Nickelodeon Makes Newest Shows For Children Fun For The Whole Family

"Why Nickelodeon Has the Best Family Programming Around"

Nickelodeon is a very, very good basic-cable channel. It has lots of cartoons and lots of really, really good live-action shows for kids like "The Journey of Allen Strange" and "The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo." Now they have some new stuff that's really going to be very, very cool. The end.

Just kidding! It's time to grow up - Nickelodeon has. Nick has consistently created appealing shows, and it oozes with a kid-friendly savvy without treating children like brainless Munchkins. During a time when family programming is an increasingly brutal battleground, reeling in the whole household is essential to a G-rated channel's survival. The new Fox Family Channel just doesn't get it. Neither do most of the broadcast networks. But Nick's got the knack.

Now, Nick is kicking back "Nick at Nite" another half-hour to make room for "Nickel-O-Zone," the place for kids to find the channel's prime original programming after dinner, but before bedtime.

Beginning Monday night at 8, the Zone premieres all new-seasons of Nick favorites such as "Allen Strange," (Monday at 8:30 p.m.) "Shelby Woo" (next Sunday at 8 p.m.) and the cartoon "Hey Arnold!" (Monday at 8 p.m.).

But that's old Gak compared to the new stuff.

There's a wacky animated version of the Swiss Family Robinson in "The Wild Thornberrys," from the creator of "Rugrats," premiering Tuesday at 8 p.m. and running Tuesdays and Thursdays at the same time. The Thornberrys are a family of world travelers including a 12-year-old daughter, Eliza (voiced by Lacey Chabert), who can talk with animals. Parents will love Tim Curry as the voice of the eccentric Thornberry patriarch. Besides, he needs the work.

Then there's "Cousin Skeeter," about a dope little puppet - the only puppet in the show - that takes New York City and his relatives by storm. "Cousin Skeeter" is living large at 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, rubbing elbows with stars such as M.C. Lyte and making the ladies sigh. Comedian Bill Bellamy gives mad-mouthed Skeeter his voice. This player puppet's got the juice, and causes his cousin Bobby (Robert Ri'chard) much stress. The Puff Daddy-style video opening the show is reason enough to tune in.

But Nickel-O-Zone's biggest hit will be "The Animorphs," a live-action program based on a Scholastic book series about a diverse group of friends who learn to change into animals. Oh yeah, they're saving the planet, too. Over at Fox, Haim Saban started the morphing trend with the "Power Rangers," now in its gazillionth incarnation. You're sick of them, and so are we.

Enter "The Animorphs." These teenage heroes operate without any lame karate-chop lunacy. They're more likely to wear jeans than silly unitards and motorcycle helmets.

They received their animorph powers from a benevolent alien, but that doesn't mean they can change into dragons or tyrannosaurus rexes at the drop of a hat. A typical choice tends to be a cat, the family dog, a hawk or a horse. See, the Animorphs use their brains instead of brawn, and get out of dangerous situations without resorting to violence. That should be a welcome departure for moms and dads tired of being stabbed by their child's plastic Megazord after a hard day at the office.

Here's the biggest shocker: The Animorphs have families! One of the gang's parents are separated by divorce, another recently lost his mom, a third seems to be an orphan. These are realistic kids with unreal powers, operating in situations tantamount to those of Mulder and Scully. Since half of their town are possessed by evil aliens named Yeerks, they can TRUST NO ONE! Call it a light version of "The X-Files" - and tune in for the premiere Friday at 8:30 p.m. Kids and grown-ups will both agree that it's very, very cool. Melanie McFarland would love to party with Cousin Skeeter, 'cause he's da man. She can be reached at 206-464-2256, or by e-mail at mmcfarland@seatimes.com.