`Hunter' Reruns Aim to Outgun Late-Night Rivals

Arsenio Hall talks tough, claiming he will kick Jay Leno's butt.After Dennis Miller lost his talk show, he blamed Leno for hoggingthe best guests by using hardball, arm-twisting pressure to booktalent for "The Tonight Show." Now Leno is fighting back with swipesat Hall's inflated salary.

While these wimps are hissing and dissing and slapping wrists,Sgt. Rick Hunter is busting heads at 10:30 p.m. Mondays throughFridays on WGN-Channel 9. When it comes to playing rough late atnight, "Hunter" is a Chicago favorite.

Last Wednesday, Channel 9 brought in reruns of the fast-actioncop series to battle NBC's "Tonight" on WMAQ-Channel 5, the CBS"Crimetime After Primetime" programs on WBBM-Channel 2, ABC's"Nightline" with Ted Koppel on WLS-Channel 7 and the ribald "Studs"on WFLD-Channel 32.

When "Hunter" was airing here last spring, it trailed "Tonight"and "Nightline" while beating "Crimetime" and "Studs" in the localNielsen and Arbitron ratings. The violent series, starring FredDryer as the often insensitive and politically incorrect Los Angelespolice detective, scored slightly higher numbers among femaleviewers. The tall and muscular Dryer, a former All-Pro NFLdefensive lineman, often appears bare-chested when Hunter is off-duty- and sometimes when he's on a case.

Now syndicated in reruns after airing for seven seasons on NBC,"Hunter" appeals to the primal side of viewers who enjoy watchingsome spicy sex scenes squeezed between car chases and shootouts. Asrugged Rick, the rebellious son of a mobster, Dryer imitates ClintEastwood's tight-lipped characterizations of Dirty Harry Callahan.In a nod to Eastwood's "make my day" remark in "Sudden Impact," Dryersays "make my night" when partner Dee Dee McCall asks to join him inbed during a murder investigation.

As McCall, nicknamed "The Brass Cupcake," Stepfanie Kramer ismore than an ornament. Her Dee Dee often outsmarts Hunter, and shewill slug a suspect or use her gun without flinching. When Kramerleft the series after six seasons, "Hunter" lost a vital element ofits chemistry. The reruns Channel 9 will air tonight and tomorrowfeature Kramer and Garrett Morris as streetwise snitch Sporty James.

Those who didn't catch "Hunter" during its first run on NBCmight shrug off the series as a thick-headed Hunter (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) WGN-Channel 9, 10:30 to 11:30 tonight. endorsement for police brutality. But the episodes softenedslightly through the years under the guidance of writer-producer RoyHuggins, who also developed "Maverick," "77 Sun set Strip," "The Fugitive" and "The Rockford Files." "Hunter"creator Frank Lupo and production boss Stephen J. Cannell also teamedup for "Wiseguy," and Lupo launched the new CBS hit "Raven" earlierthis summer.

So when the late-night routine becomes a blur of self-promotingcelebs kissing the air and anything else within reach, a dose of"Hunter" can snap you awake like a slap in the face.