To the Point

Television in the Age of <I>The Sopranos</I>

Whoever thought that an overweight New Jersey mob boss could turn the business of television upside down! It may sound implausible, but shows such as The Sopranos, Six Feet Under and Sex and the City are gathering awards and winning ratings, which has network executives paying attention. What does it all mean for TV in general? How can the big networks compete against cable where almost anything goes? We look at the changing face of television with the creative minds behind Sex and the City, Alias and Hill Street Blues, the director of Syracuse University's Center for the Study of Popular Television and the senior vice-president of prime-time development at NBC. Philip Bruce, news director for public television-s Life and Times Tonight , guest hosts. Newsmaker: Administration Outlines Its First Strike Doctrine The Bush administration is calling for a major shift in American military strategy that would, for the first time ever, call for pre-emptive first strikes against hostile states and terrorist groups. David Sanger, who broke the story in today-s New York Times, examines the reasons for and ramifications of the new first-strike strategy. Reporter's Notebook: Police Commission Narrows List for New LAPD Chief The Los Angeles Police Commission has narrowed its nationwide search to replace former Police Chief Bernard Parks to three finalists: former Police Commissioners William Bratton of New York and John Timoney of Philadelphia, and Oxnard, California Police Chief Art Lopez, formerly of the LAPD. The Los Angeles Times- Beth Shuster considers whether these outsiders can fix a dysfunctional and scandal-plagued LAPD.