But every so often, a show premieres which is so strangely bizarre, so oddly offbeat, that you shuffle back and forth between wanting to quickly turn off your television, and thinking that you should call your friends and invite them to take a look.

The new CBS reality series "Armed And Famous" fits that bill, and after watching the first episode I'm not sure whether to recommend it or warn you to flee to the nearest bookstore for the evening.

The show takes a motley group of minor celebrities and sends them to Muncie, Indiana to join the Muncie Police Department. Really. Yes, I'll wait while you digest this insanely odd premise.

I will give producers credit for assembling a cast that might not be famous, but is at least diverse. It's not every show that could put together a group that includes Erik Estrada, Jack Osbourne and LaToya Jackson. But diverse isn't the same as interesting, which the show proves quite efficiently during the first half of episode one.

The first part of the premiere follows our cast of under-employed celebs as they go through a brief round of police training. Most of the scenes are painfully predictable and not very fun to watch, although the scene where LaToya speaks with brother Randy is pretty funny. "Muncie? Why are in Muncie," asks Randy Jackson. "Have you asked Mom or Jermaine or Tito or Michael about this?"

If you can slog through the first thirty minutes, the show does get much more entertaining. Once the celebrities begin their tours of duty with real cops, they're thrown into some unpredictable situations, which make for a much better experience for the viewers.

The scene most people will be talking about is one involving Estrada, He and his partner are asked to participate in the raiding of a crack dealer, and Estrada is stunned to realize the dealer looks to be about 70. He handcuffs the toothless drug dealer, calling her "Sweetheart." She seems to forget she's headed to jail, and instead joyfully enjoys the experience of being arrested by the actor who played Ponch on "CHiPs."

"This is the wrong way to meet you, Ponch," she says, smiling and laughing all the way to jail. "I wouldn't miss" one episode of that show!"

I'm guessing that even crack Granny wouldn't mind missing an episode of "Armed and Famous," which is in the end spitfully entertertaining, but not so much so that I'm tempted to watch again.

"Armed And Famous" premieres on CBS on Wednesday, January 10th, 2007.