PASADENA, Calif. -- "Three Moons Over Milford," summer's most enjoyable new series, debuts Sunday at 8 p.m. It's a much better small-town show than Sci Fi Channel's "Eureka" even as it has a sci-fi theme of its own.

The moon has exploded and the possibility of death hangs over the denizens of Milford as they try to get used to seeing three moon chunks in the sky, wondering if one will crash to earth, ending human life.

Elizabeth McGovern stars as the wife of the wealthy town entrepreneur, who takes a hike, leaving her to raise two children on her own, including a teenage son and accidental pyromaniac daughter. Never thought there would be an engaging, decently written drama on ABC Family, and this summer there were two ("Kyle XY" was the other, but "Milford" is much better).

Co-executive producer Howard Chesley said "Milford" won't concentrate on the pending disaster but on the reaction of people to it.

"We're interested in the people and their reactions to the fact that life might be over in a matter of days," Chesley said at a press conference last month. "Once in a while, something happens, a piece of meteor lands, something that reminds everyone of

how immediate it all is. But we're trying to really focus it on the humanity of the people and what makes their eccentric behavior justified."

Job well done in the pilot. We'll see what future episodes bring.

First Published: August 3, 2006, 4:00 a.m.