At once the most idealistic and least "real" reality show yet, "The American Candidate" (9 p.m. Sunday, Showtime) is a potentially fascinating but ultimately fruitless journey.

The concept of the show: Ten regular John and Jane Q. Publics vie to become the American Candidate, a supposed presidential contender who will win $200,000 and a sketchily defined "nationwide media appearance" to address the nation on his or her ideas for governance.

But there's a reason "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" is fiction. Clearly, the dreams of the winner of this reality show aren't going to be realized. This is airing on Showtime, a premium cable channel seen by a fraction of the country; it's little better than a grass-roots effort.

"What if you didn't have to spend millions of dollars to get elected?" asks host Montel Williams in the opening hour. "What if you didn't have to go to the right schools? What if your gender or the person you love or the color of your skin didn't matter at all?"

But all those things do matter, which sort of renders "American Candidate" an exercise in futility. Still, the first episode is relatively interesting futility.

Viewers see the candidates -- all from various walks of life and political backgrounds -- announce their campaigns. The most famous is Chrissy Gephardt, daughter of U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt.

Several seem to be single-issue candidates -- animal rights, gay rights, veterans' rights -- and others are just amusing in their uptight seriousness.

"I'm currently spending some time poring over Jefferson's reflections to center me," says Bob Vanech, a Los Angeles-based venture capitalist.

Stirring background music swells when the participants announce their candidacy, and it does offer a "West Wing"-like tingle, but then you think about how absurd it all is and that feeling fades.

One candidate is voted off the show -- they're "off the ballot," Williams says -- at the end of each episode. In the premiere, that determination is made based on which two players had the smallest turnout at their campaign announcement rallies. Those two have to debate, and the other candidates then cast their vote for which one should stay.

I suppose the subject matter in "American Candidate" is more substantial than the competitions on other reality shows, but that doesn't make its outcome any more meaningful.

'Evel Knievel'
Now that he's been re-hired to work on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," George Eads can relax. But at a Los Angeles press conference last week to promote TNT's "Evel Knievel" movie, in which he plays the title role, Eads was noticeably more apprehensive. He claimed he was late for work on "CSI" because of a broken alarm clock; CBS contended he was holding out for more money and in violation of his contract.

Wherever the truth lies, he's back to the fictional forensics show. But first, he sports polyester and bad wigs as the star of "Evel Knievel" (8 tonight and Sunday; 9 p.m. tomorrow), a biopic about the '70s sensation.

"I've always been a fan of fitted leather. The polyester and the bell bottoms I could probably do without," Eads said. "To get to wear the costume of Evel Knievel, are you kidding me? When I was a kid, I had Superman. I had Spiderman. I had Evel Knievel."

Beau Bridges plays Knievel's supportive father-in-law.

"The athletic aspects of Evel are certainly there, but he had the chops of a showman," Bridges said. "He really knew how to put on an event. The thing that separated him from other daredevils is he was smart enough to realize that it was best to invite his audience to come along on his trip with him, his adventures. ... He kind of presented himself as one of the people."

That aspect of Knievel's character appealed to Eads, too.

"It was important for me in doing this film to humanize someone who, at least for me as a child, wasn't real," Eads said. "It was just a suit, it was just the doll, it was just the attitude. ... I just wanted to make him a human being and try to creatively think maybe what was going on in his head."

If seeing a real motorcycle jump is more appealing than a TV movie, Robbie Knievel, son of Evel, is happy to oblige. He'll attempt to jump over what's described only as "an array of military aircraft" on the deck of the USS Intrepid, a retired aircraft carrier-turned-museum in New York. The jump will air live on TNT tomorrow at 8 p.m.

Channel surfing
"Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars," a four-hour miniseries, premieres on Sci Fi Channel Oct. 17. ... "On-Air with Ryan Seacrest," airing locally on WCWB, will go off the air for good. It's been canceled and the last episode will air nationally Sept. 17. ... Fox has ordered three more episodes of "Method & Red." ... The first season of "Arrested Development" comes out on DVD Oct. 19. The entire run of "Greg the Bunny" (including two unaired episodes) and "Cedric the Entertainer" (including six unaired episodes) will also be out in October. ... TV Land has ordered a series based on the special "ALF's Hit Talk Show," which aired July 7.