On The Air: March 26, 1999

Court Order
Since there are only so many trials of the century, Court TV — the cameras-in-the-courtroom channel launched by Steven Brill in 1991 — has been trying to shore up its post-O.J. ratings with old movies, network reruns, and original programming that all sport a legal theme. ''Justice is blind,'' says Court TV CEO Henry Schleiff, the guy in charge of reinvigorating the network. ''But we're emphasizing the point that justice is also broad.''

Judging from February sweeps, the new approach is acquitting itself nicely: On Feb. 27-28, Court TV posted its best ratings ever, with a lineup that included Crime Stories (a newsmag hosted by Richard Belzer), movies like In the Line of Duty: Manhunt in the Dakotas, and syndicated episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street.

Now the question is, Can justice be funny? Starting April 5, the net debuts Snap Judgment, a Talk Soup-style look at the day's court cases, hosted by New York radio personality Lionel. With Daily Show cocreator Lizz Winstead brought in to consult, don't be surprised if Snap has a segment titled ''5 Legal Questions.''

Recycling Day
Where do failed NBC shows go when they die? the USA Network. Such high-profile Peacock bombs as The Single Guy, Boston Common, The Jeff Foxworthy Show, and The Naked Truth have all found a home on USA despite the fact that none lasted four years (the usual requirement for a successful rerun sale).

USA is hoping the repeats will lure a young daytime audience away from the broadcast nets' soaps and game shows. ''These shows were canceled for the wrong reasons and they're appealing to adults 18-49,'' says USA senior VP of programming Neil Hoffman. And if USA didn't buy them, he notes, ''they'd just be sitting on the shelf collecting dust.'' Would that be so wrong?

The net also plans to woo that target demo with Happy Hour, a Saturday-night variety show hosted by Dweezil and Ahmet Zappa. And then there's GvsE (Good vs. Evil), about a dead man's battle against forces of darkness.

But hey, if these shows tank, NBC would surely sell USA a little gem called Wind on Water.