Grant Tinker, the best ever network TV president, operated under an admirable, if illogical theory.

Illogical at least for network television.

"First be best and then be first," theorized Tinker, who ran NBC during its halcyon days of the '80s.

Tinker and the late Brandon Tartikoff, his creative entertainment president, premiered and nourished such quality series as Cheers, St. Elsewhere, Family Ties, Remington Steele, The Cosby Show and The Golden Girls.

And while Tinker's predecessor, Fred Silverman, put Hill Street Blues on the air, it was the Tinker-Tartikoff duo that kept the groundbreaking cop drama in the lineup even though initial ratings were mediocre.

Tinker, of course, was no stranger to TV quality.

As founder, with then-wife Mary Tyler Moore, of MTM Productions, Tinker and his crew were responsible for Moore's Emmy winning comedy series, the two Bob Newhart comedies, The White Shadow, the aforementioned St. Elsewhere and Hill Street Blues and several other high quality series.

(Do you remember the MTM signature - the meowing kitty, a send-up to MGM's roaring lion?)

Thoughts of Tinker's career surfaced after reading reports that NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly and other network officials are debating the future of freshman series Friday Night Lights and 30 Rock - neither of which has been an audience ratings hit.

Some NBC executives, lobbying for the return of the two next fall, have used Tinker's mantra as a case for the series' renewal.

In case you haven't noticed, NBC is in fourth place in national prime-time audience ratings.

So, unfortunately, Tinker's philosophy probably would not work today.

Tinker and Tartikoff operated in a decidedly different environment, consisting of three networks and a group of independent stations that thrived on network reruns.

Fox Broadcasting wasn't around.

Neither was The CW nor a zillion cable channels.

The Internet? Wasn't that a new type of volleyball game?

As noted earlier, NBC's fall schedule is in flux.

Even the venerable Law & Order, after 17 seasons, is on the bubble.

Meanwhile, ABC, running third behind CBS and Fox, has announced obvious fall renewals - Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Boston Legal, Dancing with the Stars, and three freshman series – Ugly Betty, Brothers & Sisters and Men in Trees.

Also on the renewal list: Super Nanny, Wife Swap, America's Funniest Videos, The Bachelor and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

The renewal of the last five shows graphically illustrates the sad sign of reality times.

None of the five has any hint of the creative juices of Friday Night Lights and 30 Rock, both of which might catch ratings fire during sophomore seasons.

Television history shows that Cheers, in its 1982 premiere season, finished as the 82nd series on Nielsen's ratings list.

But we watch in a different television era. Tinker's successful mantra has been replaced by: "First be first. Nothing else matters."

By the way, Tinker, retired in Southern California, and Tartikoff often laughed about how their quality lineup was augmented by less-than- praiseworthy fare.

NBC also had The A-Team with Mr. T, on the schedule, which brought a lot of viewers to NBC.

Dusty's pick for tonight

CBS' The New Adventures of Old Christine (7:30 p.m., CBS 4) remains an old-fashioned comedy in the complimentary sense of the term.

Rather than featuring only a series of often unconnected (and unfunny) one-liners, Old Christine has been built, by Julia Louis-Dreyfus and the writers, as a marvelous character study of a neurotic, frazzled somewhat selfish woman trying to come to terms with her changing life.

Christine is Elaine Benes - with a bit more heart.

Last Monday's episode, dealing with Christine getting involved with an environmental issue by trying to get signatures on a petition, was a near classic.

Tonight, romance raises its complicated head again.

Today's nostalgia

On March 26, 1978, NBC aired A Tribute to Mr. Television: Milton Berle. The special featured clips of Berle's career, along with live appearances by Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Johnny Carson and Lucille Ball.

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