Yep, she"s still gay. But this time around, Ellen DeGeneres doesn"t want to make such a big deal out of it. Four years after she came out of the closet on "Ellen," her gay-themed ABC sitcom, and three years after it was cancelled, Ellen is back on the tube, but this time in a traditional, small-town family comedy. After Monday"s special premiere, "The Ellen Show" settles into its regular weekly time slot tonight at 8 p.m.

DeGeneres stars as Ellen Richmond, a big-city dotcom executive who decides to move back to her hometown, Clark, after her business goes bust. Along for the ride are Cloris Leachman as Ellen"s incessantly cheerful mom, Emily Rutherford as her insecure sister, and Jim Gaffigan (of the failed CBS sitcom "Welcome to New York") as her old high-school prom date who still thinks he has a chance with her. But as we all know, Ellen plays on the other side of the fence, and it doesn"t take long for her to make it known. Five minutes into the premiere, she comes out to the folks of Clark, but after a few awkward congratulatory jokes, the subject is pretty much closed.

Not only did "Ellen"s" continuous focus on her sexual orientation in its final season relegate it to the bottom of the sitcom heap, it turned viewers off and eventually led to the show"s demise. Meanwhile, "Will & Grace" came along and found just the right mix of gay humor and shrewd social witticism to become a commercial and critical smash. While "The Ellen Show" is not nearly as daring or inventive as "Will & Grace," its simple premise gives it a comfortable, lighthearted feel.

Originally envisioning her new show as a half-hour variety series, with scripted sketches and "Jaywalking" style street interviews, DeGeneres herself eventually decided to do another sitcom. And though she doesn"t show astounding range as an actress, playing essentially the same character as she did on "Ellen," she"s as radiant as ever, dishing out strong doses of her trademark loopy, self-deprecating humor. In one of the most promising fall TV seasons in recent years, "The Ellen Show" may be nothing new, but it is still good, clean (lesbian) fun.