Anchorwoman

• 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Fox-31

The show: A swimsuit model assumes anchor duties at a CBS affiliate in this Fox show. The cameras follow Lauren Jones, a news novice from L.A., as she covers events in conservative Tyler, Texas, and interacts with her new colleagues, some of whom are less than thrilled to be working with her. In the opener, she prepares for her first newscast.

Why watch it: It's billed as a reality-comedy hybrid. Check out these quotes:

• "Now we've all got to make sure that we get out of here with our journalistic credentials intact," says news director Dan Delgado.

• "We felt like she was the best one for the job," drawls Phil Hurley, owner of KYTX.

• "I can't wait to go down there and meet a hot cowboy," chirps Jones, from her treadmill in Los Angeles. "Giddyup!"

With a resume that includes the titles of Barker Beauty on The Price Is Right, former Miss New York and featured WWE Diva, she's a natural to join the hallowed profession of Murrow and Cronkite, right?

But her bimbo-esque wrongness, of course, is the comedic point of Anchorwoman. Apparently Paris Hilton wasn't available for the gig.

"I'm just gonna go down there and, like, do the news!" says Jones. "And I'm so opinionated, this is such a good opportunity for me to really voice my opinions about, I don't know, terrorism."

Speaking of Murrow and Cronkite, KYTX is an affiliate of CBS, which is odd, since Anchorwoman is airing on Fox. Maybe Fox didn't want to make one of its own stations look quite this ridiculous. (But wait - it's Fox.)

Jones' KYTX colleagues-to-be speak out against her hiring - sort of. "She ain't gon' last long around here," chortles sports director Eric Sullivan.

Trouble is, these putative journalists appear as part of the same comedy act in which she's the headliner (complete with their bios on the Anchorwoman Web site), so they are no less complicit.

Anchorwoman could turn out to be a hit as an exercise in TV silliness - and a launching pad for Jones, who has mastered playing dumb. In the meantime, this show (and KYTX) are doing their part to make a laughingstock out of local TV news.

- Frazier Moore, Associated Press

Today

I, Robot, 9 p.m.,Fresh Prince of Bel Air,

• 7:30 p.m.-3 a.m., Nickelodeon

The shows: All's Will

How's this for counter-programming: Will Smith stars as an ex-cop investigating a conspiracy involving murderous robots in the 2004 film, I, Robot, on FX (three hours, starting at 9 p.m.). Meanwhile on Nickelodeon, a younger Smith is featured in multiple episodes of his 1980s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The comedy starts at 7:30 p.m. and ends at 3 a.m. On Tuesday, it's a similar drill: Smith plays a pilot in Independence Day on FX, competing with Nick's regular Fresh Prince fare.

Tuesday

As You Like It • 7 p.m., HBO

The show: This retelling of the classic Shakespeare comedy stars Kevin Kline and Bryce Dallas Howard, above, directed by Kenneth Branagh. It's a romantic adventure in which Rosalind and Orlando's celebrated courtship is played out against a backdrop of political rivalry, banishment and exile in the Forest of Arden - set in 19th century Japan.

Thursday

Blog Cabin

• 7 p.m., DIY

The show: You can build a real house with mouse clicks instead of a hammer and nails. Blog Cabin is a three-step, do-it-yourself process. You help design it by voting online, watch it go up, then (if you're really lucky) win it when it's complete. Until then, you can follow each step of the construction process on this DIY Network series, while the show's host, Amy Devers, blogs online with behind-the-scenes information. Now in its second week.

Friday

Human Weapon

• 8 p.m., History Channel

The show: Hosts Jason Chambers and Bill Duff travel to Athens, Greece, to explore one of the oldest martial arts, pankration, a sport in the ancient Olympic games that combines boxing and wresting and has only two rules: no biting or eye gouging. Sorry, Mike Tyson.

Saturday

Bob Saget: That Ain't Right

• 8 p.m. HBO

The show: The comic pokes fun at his squeaky-clean sitcom image in a stand-up gig that includes riffs on single parenthood, animal sex, pop culture and America's Funniest Home Videos. Taped at New York University's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts.

Sunday

Against the Tide: The Battle for New Orleans

• 8 p.m. CNBC

The show: An examination of the post-Katrina recovery effort in New Orleans, including how the business community and homeowners have fared. Also: the damage suffered by Shell's Mars Platform (a Gulf oil rig); the status of the levees; the return of the NFL Saints; and the role small businesses and entrepreneurs have played in the city's revival. Scott Cohn, above, reports.

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