The Big Comfy Couch (PBS)

Relying heavily on viewers to put their imaginations to active use, THE BIG COMFY COUCH is a live-action show centering around the adventures of Loonette, a teenaged clown who sings, dances, tells stories, hangs out with her family, and plays with her dolls on the oversized sofa that gives the show its name.

Those just tuning in to The Big Comfy Couch will probably be tempted to switch channels and look for fare more dazzling to the eye. The cheesy costumes, amateurish makeup, and extremely rudimentary sets are unappealing when compared with stunning new-style kids' shows like The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron.

But there's something endearingly chintzy about the show, too, with its reliance on imagination and pretending that hearkens back to old-school '70s kids' shows like Captain Kangaroo and The New Zoo Review. Parents should give The Big Comfy Couch a chance: Whereas the new shows are bing-bang-boom attention-grabbing eye-candy, there's a sweetness and gentleness to The Big Comfy Couch that parents will appreciate -- and a slowness that's calming to kids raised on short-attention-span televised junk food.