Blue Glow

Salon's TV picks for Wednesday, Sept. 22, 1999

By Joyce Millman

Sep 22, 1999 | Fall premieres

The West Wing (9 p.m., NBC), one of the season's most hyped new dramas, makes its bow. Aaron Sorkin ("Sports Night") wrote and co-created this behind-the-scenes look at a fictional U.S. president and his staff. The huge cast includes Martin Sheen as President Josiah Bartlett, Rob Lowe as his deputy communications director and John Spencer, Brad Whitford, Moira Kelly and Allison Janney as various other functionaries. The sitcom Oh, Grow Up (9:30 p.m., ABC) has a "Stop me if you've heard this one before" premise: three single male roomies who have a hard time being adults pool their collective neuroses about love & stuff. The show was co-created by Alan Ball, who wrote the film "American Beauty" -- no doubt in a more inspired state of mind.

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Series

Two Guys and a Girl (8 p.m., ABC) -- that's right, no more pizza place -- has its season premiere. Star Trek: Voyager (8 p.m., UPN) reruns last season's cliffhanger finale, then launches Season 6 with the conclusion (9 p.m.), in which Janeway goes overboard in her desire for vengeance on the renegade Ransom (John Savage). Norm (8:30 p.m., ABC) opens its new season with Norm falling for a parole officer (Faith Ford). Nikki Cox ("Unhappily Ever After") joins the cast as a former teenage exotic dancer turned receptionist. On the season opener of The Drew Carey Show (9 p.m., ABC), Mimi gets a clone named "Mini-Mimi," and a Y2K computer glitch allows everyone to read Drew's personal diary. Law & Order (10 p.m., NBC) spins the revolving door one more time, as Jesse L. Martin (Greg Butters on "Ally McBeal") signs on as Briscoe's new partner, Detective Ed Green. The season opener finds McCoy going after a gun manufacturer in the wake of a mass murder on campus.

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Specials

Vince Gill hosts the 33rd annual Country Music Association Awards (8 p.m., CBS). Scheduled performers and presenters include Merle Haggard, Jewel, the Dixie Chicks, Dwight Yoakam, Shania Twain and George Strait. Seeking Solutions With Hedrick Smith (check local times, PBS) is the first in a series of special reports focusing on steps individual communities are taking to prevent gun violence, gangs and hate crimes.

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Sports

Baseball:
Mets at Braves (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Blue Jays at Red Sox (7:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Reds at Padres (10:30 p.m., ESPN)
Giants at Dodgers (10:30 p.m., ESPN2)

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Talk

Rosie O'Donnell (syndicated) Trudie Styler, performance from "Mame"
David Letterman (CBS) Ashley Judd, Randy Travis
Jay Leno (NBC) Harrison Ford, Molly Shannon
Politically Incorrect (ABC) Kathy Griffen, ACLU president Nadine Strossen
Conan O'Brien (NBC) Bruce McCulloch, Rich Hall

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