The debut episode isn't quite the laugh machine you'd expect from a guaranteed winner wedged between Seinfeld and ER. Clearly, what Veronica's Closet has going for it above all else is Alley's bleep-'em-all blitheness, her gift for turning a tantrum into operatic hilarity.

Less frenetic than Lucy, more mature than Mary, Alley has a shot at being TV's all-time funny woman.

The opener mostly succeeds in maintaining a tone that's more racy-adult than naughty-juvenile. The only element that doesn't mesh is the character of Alley's father.

It's somewhere between a small and a big bust. [24 Sep 1997]