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Philosopher George Santayana's warning doesn't fit television. ``Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,'' he said. The reverse happens in television. Those who remember the past are well compensated for repeating it. 

Look at executives of Nick at Nite and TV Land, which replay vintage shows. Look at TV producers who live poshly while repeating past triumphs. 

The condemned turn out to be discriminating viewers who want more than retreads. They have to settle for competence this season. 

Surely one of the most competent producers is Steven Bochco. He and his collaborators, William Finkelstein and David Milch, bring verve to familiar formulas in CBS' ``Brooklyn South,'' a promising police drama in the ``Hill Street Blues'' mold. 

``Brooklyn South'' arrives amid controversy, though certainly not as big a furor as erupted over Bochco's ``NYPD Blue'' four years ago. The pilot, which airs at 10 p.m. ET Monday, carries a TV-MA rating (for mature audiences) for its violence. 

The harrowing opening sequence is not for the fainthearted. A bank robbery and homicide suspect, addicted to cocaine, wanders through the streets shooting people at random. 

Police rush out of the 74th Precinct house to stop the gunman, a black man. Then a second gunman, a sniper, joins the mayhem and mortally wounds a policeman in the head - a scene unusually graphic for a TV series. 

After capturing the wounded coke addict, police drag him into the roll call room. One angry officer slaps his face. As emergency workers try to revive the wounded suspect, officers taunt him. 

The gunman dies, and Lt. Stan Jonas (James B. Sikking) from the Internal Affairs Bureau arrives to investigate how the police comported themselves. The gunman's death also heightens racial tensions when his furious sister accuses police of butchering and murdering him. 

``Brooklyn South'' seizes your attention from the beginning, and it does a fine job of introducing many characters in a short time. The most familiar actors are Sikking and Michael DeLuise, who was Andy Sipowicz's son on ``NYPD Blue'' and who plays Officer Phil Roussakoff in the CBS show. 

But the standout is Dylan Walsh, who portrays Jimmy Doyle, an officer of integrity and skill. The handsome Walsh brings intensity to Doyle's hunt for the sniper. It's clear that Doyle's colleagues hold him in high regard for good reason. 

In chatting with his kid brother, Terry (Patrick McGaw), Doyle explains the show's philosophy about police work: ``This job lets you help people who need help, lock up people who need locking up, and you work with the best people you'll ever meet.'' 

But ``Brooklyn South's'' depiction of those people is far more complex than that speech. Doyle, who had to help raise his siblings, seems lonely. 

Patrol Sgt. Francis X. Donovan (Jon Tenney) has a secret that is causing professional turmoil. After the gunman's death in the station house, Sgt. Richard Santoro (Gary Basaraba) faces pressure from his bosses and the community. 

Officer Jake Lowery (Titus Welliver) broods over his wife, a selfish tart who brings other men home. She also derides his working with Officer Nona Valentine (Klea Scott), whom she dubs ``Miss Black America.'' 

Grief-stricken Officer Anne-Marie Kersey (Yancy Butler) loses her fiance in the shoot-out. One of the slain officers led a double life, which young Officer Hector Villanueva (Adam Rodriguez) learns about when he helps clean out the dead man's locker. 

``Brooklyn South'' might seem familiar, with its tough interrogation scenes, coarse language and Mike Post theme song. So the police drama is not groundbreaking - there was only one ``Hill Street Blues,'' after all. But ``Brooklyn South'' is well made, a major asset this season. 

Despite the controversy, Bochco and his collaborators handle the violence intelligently. They make it horrifying, not glamorous. 

The pilot originally shown to critics has undergone revisions that yield a more compelling show. The series added a prominent black character, Officer Clement Johnson (Richard T. Jones), who will have more to do in later episodes. 

Most crucially, the dialogue requires that viewers pay close attention. No problem there. These are characters who command and deserve the attention. ``Brooklyn South'' appears to be another Bochco winner.