Stop me if you've heard this one before.
"L.A. Law," which returns for its eighth season tonight at 9 p.m. on Ch. 2, is undergoing a number of changes.Refocused. Refurbished.
A few new cast members are coming on board. A few old ones have departed.
In other words, pretty much the status quo for what is becoming an increasingly creaky old series that is attempting to recapture the vigor of its youth.
There's not a lot of subtlety here. The offices of McKenzie-Brackman are undergoing a major remodeling, just in case we don't get the point.
Unlike some previous efforts, however, this latest attempt actually does seem to be an improvement. Not that this is the old "L.A. Law" viewers grew to love, but it's better than the recent incarnations.
The newest new-and-improved "L.A. Law" is the result of the work of William M. Finkelstein, who returned in the middle of last season as head writer and co-executive producer. One of those responsible for "Law's" glory years, Finkelstein left the show to create and produce ABC's "Civil Wars."
But when that show was axed, he returned to NBC and "Law." And he's bringing a couple of "Wars" veterans with him.
Alan Rosenberg joins the cast as Eli Levinson, the same character he played on "Civil Wars." His entre is pretty hokey - it turns out he's Stewart Markowitz's (Michael Tucker's) cousin - but he does get involved in an interesting murder case right off the bat.
And also on hand is Debi Mazar, who reprises her role as secretary Denise Iannello. Both Eli and Denise manage to bring a new perspective as displaced New Yorkers in a foreign land - Los Angeles.
Also coming aboard is Alexandra Powers as fundamentalist Christian attorney Jane Halliday, who is the object of Arnie Becker's (Corbin Bernsen's) instant desire.
Halliday, at least in her first appearance, is not portrayed as a stereotypical right-winger. She's intelligent and sure of herself.
Ann Kelsey (Jill Eikenberry) doesn't fare as well. She asks Jane about her religion in the initial interview - and isn't that illegal?
Ann displays liberal prejudice against someone she knows almost nothing about except her religion.
As for Arnie, his behavior toward Jane is transparent and reprehensible, which is actually an improvement on the way he has become increasingly nice - and bland - in recent seasons.
Like all remodeling projects, there was a bit of demolition first. We've lost several characters - most notably Susan Ruttan, who played Roxanne for seven seasons.
And, for all intents in purposes, they were just ripped out of the show - there's nary an explanation to be found for the absences.
One thing remains the same - there are too many characters (an even dozen in the opening credits alone) to service them all well in a single episode. Several longtime cast members have nothing more than cameo roles tonight.
In addition to Eli's murder case, Ann undertakes an interesting sex-discrimination case that raises several questions and raises ambiguities - the sort of thing this show used to do so well.
Past remodelings at "L.A. Law" have sometimes been akin to jettisoning fine furniture in favor of lawn chairs. But this time around, the lawn furniture seems to have been replaced with comfortable easy chairs.
"L.A. Law" is no longer ground-breaking, cutting-edge drama, but it does appear to have returned to its familiar, old ways.
THE AX "FALLS": No surprise here - CBS has canceled the prime-time soap "Angel Falls."
All six episodes of the Thursday night series have already been aired, so it will not be seen again.
What with the slow pacing and dull plotting, this is no great loss.
CHASE ON THE WAY OUT?: Widespread speculation about Chevy Chase's chances has found its way into print, with the trade paper Variety reporting that Fox officials are in a "panic" over Chase's lousy ratings.
Officially, Fox is standing behind its beleaguered host.
The fact is that Fox guaranteed advertisers "The Chevy Chase Show" would average a 4.0 rating, and it's in the low 2s and dropping - so the network is having to make good by giving away advertising time.
Affiliates, whose ratings are down significantly, are grumbling. And Variety says Fox is toying with the idea of guest hosts or a new permanent host to replace Chase.
Chase himself has recovered from his initial nervousness, but he's still painfully miscast in the role of a late-night host.