"Skin," Fox, Mondays at 9 p.m.
  
Telltale quote: “Martinis are like breasts – one is not enough, two is just right, three is more than enough.”

Overview: “Skin” is a show that disappoints on several counts. Despite the title and promotions, it’s not as provocative as audiences are led to believe and features two seemingly unrelated storylines – a teen cliché and a political drama.
  The show is in part a thinly veiled copycat of the classic Romeo and Juliet story, following the lives of two teens caught in a forbidden love. 
  The idea of the star-crossed lovers is relentlessly hammered into viewers to the point of absurdity. If their names don’t give it away – Jewel and Adam Roam – perhaps the deliberate dialogue is a better clue: “Why does it matter who our parents are? I don’t care what they think about us. All that matters to me is what you think and how you feel.” 
  The show even features a scene where Jewel is standing on her balcony under the moonlight, pining for Roam. When they are together, the teens are constantly lamenting their parents’ restrictions on their romance, which, aside from a classic make-out session on the beach, is not as steamy as the network promos have suggested.
  So why the hostility between families? 
  Aside from being the angelic half of a frustrated couple, Jewel is the daughter of Larry Goldman (Ron Silver), chairman and CEO of Golden International, a leader in adult entertainment as an owner of strip clubs and a distributor of soft porn.
  Adam also plays the good kid to a successful family, son of district attorney Thomas Roam, who is looking for a hook to run his re-election campaign (Roam is played by Kevin Anderson). 
  The hook happens to be going after Golden International as an example of his commitment to “keep our children safe.” Adam’s mom is no pushover either. She plays a tough-as-nails judge who is just as concerned with the family’s public image as her husband. 
  The obvious conflict erupts when the DA and the porn king realize that despite their own disgust with one another, their children are dating. Both families prohibit the couple from being together while the adults duke it out for political power and freedom of speech. The result is a schizophrenic show about teen romance and politics, two topics that don’t share a similar audience.

Verdict: The show wouldn’t be terrible if the hype hadn’t killed its chances before it began. The title does less to capture any envelope-pushing situations and more to address the shallow premise of the drama. 
  Even if the idea is accepted initially, it’s unclear how Fox can maintain the storyline beyond the first couple of episodes.
   Can the Romeo and Juliet conflict persevere for an entire season?
   How many times can the DA try to bring one company down? It’s unlikely that the story can remain engaging. 
   “Skin” would work better as two unrelated movies than as an ongoing series. Even if the plot appeals to some audiences, the Monday night timing is bad. Most men, who are presumably the target for the promotional campaign, are busy watching “Monday Night Football,” while other viewers have settled on the CBS comedies or new NBC drama “Las Vegas.”

For past Media Life reviews of the new fall shows, click below.

CBS's "Cold Case"

ABC's "10-8"

NBC's "The Lyon's Den"

WB's "Tarzan"

ABC's "Married to the Kellys"

ABC's "Karen Sisco"

NBC's "Miss Match"

CBS's "Joan of Arcadia"

ABC's "Hope & Faith"

CBS's "The Handler"

NBC's "Coupling"

CBS's "Brotherhood of Poland, N.H."

CBS's "Navy NCIS"

ABC's "I'm With Her"

WB's "One Tree Hill"

NBC's "Las Vegas"

CBS's "Two and a Half Men"

WB's "Like Family"

Fox's "Luis"

ABC's "Threat Matrix"

UPN's "All of Us," "Rock Me Baby"

UPN's "Eve"

WB's "All About the Andersons"

WB's "Steve Harvey's Big Time"
WB's "Run of the House"
UPN's "The Mullets"

UPN's "Jake 2.0"

NBC's "Whoopi"
NBC's "Happy Family"

A.J. Livsey's fall season overview