TV REVIEWS : PREVIEWING THE NEW SEASON

The studio audience cheered when Lucille Ball made her entrance, returning to series television for the first time in 12 years. They still love Lucy.

They applauded when she struck a pose like a setter who’s found his prey. They applauded when she bounced up the stairs. They applauded when she gyrated to the music on her earphones. They applauded when she contorted her face after sipping a foul-tasting health drink. They applauded when she bopped co-star Gale Gordon on the nose.

Those of us watching the premiere of “Life With Lucy” at home Saturday night obviously couldn’t share in the excitement of seeing the 75-year-old former queen of TV comedy in person. So we sat and waited for the laughs to start.

They never came. Yes, it was nice to see that Lucy looks so good and can still move so well, but that’s not entertainment.

The story had her moving in with her daughter’s family and starting work at a hardware store with the stuffy Gordon, who also happened to be her son-in-law’s father and her rival for the grandchildren’s affection.

It was a classic Lucy situation, but director Peter Baldwin and writers Madelyn Davis and Bob Carroll Jr. didn’t make it pay off. The material was only loud, not funny; the physical gags were obvious and too simple; and the supporting cast was about as likable as burnt toast.

“I’m in grandma heaven,” Lucy exclaimed at one point. “Life With Lucy,” on the other hand, is very much earthbound.