Mary Tyler Moore has a theory on why we're watching old TV retrospectives this month: The classic TV series are better than today's shows.

        “No question. Quality endures,” says Ms. Moore, 64, who has rounded up the old Mary Tyler Moore Show gang for a reunion and clipfest (10 p.m. today, Channels 12, 7).

        MTM, I Love Lucy, Dick Van Dyke and other shows are timeless classics “because of the writing,” says Ms. Moore, who played WJM-TV news producer Mary Richards (1970-77) on CBS. MTM airs 10 a.m. weekdays on TV Land cable.

        Her writers “were not trying to make a point” or political statements, she says. “They were just writing about human relationships — like what it's like to be jealous of your best friends, or losing patience with Ted Baxter.''

        Today's sitcom writers “aren't dealing with what is natural . . . and that is human emotions,” she says. They go for quick laughs, often about sex, she complains.

        “I'm not crazy about the level of comedy writing today on TV,” says Ms. Moore, who enjoys watching NBC's Friends, Frasier and Scrubs.

        A tape was unavailable for preview, so Ms. Moore explained the difference between this show and her MTM special about 10 years ago. This time former co-stars Ed Asner, Valerie Harper, Gavin MacLeod, Betty White, Cloris Leachman and Georgia Engel aren't reading scripted comments.

        “There are real people reminiscing with real heartfelt emotions,” she says. About two-thirds of the show will be “rememberances and conversation.”

        The special will include her favorite scene — and it's not the death of Chuckles the Clown, or the final group hug. She loves the “Teddy Awards” episode when she sang “One for the Road” off key. “It's just a moment in my work that I'm particularly proud of,” she says.

        MTM was a huge success because producers made several fundamental changes in the concept. Ted Baxter was supposed to be “tall, dark and handsome, and a love interest” for Mary, until Ted Knight walked in the door. Mr. Knight, who died in 1986, bought a blue blazer for the audition, “and blew them away,” she says.

        Murray Slaughter, the good-natured newswriter, was to be jealous and bickering — before Gavin MacLeod read for the part, she says.

        Although she lavishly praises her writers, they do not appear in the special. The MTM brain trust included James L. Brooks (who later did The Simpsons, Broadcast News, As Good As It Gets), Jay Sandrich (The Cosby Show), Alan Burns and Ed. Weinberger (Taxi, Amen). It was their decision to end MTM after seven seasons.

        “Back then it was kind of unheard of that a show would go beyond seven years,” she says. “I believe had we stayed on the air with these brilliant writers we could have explored all kinds of interesting issues.”

        Ms. Moore also says TV Guide's recent ranking of the top 50 TV shows didn't turn her world on with a smile. MTM didn't make the top 10, landing at No. 11. (She also was on Dick Van Dyke, No. 13.)

        “It's a bum rap. It should have been ranked higher — but I wasn't asked to vote,” she says. “It's not for me to decide, anyway, as long as people respect it — and they do, from what I can tell.”

        Her respect for MTM fans prompted her to appear on ABC's TV Guide's 50 Best Shows Of All Time (10 p.m., Channels 9, 2), which airs opposite her special.

        “It was a difficult decision,” she says, “but I felt I had an obligation to sit down and talk to them,” even if they cut her appearance to a few seconds on TV. “At least I did the right thing.”

        Beast reigns: The Beast and Son of Beast at Paramount's Kings Island have finished one-two in the Discovery Channel's online survey of top wooden roller coasters.

        The rides are featured in Top 10 Coasters 2002 (8 p.m. May 27). It also looks at the top five steel roller coasters, including Millennium Force and Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.

        A Travel Channel crew will be videotaping Son of Beast, the new Tomb Raider ride and Drop Zone this week.

        Happy birthday: WMUB-FM (88.5) celebrates the 80th birthday of Phyllis “Mama Jazz” Campbell with the broadcast of a live concert by the Classic Jazz Stompers, 8-10 p.m. outside Hall Auditorium, Miami University, Oxford. She has hosted weekday jazz (8 p.m.-midnight) since 1984.

        The dish: WBQC-TV (Channel 25), the low-power UPN affiliate, will be added to Tristate DirecTV service 24 hours a day on Wednesday. Time Warner Cable carries WBCQ-TV 6-11 p.m. on Channel 20.

        Fall TV: NBC announces its fall TV lineup today, followed by ABC and WB (Tuesday), CBS (Wednesday) and Fox and UPN (Thursday). Watch for daily reports in the Tempo section.

Starwatch

        Eddie Money performs a private concert for The King of Queens (8 p.m., Channels 12, 7). Magic Johnson also visits The Parkers (9 p.m., Channel 25).

Zoo unleashes 'Frogs'
Jammin' on Main strong again
Mighty Diamonds deliver high-octane reggae
Latest Star Wars brings digital video to mainstream
Lucas Q&A answers Star Wars critics
Star Wars: Episode II leaves fans begging for more
Consistent writing defines classics
Muse makes fun music, but with a message
New friend fits into whirlwind weekend
Pavarotti addresses fans after cancellation
Youngster scoops ailing Pavarotti
Fit Bits
Low-carbohydrate diet may not keep weigh off
Use body fat numbers, not weight, to chart progress
Hocking Valley artisans helping with tourism campaign
'Spider-Man' stays on top
WCET VP dies
Get to it