When is a good sitcom not such a good sitcom?
In the case of "All-American Girl," after the producers got through fixing it.Tonight's premiere (8:30 p.m., Ch. 4) is really very funny. Stand-up comedian Margaret Cho is the title character, a young woman who's a mix of both her traditional Korean upbringing and the influence of modern American culture.
And in tonight's premiere, those two worlds clash in a saucy, sprightly half hour that pits Margaret against her mother (Jodi Long). Long, who was very funny as the Southeast Asian dictator's widow last season on "Cafe Americain," is a hoot in the pilot, tossing off some great one-liners and playing her role to the hilt.
Clyde Kusatsu is fine as her father, and B.D. Wong - who won a Tony for his role in "M. Butterfly" - is great as Margaret's older brother.
(It is somewhat distressing, however, that the best role an Asian actor of his stature can find is a supporting part in a TV sitcom.)
Cho herself is not great actress, but with the support of a good cast - and snappy writing - she pulls it off tonight.
But, oddly enough, the series was greatly retooled after this pilot was shot. The episode that airs next week (in its regular time slot - Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.) is a decided step down.
The plot is similar - Margaret lets her mother fix her up with a nice Korean boy. But the characters, who have some spark in the first episode, suddenly become sitcom clones.
Instead of dry humor and quick wit, the second episode of "All-American Girl" is full of overwriting, overacting and various histrionics. It's much more akin to some of those awful sitcoms ABC airs on Friday nights than something of quality.
Why? Maybe the early time slot. Maybe focus groups and studies.
Maybe the producers have taken leave of their senses.
Whatever the reason, after a promising first step, "All-American Girl" stumbles in its second episode. Let's just hope it doesn't fall altogether flat.
KUTV CONTRACTS: The folks at KUTV want your local television editor to know that top management at the station does have contracts that NBC assumed when it bought 88 percent of the station - contracts that NBC must honor.
Which would seem to contradict sources at NBC who have indicated that, should the network retain its ownership of Ch. 2, some personnel changes will be made.
On the other hand, there is more than one way to honor a contract. It's not particularly unusual in the television business for contracts to be bought out - all the promised salary is paid, but changes are made nonetheless.
For example, when the Hatch family sold the Ogden Standard-Examiner, that newspaper's managing editor had a contract that guaranteed him 18 months. The new owners quickly paid off that contract and brought in a new managing editor.
Pending the outcome of the possible trade that may involve NBC, CBS and KUTV, all of this is still up in the air. Stay tuned . . .