What's On TV

Shows Worth Noting For July 22-28

SUNDAY 7/23

Any Day Now (Lifetime, 8-9 p.m.): The third season starts in a new time slot. This terrific, issues-oriented series about two women friends, one black and one white, opens with a complex story about lawyer Rene (Lorraine Toussaint) defending a 12-year-old accused of murder. Meanwhile, Mary Elizabeth (Annie Potts) exerts her independence from her husband's control.

Race Against Time (TNT, 8-10 p.m.): A near-future thriller about the excesses of a capitalistic society have desperate people selling their bodies to science in a suicide pact. It's icky, but the ethical issues are interesting, and the action exciting. Eric Roberts stars as the good guy this time.

The War Next Door (USA, 9-9:30 p.m.): This goofy dark comedy has a few laughs up its oddball sleeve. A former CIA agent tries to have a normal life in suburbia only to find out that his nemesis, an evil supergenius, has moved in next door. It's a duel to the death each week.

Manhattan, AZ (USA ,9:30-10 p.m.): The network must be trying to make a name for itself with gallows humor, because this series, like "The War Next Door," is bizarre. A policeman moves from L.A. to a small Arizona town after his wife dies in a freak ecological disaster. When the local dogs begin to show up minus one limb, foul play is suspected. Quirky, dark, and silly.

MONDAY 7/24

Live! With Regis & Kathie Lee (NBC, 9-10 a.m.): After 15 years as Regis Philbin's cohost, Kathie Lee Gifford departs from the popular talk show this Friday. A five-day farewell begins today.

Treasures of the Royal Captain (Discovery, 9-10 p.m.): Scientists reconstruct what happened to the Royal Captain, a ship that sank 200 years ago, as they recover her exotic porcelain treasures.

TUESDAY 7/25

The Living Edens: Ngorongoro: Africa's Cradle of Life (PBS, check local listings): The excellent series continues in an African volcanic crater where life of all kinds flourishes - lions, hyenas, cheetahs, and a small wildcat called a serval. Lovely cinematography and intelligent writing.

WEDNESDAY 7/26

Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family (USA, 9-10 p.m.): A new time slot has this peculiar family fighting an enemy long forgotten - a man who blames Danny and Barbara for destroying his life. Like most cop shows, there's some gunplay, but the scripts are unpredictable.

(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society