Nipping at the hand that feeds them

Alexis Stewart (left) and Jennifer Koppelman Hutt joke on ''Whatever, Martha!'' (Anders Krusberg/Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia)

Hooray for nepotism! How else would the children of media moguls get the fame (or demi-fame) that they so richly deserve? In what other world could Martha Stewart's daughter forge her own TV career by mocking her mother?

That's the central purpose of "Whatever, Martha!," which premieres on the Fine Living Network tonight: It's a vehicle for Alexis Stewart to make fun of clips from "Martha Stewart Living," the 1990s series that helped to turn her mother into a brand. She's joined by her good friend Jennifer Koppelman Hutt - who happens to be the daughter of the chairman of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

The pair already have a satellite radio show, "Whatever With Alexis & Jennifer," broadcast on Sirius's Martha Stewart Living Radio channel. Here, they follow the model of "Mystery Science Theater 3000," the old Comedy Central series about a man and two robots trapped in space by an evil scientist, and forced to watch old, bad sci-fi movies. The show re-aired the movies themselves, overdubbed with their snarky commentary.

Maybe if "Whatever, Martha!" had a similar conceit - old "Living" episodes as a twisted form of torture - this show might have more of a wackadoodle edge. Or maybe it just needs different hosts; if the "MST3K" characters were hilariously droll, these two mostly waver between being unfunny and uncomfortably mean-spirited. They spend a lot of time shrieking about Martha's wardrobe choices ("She has socks with loafers!") and reveling in the moments when she turns her backside to the camera. "There's that tushy again!" one of them squeals off-camera tonight. "She has the cutest butt!" says the other.

Hutt here fills the role of everywoman, flummoxed by the home-improvement projects themselves, and wisecracking with a kind of manic speed. Her 1997 New York Times wedding announcement noted that she aspired to be an actress. (It also noted that a wooden replica of a Manhattan synagogue was built over the swimming pool of her family's Long Island estate.) Now, she's working hard to be a comedienne in the Kathy Griffin mold, but with considerably less to say.

Alexis Stewart is a more intriguing case, since there's a bitter undercurrent to every joke she cracks. She makes reference to her therapists - plural, she notes pointedly - and varying references to her mother's controlling nature. When Martha hums in one old clip, Alexis growls, "That makes me insane when she does that."

It's doubtful that Martha herself minds very much, given that she introduces the show and is listed as an executive producer. And on some level, I guess "Whatever, Martha!" reveals a certain generosity of spirit; it's certainly nice, and still too rare, when celebrities laugh at themselves. Some of these clips are clearly worth spoofing; tonight, we get to relive some choice moments when a clearly-uncomfortable Martha tries to coach a group of kids in the delicate art of frosting cupcakes.

In fact, this whole affair might be funnier if the shows were re-aired as is, and the commentary were left to viewers at home. But then Martha wouldn't be in control. And this remains, most definitely, her cupcake to frost.

Joanna Weiss can be reached at weiss@globe.com. For more on TV, go to www.viewerdiscretion.net.