Guy TV -- Move Over, Caroline And Susan. This Fall, Make Room For Buddy, Brian, Desmond, Conrad And Will, Just A Few Of The Macho Types Who Could Make This The Year Of The Man On Network Television.

What do men want?

Usually, that question is the province of beer companies, Cosmopolitan questionnaires and post-Freudian analysts trying to find where XX marks the spot.

Now, judging by the fall lineup of new shows, it's the main obsession of TV executives.

Some might say their interest is overdue. After all, the Big Three networks spent most of the past decade wooing female viewers with a parade of heroines. ABC gave us Roseanne, Grace and Sabrina. CBS had the power trio of Cybill, Murphy and Dr. Quinn. NBC built up sexy urban singles like Caroline and Susan.

Not anymore. You can bid farewell to Woman of the Year and hello to Year of the Man. In the coming season, a whopping 26 of 38 new programs are crafted for the couch potatoes who sweat instead of glow.

Later this week, the industry will begin unveiling its fall lineup to television critics in Pasadena, Calif. The 20-day event provides an opportunity to talk to the talent in front of and behind the cameras and solve mysteries like, "Just what were you thinking when you made Danny Aiello an action figure?"

Barring acts of God, though, everybody pretty much knows what's on tap come autumn. And what's on is hairy. It's as if the networks got a group e-mail that read, "Go after the one with the deep voice, the nacho-stained fingers and the hand permanently cramped from clicking between `Monday Nitro' and WebTV."

Some of the new offerings are grounded in old-fashioned male appeal. Among these are the justice fantasies "Martial Law" (CBS), "Brimstone" (Fox) and "Vengeance Unlimited" (ABC), and the futuristic adventures "Seven Days" and "Mercy Point" (UPN, where else?).

Paddling about in this pool of testosterone, however, it's helpful to recall that a story about a man isn't always a story for a man. One of TV's most venerable concepts - the single dad - has proven irresistible to women over a half-century of viewing. This season, several new shows will take that time-honored path (none, remarkably, starring Tony Danza).

And even classic formulas today contain elements that would have been unseen in the era of Ralph Kramden, Archie Bunker or Ben Cartwright. Television, rarely known for nuance, at least seems to be acknowledging that men come in a wide variety of stripes.

But not so wide we couldn't fit them into categories. So take our husbands - and our bachelors, doctors and detectives - please. We'll burden you with the air dates closer to kickoff. And remember what you're getting is a he-view, not a review. Who wears the pants has nothing to do with who wears our seal of approval:

Getting-even Stevens

"Brimstone," Fox. New York cop (Peter Horton) avenges his wife's rape by killing the assailant; later, when he dies in the line of duty, he's sent to hell as penance. But a breakout unleashes 113 condemned souls back into the real world, and guess who can attain heaven by rounding them up? Guy appeal: High. Nothing like justifiable violence to get the blood racing.

"Vengeance Unlimited," ABC. Mr. Chapel (Michael Madsen) loves children, chocolates and crafting punishments for criminals who have escaped justice's web - without resorting to murder. He also supplies restitution to victims, with the assistance of a beautiful law clerk (Kathleen York). Guy appeal: Medium. Plots must be cleverly heinous to offset the lack of mayhem.

"Martial Law," CBS. Fresh from Hong Kong, it's real-life star Sammo Hung playing Sammo Law, ready to assist former protege Chen Pei Pei (Kelly Hu) and the L.A.P.D. in tracking down Tinseltown's worst felons. Like the press release says - chop cop becomes top cop. Guy appeal: High.

"Buddy Faro," CBS. Buddy Faro (Dennis Farina) once was a big-shot detective. Now, thanks to another private eye (Frank Whaley), the down-and-out Buddy is about to get rediscovered - and go back in the business. Guy appeal: Medium. But hey, Dick Van Dyke wows women viewers in "Diagnosis Murder."

Pants that rock the cradle

"Holding the Baby," Fox. His wife runs off with her yoga instructor; his nanny deserts him. That leaves handsome salesman Gordon Stiles - holding the baby!!! But don't worry. There's a sleek blond graduate student ready to discover her inner caregiver. Guy appeal: Medium. Does he sleep with the blonde?

"Guys Like Us," UPN. Bachelors two Jared (Bumper Robinson) and Sean (Chris Hardwick) are just another pair of twentysomething strivers in Cleveland when Jared's 6-year-old brother Maestro (Maestro Harrell) arrives on the doorstep. Guy appeal: Medium, but only 'cause Maestro is a babe magnet.

Guy-Fi

"Mercy Point," UPN. A medical drama set in deep space (really, the only kind) and charting the lives of "mednauts" dedicated to saving human and alien lives. In other words, take Dr. McCoy's sick bay and make it the whole show. Starring Joe Morton, Maria Del Mar, Brian McNamara and Alexandra Wilson. Guy appeal: Medium/High. Not that some women don't like science fiction, too.

"Seven Days," UPN. A CIA castoff named Frank Parker (Jonathan LaPaglia) must travel back in time to change events - including a presidential assassination - that already have occurred. Hey, didn't "Star Trek" tell us not to do this? Guy appeal: High for LaPaglia.

"Hollyweird," Fox. A trio of twentysomethings with their own cable show come to La-La Land hoping to strike it rich. Instead of prime-time, they get crime-time, solving some of the town's spookiest felonies. Produced by Wes Craven, master of tongue-in-cheek teen gorefests like "Scream." Guy appeal: High. But the show's not even cast yet

He ain't heavy, he's . . .

"Hyperion," The WB. One was an introverted geek; the other was handsome and successful. But now, the years have reversed their roles. Can a wealthy Gen-X software magnate (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) reconcile with his ex-football player flop of an older brother (Dylan Neal)? Guy appeal: High, for all the young dudes.

"Brother's Keeper," ABC. Porter Wade (William Ragsdale) is a straight-laced English professor raising his 8-year-old son in Northern California. But his world is turned upside-down when brother Bobby (Sean O'Bryan), 49ers star and NFL bad boy, needs straightening out to keep his lucrative contract. Guy appeal: Medium. Bobby can't be too reformed.

"The Secret Lives of Men," ABC. Michael (Peter Gallagher), Phil (Brad Whitford) and Andy (Mitch Rouse) are best buddies whose bonds have been strengthened by their recent similar experiences of divorce. Can their weekly golf games lead them out of life's rough? Guy appeal: High. If they talk about interesting stuff.

"Sports Night," ABC. A behind-the-scene look at a sports broadcasting show on cable, pairing Casey (Peter Krause) and Dan (Josh Charles) as co-anchors and best buddies. Guy appeal: High. But can "Sports Night" possibly be as clever as the ESPN show it's spoofing?

Bo-man-za

"Legacy," UPN. Post-Civil War Kentucky is the setting for the Logans, horse breeders and tobacco growers. Patriarch Ned Logan (Brett Cullen) must ride herd on four children, including eldest son Sean (Grayson McCouch), the hot-tempered Clay (Jeremy Garrett) and adoptee Jeremy (Ron Melendez). Guy appeal: Medium. May have to retrain viewers in the art of the period saga.

"Trinity," NBC. The McAllisters are a large, close-knit Irish family from New York's Hell's Kitchen. The three sons are a cop, a labor leader and - of course - the parish priest. In a concession to reality, one daughter is a bond trader. Together, their lives cross in explosive fashion. Guy appeal: Medium.

"Wind on Water," NBC. A one-hour family drama described as a cross between "Melrose Place" and ESPN's "Extreme Games." Rival cattle ranchers in Hawaii duke it out; features brothers Cole and Kelly Connolly (William Gregory Lee and Brian Gross), their valiant mom (Bo Derek) and lots of copter surfing. (That's how they settle these things in Hawaii.) Guy appeal: High.

Boys just wanna have fun

"Encore!" NBC. Broadway and film star Nathan Lane stars as former opera star Joe Pinoni, a womanizing (doubtful) prima donna (maybe) who loses his voice and must retreat to the family homestead in Napa Valley. Guy appeal: Low. Some guys are big Nathan Lane fans. More never heard of him.

"Will & Grace," NBC. She's a straight interior decorator and he's a gay attorney, but Will (Eric McCormack) and Grace (Debra Messing) are otherwise perfect for each other in this mildly ground-breaking comedy. Guy appeal: Low for straights, but many gay men are likely to check it out.

"The Army Show," The WB. Television's first military comedy in years, featuring a band of misfits who lead a Club Med-like existence until a stuffy commander (Craig Anton) takes over. A direct descendant of "The Wackiest Ship in the Army," "Sgt. Bilko" and "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." Guy appeal: Low for young WB viewers. Like, what's an NCO?

"The Brian Benben Show," CBS. Brian Benben plays a news anchor demoted to make way for a younger news team. Benben will use every dirty trick he knows to get the job back, aided by the antics of the sportscaster and weather man. Guy appeal: Low, unless Benben is lovably evil a la Dabney Coleman.

"The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer," UPN. A Civil War-era comedy starring Chi McBride as Desmond Pfeiffer, chief butler and confidante to President Lincoln (Dann Florek). Pfeiffer also deals with the depressed Mary Todd Lincoln (Christa Estabrook) and the scheming chief of staff Gordon Kilbourne (John Fleck). Guy appeal: High for lovers of "Black Adder."

The Regular Joe shows

"The King of Queens," CBS. Doug Hefferman (Kevin James) is a delivery man in Queens who dreams of a 70-inch TV set he can watch in the basement with assorted buddies. But his kingdom is laid siege when some of his in-laws (Jerry Stiller, Leah Remini) have to move in. Guy appeal: Medium/High.

"DiResta," UPN. Based on comedian John DiResta's real life as a New York transit cop, this features a look at the Manhattan policeman's suburban home life, his police buddies and on-the-trail anecdotes. Guy appeal: Medium. Depends on DiResta's funny quotient.

"Conrad Bloom," NBC. A nice-guy Madison Avenue exec (Mark Feuerstein) is so caught up in the needs of his co-workers (Steve Landesberg, Paula Newsome), his sister (Jenica Bergere) and mother (Linda Lavin) that he can't get time for himself. Guy appeal: Low. Not the usual rugged idea of an advertising hotshot.

"Living in Captivity," Fox. All is not well in America's suburbs when a African-American couple, Curtis and Tamara Cooke (Dondre Whitfield and Kira Arne), move next door to the politically incorrect Carmine "The King of All Mufflers" Santucci (Lenny Venito) and his trophy wife, Lisa (Mia Cottet). The third couple, the Mareks, are a frail house-husband (Matthew Letsher) and a high-powered attorney (Melinda McGraw). Guy appeal: High if the promised outrageousness delivers.

"The Hughleys," ABC. Chris Rock executive produces this new take on "The Jeffersons": a story about successful African-American businessman Darryl Hughley (D.L. Hughley), who lives in the lovely suburbs with his wife (Elise Neal) and kids. Catch is, Hughley can't stop feeling he's betrayed his roots and the old neighborhood. Guy appeal: Medium.