As has been so well publicized - and as we've discussed here before - "The Jeff Foxworthy Show" has undergone a huge makeover on the way to its second season.
After a season filled with mostly mediocre (or worse) ratings, ABC dropped the show in the spring. But, somewhat surprisingly, NBC picked "Foxworthy" up, and the changes began.New producers and writers were hired. The setting has been changed from Indiana to Georgia.
Ann Cusack has replaced the jettisoned Anita Barone as Foxworthy's wife. The 9-year-old son (Haley Joel Osment) was retained, but he magically acquired a 5-year-old brother (Jonathan William Lipnicki). Foxworthy's womanizing father, Big Jim (G.W. Bailey), also joined the cast. And then there's the little girl next door (Kathryn Zaremba) who's always dropping in.
Not to mention the fact that the show has not only moved to a new network but to a new night - Monday (7 p.m., Ch. 5).
The question is, are all these changes worth it?
Well, sort of.
"The Jeff Foxworthy Show" is, without a doubt, a better show than it was last year. It's better produced, fairly likeable and occasionally mildly humorous.
But if the first two episodes of this season are any indication, "Foxworthy" still isn't anything worth getting excited about.
Those clever NBC promos for the show that aired almost ad nauseam during the Olympics are more clever than the show itself.
It's not that "Foxworthy" is bad. Oh, the star is still isn't much of an actor and the allegedly funny father, Big Jim, isn't.
But Cusack is good, and the change in location was a good idea.
However, "Foxworthy" is flat. It's neither involving nor particularly funny.
And when you can sit in front of a comedy for an hour (those first two episodes) and not laugh once, this is not a good sign.
There are worse ways to spend a half hour than watching "The Jeff Foxworthy Show." But there are a lot of better ways - and a lot of better shows to choose from.
HIT THE "RHODES": As mentioned above, Jeff Foxworthy isn't much of an actor. Compared to fellow standup comedian Tom Rhodes, however, Foxworthy looks like Laurence Olivier.
Yes, indeed, Rhodes remarkably unskilled as a thespian. And "Mr. Rhodes" is also pretty terrible.
The premise of "Mr. Rhodes" is tremendously familiar. And not just because it's a rip-off of "Welcome Back, Kotter," and "Dead Poets Society," but because there are two shows on the WB ("Steve Harvey" and "Nick Freno") almost exactly like it.
Rhodes stars as a less-than-successful novelist who's hired to teach English at a snooty prep school. His informal ways immediately put him in conflict with the uptight history teacher (Ron Glass of "Barney Miller"), who's a walking, talking cliche.
The school's head master (Stephen Tobolowsky) is a dope, and Rhodes immediately falls for the school's guidance counselor (Farrah Forke of "Wings").
There are few things worse than someone who's trying to be cool. And that what the character of Mr. Rhodes is doing, with confidence bordering on arrogance.
"I'll bust my butt to be cool if you bust yours to receive said coolness. Ya dig?" he tells the class.
We're also expected to believe that this neophyte instantly relates to his students by spouting wisdom like this: "Silas Marner had been accused of a crime his best friend did, lost his girl and had no friends. He was bummin' "
It's not just that he's delivering bad lines, but Rhodes does so badly. And, after he's delivered his line, he doesn't know what to do or how to stand. It's distractingly bad.
The only time Rhodes looks at all comfortable is when he's addressing the students. And that basically consists of him doing his standup act to a captive audience.
The best thing that can be said about "Mr. Rhodes" is that the young actors playing the students actually look like they're teenagers - not 30-year-olds playing teens.
With any luck, "Mr. Rhodes" will be expelled. Soon.
"HOPE"-FUL: The "St. Elsewhere"-ization of "Chicago Hope" continues (9 p.m., Ch. 2) as Mark Harmon joins the cast.
"Hope" executive producer John Tinker, the "St. Elsewhere" veteran who is replaying the whole hospital-in-trouble scenario that played out on that earlier series, is bringing on Harmon, who played Dr. Bobby Caldwell on "Elsewhere" from 1983-86.
It's too early to say how Harmon will work out. Harmon plays Dr. Jack O'Neil, an orthopedic specialist who retired after being involved in trying to save victims of the Oklahoma City bombing.
But the scene in which he explains that borders on exploitation of the tragedy.
There are, however, hopeful signs for "Hope" this season. The addition of several young interns bodes well, and Rocky Carroll, another new cast member, shines in tonight's episode.
Even the oh-so-depressing and unlikeable Dr. Kate Austin (Christine Lahti) has a chance to prove she's almost human tonight.
There's still "Hope."
"SHE CRIED NO": This NBC movie (8 p.m., Ch. 5) gets an A for good intentions but a C for execution.
It's yet another movie about date rape - this one involving a college freshman (Candace Cameron Bure of "Full House") who is assaulted by a frat boy (Mark-Paul Gosselaar of "Saved by the Bell").
The message here is an important one. But it's packaged in a TV B-movie full or trite dialogue, cliches and some unintentionally silly scenes. Too bad.
REALLY DUMB: Raspberries to KUTV-Ch. 2 for joining Saturday's first-run episode of "Touched by an Angel" in progress - 15 minutes before it ended.
Expecting the USU-Oklahoma State game to run just three hours was ridiculous. But running the last 15 minutes of an hourlong program? That's just foolish.
"Dr. Quinn" was rescheduled to Sunday afternoon. "Angel" should have been, too.