ON SATURDAY THE KIDS WATCH TV

Here’s a look at children’s programming, new and returning, on Saturday mornings.

CBS

Saturday, 7-7:30 a.m.: “Riders in the Sky.” Hey, little pardner, it’s a rootin’ tootin’ Western, with live action, animation, clay animation and puppetry. Starring Ranger Doug, Too Slim and Woody Paul, three real-life singing cowboys “with a hip ‘90s attitude.” They live on Harmony Ranch with the Wyatt Burp family, an Indian princess and the Saddle Pals--real kids who serve as the cowboys’ sidekicks. A Howdy Doody for the ‘90s? Premieres Sept. 14. NEW.

Saturday, 7:30-8 a.m.: “Mother Goose and Grimm.” From the syndicated comic strip created by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Mike Peters. Main characters: Grimmy the uncouth canine--toilet water is his drink of choice--and Mother Goose, not your typical nursery rhyme nanny. Most notable features: Bulbous noses, stunned expressions. Premieres Sept. 14. NEW.

Saturday, 8-9 a.m.: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” Gnarly, dude: More adventures with those pizza-eating heroes in a half shell--Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello and Leonardo. Season premiere Sept. 14.

Saturday, 9-10 a.m.: “Garfield and Friends.” Garfield the feline glutton, sluggard and king of the put-downs: He’s a beast, but girls think he’s the cat’s meow. Garfield, created by cartoonist Jim Davis, shares the spotlight with a four-minute segment of Davis’ farmyard “U.S. Acres” comic strip. Season premiere Sept. 14.

Saturday, 10-10:30 a.m.: “Back to the Future.” Marty and Doc go time-tripping in this new series supervised by the film’s creative trio: Steven Spielberg, Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis. Yes, Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd vocally reprise their movie-starring roles, but when Fox is unavailable, a sound-alike fills in. In episode-framing, live-action bits, Lloyd conducts scientific experiments. Premieres Sept. 14. NEW.

Saturday, 10:30-11 a.m.: “Where’s Waldo?” From Martin Handford, the creator of those drive-you-crazy, hot-selling children’s puzzle books series. Waldo and his dog Woof go adventuring in Handford’s detailed, comic landscapes. Each story contains several “Waldo Minutes,” an interactive feature that gives the viewer a chance to find Waldo. Premieres Sept. 14. NEW.

Saturday, 11-11:30 a.m.: “Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies.” New nursery adventures with Baby Miss Piggy, Baby Kermit, Baby Gonzo and other junior versions of the Muppet Family as the Emmy-winning, Jim Henson-inspired series returns. Premieres Sept. 14.

Saturday, 11:30-noon: “CBS Storybreak.” Host Bob Keeshan (a.k.a. Captain Kangaroo), introduces animated adaptations of children’s books and closes with a CBS/Library of Congress “Read More About It” spot. The half-hour series is in its eighth season of motivating kids to read. Premieres Sept. 14. (may be preempted by baseball).

ABC

Saturday, 7-7:30 a.m.: “The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.” The animated series based on Disney’s versions of A.A. Milne’s creations--Pooh bear, Tigger, Piglet, et al--return for a fourth season. Season premiere Saturday.

Saturday, 7:30-8 a.m.: “Land of the Lost.” Live-action adventure series about a dad and his son and daughter whose camping trip turns strange: An earthquake plunges them into a strange dimension of dinosaurs, man-eating plants and an alien civilization. Premieres Saturday. NEW.

Saturday, 8-8:30 a.m.: “Darkwing Duck.” New from Walt Disney Television Animation, a comedy-adventure series starring an offbeat, wisecracking super-hero and a bunch of oddball evildoers. Premieres Saturday. NEW.

Saturday, 8:30-9 a.m.: “Beetlejuice.” Who’d have thought that the ghoulish star of the “Beetlejuice” flick would become a Saturday morning cartoon favorite? The grungy ghost shares the spotlight in the third season of this animated series, with Lydia: seventh-grader, queen of bizarre and role-model (gulp). Season premiere Saturday.

Saturday, 9-9:30 a.m.: “Hammerman.” Super-pop star M.C. Hammer hosts and is the subject of this animated, music-driven series, set a few years before the rap master hit the big time. The place: fictional Oaktown, where Stanley Kirk Burrell (Hammer’s real-life name) works at a recreation center. A pair of “Magic Dancin’ Shoes” transform him into Hammerman, super-hero and crime-fighter. Hey, it could happen. Premieres Saturday. NEW.

Saturday, 9:30-10 a.m.: “The Pirates of Dark Water.” Environmentally correct animated fantasy series. The only hope for the kingdom of Octopon on the ravaged planet Mer is a noble young hero named Ren. His quest is to find the Thirteen Treasures of Rule, buried in a reef under the sea. Premieres Saturday. NEW.

Saturday, 10-11 a.m.: “The Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show.” I tawt I taw a puddy tat . . . the resourceful Tweety Bird and his hapless nemesis Sylvester the Cat, along with wise-cracking Bugs, romp through an hour of animated hi- and low-jinks. Season premiere Saturday.

Saturday, 11-11:30 a.m.: “Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters.” The animated series returns to fight again, against ghoulies, ghosties and other supernatural pests. Season premiere Saturday.

Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-noon: “ABC Weekend Specials.” The Emmy-winning series of animated and live-action programs adapted from children’s literature. Season premiere Saturday.

NBC

Saturday, 7-7:30 a.m.: “Chip & Pepper’s Cartoon Madness.” Live action and animation, hosted by Canadian duo Chip & Pepper, with visits by celebrity guests. Hip, blond and blue-jeaned, these twin brothers show cartoon classics such as “Popeye,” “Heckle and Jeckle” and “Casper.” Season premiere Sept. 14.

Saturday, 7:30-8 a.m.: “Yo, Yogi!” Yogi in Reeboks? Forget Jellystone National Park. These are the ‘90s and teen versions of Yogi, Boo Boo, Snagglepuss and Huckleberry Hound are hanging out at Jellystone Mall, waiting to catch crooks. Premieres Sept. 14. NEW.

Saturday, 8-8:30 a.m.: “Captain N and the New Super Mario World.” The video game-turned-cartoon series is back with some changes: New characters, new adventures and a new setting--a prehistoric mix of cavemen and dinosaurs. Season premiere Sept. 14.

Saturday, 8:30-9 a.m.: “ProStars.” In this animated series, sports superstars Bo Jackson, Wayne Gretzky and Michael Jordan team up to solve problems and dispense justice. The real-life heavyweight trio appear in the show’s live-action wraparounds. Premieres Sept. 14. NEW.

Saturday, 9-9:30 a.m.: “WishKid Starring Macaulay Culkin.” The cuddly kid was voted most adoptable after his “Home Alone” big-screen hit. Will fans find his big-eyed cartoon persona equally cuddly? Culkin appears both live and as the animated star in this new series about a mischievous 9-year-old who’s granted a wish a week, thanks to a mysterious shooting star. Premieres Sept. 14. NEW.

Saturday, 9:30-10 a.m.: “Spacecats.” Animatronic puppets and animation from Paul Fusco, the creative brain behind the “Alf” series. Heavily armed alien supercats fight villains on Earth while attempting to blend in with ordinary Earth felines. But, where do they hide those snappy blue uniforms? Premieres Sept. 14. NEW.

Saturday, 10-11 a.m.: “Saved by the Bell.” The Bayside High School gang returns, including heartthrobs Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez and teen-queen Tiffani-Amber Thiessen. The live-action show is a mix of comedy, drama, positive social messages and a generous helping of teen romance. The expanded, hourlong format makes time for some off-campus extracurricular activities. Season premiere Sept. 14.

Saturday, 11-11:30 a.m.: “Saturday Morning Videos.” Music videos and interviews with media stars, aimed at a younger audience. Season premiere Sept. 14.

FOX

Saturday, 7-7:30 a.m.: “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.” Animated series based on the 1977 cult movie. This time around, mad scientist Putrid T. Gangreen (John Astin does the voice) has mutated his fanged vegetables and they’re nastier than ever. A reluctant kid hero fights against slime attacks; a seemingly normal teen girl turns into a tomato at the drop of a saltshaker. Gazpacho, anyone? Season premiere Saturday.

Saturday, 7:30-8 a.m.: “Bobby’s World.” Four-year-old Bobby Generic, comedian Howie Mandell’s animated alter-ego, is back with more offbeat fantasies and life observations. Mandell provides the preschooler’s voice and plays his father in live-action segments. Season premiere Saturday.

Saturday, 8-8:30 a.m.: “Tom & Jerry Kids Show.” They’ve been playing cat-and-mouse since 1939 and they’re getting younger all the time. Adolescent versions of Hanna-Barbera’s Tom and Jerry, Spike and Tike and Droopy the Dog are back for another season of chases, spills and thrills. Season premiere Saturday.

Saturday, 8:30.-9 a.m.: “TAZ-MANIA.” From the land Down Under comes Taz, the Tazmanian Devil, a “lovable” party animal with spike teeth, trash compactor jaws and an insatiable appetite. His home is a condo cave, he’s a trainee at the Hotel Tazmania and he pals around with platypi, wallabies and bandicoots. The conflict: A poacher named Bull Gator, who wants to bag Taz for his trophy wall. Premieres Saturday. NEW.

Saturday, 9-9:30 a.m.: “Little Shop.” Another animated series inspired by a cult movie: Roger Corman’s “Little Shop of Horrors.” In this rap version, the botanical beast schemes to rule the world, but mischief, not mayhem, is his weapon. Nerdy teen Seymour, working after school at Mushnik’s flower shop, always gets the blame, but Junior is his only friend. Premieres Saturday. NEW.

Saturday, 9:30-10 a.m.: “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” The return of those bodacious dudes Bill and Ted. Not even time travel and weekly do-gooding broadens these buds’ horizons. They live for rock ‘n’ roll and meeting babes. This season the dimwitted duo takes the real Mona Lisa to the mall and tries to get Francis Scott Key to write a national anthem that’s easier to sing. Season premiere Sept. 14

Note: CBS, ABC and Fox times are for Los Angeles stations and could be different on affiliates in other cities.