Unmarried With Child, but Little Fun

Although from the same creative team, “Jesse” is not as amiable as its hit NBC lead-in, “Friends.”

Premiering tonight, this is one of those well-maybe sitcoms that finds appealing Christina Applegate, for years the sluttish duh daughter on Fox’s “Married . . . With Children,” playing a bright young single mother who waits tables in the Buffalo, N.Y., restaurant-bar of her crusty father, John Sr. (George Dzundza), while dreaming of becoming a nurse.

Jesse Warner is supposed to be 26, her son, Little John (Eric Lloyd), 10. Do the math, and you conclude that something in her life is weird. As is this being possibly TV’s first Johncom--a three-John comedy whose third member of the Jesse-Little John household is her older brother, John Jr. (John Lehr). Not named John, inexplicably, is her younger brother, Darren (David DeLuise).

“Jesse” has a likable protagonist and a nice romantic tone to build on, but few laughs. By the end of the premiere, Jesse and her hunky new Chilean next-door neighbor, Diego (Bruno Campos), have a laundermat date that signifies the start of a promising relationship. But one that draws a warning from Jesse’s dad, who specializes in stereotyping minorities.

“I don’t know what laundry means in your country,” he tells Diego. “But here it means good, clean fun.” Forget the “good” and “clean.” All you’d like from “Jesse” is a little more of the fun.

* “Jesse” premieres at 8:30 tonight on NBC (Channel 4). The network has rated it TV-PG (may be unsuitable for young children).