You can’t blame the Fox network for wanting to show off as much of Eliza Dushku as possible. Ever since it clipped the wings of ’’Dark Angel’’’s Jessica Alba, the net has been searching for a new signature sexpot, and with smoldering good looks and attitude to spare, Dushku appears to be that sexpot. After building up quite a résumé playing supporting characters in critical successes (’’Buffy the Vampire Slayer’’) and commercial hits (’’Bring It On)’’, the 22-year-old is ready for her close-up in ’’Tru Calling.’’ You see, the fact remains that not only is this Dushku’s first bona fide starring TV role, but it’s also the role she and so many others are counting on to make her a bona fide star. To accomplish that, all she has to do is work at a morgue, chat up corpses, go back in time 24 hours, save people from dying, and try to get her bad-news brother and sister to clean up their acts. Oh, and show a little skin while doing it.

When creator Jon Harmon Feldman (’’American Dreams’’) came up with the concept about a recent college grad named Tru Davies who listens to pleas for help from corpses and then relives the day they died to prevent their untimely demises, they had but one actress in mind. ’’Eliza was always the prototype for this role,’’ says Feldman.

Luckily, the attraction was mutual. ’’When I read the script, I was like, Boom! It was the whole package,’’ says Dushku, and by whole package, she may be referring to the multiple influences the show not-so-subtly employs. ’’It’s kind of like ’Run Lola Run’ with a ’CSI’ feel,’’ says A.J. Cook (’’Final Destination 2’’), who plays Tru’s friend Lindsay. ’’But also kind of like ’Groundhog Day’ and ’Early Edition.’ Probably with a little bit of ’Alias,’ too.’’ That’s what happens when you throw together dead bodies, time displacement, and random sprinting down city streets.

The mix was enough to land Dushku, but the big question is, will anyone enjoy the fruits of her labor? The network decided to schedule the program for Thursday night at 8, otherwise known as the time-slot-from-hell. Will ’’Tru’’ be able to register its own pulse against stiff (pardon the pun) competition that includes ’’Friends’’ and ’’Survivor’’? Well, for now, all the actors are saying the right things. Or are they? ’’Yeah, I’ll be watching ’Friends,’’’ jokes Shawn Reaves, who plays Tru’s brother, Harrison. ’’When I first heard it, my ears were ringing a little bit, because my buddies and I used to have ’Friends’ parties,’’ adds Dushku. And then there is Zach Galifianakis, who plays Tru’s boss, Davis. ’’You know, it’s bad for morale,’’ says the stand-up comedian. ’’It’s like, ’Okay, you’ve been working on a farm basketball team for a few years now. Your new opponent is the Harlem Globetrotters. And they’re going to be using a ladder.’’’

The producers have a slightly more positive outlook. ’’Obviously, it’s a tough time slot,’’ concedes Feldman, ’’but we have a young star and I think we will appeal to a younger audience.’’ Feldman and Fox, which says it promises to be patient with the show, are counting on the equal parts spunky and sexy Dushku — tough enough to demand a pet python while growing up, yet girly enough to call her dog Max Factor — to deliver that younger audience. ’’She’s drop-dead gorgeous, but she’s not just eye candy,’’ says Cook. ’’She’s feisty, and that’s what she brings to this character.’’ Adds Jessica Collins, who plays Tru’s older sister Meredith: ’’She’s not just the pretty girl waiting for somebody to save her in the tower. She’s out there kicking butt.’’

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