‘Commander in Chief,’

9 p.m. ABC

‘Sex, Love & Secrets,’

9 p.m. UPN

Well, here are two very different directions to go when it comes to new programming choices tonight.

The more developed of the two is the drama “Commander in Chief,” the creation of Rod Lurie, the writer-director of the Oscar-nominated film “The Contender.”

“Commander in Chief” answers the question, “What would it take for a woman to become president?” Without giving too much away, the short answer is a dead president, a woman as vice president and a reactionary politician as speaker of the House.

Geena Davis stars as Vice President Mackenzie Allen, an independent politician and academic who finds herself in a tough spot when the Republican president is incapacitated. Except for those closest to her, everyone is after her to resign so that someone more in agreement with the president’s conservative philosophies can take over.

That person is oily Speaker of the House Nathan Templeton (Donald Sutherland), who may even be further to the right than the current administration. But in the end, Mackenzie takes the oath of office, angering many along the way.

Davis is engaging as the iron-willed, principled MacKenzie and Kyle Secor (“Homicide”) is winning as her husband, her former aide turned first husband. The supporting cast largely isn’t fleshed out yet, which will be essential to help the show grow.

For those who like insider politics, this is a place to visit. This is “The West Wing” with less Sorkinian floods of dialogue and a slightly smaller ensemble. Instead, it’s one woman’s struggle to juggle it all – home, work, the world.

Tonight’s second premiere doesn’t aim as high. In fact, “Sex, Love & Secrets” wants to be a “Melrose Place” for the new millennium. It even uses an omniscient voice a la “Desperate Housewives,” which compares human behavior with those in the animal kingdom.

The series centers on a group of twentysomething friends. At its heart is Hank (played by James Stevenson), restaurant manager by day and rocker by night, and his longtime girlfriend, Rose (Lauren German), a celebrity journalist.

Their friends including unlucky-at-love physician Nina (Tamara Taylor), womanizing hairstylist Charlie (Eric Balfour) and lovable drummer Coop (Omar Benson Miller). Intersecting this circle is Denise Richards as bitchy, take-no-prisoner publicist Jolene, and Nina’s bizarre new, probably gay roommate, Milo (Lucas Bryant).

The whole thrust of the show is how secrets affect the relationships among these young urbanites. “Sex, Love & Secrets” is enjoyable enough in an undemanding way, but there are better choices to be had even within its own time slot, including “Commander in Chief,” “House” and “My Name is Earl.” (Dale McGarrigle, BDN Staff)