"Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" has proven to be one of the biggest surprises in television over the past couple of seasons. It defied conventional television logic, which decreed:

Westerns won't work.Westerns with a woman in the lead particularly won't work.

Family oriented dramas won't work.

Nothing will work on Saturday nights.

So it came as more than a bit of a shock - even to CBS, the network that airs it - that "Dr. Quinn," a woman in the lead, became a big hit on Saturday night.

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And "Dr. Quinn's" success is a boon to the viewers. Jane Seymour and Co. produce a shotw that week in and week out is not only watchable by the entire family but tugs at a few heartstrings along the way.

In this week's repeat episode (Saturday, 7 p.m., Ch. 5), Mike decides to run for mayor - and the election becomes a forum for a 19th-century discussion about women's rights.

So gather up the family and enjoy.

-Scott D. Pierce

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