TV REVIEWS : Message Clear in ‘Dark Ages’

A watchable young cast and an earnest script make a case for sexual abstinence among teen-agers in “Love in the Dark Ages,” today’s installment of the “CBS Schoolbreak Special.”

Aspiring artist Jenny (Missy Crider) and swimming star Mart (Tom Everett Scott) fall hard for each other. The romance is shattered, however, when Jenny learns that Mart has given her a sexually transmitted disease.

That disillusionment, plus meaningful talks with her supportive mother (Alley Mills) and doctor (Sue Bugden), make Jenny decide not to have sex with anyone until she has taken time to develop a committed relationship.

Since both Mart and Jenny are obviously “good” kids--high achievers with solid futures ahead of them--the only villain in Joseph Maurer’s script is the prevalence of teen promiscuity.

But mom’s line, “When I was young, sex came after commitment,” may raise eyebrows, since she would have been a teen-ager in the free-wheeling, free-love ‘60s.

The show, directed by Bradley Wigor, is as short on subtleties as most hourlong, issue-oriented afternoon specials, but its how-to demonstrations of non-judgmental communication between parent and child are as important as its message of sexual responsibility.

* “Love in the Dark Ages” airs at 3 p.m. today on CBS (Channels 2 and 8).