What's on TV
Saturday 3/1
Stuart Little (HBO Family, 8-8:30 a.m.): The animated series features sweet moral lessons youngsters will enjoy. Learning to overcome jealousy and envy when one brother can do things another simply can't (he's too big) should be helpful to all viewers. The animation is charmingly drawn, and the acting is fairly lively. TV-G
Six Feet Under (HBO, 9-10 p.m.): The controversial hit show begins its third season with a real kicker. To write anything about the first episode would be to give too much away. This is perhaps the only show on TV in which the grim reaper is an actual character (though we never see it), because every single episode begins with a death, and, unlike cop shows, the death has nothing to do with unraveling a puzzle. As caustic and as gory as the show can sometimes be, the tone is darkly funny. It's the Fisher family we care about - as odd, self-loathing, and pathetic as they can be sometimes. And "Six Feet," like another HBO series, "The Sopranos," has given the networks a run for their money. TV-MA
Salem Witch Trials (Begins tonight on CBS, 9-11 p.m.; ends Tuesday): This disturbing drama may not be entirely accurate historically - liberties have been taken of the New Age variety. But it does one thing right - it demonstrates how women have been controlled with the threat of violence down through time. It is absolutely essential TV viewing for those students of human behavior who want to know why such things happen, so that they may be prevented in future. Stars Kirstie Alley, Gloria Reuben, Shirley MacLaine, and Peter Ustinov. TV-14-D
Michael Essany (E!, 10:30-11 p.m.): The sophomore at Valparaiso University in Indiana tapes his own late-night program in his parents' living room. Mom touches up his makeup, and guests must remove their shoes. E! begins a 13-episode reality show about Essany's life as a TV host. TV-PG
Married By America (Fox, 8-10 p.m.): First there was "The Bachelor," then came "The Bachelorette" and "Joe Millionaire." Now it's the viewers' turn to play matchmaker. Five singles and five potential suitors will meet - and America will vote on who should pair up - and get married. Whatever happened to romance, courtship, and - oh, what's the word - love? TV-PG
