Larry Sanders Show

Tonight's easy best bet: the seventh and deciding game of the NBA Finals.* "NBA Finals" (9 p.m.-conclusion, WMAR, Channel 2) -- The Houston Rockets have the home-court advantage for Game 7 against the New York Knicks, and the one advantage viewers have is that, unlike Friday's Game 6, this final game is not likely to be pre-empted by coverage of a low-speed chase. NBC.* "NYPD Blue" (10-11 p.m., WJZ, Channel 13) -- John Wesley Shipp guest stars as Roy Larsen, the physical-fitness overenthusiast who takes an almost instant dislike to Kelly (David Caruso)

Today is World AIDS Day, marked by everything from related made-for-TV movies to a benefit concert on MTV. On the major networks, though, it's business as usual.* "Beverly Hills, 90201" (8-9 p.m., WBFF, Channel 45) -- On tonight's show, Shannen Doherty's Brenda gets a role in a college play -- with a costume budget to match her apparel, which is nothing. Is America really ready for "Beverly Hills Blue"? Fox.* "Moon Over Miami" (10-11 p.m., WJZ, Channel 13) -- Elliott Gould, who just concluded a multiple-episode guest stint on "L.A.

Will "Cheers" surpass "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" as the most celebrated TV series?2 * Robert Morse,"Tru (American Playhouse)," PBSGuest actress,comedy series:* Shelley Long,"Cheers," NBC* Gwen Verdon,"Dream On," HBO* Ruby Dee, "Evening Shade," CBS* Carol Burnett,"The Larry Sanders Show," HBO1% * Tracey Ullman,"Love & War," CBSLead actress,comedy series:* Marion Ross,"Brooklyn Bridge," CBS* Kirstie Alley,"Cheers," NBC* Helen Hunt,"Mad About You," NBC* Candice...

LOS ANGELES -- CBS and "Northern Exposure" received the most nominations."Cheers" received enough nominations to possibly become the most celebrated TV show in history on Emmy night.But HBO and Garry Shandling made the biggest noise with the announcement yesterday of the 45th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards nominations.HBO set a record for a non-broadcast network with its 55 nominations, more than doubling its previous record of 26 nominations and tying with ABC. The feat marks a new parity between cable and network TV.HBO's "Citizen Cohn," a docudrama about controversial attorney Roy Cohn, was the second-most honored of any TV show with 11 nominations.

Garry Shandling is so hot that when asked if he can talk about "the network offer," he has to ask which multimillion-dollar network offer to host a late-night talk show you're referring to."The one I cannot talk about is CBS; I cannot talk about the CBS situation at all," Shandling said in a recent telephone interview."However, I can talk about the NBC situation. And that was a difficult decision for me to make, because I have an affinity toward late-night television. I grew up watching it, and it was certainly the catalyst to my career.

Should Garry Shandling step into NBC's late-night slot made vacant by David Letterman this summer, the comedian will have to hope the celebrity fans of his fictional show will like the real him.Mr. Shandling, the host of HBO's satirical "The Larry Sanders Show," has become a cult hit among Hollywood performers who like the way the show spoofs the industry."It's funny," said actor Alec Baldwin during a recent taping of the season's premiere show. "It's different. I enjoy the show within the show.

Just what we need: Another new TV talk show debuts tonight."The Late Mr. Pete," starring Pete Chaconas, starts a Monday-through-Thursday run at midnight on cable channel +V USA.Pete who? The late Mr. What? And who are all these talk show hosts popping up all over the place and why are they saying such terrible things about each other anyway?"The Late Mr. Pete" is not a bad, little, low-budget, quirky, nutsy, Ernie-Kovacs-homage, kind of cult show. But it's far more interesting for what it's part of than for what it is. It's part of the explosion of talk shows debuting and often getting canceled, accompanied by such fierce in-fighting among hosts and producers for slices of a fragmented audience that late night is becoming the Beirut of TV time periods.