Sam Waterston

Sam Waterston, appearing in ''MindWalk,'' currently playing at the Senator Theatre, says he became involved in the project because of Liv Ullmann, who was already cast as a physicist. It was she who recommended that Waterston be asked to play the American senator who visits Mont St. Michel where he, the physicist and an American writer discuss, at length, the state of the world, more specifically, the ruination of the planet.''It was my good deed in a wicked world,'' said Waterston.He was calling from Washington, where he had attended a screening of the film.

The big theme in television these days: Make it young. Programmers serve up stories about young adults to please viewers in that age group and the advertisers who covet them. Thus, Dick Wolf, the estimable creator of Law & Order, concentrates on young assistant district attorneys in NBC's Conviction, a drama debuting tonight at 10 (WBAL, Channel 11). Wolf installs Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March) of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as a bureau chief of the district attorney's office in New York.

''Man in the Moon,'' directed by Robert Mulligan (''To Kill a Mockingbird''), is a bittersweet comedy-tragedy that returns to a genre that was popular when movies didn't have to make or break it with sci-fi themes and stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger.Today, the film seems old-fashioned but old-fashioned in a very nice way. While it is true that the movie is small, it is also pleasantly evocative of an era that has passed, a time when parents worried about their daughters and maybe a little less about their sons.

NEW YORK -- Curtain calls are the order of the moment this sultry afternoon in Central Park. If ever there was Much Ado About Nothing, this could be it. But, just as the goal is to rehearse all of Shakespeare's dialogue until it's perfect, so, too, this time-honored theater tradition must be gotten just right. A sea of empty green seats before them, the outdoor set's waving palm trees and columned footbridges behind, Leonato, distinguished governor of Messina, takes his bow; his daughter, nubile Hero, takes hers.

Now it can be revealed: NBC, in a bold programming move, plans to junk its entire prime-time schedule this fall for an all-Law & Order lineup. The ratings-grabbing police-and-courtroom drama, already airing in three versions -- Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: CI -- will expand its reach even further. So get the VCR serviced and stock up on tapes. Coming in September: * Law & Ardor -- Detective Logan (Chris Noth) returns to the precinct, but finds his job complicated by his pairing with a female partner, the department's most fashionable and neurotic detective, played by Sarah Jessica Parker.

The big theme in television these days: Make it young. Programmers serve up stories about young adults to please viewers in that age group and the advertisers who covet them. Thus, Dick Wolf, the estimable creator of Law & Order, concentrates on young assistant district attorneys in NBC's Conviction, a drama debuting tonight at 10 (WBAL, Channel 11). Wolf installs Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March) of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as a bureau chief of the district attorney's office in New York.

NEW YORK -- Curtain calls are the order of the moment this sultry afternoon in Central Park. If ever there was Much Ado About Nothing, this could be it. But, just as the goal is to rehearse all of Shakespeare's dialogue until it's perfect, so, too, this time-honored theater tradition must be gotten just right. A sea of empty green seats before them, the outdoor set's waving palm trees and columned footbridges behind, Leonato, distinguished governor of Messina, takes his bow; his daughter, nubile Hero, takes hers.

It's a Monday with nothing really special on tap, but with weekly series doing their best to provide something that may get attention -- like, say, Hugh Hefner on two NBC sitcoms, or Mike Wallace and Orrin Hatch on one CBS sitcom.* "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (8-8:30 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) -- Hilary (Karyn Parsons) takes Will (Will Smith) to a party -- at the Playboy Mansion, where Hugh Hefner is in attendance. NBC.* "I'll Fly Away" (8-9 p.m., WETA, Channel 26) -- The primary characters on this fine series adjust their allegiances a bit tonight, as Forrest (Sam Waterston)

One of the best dramas on television underwent cosmetic surgery recently, and the bandages are removed tonight."Law & Order," back for its fifth season at 10 tonight on WMAR (Channel 2), looks a little different with Sam Waterston Jr. added to the cast in place of the departed Michael Moriarty.But underneath, the show's heart and soul are unchanged. We move from the crime or death itself to the arrest and filing of charges. Then, it's the appearance of the defense attorney, the strategy on both sides of the courtroom and a verdict, a plea bargain or charges being dropped.

Law & Order starts its 13th season tonight with the debut of Sen. Fred Thompson, Tennessee Republican, as District Attorney Arthur Branch and a ripped-from-the-headlines story about an American Taliban who just might remind some viewers of John Walker Lindh. You have got to hand it to executive producer Dick Wolf - he does not let any rust settle on his franchise series. Wolf, who has championed the concept of actors as interchangeable parts, wastes not a second of tonight's show explaining the disappearance of Dianne Wiest, who left the series, as District Attorney Nora Lewin.

Law & Order starts its 13th season tonight with the debut of Sen. Fred Thompson, Tennessee Republican, as District Attorney Arthur Branch and a ripped-from-the-headlines story about an American Taliban who just might remind some viewers of John Walker Lindh. You have got to hand it to executive producer Dick Wolf - he does not let any rust settle on his franchise series. Wolf, who has championed the concept of actors as interchangeable parts, wastes not a second of tonight's show explaining the disappearance of Dianne Wiest, who left the series, as District Attorney Nora Lewin.

Now it can be revealed: NBC, in a bold programming move, plans to junk its entire prime-time schedule this fall for an all-Law & Order lineup. The ratings-grabbing police-and-courtroom drama, already airing in three versions -- Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: CI -- will expand its reach even further. So get the VCR serviced and stock up on tapes. Coming in September: * Law & Ardor -- Detective Logan (Chris Noth) returns to the precinct, but finds his job complicated by his pairing with a female partner, the department's most fashionable and neurotic detective, played by Sarah Jessica Parker.

After a month of seeing way too many new series that don't work, will never work, and ought to be taken back by the networks and put out of their misery, what a pleasure it is to witness the return an old familiar formula in which almost everything seems a perfect fit. That's the experience I had watching the 11th season premiere of NBC's "Law & Order," the longest-running drama series currently on network television. Even though producer Dick Wolf seems to re-cast a major player every season, the series just rolls on, hardly missing a beat.

If this is a "sweeps" ratings period, it must be time for a "Law & Order"/"Homicide: Life on the Street" crossover aimed at pumping up ratings for the Baltimore cop drama.But wait. Before you get all cynical about such TV contrivance, this crossover, titled "Sideshow: Part One & Two," is one worth your time.Not only are both hours splendidly written, superbly directed and, for the most part, well-acted, they are also fascinating in the sociology they contain. "Sideshow" is the start of prime-time, network drama interpreting, deconstructing and re-imagining the particulars of the Clinton sex scandal through fictional story lines.

Considering the lineup on Disney tonight, this might not be a bad time to come down with insomnia."World Figure Skating Championships" (8 p.m.-11 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) -- Elvis Stojko takes on Todd Eldredge in the men's finals, taped yesterday and today in Switzerland. Also on tap: the pairs finals. ABC."Suddenly Susan" (8: 30 p.m.-9 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) -- Lucky Susan: Her relationship with Adam (Brett Cullen) is improving; she's even impressing his kids and his ex-wife. Poor Jack (Judd Nelson)

Elvis how that man could eat. Watch Cinemax tonight and be reminded."Unsolved Mysteries" (8 p.m.-9 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) -- Segments include a survivor of the Oklahoma City bombing searching for the men who rescued him. NBC."Due South" (8 p.m.-9 p.m., WJZ, Channel 13) -- A train carrying Fraser and a bunch of his fellow Mounties is hijacked, and it's Leslie Nielsen to the rescue. CBS."Law & Order" (10 p.m.-11 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) -- McCoy (Sam Waterston) argues that a man convicted of killing an undercover detective be sentenced to death.

Elvis how that man could eat. Watch Cinemax tonight and be reminded."Unsolved Mysteries" (8 p.m.-9 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) -- Segments include a survivor of the Oklahoma City bombing searching for the men who rescued him. NBC."Due South" (8 p.m.-9 p.m., WJZ, Channel 13) -- A train carrying Fraser and a bunch of his fellow Mounties is hijacked, and it's Leslie Nielsen to the rescue. CBS."Law & Order" (10 p.m.-11 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) -- McCoy (Sam Waterston) argues that a man convicted of killing an undercover detective be sentenced to death.

Considering the lineup on Disney tonight, this might not be a bad time to come down with insomnia."World Figure Skating Championships" (8 p.m.-11 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) -- Elvis Stojko takes on Todd Eldredge in the men's finals, taped yesterday and today in Switzerland. Also on tap: the pairs finals. ABC."Suddenly Susan" (8: 30 p.m.-9 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) -- Lucky Susan: Her relationship with Adam (Brett Cullen) is improving; she's even impressing his kids and his ex-wife. Poor Jack (Judd Nelson)

One of the best dramas on television underwent cosmetic surgery recently, and the bandages are removed tonight."Law & Order," back for its fifth season at 10 tonight on WMAR (Channel 2), looks a little different with Sam Waterston Jr. added to the cast in place of the departed Michael Moriarty.But underneath, the show's heart and soul are unchanged. We move from the crime or death itself to the arrest and filing of charges. Then, it's the appearance of the defense attorney, the strategy on both sides of the courtroom and a verdict, a plea bargain or charges being dropped.

It's pretty much a take-it-or-leave-it proposition that John Waters has staked his career on.Will they get it or won't they get it?If they don't get it, they don't get it.If they do get it, he's a hit.So far, says the Baltimore-based director, with maniacal glee in his eye, "They get it."The "it" they may or may not get is "Serial Mom," Waters' first film since 1990 and his first to use big-time movie stars, including Kathleen Turner and Sam Waterston (though some of his old favorites -- Mink Stole, for example -- are present)