Comedy Central

Jon Stewart is a much shorter and more nervous version of Craig Kilborn, which is to say he's hardly Craig Kilborn at all.Whether this will matter once Stewart takes over for Kilborn as host of Comedy Central's satirical ``The Daily Show'' on Jan. 11 is uncertain. For now, Stewart jokes, all he knows is that ``a team of expatriate Russian engineers from the breakdown of Chechnya'' have installed a booster seat on Kilborn's chair, and a tailor is busy hemming Kilborn's suits to fit a much smaller man.Since it debuted in the summer of 1996, ``The Daily Show,'' which airs weeknights, has become a welcome antidote to the rise in self-important TV newsmagazines, blustering pundits and celebrity-worship programming.

With an impeached president and a scandal that has shone new light on such mundane items as cigars and stained dresses, has there ever been a better time to get into the business of satirizing the news?Probably not, and that's great news for Jon Stewart, who on Monday takes over the job of host on Comedy Central's "Daily Show," a nightly send-up of American news (and newscasters).Neielsen Co figures:Rating1. Touched by an Angel CBS 16.42. 60 Minutes CBS 14.33. Sunday Movie: Sabrina CBS 14.04.

One thing you can say about "Strangers With Candy" is that the premise of this new series from the Comedy Central cable channel is certainly original."

Welcome to week two of "Baltimore Held Hostage: Life Without 'Politically Incorrect.' "Thanks to what its management says are "prior commitments," WMAR (Channel 2) is among only 3 percent of ABC stations nationwide not carrying the network's newest entry in the late-night wars.What does that mean, exactly? It means that Baltimore TV viewers are missing a lively alternative to the staid, stale and increasingly stupefying late-night fare offered by Letterman and Leno. (Sorry, Dave, you've lost your edge; sorry, Jay, you never really had one.)

Hey, the Super Bowl was yesterday. Let's get back to reality."The American Music Awards" (8 p.m.-11 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) -- For the 24th time, a random sampling of average Americans (did anyone ask you?) picks their favorites from the world of music. Tonight's ceremony promises a salute to "The Year of the Woman," including a look at the year's most prominent female singers (with Garth Brooks as host) and a performance by Leann Rimes. Other artists scheduled to appear include Toni Braxton, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, NAS, New Edition, Rod Stewart and Keith Sweat.

Peter Sellers is extraordinary as Chauncey Gardiner (he's really Chance, the gardener, and therein lies the tale) in "Being There" (8 p.m.-10: 30 p.m., Comedy Central), as a simpleton whose entire view of the world is based on what he's seen on television. Abruptly thrown into the real world, armed with only a satchel and a remote control, he somehow not only fends for himself but becomes the next big thing in Washington.Director Hal Ashby's take on Jerzy Kosinski's novel is a sly triumph, a biting satire on the role of media in today's society.

"I don't know why I'm so depressed, Doctor. I mean, well, I lost my grandmother recently.""Oh, I'm sorry.""No, she didn't die. We lost her. She actually shrunk to the point where we can't find her anymore. I think she's napping in a box of Kleenex."Ba-da-boom.Stand-up comedy from cartoon characters lying on the couch of a pensive psychiatrist. What else could it be but the return of "Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist," Comedy Central's animated cult hit about a Manhattan shrink with lots of problems?

Sex. Murder. Sex. Money. Sex. Alien abductions. Sex.From 1977 to 1981, that's what ABC offered American audiences hefty helpings of, thanks to "Soap," a sometimes brilliant, often stupid, rarely dull soap-opera spoof whose worst sin was the legacy it left behind: a spin-off, "Benson."But don't hold that against it. Rather, sit back and enjoy Comedy Central's "Soap" marathon (6 p.m.-4 a.m.), as the wealthy Tates and the blue-collar Campbells wage war on each other and on the rest of the world (the world usually wins)

Watching bad movies just hasn't been any fun since they left. You tried talking to yourself. You brushed up on your pop culture references and exchanged witty criticisms of '50s monster movies with the mirror. But you didn't have theater seats to sit in. Your obnoxiousness was feigned and halfhearted. And, frankly, your toaster oven just couldn't cut it as a friendly robot companion.Thank goodness "Mystery Science Theater 3000" is back on the air.The hippest slice of geek heaven on television, "MST3K" has finally come to roost with the fans who can appreciate it most.

It's not the return of the original "Saturday Night Live," but "The Bert Fershners TV Special" (11 p.m.-11: 30 p.m., Comedy Central) offers some inspired bits, including an impersonation of the old Pong video game and a little ditty the seven-member troupe sings to accompany the closing credits. Unfortunately, a long bit about alien robots taking the place of human beings is an example of a decent idea stretched too thin.Still, the three or four good bits give "The Bert Fershners" (the name, apparently, is meaningless)

Series Parks and Recreation:: Saturday Night Live's Amy Poehler and The Office's Rashida Jones headline this new sitcom. (8:30 p.m., WBAL-Channel 11) Samantha Who?: : Andrea's (Jennifer Esposito) latest boyfriend may be keeping a secret in this new episode. (8:30 p.m., WMAR-Channel 2) 30 Rock:: Impending budget cuts cause uneasiness among the TGS staff in this new episode. (9:31 p.m., WBAL-Channel 11) Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire: : An unlikely hero arises in this new series spoofing the conventions of the medieval fantasy flicks.

Series Scrubs:: When the moon is full, things turn crazy for the hospital staff. (8 p.m., WMAR-Channel 2) American Idol: : Last season's winner, David Cook, returns to show the current contestants how it's done. Lady GaGa also performs. (9 p.m., WBFF-Channel 45) Reno 911!: : Those daffy deputies return for another season of shenanigans. (10:30 p.m., Comedy Central) Specials I Get That a Lot: : Celebrities pretend to be everyday folks who are mistaken for the celebrities that they actually are. (8 p.m., WJZ-Channel 13)

Series The Chopping Block: : Each team has to create a dish using only ingredients found in Central Park. Jim and Nina Zagat guest star. (8 p.m., WBAL-Channel 11) American Idol: : The remaining finalists perform classic Motown songs, and Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy help pay tribute to the Motown sound. (8 p.m., WBFF-Channel 45) South Park: : Everyone in town starts pointing fingers when it comes to who is responsible for the state of the economy. (10 p.m., Comedy Central) Movies Vertical Limit: : Chris O'Donnell plays a former mountain-climbing expert who returns to the Himalayas to try to rescue his sister (Robin Tunney)

To: Gov. Bobby Jindal Fm: Hank McDazzle, McDazzle Image Consulting Re: Fame and fortune Don't let the bastards get you down, Bobby. I know what you're thinking. Your earnest, awkward, platitude-filled and, well, slightly comical performance after President Barack Obama's address to Congress last week has just Katrina'd your career. Listen, nothing could be further from the truth. You're way more handsome than 30 Rock's Kenneth the Page, and how many governors make the kind of splash on YouTube and the late-night network shows like you did?

Series Knight Rider: : Mike (Justin Bruening) tells a DEA agent (Maria Menounos) that the plane crash she's investigating was faked and the young federal witness who was aboard has been kidnapped. (8 p.m., WBAL-Channel 11) American Idol: : The Hollywood round continues. (8 p.m., WBFF-Channel 45) Criminal Minds: : The team tracks a serial killer who embalms his victims so he can keep them around for a while. Cybill Shepherd guest stars as a suspect's mother. (9 p.m., WJZ-Channel 13) Lost:: Locke (Terry O'Quinn)

TV 'Dollhouse': Talk about a clean slate. In a stylish new series from the creator of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, pretty young things like Eliza Dushku's Echo are wiped of memories, only to have new personas uploaded every few days. Dark and kitschy, Dollhouse is a show you'll remember. Airs 9:01 p.m. Friday on WBFF, Channel 45. FILM 'The International': Finally, a vicious bank is ready to get beat down rather than bailed out. Clive Owen stars as an Interpol agent who risks everything to expose slimy moneymen who want to make the world "slaves to debt."

8 p.m. [Comedy Central] Lots of sports in this quirky movie: Uncle Rico showing how to throw a football, Napoleon playing tetherball, Kip trying his hand at martial arts. And don't forget to vote for Pedro.

The Simpsons spin-off Futurama may still be canceled, but the cult favorite has found a new life as a series of direct-to-DVD movies. Tonight, Comedy Central returns the gang to TV as it re-airs the first Futurama feature, Bender's Big Score. The film picks up where the show left off, with a sly reference to being canceled (Fox dumped it in 2003 after four years of monkeying with its time slot). Fry and the gang are charged with making a delivery to "the Nude Beach Planet," where characters' naughty bits are cleverly covered.

The presidential candidacy of Sen. Barack Obama has already inspired several in-depth explorations of race, ranging from CNN's Black in America documentary in July to Ted Koppel's report The Last Lynching, which aired on Discovery Monday. Tonight on Comedy Central comes a new sketch magazine comedy series, Chocolate News. Created by and starring David Alan Grier, it's a no-holds-barred exploration of contemporary life from a distinctly African-American perspective. As Grier himself describes it at the start of the pilot, "Welcome to the Chocolate News, the only source of pure, uncircumcised realness from an Afro-centric perspective."

Lots of sophomore series like ABC's Pushing Daisies are settling into their new season with second episodes tonight, but guess what, viewers don't seem to care. Second-year broadcast network series across the board are down from where they were last year. Network viewers are going elsewhere for their prime-time pleasures, and one of those places is cable's Comedy Central, where The Sarah Silverman Show starts its second season tonight. Silverman isn't for everyone, but those who get the offbeat comedian worship her the way some of us are worshiping Tina Fey these days.