KCOP introduces a new captain on ‘Kangaroo’; school’s in on UPN’s fresh ‘Breaker High’ series

Mr. Greenjeans, Grandfather Clock, Mister Moose, Bunny Rabbit--they’re all back in The All New Captain Kangaroo (Sunday at 7 a.m. on KCOP). As many a parent will know, they were characters on the famous children’s series that ran on CBS from 1955 to 1984. What’s new here is the Captain himself: He’s played now by John McDonough. For ages 4 to 8.

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In a sort of live-action twist on the Transformer toys, cars and trucks are cast in the new series Van-Pires (Sunday at 11:30 a.m. on KCOP) as monsters who crave not blood but gas. Only a group of four teens know about the threat to the earth’s energy reserves and have the power to thwart it as Van-Pire hunters. For ages 7 to 12.

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Based on a Newbery Award-winning novel by Ellen Raskin, The Westing Game (Sunday at 8 p.m. on Showtime) is about a 13-year-old girl (Ashley Peldon) who is given an opportunity to win $20 million if she can solve a real-life murder mystery. Ray Walston, Sally Kirkland and Diane Ladd also star. For the family.

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Go to school at sea? That’s the premise of Breaker High, a new UPN series about a group of teen-agers who are studying aboard a cruise ship that takes them around the world. The show is paired on weekday afternoons with the fourth season of another series about teens dealing with friends, family and school, Sweet Valley High. (They air back-to-back from 3 to 4 p.m. on KCOP.) For ages 8 to 15.

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The first episode of Popular Mechanics for Kids (Saturday at 9 a.m. on KCAL) takes youngsters underground for a look at sewers, subways and tunnels. The series is aimed at providing the answers to some of the questions kids have about how things work. For ages 5 to 15.