TV REVIEW : KTLA’S ‘MONDAY’ SERIES MISSES MARK

You’d think it wouldn’t be that hard for local TV to exploit planet L.A.’s infinitely renewable supply of cultural lunacy--if even only for a few laughs. But apparently it is.

“Tomorrow Is Monday,” KTLA Channel 5’s new weekly half-hour series seen Sundays at 9:30 p.m., tries to provoke a few chuckles and provide some off-beat entertainment with its mix of musical guests, parodies and video hikes into the L.A. far-out back.

But though this week’s show is a vast improvement over last week’s clunky, unfunny debut, its attempt to parody local “Eye on L.A.” magazine shows can’t begin to match the unintentional humor of the real thing.

Likable, self-deprecating host Eric Boardman (a six-year Los Angeles TV vet whose name begs for cheap shots) has a relaxed, slightly twisted, David Lettermanish quality about him. It comes in handy Sunday night when trying to keep a straight face while interviewing contestants at a Betty Boop pageant, hopefuls at the L.A. Raiderette tryouts and fans attending a concert performance by an Elvis Presley impersonator.

Unfortunately, the show could use about six of Letterman’s zany writers. A bearded grandfatherly gent named Mr. Chance (Shakespearean actor Harry Frazier), who serves as sort of a recurring Hollywood guru to Boardman, is mostly a font of unfunniness.

The music segment--though excruciating last week--shines Sunday with Irish protest singer Christy Moore, the “godfather of folk punk” who greatly influenced his popular countrymen U2. Yet he will be way too hip for the audience that’ll be tuned in.

Writer-producer Nicholas van Hoogstraten says his show--which ultimately is probably far too good-natured for its own good--is not the usual “infotainment” but “disinfotainment.” That’s kind of funny . . . in fact, it’s funnier than 98% of his show.