Tuesday's flood of good shows will force
viewers to make hard choices

BY Charlie McCollum -- Tuesday night is the poster child for too much choice on television.

8 p.m.? ``Buffy the Vampire Slayer,'' ``That '70s Show'' and ``Titus,'' ``Who Wants to Be A Millionaire.''

9 p.m.? ``Angel,'' ``Frasier'' and the new ``Dark Angel.''

10 p.m.? ``Once and Again,'' ``Judging Amy.''

Even if you crank up the VCR, you're not going to totally unblock that logjam.

The easiest call is ``Buffy,'' a series that for the past four years has been the coolest show on television. Loaded with smart dialogue and knowing pop culture references, ``Buffy'' has actually gotten better with time, and last year it had the single best episode of any series: the critically acclaimed, Emmy-nominated ``Hush.''

``Buffy'' even has spawned a series almost as good as it is. ``Angel'' -- which airs right after its parent -- went through some tentative moments in terms of tone during its first season. But by the end of the season, it was nipping at ``Buffy's'' heels in terms of quality.

The other must-see of the evening: ``Once and Again,'' which will air Tuesdays until mid-season, when it moves to Mondays and ``NYPD Blue'' takes over the time slot.

In a good year for freshman dramas, ``Once and Again'' was the best in terms of dealing with the American family. It started out focusing on the love affair involving Lily (Sela Ward) and Rick (Billy Campbell), then quickly expanded its dramatic view to encompass their kids, their ex-spouses and even their friends and relatives. The result was a rich, complex series that deserved more Emmy nominations than it received.

With ``Millionaire'' opening the evening and ``Once and Again'' closing it, ABC has a good thing going Tuesdays, although the two sitcoms airing in the middle have some problems. ``Dharma & Greg'' started to show serious signs of age last season, recycling plot lines and jokes. And the new ``Geena Davis Show'' needs good writing to go with its good cast. Davis, Peter Horton, Mimi Rogers and John Francis Daley of ``Freaks and Geeks'' are having to work way too hard for laughs.

(article "snipped")

Appointment TV: ``Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ``Once and Again.'' Two of TV's best dramas.

(rest of article "snipped")___San Jose Mercury News (October 3, 2000)