‘FAST TIMES’ HITS THE SLOW LANE

You can’t say the producers of CBS’s new TV version of “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” haven’t gone the extra mile to capture the spirit of the original hit film.

The show, which debuts March 5, has recruited Amy Heckerling, the film’s original director, to serve as supervising producer and to direct several episodes. Other carry-overs from the film will be Ray Walston, reprising his role as Mr. Hand, and Vincent Schiavelli as Mr. Vargas. On hand as “reality” consultants: Cameron Crowe (who wrote the book, then the film) and Moon Zappa, also in the cast as a continuing character named Barbara De Vilbiss.

But how will the show handle the original’s raunchy sex humor?

“It’ll be just like the movie, except it makes no reference to sex or drugs,” quipped exec producer Allen Rucker. “These kids may have sex or do drugs--they just don’t do it between 8 and 8:30 Wednesday night. Let’s just say there’s a lot of sub-text to the show. It’s kind of like making a screwball comedy under the Hays Office.”