MTV Spins Flip Side of Family Life

What would happen if a mother and her teenage daughter swapped identities for a day?

The answer awaits in “Flipped” (tonight at 10:30), an earnest yet predictable MTV series in which people discover how the other half lives, a concept as old as Mark Twain’s “The Prince and the Pauper.” The twist: real people volunteer to make the switch.

So what happens to Jill, the mother of three teenagers, and Connie, her 16-year-old daughter, as they walk a mile in each other’s heels?

Jill promptly gets detention for dressing improperly at Connie’s high school and nearly comes to blows with a female student who claimed she was flirting with her boyfriend. Meanwhile, Connie gets a taste of Jill’s hectic life as a multitasking woman with a demanding job and endless household chores.

Producers stack the deck by enlisting the aid of various professionals (i.e., teachers and police officers), thereby making the ordeal as difficult as possible for participants who are almost certain to have a newfound appreciation for each other’s daily experiences.

As if on cue at the end of tonight’s 30-minute debut, the tearful Jill and Connie share a warm embrace, vowing to improve their relationship. Perhaps subsequent episodes--including a couple with communication problems, and African American and Caucasian teenagers--won’t have that formulaic feeling. In the meantime, MTV must hope impatient viewers won’t do any flipping of their own--with that handy device we call a remote control.

SERIES

“The Little Rascals,” those 1930s comedy shorts featuring the misadventures of Spanky, Alfalfa, Darla and the gang, will be shown weekdays at 3:30 p.m. on AMC.

SPECIALS

“Great Performances” (9 p.m. KCET; 9:30 p.m. KOCE) presents “Recording ‘The Producers’: A Musical Romp With Mel Brooks,” the next best thing to seeing the Tony Award-winning show in person.

The four-hour documentary “Next: The Future Just Happened” (tonight and Tuesday at 9 p.m. A&E;) examines how the Internet has changed our lives.

“From the Waist Down: Men, Women & Music” chronicles pop’s influence on the sexual revolution in a five-part program tonight through Friday (10 p.m. VH1).

SPORTS

Al Michaels, Dan Fouts and Dennis Miller are back in the booth for pro football’s Hall of Fame Game between the Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams in Canton, Ohio (5 p.m. ABC).