LOS ANGELES -- Canadian actor Rob Stewart says the writers of the late-night CBS series Sweating Bullets are reconsidering his character's roving eye in this age of AIDS awareness.

A large part of the Monday night show's appeal is that it's a sexual fantasy of bikini-clad women and bare-chested men on the beach of a mythical Caribbean island called Key Mariah.

In 44 episodes of the Canadian-Israeli co-production, private investigator Nick Slaughter has had 44 girlfriends.

"Sometimes Nick may be sending the wrong message,: Stewart said. "But we're showing the fantasy every American male dreams of."

Stewart, a native of Brampton, met with the show's writers in Palm Springs recently to discuss his concerns.

The late-night time period allows Sweating Bullets to be somewhat racier than a prime-time show, but reconciling the series' sexual appeal to today's realities is a perplexing problem.

"One of the topics we talked about in Palm Springs was whether we are dealing with sex in a responsible way," said Stewart, who also is a writer-director for the show.

"AIDS is a major concern today ... but the show is still a fantasy."

Stewart said one change under consideration for the new season is giving Nick a steady girlfriend.

Carolyn Dunn stars as Stewart's partner in the show, which is produced by Toronto-based Accent Entertainment, but the two have yet to be romantically linked.

In Sweating Bullets, Stewart is an investigator who quit the Drug Enforcement Administration to follow a more carefree life.

Jerry Buck

©The Toronto Star