TV REVIEWS : PBS’ ‘In the Life’ Variety Show Isn’t Just for Gays

The new WNYC-produced gay and lesbian variety show, “In the Life” (at 11:30 tonight on KCET-TV Channel 28), is a case of good news and bad news.

It’s a good sign that, just as publicly funded work by gays and lesbians is seemingly being targeted once again by Bush Administration arts officials, a PBS affiliate is hatching a show that celebrates gayness--and even more crucially, that fellow affiliates such as KCET are carrying it. It is just as welcome that the show, hosted by comic Kate Clinton, is designed for anyone who might tune in: This is gay TV clearly opposed to being ghettoized.

Alas, the late-night time slot, the half-hour length, and the plan to make “In the Life” only a monthly entry (the next installment isn’t until Sunday, Jan. 3, at 12:30 a.m.) ghettoizes the show nonetheless. Or, as with previous “hot button” segments of PBS’ “P.O.V.” series, is the nocturnal scheduling a case of pressure from PBS itself?

As it turns out, “In the Life” isn’t exactly ready for prime time. Clinton takes command of her studio audience right away (although her opening monologue for the January show, on “coming out” to her family, is funnier), and a “Saturday Night Live”-inspired gay spoof of beer ads keeps up a loony momentum.

But there’s a patchwork quality to everything: A performance by the a cappella quintet the Flirtations, an extended bit by Lily Tomlin and a tribute to film critic and gay activist Vito Russo are crammed into too little time. Having borrowed some of MTV for its title graphics, “In the Life” needs to pick up on MTV’s hopped-up rhythms as well.