By John Kiesewetter
The Cincinnati Enquirer

What's new

The Brotherhood of Poland, N.H. (10 p.m., Channels 12, 7): David E. Kelley tries to re-invent Picket Fences with a CBS drama about three middle-aged, small-town brothers - the police chief (Randy Quaid), mayor (John Carroll Lynch, Drew Carey Show), and the unemployed baby of the family (Chris Penn, Rush Hour). Kelley has loaded this with more quirks than a season of Ally McBeal - a husband obsessed with Katie Couric; another who duct tapes his butt to look trim; a daughter who argues with dad in sign language; an "angry hog" widow trying to extort $100,000 from the mayor for a brief affair six years ago; and a deer overpopulation problem. Picket Fences fans may find this charming, but most of us will see that a little bit of quirky Kelley goes way too far.

Season premieres

The West Wing (9 p.m., Channels 5, 22): This is the one show not to miss. The fifth season opener, and first without creator Aaron Sorkin, picks up right where last season ended - in tone, style and story. (That's a big relief!) Speaker of the House Glen Walken (guest star John Goodman) remains acting president while President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) worries about his abducted daughter, and White House staffers adjust to the brusque conservative Republican (and his dog) in the Oval Office. Viewers finally meet the third Bartlet daughter (Annabeth Gish, The X-Files) and her kids mentioned in the 1999 pilot. Absent are the long "walk and talk" conversations, but show-runner John Wells (ER) wisely has chosen to avoid poor imitation pseudo-Sorkin scenes that didn't ring true. The good news is that The West Wing is back in a landslide - and that Bartlet will be back in charge soon.

My Wife and Kids (8 p.m., Channels 9, 2): Jr. (George O. Gore II) takes a job at dad's company to prepare him for fatherhood.

Ed (8 p.m., Channels 5, 22): Ed and Carol (Tom Cavanagh, Julie Bowen) experience "challenges in the bedroom" as a new couple.

60 Minutes II (8 p.m., Channels 12, 7) Charlie Rose uncovers Frank Sinatra's personal collection of 35-mm films of his 1950s performances; Vicki Mabrey reports from the U.S. prison in Cuba.

The Bachelor (9-11 p.m., Channels 9, 2) Loveable Bob Guiney, rejected by Trista Rehn on The Bachelorette, searches for his soul mate.

Law & Order (10 p.m., Channels 5, 22) Officers hunt for a serial killer after a teen-age girl's murder.

Big Brother 4 (9 p.m., Channels 12, 7) The seven houseguests pick the winner in a live finale: Will it be Alison Irwin or Jun Song?

E-mail jkiesewetter@enquirer.com