TV tip

Battle of the Network Stars

9 p.m. Thursdays, ABC

I loved this show when I was a kid, but this new iteration doesn’t have the juice of the original. A main issue: the stars here aren’t the TV-A-list that the 1970s-80s show attracted. On this new version’s first episode, for instance, the lineup featured Dave Coulier and Lisa Whelchel. And the program sticks close to the original’s challenges, whereas updating the contests might have had more of an impact. (My favorite bit of that first ep: Tom Arnold trying to pull Ronda Rousey into the pool by tugging on her jacket, and Rousey slipping out of the jacket with Ninja speed, sending Arnold careening backward into the water. Don’t mess with Ronda, Tom.) I’ll probably take a peek at future episodes, but I’ll watch with adjusted expectations.