The Concept
New kid in town, with sparkly image and magical skills, is asked to resurrect the fortunes of a struggling league. Think Superman meets Northern Exposure.

The Plot
Sometimes a star vehicle comes along that so taps into the zeitgeist that everyone has to sit up and take notice. Cosby. Seinfeld. And, now, Carter! The young, brash VC lords over every scene with his look-at-me style and look-out-below vertical leap. Right from the pilot we see Vince as sort of a basketball Jerry -- single, close to his parents, with a group of friends who can't live without him. The producers were wise to pick Toronto as the setting, a symbolic nod to Broadway's custom of opening shows in the sticks. The result: a cast that hums. Carter, of course, is magnificent throughout, highlight-heaven as he stretches the opposition from three-point range and helps his mates on D. As the series progresses, the characters are allowed room to grow. VC's cousin and sidekick, Tracy, wins a battle against his own selfish instincts and becomes one of the team's best passers and rebounders. (We're not giving away too much by revealing an intriguing subplot built around rumors of Tracy's imminent departure.) And once the old hands (Oak, Kevin Willis, Antonio Davis) are freed from picking up after the youngsters, they turn back the clock -- and make us feel young again. The team rebounding heroically after a late-season swoon provides some of the most riveting TV of the season. Carter! may have the scent of a remake, but VC makes it work.

The Cast VC, mild-mannered on the street, ferocious on court ... Michelle Robinson, his mom, who tends to VC's image as if it were a garden of orchids ... Oak, his good friend, an aging hipster who's as quick to dispense wisdom as he is anxious to set picks ... Tracy, whose own aerial exploits are overshadowed by VC's ... Butch Carter, the coach, whose old-school ethic keeps his guys real even if his methods tick them off.

Next Season Tracy's Windy City Mistake ... VC: Coming to America, Too ... Space Jam 2.

-Tim Keown

This article appears in the May 1, 2000 issue of ESPN The Magazine.