FIRST OFF . . .

Telly Savalas as “Kojak” and Jaclyn Smith as the newly created character “Amanda Vanderbilt” will join the rotating stars of the “ABC Saturday Mystery Movie” this fall, network entertainment president Robert Iger told ABC affiliates Wednesday at their annual convention at the Century Plaza. Lou Gossett, who portrayed anthropologist Gideon Oliver in episodes last season, was quietly dropped from the rotating wheel of stars because of low ratings, a network spokesman said. Burt Reynolds as “B.L. Stryker” and Peter Falk as “Columbo” will return in the fall. Savalas will re-create his role as Police Inspector Theo Kojak from the 1973-77 CBS series “Kojak.” James McAdams, who produced the original series, will produce the new ABC films for Universal Television. Smith’s Amanda Vanderbilt is a lawyer from a wealthy background who works as a financial adviser for a major San Francisco investment firm and becomes involved in the “mystery and intrigue” of her clients’ lives.