TVision: Sherri moves from daytime to nighttime

SHEPHERD

Sherri Shepherd's made plenty of headlines during her time as a member of The View. From occasionally unusual opinions (such as saying she wasn't sure the world was round) to offering spicy contrasts to Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar, Shepherd's been anything but a shrinking violet.

Still, comedy rather than politics or news has always been her forte, and Shepherd's made occasional guest appearances on 30 Rock portraying Tracy Morgan's larger-than-life, demanding wife.

But tonight Shepherd’s in the spotlight on her own when the new show Sherri debuts on Lifetime at 6 p.m. before moving to its regular time slot at 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

Shepherd will be featured as a divorced mother and paralegal trying to deal with an unreliable ex-husband (Malcolm-Jamal Warner), a supportive but sometimes difficult dad (James Avery) and the usual problems facing divorced professionals whose income and ambitions widely differ.

Advance word on this one isn't very positive, though even her biggest detractors acknowledge Shepherd has personality and energy, and is great at delivering acerbic one-liners and playing off other actors. But what dooms most sitcoms is writing quality and thematic development, and so far there's little indication this show will offer innovations in either area, or for that matter in casting. Still, Shepherd has her fans from The View, and Lifetime hopes they'll follow her to the evening hours.

‘Betty’ back on a new night

After three years as ABC's leadoff program on Thursday nights, Ugly Betty begins its fourth season Friday at 7 p.m. opposing the CBS program that's dominated that time slot (Ghost Whisperer) and a resurgent (creatively anyhow) Law and Order on NBC. As part of a campaign to revive ratings, star America Ferrera gets a new wardrobe, ditches the trademark braces, gets a new boss and new job (associate features editor).

What's not so clear is whether there's anything left in a show that once seemed a breath of fresh air, but last year lost a huge chunk of its audience and wasn't nearly as inventive or funny as in the previous two years.

What may help it is that the only comedies in that time slot, Fox's Brothers and 'Til Death, are even worse. The show's producers are promising less gloom and doom and more satire and physical comedy for the fourth year, and they also hope getting off the most competitive night on television will help the show's ratings.

Saluting ‘Wives’ finale

Anyone who enjoys Army Wives better be sure to catch Sunday night's finale on Lifetime at 9 p.m. That's because the show isn't returning until the summer of 2010. It departs with a blockbuster cliffhanger in the grand tradition. The fate of two characters as well as a marriage will be placed in jeopardy, meaning fans will have a lot of time to make their guesses about who will survive.

ESPN series begins

The National Hockey League had never had a deal as big as the 1988 trade of superstar Wayne Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings.

Gretzky had led the Oilers to multiple Stanley Cups, but though he loved playing in Edmonton, the small market club could not offer him the megabucks others in the sport were beginning to earn. Also, it was felt his presence in Los Angeles might finally help hockey become a factor in that city's pro sports scene.

Things never worked out as expected, but the trade remains arguably the biggest in NHL history. ESPN begins its series of prime documentaries directed by top Hollywood types Tuesday night at 7 p.m. with Kings Ransom. Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) profiles the deal and interviews coaches, players, owners and fans while examining both the pros (possibly saving hockey in LA) and cons (its impact not only on Edmonton but on the sport's fiscal structure) of the landmark trade.

The documentary is one of 30 designed to celebrate ESPN's 30th anniversary, and also marks one of the few times the network has utilized outside directors for celebratory projects.