TV REVIEWS : ‘Same Difference’ Faces Prejudice

Ethnic understanding is the theme of today’s earnest CBS Schoolbreak Special, “Same Difference,” as the friendship and growing romantic attachment between two high school seniors--one Catholic, one Jewish--is threatened by the prejudices of their families and peers.

When the Goldstein family moves into a predominantly Italian American neighborhood, local youths express their scorn by hanging bagels from a tree.

One youth, Vinnie di Fazio (Skeet Ulrich), changes his mind when he meets pretty Shelly Goldstein (Leslie Hibbard) and their friendship rapidly blooms into romance--as uneasy relatives and friends deliver “stick to your own kind” messages.

A blowup between Vinnie’s “my best friend is Jewish” Uncle Joe and Shelly’s dad seems to put an end to the relationship, until writer Willy Holtzman wraps it up with a happy, though unconvincing, about-face where humanity prevails, the two families decide to observe Easter and Passover together and everyone beams as Vinnie and Shelly embrace.

The cast is likable enough to make you want to believe in happy endings, however, and Holtzman and director Stacy Cochran offer a refreshing sidebar on teen-agers and education: Neither Shelly nor Vinnie is at the top of their class, but they care about getting the grades to make it into college.

* “Same Difference” airs at 3 p.m. today on CBS (Channels 2 and 8).