Felicity (9 p.m. Tuesdays, WB) A L S O_.T O D A Y Blue Glow Archie Bunker marathon; new cable biopic of Democrats' sweetheart Pamela Harriman Y E S T E R D A Y Movie credits 101 By Robert Glatzer A former film director decodes the in-jokes and ego trips lurking behind that never-ending list of names (10/09/98) What Dreams May Come Reviewed by Laura Miller In the new Robin Williams movie, heaven is a twee B&B (10/09/98) R E C E N T_. T E L E V I S I O N Escape from the planet of the tapes By Joyce Millman After being inundated with Lewinsky scandal, it's a relief to get back to TV that doesn't matter (09/28/98) Date night, ABC By Joyce Millman Two new shows, "Cupid" and the updated "Fantasy Island," remind us of why saturday night is the loneliest night (09/25/98) Strangeness in the night By Joyce Millman What's a nice boy like Conan O'Brien doing in a place like late night TV? (09/14/98) Women are from Venus, men are from Vegas By Joyce Millman ABC's girl-talk show "The View" and HBO's "Rat Pack" movie have more in common than you think (08/17/98) Queertoons By Joyce Millman Gay-positive messages and campy humor find a TV home in "South Park" and other animated upstarts (08/03/98) BROWSE THE TV ARCHIVES COLUMNS FEATURES S A L O N E M P O R I U M FREE! 12-ounce bag of Salon Blend with a purchase of $30 or more. While supplies last.

________[ J O Y C E_.M I L L M A N__O N_.T E L E V I S I O N ]__ _______t h e_..k i d s_..a r e_.alright - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - _______"FELICITY" AND TV'S NEW WISE _______TEENS PUT THEIR ELDERS TO SHAME. Months before its Sept. 29 debut, television critics had almost unanimously crowned The WB's coming-of-age drama "Felicity" the season's best new show. Having seen only two episodes, I'm still not sure if I agree, but I will say this -- "Felicity" is certainly the season's best old show. It's the most obsessive "My So-Called Life" clone you could imagine. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Produced by screenwriter J.J. Abrams ("Armageddon") and director Matt Reeves ("The Pallbearer"), "Felicity" is a lyrical, lovingly made show about a smart, sensitive college freshman having her first taste of independence and trying to figure out who she is. Felicity Porter (played by Keri Russell) may be a couple of years older than Angela Chase on "My So-Called Life," but she's had a similar sheltered, suburban, upper-middle-class upbringing. Felicity's parents are at once controlling and clueless, and they're having trouble letting go of the plans they made for their little girl's future (her father, a Stanford-educated doctor, insists she follow in his footsteps). The pilot episode opened with a flashback to high school graduation. Felicity was well on her way to attending Stanford (no big deal, since she lives in Palo Alto anyway) when she was seized by an unshakeable impulse. At the graduation, this studious, well-behaved, not terribly popular girl screwed up her courage and asked the cute jock she'd had a crush on forever to sign her yearbook. The jock, named Ben, scribbled a paragraph about admiring her from afar and wishing he had gotten to know her and, right there, she decided to change her (parents') plans and follow this guy to New York University (called the University of New York here). "This all might be a colossal mistake ... But on the other hand, maybe it'll save my life or something," went Felicity's voice-over narration, while, in the background, composer W.G. "Snuffy" Walden softly recycled the plinking folkie-jazz he wrote for "My So-Called Life." Like restless good-girl Angela Chase pursuing and misreading cool Jordan Catalano, Felicity commits one faux pas after another trying to get something started with the leather-jacketed Ben, who is presumably a lot smarter than Jordan (but, then, so is your average tree stump). Meanwhile, Felicity's nerdy but sincere dorm advisor, Noel ("MSCL" fans will recognize him as the Brian Krakow figure), pines for her from a discreet distance. There's also a complicated, waifish Rayanne character in the person of Felicity's first college friend, Julie. There are many long, wordless "MSCL"-style shots of Felicity's face registering disappointment, loneliness, confusion, exhilaration. Abrams and Reeves have found a neat original way to work in Felicity's all-important soul-baring voice-overs, though. Alone in her dorm room in the craziest city in the world, Felicity makes tape recorded letters to send to her former French tutor, a woman named Sally who has retreated to New Mexico after a personal tragedy. N E X T_P A G E _| The Garofalo seal of approval

ILLUSTRATION BY KATHERINE STREETER