Why, "Samantha Who?" Why change?

A plot point in Monday's season-two premiere of "Samantha Who?" has it that Samantha (Christina Applegate) was a great dancer before her coma, but now, she's hopelessly gawky on the dance floor. It's a neat metaphor for the changes in season two - what was once a lean comedy is now awkward; it's lost its moves.

Last season, "Samantha Who?" became the first broadcast-network sitcom in years to manage some untrammeled traction. Much of this was due to its "Dancing with the Stars" lead-in; some of it was due to a darkly wry premise and inspired performances (particularly Emmy nominee Applegate in the title role and Emmy winner Jean Smart as her cynical mother, Regina).

And so, as season two opens on Monday, we're treated to - well, a softening both of the premise and the characters. And, therefore, the comedy.

The episode opens with Sam moving out of her parents' place and back into the apartment she once shared with her ex, Todd (Barry Watson), who's moving out. Apropos of nothing, Regina instructs her husband, within Samantha's hearing, "Make sure she uses condoms." Inserting the word condom into any sentence equals: instant joke.

Pander much?

So Sam's back in her apartment and doing a celebratory dance in which she disrobes (one which few sentient adults would actually engage in); enter Todd, who ostensibly comically catches her in her state of undress.

Pander much?

Two cheap gags, back-to-back, with barely stitches of logic to knit them together. And we're just getting started.

The show's promiscuity has been tamed, reduced to wan punchlines as opposed to the more assertive, devil-may-care sexual attitudes of last season. So, too, have the characters been domesticated - tonight's episode concerns Sam's efforts to resolve her heretofore comically dysfunctional relationship with her mother via a country-club dance competition.

Hence, the show's bad behavior has been outsourced to guest stars, in this case Cybill Shepherd, who plays Regina's neighborhood nemesis. They're even tamping down Sam's friend, unrepentant slut Andrea (Jennifer Esposito), for Chrissake. All this, in an effort to appeal more to fans of the show's white-bread lead-in, "Dancing with the Stars."

It may work: When I reviewed "Samantha Who?" last season, I noted it was likely too arch for its lead-in audience. But it could alienate those who liked the show based on its merits in the first place.

Pander much?

- "Samantha Who?", 9:30 p.m. Monday, ABC Channel 7.