FOX (Sundays, 8:30 p.m. ET)

Show of the week

The mother (Jane Kaczmarek) walks around the house topless in the Jan. 9 premiere, so you might call this family sitcom edgy. But the word that applies best is the one that matters most: funny. You'll laugh so often that you may not notice the blessed absence of a laugh track.

Malcolm, played winningly by 14-year-old Frankie Muniz, is a boy of unspecified age who has an I.Q. of 165 and a life of continual embarrassment. At school he suffers the stigma of being placed in the geeky "gifted class." His family of six is rowdy, messy and weird—except for teen brother Francis (Christopher Kennedy Masterson), whose delinquency has a certain style. Reluctant genius Malcolm struggles not to appear extraordinary but occasionally stuns one and all with some mental marvel. It's cool when the show interrupts the humor for a moment of awe.

Bottom Line: Scores high in comic aptitude

Showtime (Sun., Jan. 9, 8 p.m. ET)

Brian Dennehy's Tony-winning performance as Willy Loman in the 1999 Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman reached all the way to the last row of the balcony without going over the top. It was unforgettable. When it comes to acting, however, one size does not fit all media. This Showtime special, taped in November before an audience at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, has scenes of shattering power that explain why Arthur Miller's 1949 classic was so acclaimed in its latest staging. But on the small screen, the burly Dennehy's work sometimes seems too broad, too loud. There's less of a problem with fellow Tony winner Elizabeth Franz's characterization of Willy's long-suffering wife, Linda, partly because she conveys so much emotion through her eyes. Watch this production by all means, but remember: It was not designed with TV in mind. To an extent, you had to be there.

Bottom Line: Worthwhile trip to the theater

A&E (Mon., Jan, 10, 8 p.m. ET)

The costar of Dumb and Dumber playing the father of our country in a TV movie about a key engagement in the Revolutionary War? Is this the latest example of the "dumbing down" of America? Not so, fellow citizens. As Gen. George Washington urging his ragtag troops across the Delaware River, Jeff Daniels exhibits the profile of a peerless leader. I never realized his chin was so assertive. But Daniels does more than strike heroic poses. He portrays Washington as fallible, sometimes irritable, and only too aware that his daring plan to attack the fearsome Hessian force at Trenton, N.J., might be recorded as the rebellion's last gasp. Howard Fast's teleplay (based on his 1971 book) is a bit windy in spots, but The Crossing succeeds in bringing history to life.

Bottom Line: Catch the spirit of 76

PBS (Mon., Jan. 10, 9 p.m. ET)

When we hear about a First Lady with an activist bent and a straying spouse, we tend to think of Hillary Rodham Clinton. But Eleanor Roosevelt was one of a kind, as this admiring portrait on The American Experience makes clear. As the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and as a political power in her own right, she had a profound impact on the national scene through the Great Depression, World War II and beyond. While fighting for economic justice and racial equality, she struggled against her own melancholy and loneliness. In gently probing her weaknesses, this 2½-hour documentary increases our respect for her strengths.

Bottom Line: First-class lady

>Sunday, Jan. 9 TWENTY-ONE NBC (8 p.m. ET) It's back to the soundproof booths as Maury Povich emcees a revival of the '50s quiz show. Also airs Wednesday at 8 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 10 THIRD WATCH NBC (10 p.m. ET) The Gotham heroes race to save workers trapped in a collapsed building.

Tuesday, Jan. 11 WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE ABC (8 p.m. ET) Here's ABC's final answer: Regis Philbin will pose the questions every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Wednesday, Jan. 12 A FATHER'S CHOICE CBS (9 p.m. ET) Peter Strauss stars in this TV movie as a cowboy roped into parenting after his ex-wife's murder.

Thursday, Jan. 13 TOUCHING EVIL PBS (9 p.m. ET) Robson Green returns for a six-week Mystery! run as a London cop specializing in the creepiest cases.

Friday, Jan. 14 DENNIS MILLER LIVE HBO (11:30 p.m. ET) Austin Powers evildoer Seth Green talks about child actors.

Saturday, Jan. 15 A SIMPLE PLAN Showtime (8 p.m. ET) Billy Bob Thornton and Bill Paxton play amateur crooks in this 1998 drama.