'Everwood' still really good

The made-in-Utah series "Everwood" takes on a huge challenge tonight — and it has nothing to do with the show itself.

The WB's Powers That Be have moved the show to Thursdays at 8 p.m. — opposite top-rated "CSI" on CBS. And the challenge isn't made any easier by the fact that every network sees that NBC is finally vulnerable on Thursday nights and is making an effort to stake a ratings claim.

The show itself picks up where it left off — as the best family drama on TV. Actually, it picks up a few months later, and somebody is about to get married.

When we last visited "Everwood," Andy (Treat Williams) told Nina (Stephanie Niznik) he loves her. Which wasn't the best timing, because she and Jake (Scott Wolf) were in the process of moving in together. Ephram (Gregory Smith) had left for Europe; Bright (Chris Pratt) told Hannah (Sarah Drew) he has feelings for her; and Rose (Merrilyn Gann) had undergone cancer surgery.

Without giving too much away, those plot lines are picked up and, if not exactly resolved, at least advanced. There are some surprises, some laughs, some heartfelt moments . . . you know, typical "Everwood" stuff. And by "typical" I mean "good." Very good. Even excellent.

But as for that ratings competition . . . that's not going to be easy. The WB is taking a big chance by moving "Everwood" to Thursdays. WB Entertainment president David Janollari promised that he doesn't expect "Everwood" to equal the ratings it got on Mondays. (And he put "Smallville," which airs tonight at 7 after moving from Wednesdays, in the same category.)

"Do they have to perform at exactly the same levels? No," he said. "We're looking for ratings growth on the night."

I just hope he remembers that. Moves like this have killed a lot of shows before.

SMALLVILLE (7 p.m., Ch. 30) fires all of its big guns in tonight's fifth-season premiere — big stories, big special effects, big surprises.

Fans of the old "Superman" movies will see a lot that looks familiar. Clark (Tom Welling) is transported to the Fortress of Solitude, while back in Smallville a meteor shower includes a crash-landing spaceship from which evil Kryptonians emerge.

They go looking for Kal-el/Clark, destroying pretty much everything in their way. And Clark has a confrontation with his birth father that has some pretty huge consequences.

Oh, and don't go away before the final scene, when James Marsters ("Buffy" and "Angel") joins the cast for the first of several episodes.