CBS, in an attempt to rebuild its once-strong Monday comedy lineup, will be leaning heavily on "Everybody Loves Raymond" this fall.
That the network has enormous confidence in the show is obvious, since "Raymond" has been moved to the 8 p.m. time slot - the lynchpin of the night. And CBS President Leslie Moonves is never shy about singing the praises of the Ray Romano sitcom. He's still a bit peeved that the show wasn't at least up for an Emmy in the best comedy category."Frankly, the biggest injustice done is that `Everybody Loves Raymond' was not nominated," Moonves said. "We've said it before, we'll say it again - we think it belongs among the most pre-eminent comedies on television. And it continues to be the most under-rated."
CBS is surrounding "Raymond" with a pair of new sitcoms, which debut on Monday. The first - "The King of Queens" - is a show very much in the same vein. It's about a family in New York City.
But the second, "The Brian Benben Show," is decidedly more adult and makes no pretense whatsoever of being a family show in any way, shape or form.
The King of Queens (Monday, 7:30 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2) is built around stand-up comedian Kevin James, who not only had a recurring role on "Everybody Loves Raymond" but is Romano's real-life best friend. He stars as Doug Heffernan, a nice, blue-collar guy who adores both his wife, Carrie (Leah Remini), and the big-screen TV she just bought him.
Oh, and he lives in Queens.
As far as Doug is concerned, life is pretty much great. That is, until his rather bizarre, obnoxious father-in-law, Arthur (Jerry Stiller), burns down his house.
Doug is all for putting Arthur in a retirement home.
"There's one alternative," Carrie says.
"Euthanasia?" Doug asks. "Do we dare?"
Arthur, of course, moves in. So does Carrie's flighty, actress-wannabe sister, Sara (Lisa Rieffel). And Doug is no longer a happy man.
What "The King of Queens" has going for it is the enormously appealing duo of James and Remini. They're charming and likable.
But the show itself is only moderately amusing in spots - not nearly as funny as it ought to be.
And, what with the network and the producers seemingly so enthralled with Stiller, the show runs the danger of being overwhelmed by his character. Which is pretty much the same character he played on "Seinfeld" - a cantankerous, difficult older man.
And a little bit of that goes a long, long way.
The fact that this is a show about a family doesn't necessarily mean it's appropriate for all family members. At one point, Doug's buddies debate whether they'd "do" Hillary Clinton. Doug sees his sister in silhouette while she's taking a shower. Arthur not only discusses bodily function but hires a couple of hookers.
And Doug and Carrie do talk about their sex life from time to time.
"You know, it has been 17 days since I enjoyed you," Doug says. "And I assume it's been months since you enjoyed me."
By today's network standards, that's relatively tame. Which is a whole 'nother story.
The Brian Benben Show (Monday, 8:30 p.m., Ch. 2) is sort of the evil, male, flip-side of "Murphy Brown" or "Mary Tyler Moore" - a mean-spirited sitcom set in a TV newsroom.
Brian Benben (HBO's "Dream On") stars as Brian Benben, the anchorman of a local newscast in Los Angeles who loves his job. Unfortunately, it isn't his job for long.
"Well, we're still having that problem with the ratings. They suck," says Beverly (Susan Blommaert), the news director.
So Beverly brings in a couple of gorgeous but completely unqualified airheads to replace Brian and his co-anchor.
"Oh, they're so young and clean and shiny," says sportscaster Kevin La Rue (Wendell Pierce). "It's hard to look directly at them."
It turns out that Brian's replacement, Chad Rockwell (Charles Esten), was a veejay on VH-1.
"Mostly I was a personality," Chad says.
"A personality. Was that hard to give up?" Brian asks.
And Brian doesn't exactly take his firing well. Particularly not when he learns that Chad was hired based on station research, which indicated that he scored very well when the public was asked, "Who would you most like to (have sex with)?"
"You realize you're going to have to teach them how to read. . . . Look at him - he's two-thirds hair," Brian says.
But Chad is not just an airhead - he turns out to be a self-centered, manipulative jerk.
Beverly does, at least, offer to help Brian find a new job.
"Oh, sweetie, if you need a job reference I'll be more than happy to help," Beverly says.
"Oh great. Thanks a lot," Brian says. "I'll pick it up when I come back for my shooting spree."
This is the sort of show that gets laughs out of the fact that the station's features reporter - who specializes in oddball stories - is killed by an ape at the zoo. "Authorities did not realize that the ape was in heat," Chad intones on the air.
Of course, it is wickedly funny. As is "The Brian Benben Show."
Brian is rehired to replace the late features reporter and immediately sets out to sabotage Chad and regain the anchor chair. And Chad turns out not to be a complete fool - the show is shaping up as an over-the-top battle of wits.
This show is viciously funny. And the target of all that viciousness is a relatively easy one - local TV news.
"The Brian Benben Show" is also loaded with questionable language and sexual innuendos. It's an adults-only comedy that won't be to all tastes but will amuse you if it is to your taste.
Just be prepared to switch gears as CBS goes from the rather mild, low-key "Everybody Loves Raymond" to the high-voltage "Brian Benben Show."