WILL AND GRACE RETURNS Sept. 26, NBC, 8 p.m.
Continuing from the season finale in the season's first new episode, a dazed Grace is rescued by Leo Markus ( Harry Connick Jr. ) , a hunky Jewish doctor who pulls her up on his horse and delivers her just in time for her insemination with an impatient Will. But Grace holds Leo off because she and Will have agreed not to date until their baby is born. Meanwhile, daily syndicated repeats of WILL AND GRACE begin this week on WGN at 5:30 p.m. and 11 p.m.
MDs SERIES PREMIERE Sept. 25, ABC 9 p.m.
Medical dramedy set in a San Francisco hospital. Cast includes Robert Joy ( ATLANTIC CITY, DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN ) as Frank Coones, an assistant hospital administrator unpopular with the staff. Coones simultaneously sucks up to new boss Shelly Pangborn, ( Leslie Stefanson ) while secretly distributing topless photos of her on the internet.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 25
JOAN COLLINS ON GUIDING LIGHT ( CBS, 2 p.m. ) Joan continues as "glamorous, sophisticated, manipulative" Alexandra Spaulding.
ELLEN ON HOLLYWOOD SQUARES ( Ch. 2 weekdays, 4 p.m. ) Ellen is Center Square through next week.
BIG BROTHER 3 FINALE ( CBS, 7 p.m. ) Marcellas and other evicted housemates return to vote the winner...either Danielle or Lisa. When he was evicted last week, Marcellas spoke of his betrayal by Danielle ... and his hope that Lisa would win. In the event of a tie, viewer decide the winner.
THE WEST WING ( NBC, 8-10 p.m. ) Season premiere: Lily Tomlin returns as Debbie Fiderer, an unsuccessful applicant to be President Bartlett's secretary.
FASHION POLICE: 2002 EMMY AWARDS ( E! TV, 8 p.m. ) Joan and Melissa critique Sunday's red carpet fashions. Repeats Thursday and Saturday at 9 a.m., Sunday and Monday at noon.
DE COLORES ( Showtime, 8:25pm ) Documentary short about Latino families and communities dealing with gay sons and daughters.
RUPERT EVERETT: BRAVO PROFILE ( Bravo, 9 p.m. ) Include Everett's upbringing in England, his open sexuality and his abbreviated pop-rock career in the 1980s.
REESE WITHERSPOON REVEALED ( E! TV, 9 p.m. ) GTV Guilty Straight Pleasure: Promises to include revealing footage of hubby Ryan Philippe ...
SO GRAHAM NORTON ( 10 p.m., 1 a.m., BBC AMERICA ) . Britain's over-the-top gay talk show host now airs every weeknight.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 26
E! TRUE GIANNI VERSACE ( E! TV, 3 p.m. ) . Interviews include his sister Donatella, Claudia Schiffer, Jon Bon Jovi and designer Todd Oldham.
E.R. ( NBC, 9 p.m. ) Season premiere: Picking up from last season's finale, lesbian Dr. Kerry Weaver ( Laura Innes ) is locked out of the hospital during a possible smallpox outbreak.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 27
TWO MOTHERS FOR ZACHARY ( USA, 1 a.m. ) Valerie Bertinelli and Vanessa Redgrave in a fact-based 1996 TV-movie about a homophobic mother ( Redgrave ) who fights for custody of her grandson after her daughter ( Bertinelli ) begins a lesbian relationship.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 29
PRINCE WILLIAM ( ABC, 6 p.m. ) Pop singer Lulu's son Jordan Frieda, 24, portrays William as a shy but headstrong lad, with blonde bangs that seemingly can't be brushed aside, and a surplus of Blur and Oasis posters on his bedroom walls.
ANATOMY OF A SCENE: THE RULES OF ATTRACTION ( Sundance, 3 p.m. ) Behind the scenes of the new film based on Bret Easton Ellis's dark and satiric 1987 novel about a nihilistic romantic triangle on a New England campus. James ( DAWSON ) Van Der Beek plays Sean Bateman, the straight bad boy younger brother of AMERICAN PSYCHO's Patrick Bateman. The movie itself is a disappointing mish-mash of MTV-like film techniques, but is a must-see for hunky Ian Somerholder. Somerholder plays Sean's gay friend Paul, who dances on a hotel bed in his underwear with a male friend. Ian cavorts in front of a mirror as he prepares for what he imagines is a date with Sean and masturbates and fantasizes kissing Dawson.
TUESDAY, OCT.1 1
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER ( UPN, 7 p.m ) Grieving over the death of her teen witch girlfriend Tara ( Amber Benson ) , Willow ( Alyson Hannigan ) prepares to return home.
NYPD BLUE ( ABC, 9 p.m. ) The precinct's gay receptionist John Irvin ( Bill Brochtrup ) gets car-jacked.
Gay Boy Ric is a comedian and pop singer based in L.A. To receive free GTV E-Mail Alerts, e-mail gayboyric@yahoo.com .
