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A guide to notable programs by Bruce Fretts. (Times are Eastern daylight and are subject to change.)
SERIES
Even though it hasn't been funny for years, MURPHY BROWN (CBS, Mondays, 9-9:30 p.m.) apparently still carries some cachet in Washington, D.C., circles. President Clinton even sent a letter congratulating the series on its 200th episode, which airs on Oct. 21. Meanwhile, cast members keep leaving, like rats deserting a sinking sitcom. Robert Pastorelli split for his own short-lived CBS comedy, Double Rush, and Grant Shaud exited at the end of last season (his replacement, Lily Tomlin, hasn't added much). Now Pat Corley's out the door; his barkeep character, Phil, draws his last beer -- and his last breath. A funeral tribute brings Larry King and Geraldine Ferraro to the pub, as the FYI gang searches for a replacement for Phil. CBS would be smart to start searching for a replacement for Murphy. If you're one of the approximately 262 million Americans who don't watch SAVANNAH (The WB, Mondays, 9-10 p.m.), you're missing a very good thing. This season, Aaron Spelling's steamy Southern soap has added another terrific villain to its stable: Homefront vet Mimi Kennedy as the high-society mom who demolished the marriage plans of her lawyer son (Scott Thompson Baker) and bad girl Peyton (Jamie Luner). In happier developments, Reese (Shannon Sturges) has begun a romance with the twin brother of her allegedly dead ex-husband (George Eads), and Lane (Robyn Lively) got engaged to her cop beau (David Gail) -- after he saved her from a shack full of snakes. Viewers had better save Savannah soon; its ratings are low even by The WB's standards.
It's official: ROSEANNE (ABC, Tuesdays, 8-8:30 p.m.) is dead. Two of this season's first three episodes were dominated by painful fantasy sequences, with pointless reenactments of scenes from old sitcoms, and Rosey imagining herself as a guest on Jerry Springer, a Playboy model, and a beauty queen. Roseanne claims she's been influenced by the absurd humor of Ab Fab (whose stars, Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley, will appear in the Halloween episode), but it seems more like the writers have run out of ideas. Roseanne's family winning the lottery hasn't helped either, what with Jim ''Ernest'' Varney guest-starring as a Moldavian prince who tries to seduce Jackie (Laurie Metcalf). And I'm still trying to erase from my mind the image of Roseanne celebrating her good fortune by jumping around her living room wearing only sweatpants and a bra.
Always following trends but never setting them (first it was a female Seinfeld, then a Friends clone), ELLEN (ABC, Wednesdays, 8-8:30 p.m.) has jumped on yet another TV bandwagon -- the dour drama that overtook Mad About You last season. Her parents' separation has sent Ellen (Ellen DeGeneres) into a depression; a recent episode ended with her weeping (albeit while sitting on an O in the ''Hollywood'' sign). Thankfully, this plotline does mean extra exposure for the gifted team of Steven Gilborn and Alice Hirson as Ellen's white-bread folks. And the rest of the ensemble is coming together as an appealing unit (with the exception of Clea Lewis as the annoying Audrey). The addition of Bruce Campbell as Ellen's politically incorrect new boss has also provided her with a worthy comic adversary. Now, if the producers could just define the show by doing something bold like having Ellen come out of the...nah, they'd never do that.
