Kojak: randy Tepper/Showtime
Kojak
USA, March 27STARRING Ving Rhames, Chazz Palminteri
WHAT IT'S ABOUT Like the '70s original starring Telly Savalas, the series follows charismatic Lieut. Theo Kojak (Rhames) as he works the mean streets of New York City.
WHAT TO EXPECT This is present-day Manhattan, so no black fedoras or wide-collared coats. But Kojak's sucker habit will remain intact (instead of Tootsie Pops, it's plain old lollipops), as will the spirit of Savalas himself. ''Telly's interpretation of Kojak was very much emblematic of what Ving is doing,'' says exec producer Tom Thayer, who began his career in Hollywood as a junior exec on the original CBS series. ''This is a man you can stand behind — a man who will walk into any storm.'' Rhames, however, says he brings no baggage to the role, since he never watched Kojak while growing up in Harlem. ''No one in my neighborhood had interest in watching a white guy who probably arrested black people.''