TV REVIEW : ‘My Dad’ Not Up to Past ‘Specials’

ABC’s “Afterschool Specials” tackle some heavy issues. Past episodes of the Emmy-winning dramatic series for children haven’t flinched from date rape, racism, alcoholism, drug abuse and adult illiteracy.

Often, the series respects viewers’ intelligence enough to pose hard questions and avoid easy answers.

So what happened to today’s by-the-numbers, under-wrought season opener?

In “My Dad Can’t Be Crazy . . . Can He?,” at 3 p.m. on Channels 7, 3, 10 and 42, the issue is schizophrenia and its effect on a family when the illness is denied and untreated.

Written and directed by Joanna Lee, and based on the works of children’s novelist Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, the film centers around high school sophomore Nick (Wil Wheaton of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”). Nick quickly makes good friends in the town to which his family has just relocated. He’s super-wholesome and well-adjusted.

This is surprising because at home Nick’s unemployed father (Don Murray) has paranoid fantasies that Mom (Loretta Swit) ignores; the move to a new apartment is just one of many the family has been forced to make because of Dad. It’s not clear how they manage financially; Mom just gives piano lessons.

Problems with believability extend to the cast. Swit isn’t convincing as she pretends familial normality while Dad accuses his son of being a spy for “them”; she’s too strong a presence. Murray is allowed no subtlety and thus elicits no sympathy. Through it all, Wheaton displays a remarkably unfurrowed brow.

Schizophrenia is a common but misunderstood mental illness that affects an estimated one in 100 Americans. It often goes untreated, and financial and support resources are limited. That’s the message here, but there’s not enough depth to give it real impact.