Kevin Hill creator Jorge Reyes found inspiration in a relative's life, and there's a lot more to the show than the adorable baby.
After the child complicates his work life, Kevin walks out of a prestigious New York law firm. He finds employment in a smaller office where female colleagues will challenge his chauvinistic views.
Kevin learns about parenting from George (Patrick Breen), a gay nanny with a sharp wit. Kevin puts his hard-earned lessons about responsibility to use in the courtroom.
He's a man's man and a ladies' man on the path to being a better man. If that plot description makes you leery of the show, hold on.
Diggs gives such a dynamic performance that he transforms Kevin Hill into delightful entertainment. He reacts with identifiable bachelor confusion to caring for a baby, and he carries himself with a stylish swagger that suggests TV stardom will be his. Above all, he retains some of Kevin's macho edge and keeps the show from turning to mush.
The premiere offers no surprises, and the opening case will be predictable to anyone versed in L.A. Law and Ally McBeal. Yet Kevin Hill supplies tart dialogue and surrounds the title character with likable foils.
Jon Seda of Homicide: Life on the Street plays Kevin's friend and former colleague. Michael Michele of ER portrays Kevin's thoughtful new boss. Kate Levering supplies thorny glamour as a new colleague who doesn't fondly remember a fling with Kevin, to his amazement. Christina Hendricks shines in her role as a deceptively mousy lawyer.
But Breen is the standout as the humane nanny who pushes Kevin to a new understanding of parenthood. When first surveying Kevin and his two buddies with the baby, the nanny quips, "Three cavemen and a baby -- how cute, how '80s."
The same could be said of Kevin Hill, but it has a leading man who makes the show fresh and involving.
'Wife Swap'
There is no money prize in Wife Swap. There are riveting arguments and hard lessons and many tears. If that makes you wary of this reality series, it's understandable. Who needs more crying these days?
Yet Wife Swap is one of the better new series this fall. It veers closer to a documentary than standard reality, a point that could make the show more palatable to some viewers.
Two women change households. In the first week, the women follow the rules of the new dwellings. In the second week, they run the households their way. Afterward, families reunite to discuss what they learned.
The show's future will depend on the casting because participants change every week. But tonight's episode features a remarkable switch. Giving the show a rousing start are Manhattan millionairess Jodi Spolansky and New Jersey school-bus driver Lynn Bradley.
Jodi sniffs at cleaning the house, resists cutting wood for Lynn's business and argues with Lynn's selfish husband, Brad.
Lynn, who has little interest in material things, briefly indulges in Jodi's swank life of restaurant meals, $500 haircuts and four nannies for three children. When Lynn tries to push Jodi's selfish husband, Steven, to spend more time with his children, he objects.
"She comes from hillbilly land," Steven whines. "This may get a little nasty."
At first glance, Wife Swap seems to be about class in America, and it's no valentine to the affluent. Self-absorbed husbands could be major losers, as well.
But Wife Swap could do wonders for ABC. It is the second of three strong new series this fall that might bolster the Disney-owned network.
Lost, the drama about plane passengers stranded on a remote island, debuted to strong ratings last week. Desperate Housewives, the best new series this fall, arrives Sunday. You don't need to be hesitant to turn to ABC anymore.