Hot Profiles, Cold War and Warm ‘Secrets’

Enter Judge Wapner’s “Animal Court,” relive the Cold War in 24 installments and find out why the Clinton-Lewinsky affair is in keeping with a rich history of Oval Office scandal.

This fall on cable TV also promises more in the way of celebrity profiles (Bravo and E! are going nightly with existing series that take a long gaze at the stars). Meanwhile, there are new series for the kids on Disney and for adults on HBO and MTV.

Here are some highlights of the new season on cable (not including TV movies, which are highlighted on Page 18):

CNN

“Cold War”: CNN is calling this the most important production in its 18-year history--a comprehensive retelling of the Cold War, based in part on newly released records from the Soviet Union archives and American records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Revisit Potsdam, Checkpoint Charlie and “Dr. Strangelove,” and go into the minds of international players Kennedy, Krushchev, Castro and Kissinger. Jeremy Isaacs (“The World at War”) is co-executive producer, and Kenneth Branaugh narrates the series, delivered in 24 one-hour episodes. Sept. 27.

Bravo

“Bravo Profiles”: The series expands to five nights a week this fall, and includes theme weeks, like “Funny Men,” which features hourlong profiles of Steve Martin, Stan Laurel, John Cleese, Jackie Mason and Michael Crawford. The series premieres with “The Entertainment Business” (Oct. 4), a weeklong look behind the glitz to expose the repercussions of stardom.

HBO

“Janet: The Velvet Rope”: Janet Jackson beams the final concert of her world tour from New York’s Madison Square Garden, performing songs from her current release “The Velvet Rope.” Oct. 11.

“The Sopranos”: Should a mob boss go on anti-depressants? And should he tell his therapist everything? A black comedy from David Chase (creator of the TV series “I’ll Fly Away”), starring James Gandolfini and Lorraine Bracco, of “Goodfellas” fame, this series will have an initial run of 13 episodes. 1999.

Showtime

“Nagano Winter Olympics Documentary”: Bud Greenspan, famed chronicler of Olympic Games past, focuses on the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. December.

TBS

“Cousteau’s China”: This one-hour special details the late explorer Jacques Cousteau’s expedition along the Yellow River, a 2,903-mile-long journey stretching from the Kunlun Mountains to the Yellow Sea. It marks Cousteau’s last on-air appearance for TBS. Oct. 4.

“The Movie Lounge”: Thanks to the success of a similar series, “Dinner and a Movie,” TBS launches this new Saturday night series where host Kent Osborne isn’t in the kitchen, he’s in a cocktail lounge interviewing three guests about the movie being shown. Already premiered.

E! Entertainment Television

“The E! True Hollywood Story”: This series that delves into the gossip and legend surrounding some of Hollywood’s more notorious celebrities expands to four nights a week, tackling such subjects as John Lennon’s final days (Oct. 11), Andy Kaufman (Oct. 18) and Jeanne Carmen, who “went from modest beginnings in the cotton fields of Arkansas” to become a queen of B movies (Oct. 4).

MTV

“Revue”: A new half-hour musical variety series, which MTV describes as “part performance, part biography, part philosophy and part comedy.” Co-created by former Men at Work frontman Colin Hay, the show will focus on a musician, editing interviews and performance into a uniquely told story. Friday.

The History Channel

“Secrets of the Oval Office”: Long before Bill Clinton admitted to an “improper relationship” with Monica Lewinsky, American presidents had their own skeletons in the closet. This special examines America’s presidential past and the secrets therein--from Warren Harding’s mysterious background to Thomas Jefferson’s infamous love affairs. Nov. 3.

TNT

“Hard Time”: Burt Reynolds directs and stars in a trilogy of movies about veteran ex-cop/ex-con Conrad Logan, who has to clear his name after serving prison time for a crime he didn’t commit. Co-starring Charles Durning, Billy Dee Williams and Robert Loggia. Dec. 13.

“Crusade”: From the creators of “Babylon 5” comes another sci-fi series, this one about a ship that travels the universe searching for a cure to eliminate a plague on Earth. Gary Cole plays the commanding officer. January.

Comedy Central

“The New York Friar’s Club Roast”: Putting a fellow comedian on the firing line of insults and barbs is one of the grandest traditions in comedy, and now you can go inside the Friar’s Club as the New York institution roasts standup comic and sitcom star Drew Carey. Among those on the dais flinging insults Carey’s way are Buddy Hackett, Red Buttons, Margaret Cho and “Drew Carey Show” co-stars Ryan Stiles and Kathy Kinney. Oct. 28.

VH1

“Viva Le Rock!”: A team of humorists, including L.A.’s own Sandra Tsing Loh, Lynn Snowden and Jim Gaffigan, explore the world of contemporary rock through a mix of offbeat profiles, pranks and essays. October.

A&E;

“Italians in America”: From Christopher Columbus to Al Capone, Italians have made their imprint on the American experience, and this two-hour documentary chronicles it all. Of course, the history and cultural impact of the “famiglia,” the mafia, is given more than casual treatment. Actor Ben Gazzara narrates. Oct. 11.

“Ernest Hemingway: Wrestling with Life”: A two-hour installment of A&E;’s “Biography” searches for the truth behind the Hemingway myth, a journey that takes the viewer from the World War I battlefields of Italy to Key West, Fla. Sept. 27. Other new “Biography” subjects include Betty Ford (Oct. 4), Enrico Caruso (Oct. 11) and Doris Day (Oct. 18).

TNN

“Front Row Center: Tribute to Tradition”: See and hear country’s brightest lights--Mary Chapin Carpenter, Patty Loveless, Trace Adkins, Martina McBride--in a special concert taped at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville. Oct. 5.

Animal Planet

“Judge Wapner’s Animal Court”: The court will now come to order. Please, no barking. Judge Wapner is back, and this time, he’s sorting out lawsuits involving people and their pets, and he’s doing it Monday through Saturday. Sept. 28.

AMC

“Monsterfest”: Get in the Halloween spirit when director Tim Burton (“Beetlejuice,” “Edward Scissorhands”) hosts a look back at some classic boomer horror films, including “13 Ghosts” and “Haunted Palace.” Oct. 26-Nov. 1.

“The Lot”: Among the cable network’s new original series, “The Lot” is set at a Hollywood movie studio circa 1937, a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the movies back in Hollywood’s golden age. Guest stars include Jeffrey Tambor and Rue McClanahan. December.

Sci-Fi Channel

“Farscape”: From the Jim Henson Company comes a sci-fi series written and created by Rockne S. O’Bannon (“Alien Nation”) about an astronaut from another time and galaxy who gets lost in space. The alien creatures he encounters on his quest to get back to Earth are the work of the Henson Creature Shop in London. Jan. 15, 1999.

The Learning Channel

“Vietnam: The Soldiers’ Story”: Six-hour miniseries weaves first-person interviews with archival footage of battlegrounds to revisit the war from a “grunt’s-eye view.” Jack Smith, an ABC News correspondent, is host of a series that commemorates the 15th anniversary of the dedication of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. Oct. 11-13.

Discovery

“Secrets of the Humpback Whale”: Follow the 3,000-mile migration that humpback whales make each year from the Hawaii coast to their summer feeding place in the waters off Alaska, as seen through the lens of director/cinematographer Al Giddings. Oct. 12.

“Return to Orbit”: This three-part series looks back at Sen. John Glenn’s historic flight in 1962, in a tribute to Glenn’s return to space in October. Part 2 of the series focuses on Andy Thomas’ mission aboard the Russian spacecraft Mir and Part 3 examines the building of the Space Shuttle Columbia. Oct. 26.

Disney

“So Weird”: Executive produced by Henry Winkler, the series stars MacKenzie Phillips as a once-popular musician and mother of two traveling around the country. Fi Phillips plays the teen-age daughter who, fascinated by paranormal activity, investigates mysteries in every town where the family stops. December.

TV Land

“All in the Family”: The 1969 pilot episode of the Norman Lear sitcom has never aired in its entirety, but TV Land brings it back Oct. 17, then begins airing reruns of the series that ran on CBS from 1971-83. Oct. 19.

Food Channel

“East Meets West with Ming Tsai”: Chef Ming Tsai, owner and chef at Boston’s acclaimed Blue Ginger, delves into the latest in nouvelle Thai and Chinese cooking in this daily series. Sept. 29.

“Ruggerio to Go!”: Meet Chef Ruggerio--boxer, chef, restaurateur. With its “pull-up-a-chair-and-eat atmosphere,” this show offers a firsthand look at down-home, Italian-American cuisine, Brooklyn style. Oct. 12.

Home & Garden Television

“Designing for the Sexes”: Described as a “He said/She said” home improvement series, “Designing” features a different couple each week renovating a room or entire home, working alongside Michael Payne, an interior designer. It’s Payne’s job to negotiate the couple’s conflicting wishes and arrive at a compromise. Sept. 28.

“Appraisal Fair”: Daytime series in which host Leslie Hindman appraises things people have found, inherited or uncovered in their attic. Also look for a companion series, “Appraise It!” shot live at appraisal events. Sept. 28.