By Frazier Moore
The Associated Press

Father of the Pride, the first and most iffy of NBC's lackluster lineup of new fall shows, premieres 9 p.m. today (Channels 5, 2).

It's being hyped as an innovative comedy with youth appeal but adult raciness, employing the same computer animation used for the Shrek films, and boasting top-notch voice talent, including John Goodman, Cheryl Hines and Carl Reiner.

The series fancifully depicts the family life of just-like-people lions featured in the Las Vegas animal act of Siegfried & Roy, who was critically injured by a tiger in October - after the series was well into production.

Now that Father of the Pride is on the air, the audience's challenge will be accepting the show as a thing apart from its real-life, tragically affected source material.

But what then? Even if the premise hadn't collapsed, would the show be everything it means to be? Doubtful.

For instance, the premiere episode finds Larry the head lion (Goodman) in a typical sitcom jam: Wife Kate (Hines) won't have sex with him until he can find someone to date a lovelorn friend.

"Larry, this isn't really the time," says Kate, whose friend is planted on the living room couch.

"This is the PERFECT time," he reasons. "You're in heat. I'm not hungry. I just peed."

Father of the Pride isn't irreverent enough to score many points with the cool crowd, but a more general audience may not relate to cuddly wild animals with a naughty streak.

Unlike The Simpsons, which caters to multiple tastes, Father of the Pride may end up satisfying no one. It's a family sitcom about lions that is neither fish nor fowl.

It's also a show that's been tainted by tragedy. In the aftermath of Horn's mauling, there's something ghoulish about watching him and Siegfried Fischbacher spoofed as a pair of flamboyant prisses, more cartoonish than the human-like animals that work for them.

This is a big, maybe insurmountable, problem for NBC. But oddly enough, the network dares to compound its dilemma. On Sept. 15, it will air a one-hour special, Siegfried & Roy: The Miracle, which promises an exclusive interview with Horn conducted by Maria Shriver.

If there's anything Father of the Pride doesn't need, it's for viewers to be reminded of "Roy's journey, beginning with the accident that caused his injuries and subsequent stroke, through his recuperation."

NBC should have already learned this lesson. At its annual "upfront" for advertisers last May, the network featured a pre-taped appearance by Horn as part of its gala presentation. But the sight of him bummed out many members of the audience.

NBC's special will score a big audience. But at what cost, once those viewers are reacquainted with Horn's harsh reality? Harsh reality can put a damper on laughs. Father of the Pride has none to spare.