William M Finkelstein

Re the article on ABC's "Civil Wars" ("TV Imitating Life, Sort Of," TV Times, Nov. 1): As to Mr. (Harry) Fain's feelings of boredom and disgust at watching our show, there's little I can say. However, he also attacks us for being unrealistic because of our failure to cite "irreconcilable differences" as the basis for most divorces. Someone might point out to Mr. Fain that those big, tall buildings one sees on our show are located in New York. Given that New York remains a fault state, irreconcilable differences are not, in fact, grounds for divorce.

Re the article on ABC's "Civil Wars" ("TV Imitating Life, Sort Of," TV Times, Nov. 1): As to Mr. (Harry) Fain's feelings of boredom and disgust at watching our show, there's little I can say. However, he also attacks us for being unrealistic because of our failure to cite "irreconcilable differences" as the basis for most divorces. Someone might point out to Mr. Fain that those big, tall buildings one sees on our show are located in New York. Given that New York remains a fault state, irreconcilable differences are not, in fact, grounds for divorce.

Will the creative stamp of Steven Bochco remain on "L.A. Law" now that he has exited as executive producer to turn his attention to "Doogie Howser, M.D."? "Well, he was in my parking space this morning," cracked Rick Wallace, the show's new co-executive producer. "I don't know if it's within his authority, or just a horse going back to the barn." The new producing team in charge of "L.A. Law"--Wallace, executive producer David Kelley and supervising producer William M.

Will the creative stamp of Steven Bochco remain on "L.A. Law" now that he has exited as executive producer to turn his attention to "Doogie Howser, M.D."? "Well, he was in my parking space this morning," cracked Rick Wallace, the show's new co-executive producer. "I don't know if it's within his authority, or just a horse going back to the barn." The new producing team in charge of "L.A. Law"--Wallace, executive producer David Kelley and supervising producer William M.

NBC-TV's Emmy-winning drama series "L.A. Law," which was rejuvenated this month with the return of producer William M. Finkelstein, has been renewed by the network for an eighth season. Since Finkelstein's return April 1, "L.A. Law" has averaged a 12.5 rating and 22 share, bettering its earlier season-to-date Nielsen ratings by 9% and two share points and vaulting into the Top 10 prime-time series among adults 18-49 years old.

There's not one early episode of ABC's new drama series "Civil Wars" that isn't captivating or amusing in spots. There's also not one that isn't seriously flawed. In style and content, "Civil Wars" at times echoes "L.A. Law"--hardly a surprise, since its creator and executive producer is William M. Finkelstein, a former writer and producer on the acclaimed NBC legal drama who is making the new series for the production company of Steven Bochco, co-creator of "L.A. Law."

Production has begun on "When You're Smiling," a new ABC mid-season comedy series about a vagabond Brooklyn-born Italian-American who promises his dying father he'll run the family grocery store. Ray Sharkey of "Wiseguy" stars with Julie Bovasso, Anne De Salvo and Joe Cortese. Premiere date will be announced at a later time.

Blair Brown, Teresa Wright and Brenda Fricker ("My Left Foot") are in New England filming "Lethal Innocence," a PBS "American Playhouse" based on the life story of a young Cambodian refugee boy who was rescued from the Khmer Rouge and adopted by an entire New England town. The drama will premiere later this year or in early 1992. TNT will pay tribute to Oscar-winning actor Henry Fonda with a retrospective featuring excerpts from his 47-year film career.

Three writers from "The Wonder Years" have been nominated for best comedy script of the 1989-90 season by the Writers Guild of America, while the drama series nominations featured two each for "thirtysomething," "China Beach" and "L.A. Law." Winners of the guild's 43rd annual awards for TV, movie and radio writing will be announced in ceremonies March 20. Film nominees will be named Tuesday.

In perhaps the most memorable moment in "L.A. Law's" eight-year run, Rosalind Shays, the uncongenial but shrewd litigator brought in to boost the firm's droopy revenues, mistakenly stepped into an empty elevator shaft and plummeted to her death. But as fitting as it might be to conclude the storied series with a group plunge down an elevator shaft--after all, the stars of the show all play lawyers--the final episode of "L.A. Law" isn't so final. The firm won't go up in flames.

The network TV series "Cheers," "The Wonder Years" and "China Beach," and the syndicated "Twilight Zone" received two nominations each Thursday from the Writers Guild of America in its annual nominations for outstanding achievement in television and radio writing during the 1988-89 season. The eclectic list of 60 nominations in 15 categories included programs written for PBS, basic-cable TV, pay-TV and an unsold network pilot. Nominations covered the period between Sept. 1, 1988 and Aug.

Transplanted New Yorker Eli Levinson, the character Alan Rosenberg plays on "L.A. Law," is getting used to Los Angeles. He's finally learning how to drive, he's unruffled by aftershocks and he's even tolerating the "cottony" bagels. Rosenberg, who went with the soulful Eli from ABC's now-defunct "Civil Wars" to NBC's "L.A. Law" in an unprecedented network-jumping move, is also feeling quite comfortable in his surroundings. "At first, I was nervous.