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But everyone knows you can't keep a good mercenary down -- and that's why Lawless, who admits to ''some nervous moments where I thought I'd never work again,'' agreed to channel those maternal instincts for her role as newspaper magnate Kathleen Clayton on The WB's Tarzan. She plays auntie to hunk Travis Fimmel's ape-man. ''It's stylish and gnarly, and targeted to a demo that's not so bad for career longevity,'' she says, clearly aware of TV's economic realities. ''I hate to be calculating, but I want to broaden my audience.''

And to think she didn't accept the producers' original offer. Uninterested in signing a multiyear contract, Lawless declined the role only to return -- at the producers' behest -- after they nixed American actress Jenna Stern in late August. (The situation strangely parallels her Xena breakout: Lawless took the part after the original lead fell sick as shooting began. Asked about the coincidence, Lawless replies with characteristic flippancy: ''Eh, I'm building a career on the dregs of other actresses!'') She agreed to sign on for the first season of Tarzan and struck a development deal with The WB that could lead to her own show next year.

Though not engaging in the sort of butt kicking for which Xena was famed, Lawless admits she's trying to spice up her story. ''I suggested [Kathleen] get infected with crazy monkey blood.'' (If only!) ''And that went down like a cup of cold coffee,'' she says. ''Then I said, 'Tarzan and I could wrestle on the floor, and it could turn sexual. You know: Tarzan does his aunt.''' (Um, honey, this isn't the Spice Channel.) ''They weren't jumping on that bandwagon, either.''

But Lawless insists she doesn't need to be manhandling bad (or good) guys to enjoy a role. ''I'm terribly happy mincing about in high heels. Nobody's saying, 'Lucy! Go lie in that puddle of blood!' It's 'Lucy! Sit in the limo and stay warm while the other actors sit under the rain machine!' I just sit there and go tee-hee-hee!'' -- Nicholas Fonseca

Jason Bateman ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

Maybe the 10th time's the charm. For years, Bateman has been the only memorable element of nine forgettable series, such as Chicago Sons, Simon, and Some of My Best Friends. Now with Fox's dark dysfunctional-family comedy Arrested Development (debuting Nov. 2), he has finally found a show as sharp as he is. ''It's the kind of stuff that makes me laugh, as opposed to the softer material I've been doing for pretty much my whole career,'' says Bateman. As the uptight son who takes over the family business when his father (Jeffrey Tambor) is jailed on embezzlement charges, Bateman brings a snide edge to what could've been a bland straight-man role. ''It's not the sexy part, but it's vital to making the comedy work,'' says Bateman. ''I like having the responsibility.''

The 34-year-old actor, who's married to actress Amanda Anka (Paul's daughter) and has no children, is less comfortable with playing the father of a 13-year-old boy (Michael Cera). ''He shaves more often than I do,'' deadpans Bateman. ''And he's grown six inches since the pilot.'' Bateman knows all about growing up on TV. At 12, he played an orphan adopted by Michael Landon on Little House on the Prairie. While older sister Justine scored with Family Ties, Jason also segued into sitcoms as scheming adolescents on Silver Spoons and It's Your Move.


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