In a show called Voyagers

In a show called Voyagers! on the Sci-Fi Channel recently, a boy whose mass of curly hair suggested he was from the 1980s traveled in time to the Titanic. "We can change what's wrong," he cried. "We can make it like it never happened!''

That's also the point of Quantum Leap, the clever time-traveling show in which a guy named Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) lands in various historical moments and averts disasters in ordinary people's lives.

The Sci-Fi Channel, which is owned by the USA Network, may attract mainstream viewers who want to see Star Wars for the hundredth time. But it is characterized by shabby syndicated series, combining instant nostalgia and escapism.

Among the most popular shows is the late-1980s series Friday the 13th, about a trove of cursed objects. And She-Wolf of London is preceded by the label "Sci-Fi Series Collection. Aired in Syndication October 1990-March 1991," turning a brief career into a campy honor.

Like armchair travelers, viewers of the TV Food Network are often looking for vicarious couch-potato thrills - entertainment rather than the practical recipes they can get for a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

The Essence of Emeril is a cooking show with Emeril Lagasse, whose regular-guy personality is part of his appeal. He sounds more like a New York hot dog vendor than a proponent of haute cuisine.