TELEVISION REVIEW

'Jim' just another slob story

     A decade ago, the short-lived sitcom "Uncle Buck" raised eyebrows for allowing a child actor to say the more common word for flatulence on network TV. Now, "According to Jim" offers the spectacle of a 5-year-old character repeatedly using a rather clinical term for the female anatomy.
     What's mainly offensive about this is that that's the best "According to Jim's" writers could do in the humor department. Jim Belushi stars as Jim, a gruff but lovable father of three who, despite his general lumpenproletarian views, still manages to land a fabulous babe of a wife, Cheryl (Courtney Thorne-Smith) — just don't expect much real chemistry between the players.
     Cheryl's svelte sister (Kimberly Williams) and lumpy brother (Larry Joe Campbell) figure into the listless hilarity, as well. In tonight's premiere, Jim and Cheryl fret over sending their five-year-old, the one with the gynecologist's vocabulary, to kindergarten, while Cheryl's brother mopes over breaking up with his girlfriend.
     Those who are charmed by Belushi's coarseness — and apparently, ABC believes those numbers to be legion, though I have my doubts — may pass the half-hour agreeably. Everyone else has seen this done, and much better, many times before.

— David Kronke