Mel Brooks must be getting old. He's losing his touch. Imagine this: During the entire 60-minute debut of "Nutt House," there isn't a single joke involving flatulence. What's going on here?

A Brooks production without at least one whoopee cushion, or at least 14 varying scatological comedic devices, is like the young Mikhail Baryshnikov going through an entire ballet without a leap.

But this is television, where bodily functions are closely monitored. Violence is OK. Sex is more than OK. Even partial nudity is permitted now on the networks. But an old-fashioned Brooksian gas attack still is frowned upon. Some things defy explanation.

However, Brooks and his co-producer, writer Alan Spencer, have managed to craft a fairly silly, stupid, entertaining comedy in "Nutt House." The NBC series will premiere from 8 to 9 tonight on WMAQ-Channel 5. It will move to its regular slot, 8:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, next week.

Brooks and Spencer deserve much of the credit for "Nutt House" and its comedic energy. This is a spirited debut. But several performers from the unofficial Brooks repertory company also help bring this series to life.

It's great to see Harvey Korman and Cloris Leachman as the stars of this frenetic series about life in a dilapidated New York hotel, appropriately called Nutt House. Korman is the stuffy, snooty Nutt House manager, Reginald J. Tarkington, who has been cooking the books for years in order to keep the crumbling spa afloat. Leachman is Ms. Frick, the panzer division housekeeper, in a variation of her Frau Blucher role from "Young Frankenstein."

Also on hand in a guest role is another Brooks regular, Ronny Graham.

In tonight's debut, a crass, aggressive wheeler-dealer Texan, Big Jake Herder (wonderfully played by David Huddleston), decides to launch a takeover bid for Nutt House. The frantic Tarkington fears that his fraudulent management of the hotel will be uncovered.

Grandmother Nutt, the hotel's matriarch (nicely played by Jeanette Nolan), summons her playboy grandson, Charles Nutt III (Brian McNamara), back from Europe. Charles must go to work for the first time in his life under the tutelage of Tarkington.

"You remind me of myself when I was your age," Tarkington beams at Nutt the Third.

"Why is that?" Charles asks.

"Because you're puny and weak," responds the supercilious manager.

As the house staff pulls together to fight off the takeover effort, viewers will begin to realize that in a battle of wits, these people are unarmed.

As with Jackie Mason's ABC comedy "Chicken Soup," the future of "Nutt House" will depend largely on the appeal of the Brooks-Spencer style of raucous comedy. I didn't care for Spencer's earlier series, "Sledge Hammer!" It was too much of an attempt to be like Brooks without an understanding of Brooks' style.

With this joint effort, Spencer will get a graduate course on the nuances of broad, physical comedy - including, I presume, the proper use of the whoopee cushion. Rating: (STAR) (STAR) (STAR)

WAGNER'S REALM: "Peaceable Kingdom," a CBS series premiering from 7 to 8 tonight on WBBM-Channel 2, is a peaceable little show. Not great. Not even good. But not bad either.

How can it go all that wrong? It stars Lindsay Wagner, who has emerged as a very reliable actress. Its story lines revolve around a zoo. And, as we all know, a cutesy-boopsy little barking seal often can make up for gaps in scripts. It's all part of the natural order of things on television.

Wagner stars as Rebecca Cafferty, a recently divorced mother of three who has moved to Los Angeles to become the director of the city's zoo. Tonight, Cafferty must juggle the demands of her children against an impending deadline to open a new exhibit fraught with problems.

She also must act as a peacemaker between the arrogant Dr. Langley (David Ackroyd), a zoologist more interested in research than the commercial appeal of zoos, and Dr. Jed McFadden (Tom Wopat), who is committed to the welfare of the animals.

Later in this series, we will learn that McFadden and Cafferty are brother and sister, although that point isn't revealed in the pilot.

Shows about animals always touch a chord with the public. And in this case, "Peaceable Kingdom" melds aspects of "National Geographic" with "Marcus Welby." Wopat even sings to a sick lion.

This show will appeal to families. It's very sweet and kind.