`Sweet 15' Is Engaging Family Drams Aimed At Young People

`Wonderworks,'' the PBS series designed for young people and their families, generally has dramas superior to prime-time entertainment. That may be why Channel 28 is airing the series at 8 p.m. Wednesdays, beginning tonight with the first half of ``Sweet 15,'' the opening production in ``Wonderworks' '' sixth season. (Channel 9 will begin airing the new programs Sunday afternoons Jan. 28.)

``Sweet 15'' is a charming, funny, intelligent drama about a Latino family living in contemporary Los Angeles. Karla Montana is a delight as Marta, almost 15 and eagerly awaiting her ``Quinceanera,'' a celebration that includes a Mass and a party and marks the beginning of adulthood for young girls. But her story is placed in the context of immigration crackdowns on Mexican immigrants and the problems of proving how long you've worked in the United States to be eligible for amnesty.

Tony Plana is fine as Marta's father; so are Jenny Gago as Marta's mother and Panchito Gomez as the young man who catches Marta's eye - and the wrath of her father. Sharon Weil co-authored the script; Victoria Hochberg directed and they, in conjunction with a talented cast, have turned ``Sweet 15'' into an engaging, believable story. The second half airs next Wednesday, and tonight's program will be repeated at 2 p.m. Saturday on Channel 28.

Change: NBC's popular ``Dear John'' gets a new time slot (9:30 p.m. Wednesdays), beginning tonight on Channel 5, and a new cast member, a Southern beauty named Mary Beth, played by Susan Walters. She's a welcome addition and it's an amusing episode that reinforces the idea Judd Hirsch may be the nominal star of ``Dear John'' but he graciously lets the others, particularly Jere Burns' outrageously chauvinist character, Kirk, take most of the spotlight.

Spy story: Despite the presence of the fine actor Brian Dennehy as the lead and an intriguing story line, ``Pride and Extreme Prejudice,'' the new TV movie airing at 9 tonight on cable's USA Network, is pretty humdrum, partly because Murray Smith's screenplay makes hash out of Frederick Forsyth's story.

Because of the recent monumental changes in Europe, spy stories about East vs. West have tough sledding and ``Pride'' takes so long in setting up its premise you may lose interest before things get in gear. It involves a high-ranking Soviet general who wants to defect to the West; Dennehy plays an agent assigned to pick up the general's information but soon finds himself chased by both the CIA and the KGB. It will be repeated at 7 p.m. Sunday.

Concert hall: It's a PBS music festival tonight on Channel 9, beginning with ``Live from Lincoln Center'' at 9 p.m., a two-hour concert by the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Zubin Mehta, featuring members of the orchestra as soloists in a diverse program. That's followed at 11 p.m. by a 1983 performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, performed by Claudio Arrau, with Riccardo Muti conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra. Channel 28 airs the latter program at 9 tonight and ``Live from Lincoln Center'' next Sunday at 8 p.m.

Winners & losers: CBS' ``Pair of Aces'' beat out - just barely - NBC's ``Without Her Consent'' to win the Sunday Night Movie sweepstakes. ``Pair of Aces'' was 18th in the Nielsen ratings for the week that ended Sunday night; ``Without Her Consent'' was 19th; ABC's ``Jury Duty'' was 55th.

The second part of NBC's ``Drug Wars'' miniseries was 33rd, aced out by ABC's ``Rock Hudson Story'' (29th). The final episode of ``Drug Wars'' was 26th and the new Disney TV movie, ``Exile,'' was 53rd. CBS' airing of the theatrical film, ``La Bamba,'' was 63rd.

ABC's ``Coach,'' in 11th place, was the most-watched of this season's new shows, followed by the premiere of ``America's Funniest Home Videos'' (16), ABC's ``Family Matters'' (31), ABC's ``Doogie Howser, M.D.'' (32), CBS' ``Major Dad'' (35), CBS' ``Rescue: 911'' (40), CBS' ``Doctor, Doctor'' (43), the premiere of Fox's ``The Simpsons'' (47), NBC's ``True Blue'' (53), CBS' ``Famous Teddy Z'' (57), ABC's ``Free Spirit'' (59, tied with NBC's ``Mancuso''), CBS' ``Island Son'' and ABC's ``Young Riders'' tied for 64th place, NBC's ``Baywatch'' and ABC's ``Life Goes On'' tied for 66th, CBS' new ``Max Monroe: Loose Cannon'' (68), CBS' ``Saturday Night with Connie Chung'' (73), ABC's ``Prime Time Live'' (74), while Fox's ``Booker'' was 81st and ``Alien Nation'' 82nd.

Video notes: Channel 9 airs an environmental special, ``Wildlife in the Rain Country,'' filmed in Alaska, tonight at 7. . . . Real anecdotes are combined with the fictional script in the episode of ABC's ``China Beach'' airing at 10 tonight on Channel 4.

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John Voorhees' column appears daily in The Times.