Saying something has potential is too often damning with faint praise.

Potential means that the item being judged has possibilities, but that it’s not fully formed yet, that it may be better in the future.

That being said, the three new shows debuting tonight on CBS have potential, and could become more than they now are if properly nurtured by their creators and the network.

The best of the three newcomers is “The Brian Benben Show,” which debuts at 9:30 p.m. The hilarious comedy, set behind the scenes of the Los Angeles newscast, examines the ongoing debate between cosmetics and competence in broadcast journalism.

Benben, also the show’s executive producer, plays the identically named veteran anchor of KYLA. He and his matronly co-anchor get fired, replaced by a Ken-and-Barbie team in the station manager’s quest for ratings. A quirk of fate soon brings Benben back to KYLA, but as the reporter on the human-interest beat, or as he describes it, “the freak show.”

Benben’s goal is to trip up Chad Rockwell, the former VH-1 veejay who has taken over as anchor, based solely on his chiseled good looks and ability to read a TelePrompTer. The twist is that Rockwell is not only vain, but cruel as well. The sparring between the pair, who both want the anchor chair, is the crux of the show. How much the creative team behind “The Brian Benben Show” can expand upon the concept, as well as developing the one-dimensional supporting cast (a gay meteorologist, an ex-jock sportscaster), will determine whether the series catches on or fade to black.

A note of caution: while not nearly as raunchy as Benben’s inventive HBO series “Dream On,” the new show is packed with sexual double entendres. It’s not for the strait-laced.

After the male-oriented comedy block, the programming geniuses at CBS have placed the sensitive medical drama “L.A. Doctors” at 10 p.m. The series follows the travails of the doctors and patients at a Los Angeles internal-medicine pratice. The hook is that, in this day of managed, fiscally (not physically) responsible medical care, these doctors want, in the words of one, “to have the practice my father had.”

Ken Olin (“thirtysomething”) plays Dr. Roger Cattan, the single, Jag-driving, image-conscious physician of the practice. Matt Craven (“High Incident”) plays Dr. Tim Lonner, the minivan-driving family man. Rick Roberts plays the conscientious, divorced Dr. Evan Newman. Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer on “Twin Peaks”) is Dr. Sarah Church, the daughter of a famous L.A. doctor newly hired by the other three.

The characters are fairly well-drawn even in the first episode. The problem is that, being based in an office, there’s no action. Viewers who enjoy the freneticism of “ER” or the turmoil of “Chicago Hope” are going to find even heated debates about ethics and policies more than a little draggy. The show needs more change of pace, or “L.A. Doctors” will be DOA. “Marcus Welby,” even dressed up in designer wear, isn’t going to fly in the ’90s.

The earliest of the three new shows is the family comedy “The King of Queens” at 8:30 p.m. Hoping to attract the same audience as “Everyone Loves Raymond,” “The King of Queens” stars standup comic Kevin James as a parcel deliveryman and Leah Remini, the best thing about last season’s comedic misfire “Fired Up,” as his sassy wife, Carrie.

Doug Heffernan (James) has the perfect life. He and his adoring wife are content in their Queens home. He’s just taken delivery on his big-screen TV for his sports-memorabilia-decorated den. Then a disaster brings his flaky sister-in-law Sara (Lisa Rieffel) and eccentric father-in-law, Arthur (Jerry Stiller of “Seinfeld”), to live with them.

The core cast interacts enjoyably, but isn’t enough to carry the show by itself. “The King of Queens,” like too many family comedies, has a been-there, done-that quality to its plotlines. For example, in the second episode, Arthur shows Doug a picture of Carrie’s late mother in her later, portly years. So Doug, who admits he’s “husky,” starts worrying about how Carrie will look 20 years down the road, and suggests they diet together. Sure, such an idea is something many couples can relate to, but it’s hardly fresh. Without some new fodder for the Heffernan household, “The King of Queens” could end up deposed.