Hope & Faith - Friday 9:00 p.m.

TV's perkiest new comedy, "Hope & Faith," features Regis Philbin's better TV-half, Kelly Ripa, as a daytime soap diva who moves in with her married-with-children, suburban sister ("Murphy Brown"'s Faith Ford) after her character on the series is suddenly and unceremoniously killed off. Although airing in the middle of the return of ABC's T.G.I.F. comedy block is no easy task, the likeability of the two leads, familiar laughs and the ability to put your mind to rest while watching is not a bad way to end the week.