Lessons, hugs, cute kids, a bumbling dad who mixes wisdom and silliness. What year is this? "My Wife and Kids" (7 p.m., ABC) shamelessly lifts all of the ingredients that made "Cosby" a mainstay of the 1980s. And, amazingly, it not only works, it's a refreshing change. As the old song went, sometimes it's hip to be square.
"Kids" stars Damon Wayans as Michael Kyle, a suburban dad who worries that his beautiful wife, Janet (Tisha Campbell-Martin), is putting her career as a broker before her duties as a wife and mother. He misses her home cooking and the way she used to shake her body as she stirred a spoon in a mixing bowl.
Damon Wayans stars in "My Wife and Kids," which will be shown at 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. today on ABC.
A self-made businessman with a fleet of trucks, Kyle seems to have all the time in the world to hang around the house and bother his three kids, particularly the two pre-teens, Jr. (George O. Gore II) and Claire (Jazz Raycole). Parker McKenna Posey plays Kady, the sweet 5-year-old and the only one in the family who doesn't seem embarrassed by dad.
"Kids" seems to take unabashed pleasure in following the traditional sitcom formula. In the pilot episode, Michael's worries about Janet's career are neatly resolved within 22 minutes. The exterior shot of the Kyle's Connecticut home is so idealized, it almost looks like a painted postcard. And their backyard lawn has a brilliant green only found in shades of Astroturf.
"Kids" may never be considered an innovative comedy, but it may be a memorable one. For all of its derivative qualities, it dares to showcase a character who is decent above all. In its own quirky way, that's almost audacious. A second episode follows at 7:30 p.m.
l Reality TV goes military with "Boot Camp" (8 p.m., Fox). Eight men and eight women (watch for Lawrence High School and Kansas University graduate Kasi Brown) will submit to the rigors of Marine boot camp under the leadership of four tough drill instructors with 61 years of combined experience.
The object of the show is the same as real boot camp: to take civilian softies, break them down, build them up and change their lives. Unlike "Survivor" and its imitators, this will not feature lush locales or scenery-stealing tantrums. As drill instructor Tony Rosenbum explains, the motto of the show is "save the drama for your mama and push!"
If that isn't tough enough, there's "War Games" (7 p.m., TBS), a fly-on-the-wall look at real military combat exercises that include urban combat, "live-fire" fighting, aerial dog-fighting and submarine hunts. NFL analyst Howie Long narrates.
Tonight's other highlights
The New York City Opera performs Puccini's "La Boheme" (watch for KU graduate Maria Kanyova, formerly known as Mary Jane Kania) on "Live From Lincoln Center" (7 p.m., PBS, check local listings).
Paul Newman, Susan Sarandon, Gene Hackman and James Garner star in the 1998 mystery "Twilight" (8 p.m., CBS).
"The Drew Carey Show" (8 p.m., ABC) celebrates April Fool's Day early with an error-filled episode.
A hologram points the way home on "Star Trek: Voyager" (8 p.m., UPN).
McNeil is taken hostage inside the precinct house on "The Job" (8:30 p.m., ABC).
Judy thinks she's being stalked on "Once and Again" (9 p.m., ABC).
Series notes
"Ed," "Seven," "Friends" and "Jack" are new ... Ray learns that Marie read his diary on "Everybody Loves Raymond" (7 p.m., CBS) ... High-school lawyering on "Ed" (7 p.m., NBC) ... Red cracks down on "That '70s Show" (7 p.m., Fox) ... A technical glitch turns time travel into a personal nightmare on "Seven Days" (7 p.m., UPN).
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