"Cane" is "Dallas" -- "Life" is new.

We watched the premiere episode of "Cane." The appeal? Jimmy Smits. I've loved him in every project I've seen. So, despite the fact that the setting of the show (Rich family, made rich by liquor, doing morally questionable things) didn't sound intriguing, we gave it a try.

It's prettier than "Dallas." The women are sleek and the men are well cut. The music is great. I like the Hispanic accents over the Texas drawl.

But it's the same story. Two families at war over a natural resource and old wounds. "Good guys" who do bad things. Rich people who don't appreciate what they have, and think their problems are so big and bad that the screw up the world. Infidelity, deceit, threats. Smits plays the "Bobby Ewing" character, except he's already decided that the ends justify the means, when it comes to revenge.

Meanwhile, the new show "Life" is a very new take on the police detective drama. I only saw half of the first episode, and I already like the character. Again, he has some moral ambiguity, but it's easier to understand. And some of the dialog was just great. Some very funny Zen, and some very appropriate Zen. I'll be glad to try it again.