Looks like the advocacy groups that created such a fuss over the nudity and language in Steven Bochco's "Hill Street Blues" and "NYPD Blue" won't have cause to come to the attack against his new TNT "Raising the Bar" series.

This is the word from the storied writer/producer, who notes, "It's not so much a matter of been there, done that, it's just that nudity and raw language aren't an essential ingredient of the new series."

The cable legal drama, he says, "exposes a lot of different points of view — from the judges to the prosecutors to public defenders caught up in a terribly flawed legal system where a lot of humanity and dignity get lost."

He acknowledges that it has meant working on a smaller budget and has necessitated a shorter work week, with less of a margin for error, than he was used to when he made his hit shows for the networks. However, he stresses he's not complaining.

"Things get pretty intense," he says. "But stress? What stress? I'm too old to get stressed. What are they going to do, shoot me?"

But seriously ... "I don't do my best work just going to a job. This series is as fine an experience as I've had making anything in the last 15 to 20 years."

He notes, "I see my future in cable as long as there is a future. I would be delighted and honored if a broadcast network came to me to do the kind of shows I used to do. But the phone ain't ringing off the hook."

THE ODD COUPLE: If Marcia Brady can love Bobby Brown, why can't the rest of the world? Yes, the "Brady Bunch" star, Maureen McCormick, has struck up an unusual friendship with the infamous bad boy thanks to starring together on CMT's "Gone Country."

She just hopes everyone else will see he's a good guy as well. "I think Bobby is probably very misunderstood. He just has to get out there, and people will start to understand him because he's got a heart of gold," claims McCormick, who is starring in the new CMT show "Outsiders Inn" with Brown and their other former co-star Carnie Wilson. "Once somebody gets to know Bobby they're like, 'Wow, I'm so surprised — he's the nicest guy!'"

Working together again has been a treat for McCormick, who says their friendship is no surprise to her. "I think with Carnie, Bobby and I, we've all been through a lot. We're all survivors, and that really bonded us. We're the best of friends." Come Aug. 15, audiences will see how they handle living in rural East Tennessee as they run a bed & breakfast together. "The producers came to me with the idea, and I thought how great to have Carnie, she is the best cook in the world, and who is a better entertainment director than Bobby Brown?"

McCormick tells us fans will certainly see her at her happiest. "When I turned 50 I decided I was just going to be me, and everyone would have to take me for who I was. I felt like I had to stop pretending that I had this perfect life and that I was this perfect person. I have a book coming out Oct. 15 that talks all about that called 'Here's the Story.'" And there you have it from a lovely lady.

ASK A BUSY PERSON: "I've got five jobs practically at the same time. I feel very blessed to have all of these opportunities, but it is tough," says a busy Mario Lopez, who is starring in Broadway's "A Chorus Line," hosting MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew," co-hosting "Extra," as well as acting in various movie and TV roles. Now Lopez can add producer to his list of credits. "I'm doing a show for Lifetime called 'Love and Salsa,' he tells us of his latest project that he's hoping will be out in September. "It's a reality show. It's kind of like 'The Hills' but in the salsa world."

KILLER B's: Times change, issues change, styles change — but plotlines for certain kinds of movies stay strangely the same. For instance: How about a movie about a serial killer on the loose — inside a women's prison! It's being done, called "The Easy Inside," set to begin production in mid-October. And then there's the one about a young married couple, newly pregnant, who move into a remote house near the woods (of course!) only to be plagued by insect-like creatures that crave human flesh and just might actually be tiny aliens! That's another feature, in preproduction now, called "Creeper." Casting is underway. With reports by Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster.

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2008 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.