‘Strange World’ beats network competition> ABC series which debuts tonight chronicles military scientist’s trip into mystery

It would be sooo easy to dismiss “Strange World” as another “X-Files” knockoff.

The new series, which debuts at 10 tonight on ABC, features a man who finds himself an innocent trapped inside a conspiracy being run as a shadowy quasi-governmental organization. In that, it shares more in common with “The Pretender” than with Chris Carter’s masterpiece in paranoia.

As “Strange World” unfolds, viewers are introduced to Paul Turner (played by Tim Guinee) and the predicament he’s in. As a military scientist, Turner gets exposed to chemical weapons during the Gulf War and later finds himself dying from a degenerative disease.

A mysterious benefactor (played by Vivian Wu) supplies the hospitalized Turner with a miracle drug, and his symptoms disappear. He receives additional doses as the condition returns, the only stipulation being that he remain silent about the treatment.

Then Turner gets drawn into a mystery. His former comrade in arms, who also was exposed to the same chemical weapons, kidnaps a little boy. As Turner investigates, he uncovers an appalling case of genetic engineering. But there are people who don’t want everyone to find out what has been going on.

After a not-too-veiled threat from his benefactor, Turner, in future episodes, will join USAMRID, the Army’s Medical Research Institute, to battle those who would abuse science. Why this shadowy organization wants him there is still to be discovered.

Except for Guinee’s tortured scientist, there are no standouts among the cast, few of whom get much airtime. They play mostly types instead of characters anyway: the girlfriend trying hard to understand, the military woman who is skeptical of her former friend’s motives, the inscrutable oriental benefactor.

The premiere manages to keep things rolling at a fever pitch. A lot of characters are introduced, but little is revealed about their motivations. The truth is out there, but the question is whether Turner and viewers will ever get to know it. “Strange World,” produced by former “X-Files” executive producer Howard Gordon, will replace “NYPD Blue” for a month at 10 p.m. Tuesdays, starting tomorrow night. Whether the remaining eight taped episodes will air probably depends on how many viewers visit this “Strange World.”

The new series isn’t the worst “X-Files” imitator ever (that would be “Dark Skies,” now airing on the Sci-Fi Channel after being banished by NBC). There are still a lot of questions to be answered (first off, can this show continue to outglum “Millennium”?) Still, it beats watching its network competition: the 37th weekly edition of “Dateline” or the latest CBS woman-in-jeopardy movie of the week. This “Strange World” is worth the trip.