‘7 Days’ Flies but ‘Charmed’ Barely Limps

UPN’s edgy “7 Days” is essentially an old-fashioned time-travel yarn that also borrows a bit from “Quantum Leap,” affirming that in some cases, good execution can make up for lack of originality.

Meanwhile, there’s no magic, black or otherwise, in the WB’s “Charmed,” a limp drama about three sisters who discover they are witches.

Both series open tonight.

“7 Days” stars Jonathan LaPaglia as former CIA operative Frank Parker, whose near photographic memory, fearlessness and tolerance for pain earn him selection for Back-Step, a secret government program designed to zoom one person backward through time so that he can change events of the present. The lean, mean Parker becomes that person.

Although the agonizingly slow process of picking him feels like seven days by itself, what follows is very compelling and suspenseful, as Parker, with the fate of the nation and possibly all of humankind at stake, must leap backward in order to “undo” the assassinations of the president, vice president and speaker of the House. Better this than an avenging U.S. nuclear counterattack against a foreign power suspected of being behind this terrorist act wiping out the nation’s leaders.

The catch is that Parker has only a week to get the job done.

Giving him lots of backup are the project’s chief military advisor (Don Franklin) and a brilliant scientist (Justina Vail) who looms as a likely romantic interest.

Although some script bummers surface along with Parker’s gritty resourcefulness, the overlapping time sequences here are a real kick, and LaPaglia is persuasive as this highly flawed hero who seems destined to set a record for frequent flier mileage.

“Charmed” travels nowhere.

Its arrival adds to TV’s coven of occult-related shows, introducing Prue (Shannen Doherty), Piper (Holly Marie Combs) and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) as the three Halliwell sisters who learn tonight that they have witchly powers, and that, when acting together, they can become an incredible force for goodliness.

However, do not expect anything approaching the charms of ABC’s “Sabrina” or the WB’s “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer.”

In the pilot, the Halliwells sleuth around, Nancy Drew-style, in hopes of discovering why other witches are getting bumped off. The suspense builds like a monotone when the culprit at one point menacingly confronts the trio of sisters and shouts: “You witches are dead!”

Meanwhile, you could get livelier performances from three broomsticks.

* “7 Days” premieres at 8 tonight on UPN (Channel 13). The network has rated it TV-14-V (may be unsuitable for children younger than 14, with an advisory for violence).

* “Charmed” premieres at 9 tonight on WB (Channel 5). The network has rated it TV-PG-LV (may be unsuitable for young children, with advisories for coarse language and violence).