‘Far East’ Makes Notable Jump to TV

Very watchable and well-acted, “Stage on Screen: Far East” is A.R. Gurney’s adaptation of his thoughtful play about a young naval officer serving in post-Korean War Tokyo.

Reprising his role from Gurney’s off-Broadway production at New York’s Lincoln Center, Michael Hayden is sharp and skillful as Lt. Wallace W. Watts, a confident junior officer from Milwaukee, where his prosperous family owns a brewery.

Most people call him Sparky. Get it?

The spry period piece revolves around Sparky’s blossoming romance with a pretty Japanese waitress (Miou) as well as his interplay with dutiful commanding officer Jim Anderson (Bill Smitrovich) and the captain’s second wife, Julia (Lisa Emery), who frowns upon Sparky’s liaison.

A key subplot involves a serviceman named Bob (Connor Trinneer) whose work with top-secret documents gradually comes into play.

Overall, it’s a tightly woven tale of honor, deception, loneliness and commitment that is ideally suited for television. If there’s a shortcoming, it’s that we don’t feel the ostensible passion between Sparky and his girlfriend during their brief, infrequent interludes.

It’s not a fatal flaw, however, as Gurney keeps things interesting for his other characters, particularly the bigoted Julia and troubled Bob, whose background yields an unexpected development.

Moreover, the occasional 1950s tunes are a nice touch, and director Daniel Sullivan gets the most out of his seasoned ensemble.

* “Stage on Screen: Far East” can be seen tonight at 9 on KCET. It is rated TV-PG-D (may be unsuitable for young children, with an advisory for suggestive dialogue).

Surf Report

SPECIALS

Teens who were drawn to the nonstop screaming and abuse of Fox’s “Boot Camp” may be curious about “High School Boot Camp,” a two-hour documentary airing at 8 p.m. on Discovery Channel.

The program follows at-risk boys, ages 13 to 16, who have voluntarily enlisted in an intense six-month academic program run in Florida by the Palm Beach County School Board and the Sheriff’s Department. Some of the kids have come from broken homes where they had problems with drugs, alcohol or petty crime.

Early on, the school’s superintendent says, “We’re not here to play games. It’s not summer camp. This is a military-style school.”

It doesn’t take long for the fellas to realize he means business.

SERIES

“The Fugitive,” a well-crafted drama that failed to build a sizable following on Friday nights, reaches the end of its single-season run tonight with back-to-back episodes (9 and 10 p.m. CBS).

In what turns out to be the series finale, unjustly accused Dr. Kimble (Tim Daly) intends to deliver the one-armed man to Capt. Gerard (Mykelti Williamson), but his last chance at freedom is threatened.

SPORTS

The Lakers and San Antonio Spurs play Game 3 of the Western Conference finals at Staples Center (6 p.m. NBC).