Speak of the devil: Casting Al Roker is divine inspiration

Any show that looks at NBC’s amiable Al Roker and sees a soul-stealing, deal-wheeling devil is a program that demands further scrutiny, and you can check out the amusing results yourself tonight at 6 on the Disney Channel series “The Proud Family.”

A fresh-feeling animated show geared toward teens, “Proud” uses quirky casting and hip-hop trappings to set it apart from the usual cartoon fare as it tracks the exploits of 14-year-old Penny Proud, her family and friends.

Next week, the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant is called upon to help Penny win a million dollars by sinking a half-court shot, and later this season, the program’s second, singers Mariah Carey and Ashanti make “appearances” (handling voice-overs for their animated images).

The show’s regular cast has some notable names as well, including comedian Tommy Davidson as patriarch Oscar Proud and Soleil Moon Frye as Penny’s pal Zoey. But tonight’s spotlight belongs to Roker, who plays a seriously skewed version of himself as he offers Penny a Faustian bargain that will give her a break from her parents, who she feels are too strict.

But as Roker points out, joshing a “Today” show colleague in the process, Penny might make things run more smoothly at home if she would be more truthful. “You lie more than Willard Scott!” he tells her. “How beautiful can a 100-year-old woman be?”

There’s a showdown finale pitting Penny against Roker in a double-Dutch jump rope competition that is about the only scene tonight in which the animated version probably pales compared with what it would have looked like in real life.