TELEVISIONFarewell, Cicely: Rob Morrow’s exit from “Northern...

TELEVISION

Farewell, Cicely: Rob Morrow’s exit from “Northern Exposure” Wednesday night won mostly favorable comments from fans of the CBS series who weighed in on the Prodigy computer bulletin board. Some said the goodby between Morrow’s Dr. Joel Fleischman and Janine Turner’s Maggie O’Connell had left them in tears; others debated whether his return to New York City was literal or metaphorical. The episode drew “Northern Exposure’s” biggest audience since its move to Wednesdays last month--about 11 million homes--but it still finished third behind NBC’s “Law & Order” and ABC’s “PrimeTime Live.”

*

Conan Renewed: Conan O’Brien has finally gotten a long-awaited vote of approval from NBC, which has given his “Late Night” a six-month order, renewing it to September, which will make two years on the air. O’Brien’s ratings may not rank up there with those of David Letterman, his predecessor in the post-”Tonight Show” slot, but O’Brien has more than held his own against challengers including “The Jon Stewart Show” and “The Late Late Show With Tom Snyder.”

*

Right-Sided Differences: Talk-show host Rush Limbaugh, who some consider a synonym for conservatism, has been pulled off the air by a Christian TV station in Ohio. Citing intolerance for Limbaugh’s occasionally off-color jokes, WTLW in Lima dropped Limbaugh’s program, even though it was the station’s highest-rated show. Limbaugh’s response? “Jesus loves me, this I know. And I think he watches the show.” . . . Elsewhere in the world of political talk, former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo is negotiating for a weekly radio show. “We’re talking to several people at this time and I think something will come down soon,” Cuomo’s agent, Jim Griffin, said Wednesday. “He is seriously interested, and the radio industry is seriously interested.”

MOVIES

Dances With Dollars?: As if his much-publicized “Waterworld” woes and pending divorce weren’t causing enough headaches for Kevin Costner, the actor is now drawing fire from tribal leaders upset with his plans for a $100-million resort casino in Deadwood, S.D. Costner, whose biggest triumph came from his role as a Sioux-sympathizing soldier in the Oscar-winning film “Dances With Wolves,” already co-owns one of the area’s 86 casinos with his brother, Dan. Costner’s new Dunbar resort, scheduled to open in 1997, would dwarf the other casinos and compete with those operated on reservations by South Dakota’s nine tribes. “It’s the old theory of the rich get richer and the poor get poorer,” said Mike Jandreau, chairman of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. “The casinos for us are the opportunity to extract some revenue that we cannot get in any other fashion. It’s just a continued pure capitalistic immoral process to continue using Indian people.” Costner, who is making the trouble-plagued, $160-million “Waterworld” in Hawaii, could not be reached for comment.

MORE TV

Fox Kids’ Schedule: Fox Children’s Network will add three new Saturday morning series and a new weekday preschoolers program to its lineup for the 1995-96 television season. The new Saturday series are “Masked Rider,” a live-action series from “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” producers Saban Entertainment; “Life With Louie,” an animated program based on the “offbeat childhood experiences” of comedian Louie Anderson, and “Casper,” an animated series based on an upcoming Steven Spielberg live-action feature film. Joining the weekday preschool bloc is the animated series “Britt Allcroft’s Magical Adventures of Mumfie.” In addition, the hit Saturday series “X-Men” will expand to both Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons.

*

Bradys Galore: There’s lots on tap for fans of TV’s “Brady Bunch,” starting tonight when Eve Plumb, Jan Brady herself, guest stars in the Hollywood Playhouse’s sketch comedy “The Riot Act.” Next up is “Nick at Nite’s Buncha Brady” week, featuring five nights of Brady-related programming, starting at 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday on cable’s Nickelodeon. Then on Feb. 26, Barry Williams, a.k.a. Greg Brady, hosts “Growing Up Brady,” a one-hour special on Fox. Included are interviews with former cast members such as Florence Henderson (Carol Brady), Christopher Knight (Peter), Mike Lookinland (Bobby) and Ann B. Davis (Alice). So why all the Brady hoopla? The opening of Paramount Pictures’ “The Brady Bunch Movie” next Friday.

QUICK TAKES

CBS, showing unusual confidence in former “Miami Vice” star Don Johnson, has ordered 22 episodes of an as-yet-untitled hourlong series starring Johnson as a detective who takes on additional odd jobs to support two ex-wives. Johnson will also co-executive produce the series, which is expected to premiere in the fall. A full season order is rare for an untried program, although not unprecedented. Steven Spielberg got the same kind of orders for his network offerings “seaQuest DSV” and “Earth 2.” . . . Actor Eric Roberts, who got a best supporting actor Oscar nomination for 1985’s “Runaway Train” but is also known for being the brother of actress Julia Roberts, was arrested in Los Angeles Wednesday for investigation of spousal abuse after allegedly pushing his wife into a wall. In 1988, Roberts was placed on probation for six months after pleading guilty to harassing a woman.