For the first time in a decade, NBC has to try to get by without any help from its "Friends." Or from its "Frasier," for that matter.

Well, one of the "Friends" will be back, as Matt LeBlanc transitions into the spinoff "Joey." But the network that built its "Must See TV" reputation on a framework of lots and lots of sitcoms will have only four this fall.

Keep in mind that from 1984 to 2000, NBC never had fewer than 10 sitcoms on its fall schedule, peaking with 18 in 1997. For the past three years it has had eight.

So saying that "Joey" is NBC's best new sitcom isn't saying much. But it does show promise.

NBC's five new shows have a decidedly retro feel. Even the computer-animated "Father of the Pride." And while none of the shows is absolutely dreadful, none is especially great, either.

And the network is jumping the gun on the fall season, trying to use the promotional platform of the Summer Olympics to launch its new shows:

Father of the Pride (Tuesdays, 8 p.m.) looks good on the outside but is hollow on the inside. And, frankly, the idea of an animated sitcom about the animals in Seigfried and Roy's Las Vegas act became unworkable when Roy was mauled by that tiger. (Will that become a Very Special Episode during sweeps?)

This is essentially a domestic sitcom about Larry the Lion (John Goodman), his wife (Cheryl Hines), his teenage daughter and 9-year-old son, his oversexed father-in-law (Carl Reiner) and his gopher pal (Orlando Jones).

Various other animals appear, as do Seigfried and Roy (but they don't provide their own voices). It would be nice if it were funny, but it's not. And it's loaded with sexual humor that makes it inappropriate for the young kids who are going to be attracted to the cuddly, animated animals.

NBC was desperate for a CGI show and let technology go before creativity. That is a lesson in how not to make a TV show.

"Father of the Pride" premieres Tuesday, Aug. 31, at 8 p.m.

Hawaii (Wednesdays, 7 p.m.) is, not surprisingly, "Hawaii Five-O" for the 21st century — an ensemble drama about a group of cops who solve tough crimes on the Islands. All that's missing is Jack Lord. But this being 2004, "Hawaii" is considerably more violent and sexually explicit than its 1968-80 predecessor.