The host of 'Blue's Clues' just a hard-working actor

At the peak of his career, Barney, PBS's purple dinosaur, took a lot of unwarranted grief. He was (and still is) corny, overly sweet and cheerful, and adults don't like that. His employers defended him with a simple observation: Adults aren't supposed to like Barney.

That could be said about most children's television, even at its highest levels. Nick Jr.'s Blue's Clues, however, seems to have developed a slightly wider appeal. Though the show is aimed at preschoolers, host Steve Burns talks to his viewers without making it impossible for adults to enjoy. One might describe his style as deadpan.

"I'm glad to hear you say that," he says from the Nick Jr. offices in New York. "I try to go the opposite way from 'Hi, kids! How ya doin'?' I just try to talk to kids sincerely."

Blue's Clues is one of the most popular children's shows among preschoolers, so he must be reaching them. Adult involvement is by design, not accident. "You can't leave them (the parents) out of the program," he states. "There's definitely a lot of stuff in there for adults."

That balance takes a lot of work. Burns is the only live character on the show, "keyed in" over the animation. Each show finds his dog, Blue, suggesting a game of "Blue's clues" to find out what the cartoon animal wants to do. As Burns interacts with the animated home and surroundings, he and the viewers spot clues which are marked by blue paw prints. These clues are noted, and when all three are collected, Burns and the audience try to deduce the puzzle.

Burns looks like a natural at his job, but disagrees with that observation. "Oh, I wouldn't say that," he begins. "I'm uncomfortable doing it everyday. You remember that Bugs Bunny cartoon where the stork brings Bugs a gorilla? That's how I feel. I've inherited someone else's life. But it's a good life.

"To me, it feels like a very big acting job," he continues. Burns has occasionally managed to sneak off and act elsewhere with live actors. He appeared in an episode of NBC's acclaimed drama Homicide: Life on the Streets, "Full Court Press." Watching him in the interrogation room, you thought, "He just looks like Steve." When he returns to three-dimensional acting, we're in for a treat.

"I played a murderer, which is quite a range," he, says, laughing. For now, however, he won't be doing any other outside work. "Not at the momen. Nickelodeon was fine with it (the Homicide guest spot). But Blue's Clues is a very specific acting job with very specific connotations to those who watch it, so I really don't want to taint that with other stuff right now."

Steve is also the show's co-producer, allowing him to give some input into the series. For example, he suggested the incorporation of American Sign Language. The program running this week (the same show airs Monday--Friday at 9:30 a.m.) is the first to use ASL, and features actress Marlee Matlin.

"I'd been clamoring for a long time to use American Sign Language in the show," he says. "Now I actually use it for stock phrases like 'you're so smart' and 'thank you so much.' Things I say in every episode."

Matlin was glad to be a part of it all. "I met her at a charity event, told her what we were doing and she was very excited about it. We worked her into the episode, and she was awesome. She's one of the coolest people I've ever met."

The show will move beyond the colors and shapes, he says. "The new stuff that's coming up is more character-driven," he says. "We're getting into more of an emotional curriculum -- social skills for pre-schoolers and helping kids with emotional issues that they might have."

As cable and satellite TV dump more and more programming on us and our kids, people are finding the easy-going, yet challenging style of Blue's Clues a welcome non-commercial oasis in an often nerve-wracking cacophony of cartoons, puppets and animals.

That could be the biggest benefit of all.