The One To Watch

You might think I'm crazy, but the network to watch this fall is UPN.

I'm already hooked on "Amish in the City," the Real World rip-off with an Amish twist. Hail rumspringa! The communal bathroom is old news, same with the "who left the dirty dishes" squabble, but the real interest here is the Amish culture. The city kids come off as jerks when they ridicule the Amish. And in some ways, they've become anthropolgical interests as well: City girl Ariel, the vegan, makes waves when she declares that cows come from aliens and that eggs are "chicken abortions."

The network is also banking on that eye candy Taye Diggs, the star of the show "Kevin Hill," to make a big splash this fall. UPN must run the commercial a couple hundred times a day and you know what? I'm gonna have to check it out.

Of course, returning favorites "America's Next Top Model" and "Girlfriends" are still on the top of my list. A reality show can never go wrong when it comes to make-up competitions and alarm clock sabotage. With "Sex and the City" over, "Girlfriends" has been tiding me over with these sassy women. Plus, they have cool shots of Los Angeles interspersed within the show. Oh hell, yes.

(Mike adds: Be sure you realize this is Maria writing! No offense to tha 'PN, but I gotta be fair to all the networks...)