Desperate networks

There are hints of a decent drama here — as when Dino discovers a secret about his parents' relationship — but it's buried in sex, sex and more sex. Apparently, ABC has decided sex, sex and more sex is the only chance it has of breaking through on Thursday nights against CBS and NBC's powerful lineups.

"life as we know it" premieres Thursday, Oct. 7.

Complete Savages (Fridays, 7:30 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4) is sort of "Animal House," only all the frat brothers are real brothers. Nick Savage (Keith Carradine) is a blue-collar, beer drinkin' single father raising five rambunctious teenage boys: the responsible one (Andrew Eiden), the musician (Shaun Sipos), the airhead/jock (Erik von Detten), the daredevil (Evan Ellingson) and the youngest (Jason Dolley), who has spent his 13 years being picked on by the other four.

Throw in Nick's brother (Vincent Ventresca) and there are oceans of testosterone as this bunch of slobs goes for belly laughs. There are a few, but not a lot.

"Complete Savages" premieres Friday, Sept. 24.

dr. vegas (Fridays, 9 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2) is the sort of embarrassingly derivative television that networks should be ashamed of. An amalgam of lots of good and bad TV shows cobbled together, if this doesn't end Rob Lowe's career nothing will. He stars as Dr. Billy Grant, the smart-alecky in-house physician at a Las Vegas casino. Apparently, he's supposed to be a good doctor, not that it much matters in this silly show.

Billy saves people's lives while his boss, hotel general manager Tommy Danko (Joe Pantoliano), just worries about taking their money. Tom Sizemore is on hand as the hotel's chief of security (at least until the actor goes to jail for beating up his ex-fiancee), and Sarah Lancaster plays a blackjack dealer who has higher ambitions. And all the characters interact with weekly guest stars whose stories range from pathetic to unbelievable.

This show has more in common with "The Love Boat" than "ER."

"dr. vegas" premieres Friday, Sept. 24.

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E-mail: pierce@desnews.com