'Army Wives' soldiers on for a fourth soapy season

THE SHOW "Army Wives"

WHEN | WHERE Sunday at 10 p.m. on Lifetime

Fourth-season launch of the drama that depicts the lives of four women, married to the Army, living on or near fictional Fort Marshall in Charleston, S.C.

CATCHING UP Last thing we heard was the loud report of a gun inside the house of Col. Frank Sherwood (Terry Serpico) and his wife, Denise (Catherine Bell). Their son, Jeremy (Richard Bryant), is not only suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome, but guilt over the death of his buddy Pvt. Mark Rison (Roderick Pannell) back in Iraq. Could Mark have taken his own life? Also in Iraq, Joan Burton (Wendy Davis) tried to rescue a fellow soldier when she was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade; could she be . . . ?

And, on the homefront: Roxy (Sally Pressman) learns she's pregnant; Pamela (Brigid Brannagh) has pretty much told Chase (Jeremy Davidson) that he picks the family or the army; he waffles.

WHAT SUNDAY'S ABOUT Without giving too much away, the above-mentioned cliff-hangers get some resolution, while Dr. Roland Burton (Sterling K. Brown) assumes a major role in the healing of a key character - even though he learns, of course, that his wife, Joan, came under attack in Iraq. Also, Claudia Joy Holden (Kim Delaney) and snark queen Lenore Baker (Rhoda Griffis) are up for a prestigious award that will bring great distinction to their respective Army general husbands. Who will win? Oh, and Chase? The water he's in just got hotter because Pamela has told him not to go to Colorado for additional training.

MY SAY Your love for "Army Wives" is strictly between you and your remote; my remote and I find it dull, predictable and rather sleepy. "Wives" - by no means the hot little number it was three years ago, when it emerged as a surprise hit for long hitless Lifetime - finds itself in a prime-time world bustling with extremely high production values. By contrast, "Wives" is content to push sudsy story lines in lieu of truly dramatic ones.

BOTTOM LINE The soap gets in my eyes.

GRADE C+