TV Reviews : Dennis Miller Finds Himself in HBO Slot

Dennis Miller joked about recently returning from a two-week stay at “the Federal Talk Show Host Rehabilitation Program,” but in fact he looked fresher, better-groomed and more relaxed on his new HBO show, which debuted Friday night, than he did on his syndicated talk show that tanked two years ago.

More important, he’s working in a format that’s not only a better showcase for his talents--which include heavy irony and the glittering verbal riff--but also is better suited for his intelligence and that of the viewer. Gone are the visibly groping efforts to connect with couch-side celebrities and the furtive, sweaty panic that made it seem as though his cue cards ran on a dual track with his jagged Nielsens.

Early on Friday night he joked about doing his irresponsible best to blur the lines between news and entertainment, which is what everyone else is doing. But he offered a refreshingly new direction out of the dreary fatuousness of entertainment talk shows: He takes an important topic and, as far as his guest interview is concerned, treats it seriously.

Violence in America was his subject Friday, and in his discussion with Sen. Bill Bradley (D-N.J.), who appeared on a TV monitor, Miller showed himself a skilled interviewer. He posed good, concise questions, listened well, and unlike Bill Maher, who hosts “Politically Incorrect” on Comedy Central, he didn’t bird-dog every response to try to flush out a joke.

The result was that an important topic was illuminated as best as it could be under the circumstances, Bradley came off spontaneous and informative--if senatorially circumspect--and Miller was able to deliver an appropriate sense of gravity without plunging the program into hand-wringing lament.

Miller seems to have grown in confidence and, free of the more conventional late-night star wars, a half-hour is just the right playing weight. Although issues may be a bit short-changed, we’re spared the lethal dose of some of Miller’s enduringly obnoxious traits--his grinding sarcasm, his punkish vulgarity, his snide drone and his weird laugh that seems to issue from the hollow center of a mechanical clown.

* “Dennis Miller” airs at midnight Fridays on HBO.