Fall TV preview

Maybe somebody sneaked a copy of the national census over to a few executives this year. Particularly at Fox and UPN, there are greater signs of diversity on TV this fall. The trend reflects a steady increase of Latinos on TV over the past decade. A study from Initiative says the number of Hispanic actors on network TV has grown fivefold since 1990. Seven percent of actors on the networks are Hispanic, compared with only 4 percent two years ago.

The network UPN, where nearly one-third of its featured actors are African-American, continues on that course with All of Us, a show based on the lives of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.

Fox expands the Latino profile on TV with two Latin-themed sitcoms: The Ortegas, about an aspiring talk-show host, and Luis, a slice of life in a Harlem doughnut shop owned by the eponymous star, Luis Guzman. They join the returning George Lopez Show over on ABC.

"The Ortegas" is yet another show based on a successful British series that has been replicated in several countries. The essence of the concept, wherever it is re-created, is the experience of the outsider within a dominant culture, says producer Wally Wolodarsky. "I'm Jewish," he says with a laugh, "and the parallels to what I grew up with as a Jewish family are almost identical, except that instead of salsa you get matzo balls." At the same time, he adds, it's not about race. "It's very much about a family."

Guzman feels similarly about "Luis." "I don't consider this a Latin show," he says. "It's a show representing all the flavors and all the colors of New York City."

Nonetheless, says Guzman, it's about time the networks got in step. "I read the newspaper," says the actor. "It's like Latinos represent a third of this country [the latest census figures put the number at roughly 13 percent], and it's been proven that Latinos watch TV and they go to the movies in droves."

Fellow cast members are optimistic.

"I think we're headed in the right direction," says Diana-Maria Riva, who plays Luis's ex-wife, Isabella. "But I think we've got a long way to go," she says. Still, she adds, if both new shows can mirror the success of "George Lopez," it could be a harbinger of things to come. "The networks tend to keep up with the Joneses. Maybe they'll start keeping up with the Lopezes."

There are a few roses

this fall, even in the hard-to-find comedy category, most notably Fox's Arrested Development (Sundays, 9:30-10 p.m.). If you liked "The Royal Tenenbaums," tune into this wry look at the Bluths, another family spun into royal dysfunction when the patriarch is sent to jail.

Joe Pantoliano has long deserved his star turn, and this season he gets it playing The Handler (Fridays, CBS, 10-11 p.m.), a nicely crafted procedural drama about an FBI agent trainer.

"West Wing" may have lost Rob Lowe, but The Lyon's Den (Sundays, NBC, 10-11 p.m.) brings him back in a juicy soap that allows him to be righteous - and speak a little more slowly than he had to in the White House. Maturity seems to help former pretty boys - Mark Harmon, too, is back in Navy NCIS (Tuesdays, CBS, 8-9 p.m.), a "Jag" spinoff, doing a downright decent job of investigating nasty stuff inside the Navy. Joan of Arcadia (Fridays, CBS, 8-9 p.m.), about a girl who talks to God, has a solid supporting cast, including Mary Steenburgen and Joe Mantegna, and enough intrigue to make it a contender.

As for the razzberries, unfortunately there's plenty of competition, particularly in that pesky comedy corner: The Ortegas (Sundays, Fox, 8:30-9 p.m.), Married to the Kellys (Fridays, ABC, 8:30-9 p.m.), Whoopi (Tuesdays, NBC, 8-8:30 p.m.) and It's all Relative (Wednesdays, ABC, 8:30-9 p.m.) Irritating and unfunny, all - largely thanks to heaping helpings of clichés. And if the British producer who created the original Coupling hadn't helped out on NBC's version (Thursdays, 9:30-10 p.m.), I would have recommended she sue. "Coupling" is so flat and obnoxious, it manages the impossible: these gorgeous Manhattan singles are actually boring.

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